Book ADD

I seem to be suffering from a severe case of Book ADD lately. To explain, as of this moment in time (12:39pm Monday October 17) I am in the middle of reading six books. This is very unusual for me. Generally I am a serial monogamist with books, occasionally reading one book in the middle of reading another, but very rarely switching back and forth between books. Lately though, the conversation in my head has been like this:

"You should read."
"What am I readi..."
"Oh, here's a book. Shiny."

And then I start reading whatever is closest or whichever book on the shelf catches my eye. It's not that what I am reading isn't enjoyable or engaging - as you'll see below, I'm reading some good ones - it's more that I am overall distracted right now due to a combination of pregnancy and work. What am I reading? Well, here you are:

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt: I am loving this atmospheric, rambling, eccentric read; although a small part of me believes I may have read it before....

The BFG by Roald Dahl: When other kids read Dahl and Cleary, I read books which were a bit more mature. I somehow missed out on the younger middle grade fiction reads, bypassing them for older kid stuff or even adult books. So far, so good with this one. I adore the BFG's diction!

Ain't I a Woman by Bell Hooks: Post on the pull and push of gender and race, I really enjoyed the first few chapters, but I have to admit a bit of burnout. I think I was plowing through this small, but dense book a bit too fast, and my overloaded brain needed a break.

The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry: Introductory Post, Post on d.a. levy, I am not now, nor have I ever been a poetry fan, but I am definitely enjoying this anthology. The problem is one of plot. I like plots. Seriously. I like stories. My husband always makes a fuss because he would rather watch brainless, no-plot shows like Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, etc.

Readicide by Kelly Gallagher: I didn't make it very far into this one. The topic fascinates me, but statistics annoy me. Plus, the book is written for PreK through High School, and I teach college. I do hope to continue reading this, but it's probably going to take a while.

To Join the Lost by Seth Steinzor: This is a retelling - reworking? - of Dante's Inferno. In this version, the narrator (a version of the author, just like the original) is led through hell by Dante himself. And hell has been updated, modified a bit, to account for current times. I love the Inferno, so I am having fun with this one.

So those are the six book which currently are splitting my attention on those rare occasions I am actually reading. What this means is that it will take me forever to get through any one of these books. Originally I was hoping the readathon would help me out, but it looks like my participation will be minimal as I have birthday party to attend that night. It always happens: I have no weekend plans for a month and then two activities in one night!

Anyone else trapped in a strange reading ADD cycle right now?