"War and Peace"

I am forever haunted by Tolstoy's "War and Peace."  I've tried to read that book more than a few times, but I never get further along than the first one hundred pages.  I've sold copies of that book on both eBay and Half.com, and I've given hardcover copies of "War and Peace" as birthday gifts to friends.  No matter how many copies I sell or give away, I still find more copies.  Last week at the thrift store.... there it was, a nicely bound vintage copy of Tolstoy's infamous book.

Oh well. I couldn't just leave it there.... not for a dollar. So it came home with me, and it's now sitting along with nineteen other books that are waiting to be read.  I will try it again.  I will try and keep up with the countless characters and endless details.  Maybe I will make it to the 200th page this time. If so, I will keep reading.  Each time I re-try this book, I never remember what I had read the time before, so it's all new.  You're killing me, Tolstoy.

We're still waiting for the third floor to get finished.... the carpenter has us 'on his list,' whatever that means.  We had such faith in that man and his crew...... we should have just let him finish up every last bit of every last thing when they were here. Never mind that we had to get the air-conditioning work done, and never mind that we hadn't yet decided on wood flooring or carpeting.......... they were right here in this very house and we should have just let them do every last bit of every last thing before they left.  So now we wait. And wait.  Christmas, I tell you..... it won't be done till Christmas, if even that.  I can see that library in my mind's eye...... and in my mind, all the shelves are up and filled with books............. there are tables and lamps and chairs and the loveseat......... and there I sit, with "War and Peace" and I'm nearly finished with the book and it all finally makes sense. 

As I type, I can see the pile of books that I have here, waiting to be read.  There's not enough time to read everything I'd like to read...... plus all the books that I would like to re-read.  Right now, I'm re-reading "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy.  I read that book years and years ago when it first came out, never realizing that so much of that story was a personal memoir of the author. Ouch. Makes you look at this book in a whole new way.... so of course, I had to re-read this volume.  Plus I found copies of Conroy's other important books on Half.com, always a sourse for out-of-print or hard-to-find books.

And I forgot to mention "The Agony and The Ecstasy," by Iriving Stone....... another vintage hardcover that I found in the thrift store for just one dollar.  And, of course, I couldn't leave that there, either, so it's sitting on the to-be-read pile along with Tolstoy.  Maybe I should read  The Agony and The Ecstasy  when the upstairs library gets finished........... with that title, it's the perfect description of this entire third floor library adventure.