guilt consumes me for the unread

[kaigou]

Went through the stack of books by my bed, and those that had been by my desk (until being moved into the second library while I laid the floor and had to practically hang half the house from the ceiling in the meantime) -- and after months of going to bed with the last sight before sleep being a stack of books I just couldn't ever seem to find the energy interest time to read, I decided it was time to get over the guilt and find them new homes.

Admittedly there are about forty books I'm taking to the used bookstore that I have read, of which ten are nonfiction. The rest I enjoyed from very much to relatively enough (which equates to, I finished them), but it's been at least a year and I've never thought to even reread any of them, so that tells me it's time to let them find new homes, as well. Book turnover!

However, those books I've had and not read... I figure, if I list them here and anyone has read them and really liked them, speak up. Tell me what made the book memorable for you. Maybe it's just that I need to get past the first chapter before I get to something that'll suck me in.

FWIW: nearly all were impulse buys, based on interesting teaser and/or interesting first page -- but then I couldn't get farther than the second page. Why? I dunno. My reading-brain has been broken for some time, over the past seven months or so. I've tried, hell yeah, but it's been very hard for stuff to keep my attention. Sigh.

1. Autumn Castle -- Kim Wilkins
   
   
2. Eyes of God -- John Marco
   
   
3. Course of the Heart -- M. John Harrison
   
   
4. Last Guardian of Everness -- John Wright
   
   
5. Purity of Blood -- Arturo Perez-Reverte
   
   
6. Lust -- Geoff Ryman
   
   
7. Brilliance of the Moon -- Lian Hearn
   
   
8. Thrall's Tale -- Judith Lindbergh
   
   
9. Book of Flying -- Keith Miller
   
   This is one of those books with lyricism like I wish I could master, but that's never what comes out of my pen easily. I always end up back in what feels much too matter-of-fact. Besides, I like plots so thick with things I never have the wordcount to spare on endless poetry. So I start a book like this and almost immediately feel both inadequate and depressed, for it not being a native style even if it's one I love.
   
   
10. Point of Dreams -- Melissa Scott & Lisa Barnett
    
    I actually got about a third of the way through this book before... I don't know, putting it down and just never even wondering what might come next. I got that far mostly because it was something to read while waiting for the electrician to fix something, I think it was -- where I wanted to be available without hovering, so I grabbed the nearest book and started to read. When the guy left, I put the book down, and... there it is. Sigh.
    
    
11. Blood Engines -- T.A. Pratt
    
    I think I got about halfway through, reading in two or three chunks. I read the first chunk while waiting for my car to be serviced, then left it in the car, read some more while getting a flat repaired, left it, then read more while waiting in line to vote, left it... you get the picture. It's an easy enough book to pick up and put down and I liked the main character well enough, but... There's a lot of talking about being ruthless and not a lot of actually, well, being ruthless.

The last three might be lost causes, but for the others, oh, hell, for all of them: second chances all around. Anyone love any of these books just so much, enough to tell me what I might have been missing (or a better mindset to work myself into) when reading? Uhm. Anything?


Also, I feel like I should add for the benefit of any authors reading this: it's not you, it's me. Really. Yes really.