Last week, while debating whether or not to start Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, I realized that I was up to my neck in unfinished books. I had Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Dante's The Inferno, Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down, Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, John Milton's Paradise Lost, and Homer's The Odyssey scattered around my apartment, leaving me feeling as though I'd bitten off a hell of a lot more than I could ever hope to chew. Granted, I hadn't picked up Don Quixote in two months, and I've since finished Paradise Lost, The Inferno, and A Long Way Down, but while staring around my apartment, trying to figure out what kind of literary mood I was in, I wished, for once in my life, that I didn't have so many good choices. I hefted Anna Karenina, both intimidated and fascinated by its size and weight, and though the book draws my eyes from time, seeming to whisper, "Read me--now," I resisted the siren's song, telling myself that, as one of the greatest novels ever written, it probably wouldn't serve to have so many distractions on hand. Get three-fourths of the way through The Odyssey--get to the second part of Don Quixote--finish The Scarlet Letter--finish Anita Diamant's The Last Days of Dogtown--and then, I promised myself, I could focus on Anna Karenina.

Like most women, Anna probably doesn't like being put off, but having other girlfriends vying for her attention means that I'd be a lousy fuck who falls asleep after two minutes and one position. She'll thank me for the long wait.

Comments

[Andi]

Nice analogy re: your relationship with Anna. I've been sort of fascinated by big chunky books lately, and Anna is leading the pack. I haven't broken down and picked up a copy yet, but I have a feeling that I will in the near future.

Vanity Fair is calling my name, too. Or maybe it's just the striking photo of Reese Witherspoon on the cover.

[rachel]

You're too much.

You're fortunate that you don't work in publishing. I have to keep up with new books, many of which I don't like a whole lot, and have little time for the oldies but goodies. Swann's Way has been giving me nasty looks for ages now, and I haven't been able to do anything about it.

[J.S. Peyton]

Oh, I'm horribly promiscuous when it comes to my books. I know it's part of the reason why it takes me so long to finish a novel - because I'm so busy reading five other ones. This, of course, doesn't include the ones which I haven't picked up for months but refuse to give up on.

I'm weak. When I hear their cries for attention, I'm incapable of denying them despite how detrimental to our relationship it may ultimately be.