A short post to say this: as a busy, busy bookseller writing both a blog and a book, I find it increasingly difficult to find enough time for (of all things) reading! It is painful for me to realize how far behind I'm falling as the piles of galleys and finished books mount up on my bedside table, on my bookshelves, on my desk, on every flat surface in sight.

It is therefore with GREAT, GREAT enthusiasm that I look forward to an upcoming trip to New York, New York. It will be great to spend a couple days visiting friends, seeing sights, and savoring a brief dose of that hustle and bustle. Mostly, though, I am overjoyed at the thought of the train ride to and from the city, which translates (in my world) to EIGHT HOURS of uninterrupted reading! What a joy! What a relief! What a nerd!

And what a struggle to decide which books to take with me. Do I choose the books that are getting rave reviews from so many trusted sources and colleagues that I feel like the last person on the planet who has not yet read them? Do I read the books that no one is talking about and that therefore "need my help" a bit more than those others? Since the last book I read (Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney) was a wonderfully funny example of middle grade fiction for boys, should I now move on to serious young adult fiction for girls? First chapter books with equal gender appeal? Nonfiction that will appeal mostly to me? Adult books that make good cross-over titles? Do I read older books I could be selling now or forthcoming books that I can't sell to customers for several months? How do I begin to choose??

There was a time when I thought the logistics of travel and lodgings were vacation planning's biggest hurdles. Oh, for those carefree days when I did not yet know the pains of book packing!