My Addiction . . . or, The Great Book Giveaway

I have a problem. I am a book addict. Well, actually a book buying addict. I mean, I do love to read - reading is right up there with eating, sleeping and breathing to me. But I have this problem with buying books. A lot of books. I have a library card, but I never, ever check out books from the library. I've started acquiring books - necessary books (that is, books assigned via my book club, which I'm not doing too hot a job keeping up with lately . . .) via paperbackswap.com, which is a brilliant concept. But it's not nearly as satisfying as going into Barnes & Noble and wandering around the aisles, thumbing through New Releases, smelling the new-book smell of New in Paperback. I get more pleasure from buying books than clothes, makeup, or whatever else it is that we women supposedly enjoy buying. I can never seem to exit B & N without having bought at least two or three new books. And look what's happened:

See that top shelf? That is my to-read shelf. As in books I have not yet read. With the selection I have to choose from, why do I keep buying more? I have no idea.

Anyway, this obviously needs to stop. The problem becomes apparent when I occasionally (like today) sort through my to-read shelf and come across several books that leave me scratching my head and asking myself, "Why the hell did I buy this?" And I eventually have to admit to myself that there are just some books I've bought that I'm never actually going to read.

So, I'm giving some books away! If you are interested in any of the books listed below, please send me an email (link in my sidebar) with your mailing address (don't leave your address in the comment section here - you don't want it to be public knowledge, do you?) and I will mail your book(s) of choice to you via media mail/parcel post/whatever-is-cheapest, at no charge to you. That's right, folks, books for FREE, and most of them brand spankin' new.

The River King by Alice Hoffman

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan (See my review here; I have two copies of this book, and I'm saving one for my friend Sheryl)

Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (yes, that's right, The Da Vinci Code. I know everybody has read this and everybody loves it, and I bought it with good intentions, but I'm just really not interested.)

All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland (I think I bought this thinking it was about my family . . .)

The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud

My Antonia by Willa Cather (hardcover)