I Need to Learn How to Speed Read

It's currently my favorite time of year. The birds are chirping, the leaves are just starting to come out, the temperature is in the mid-70s (ok, today actually hit an uncomfortable 90), I can wear flip-flops again, and Fall catalogs have arrived.

Ah, Fall catalogs.

I had heard rumor that Fall 2009 is going to be a stellar season for books, but oh my lord, the line-up is simply astounding! The Random House Publishing Group alone has a list that will keep me reading well into late adulthood.

How on earth am I going to be able to read all these books? Most of my spare time is devoted to reading and yet I only average about 35 pages an hour. Oy. Double Oy.

Just to give you a sense of how wonderful it's going to be, here is a list, in no particular order:

Audrey Niffenegger -- HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY
Jon Krakauer -- WHERE MEN WIN GLORY: THE ODYSSEY OF PAT TILLMAN
Thomas Trofimuk -- WAITING FOR COLUMBUS (this is a debut, but supposedly masterful. I always trust Ann Kingman's, one of our Random House reps, recommendations.)
Jonathan Lethem -- CHRONIC CITY
Valerie Martin -- CONFESSIONS OF EDWARD DAY
Pat Conroy -- SOUTH OF BROAD
Margaret Atwood -- THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD
Peter Ackroyd -- THE CASEBOOK OF VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
Stephen L. Carter -- JERICHO'S FALL
Kazuo Ishiguro -- NOCTURNES
Lorrie Moore -- A GATE AT THE STAIRS
A.S. Byatt -- THE CHILDREN'S BOOK
Peter Mayle -- THE VINTAGE CAPER
Chinua Achebe -- THE EDUCATION OF A BRITISH-PROTECTED CHILD: ESSAYS
Philip Caputo -- CROSSERS
Orhan Pamuk -- THE MUSEUM OF INNOCENCE
Richard Russo (a.k.a. "Papa Russo") -- THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC
Alice Munro -- TOO MUCH HAPPINESS
Ha Jin -- A GOOD FALL
David Liss -- THE DEVIL'S COMPANY
Sarah Dunant -- SACRED HEARTS
E.L. Doctrow -- HOMER AND LANGLEY
John Irving -- LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER
Dan Chaon -- AWAIT YOUR REPLY
Barbara Kingsolver -- THE LACUNA
Michael Chabon -- MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS: THE PLEASURES AND REGRETS OF A HUSBAND, FATHER AND SON
Mary Karr -- LIT: A MEMOIR
Jess Walter -- THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF POETS
Joyce Carol Oates -- LITTLE BIRD OF HEAVEN

Alright, now:

A)That's already nearly 30 books by authors I know and love.
B) Only two publishing houses have been fully covered here. I still haven't been through half of the catalogs!
C) I also have not included debut authors (save that recommendation from Ann Kingman), which I need to concentrate on for our Breakout Fiction Program.

I don't know how I'm going to do all of this, but I sure am going to have fun trying. Better start the caffeine injections now. Steve, honey, I apologize in advance.

Emily Russo Murtagh