There is no such thing as too many books

Merlin napping among the books, originally uploaded by littlemiao.

.
I told myself that I wouldn't buy more books until I had read at least four of the books I bought earlier this year. I'm nearly finished with two of them, but I've already placed another book order.

I was inspired to place the order now by a 10% discount on the Norton Critical Edition of The Scarlet Letter. I have a special fondness for Norton Critical Editions even though they tend to be more expensive - they include relevant writings by the same author as well as early and recent critical commentaries.

I also have a fondness for Penguin Classics editions, as their critical essay is usually well worth reading. I bought the Penguin edition of Voltaire's Candide, one of my favorite little novels. I wonder if I will still enjoy it now as much as I did in high school.

Additionally, (because there was 4 for the price of 3 sale, and I had to choose three more books), I got The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, which has been highly recommended to me by several people.

To balance out the order, I bought two young adult novels: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo and The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. The first features a mouse, which is attraction enough for me (though now I'm afraid Papa Miao might already have it, since he has mentioned it to me before). The second is the first in a triology about an Afghan girl under the Taliban, which I saw reviewed over on Maw's Book Blog.

I'm nearing the end of Louisa May Alcott's An Old Fashioned Girl, and I still have to catch up on a few of my book reflections. Washington Square, most especially - I finished it a while ago, and the longer I wait to write about it, the dimmer my reflections will get.