Too many books, too little time

The problem with bookstores is that every time I go into one, I find more books that I want to read – and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to read everything. In my trip to the bookstore today I came across more books I’d like to read:

The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz – Isn’t it true? I think this would be a nice read to go along with some Malcolm Gladwell books and Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.” Personally, I don’t feel that I have an added anxiety due to the amount of choice I have in my life – but maybe I do and I’m just not as aware. As I read the synopsis of “The Paradox of Choice” I thought back to the Pew Internet Report we read for class and their findings that some people find the vast amount of information on the internet to be burdensome or overwhelming. So my question now is does everyone feel an added stress due to the amount of choice available to them? Or is it possible that this is something that is generational? How does it relate to ones thoughts about their ability to control their life?

Savage Inequalities & The Shame of the Nation by Jonathan Kozol – Both books discuss educational disparities at schools across the nation (specifically, with regards to race and class). While much of my personal interest is in regards to higher education access, these books are incredibly relevant to me because post-secondary education does not exist in a bubble. The disparities of the K-12 educational system are inextricably linked to higher education access issues and I think that both of these books would be excellent reads.

Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile’s Hunger for Home by Eduardo Machado – I found this book while perusing the biographies and memoirs section of the bookstore. I love reading people’s stories and the language of the portion on the back cover was just beautiful. It was only perhaps a paragraph or two but in it, he compared the complexities of flavor to the inherent complexities of the idea of “home” and identity.

As the title of this blog says, there are just too many books and too little time.

PS. Don't forget, the Friends of the Library Booksale starts this weekend at McKinley High School!!! (Not like I need more books!)