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Those of you who've heard me discuss my book collection may have heard me mention how I've got twenty-something books I've still got to read. And as I read, I also add to the collection, so I've got a constantly full to-read shelf. I bought three more over this year's holiday break.

Anyway, I counted the books last night, and I've got twenty-three. I actually think that's less than last year at this time. Yay me. With all the books I've got listed on my wishlist, I'm certainly at no lack of titles.

So let's take a look at the books I've got here to read.

Next, by Michael Crichton

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction--is it worse than the disease?

This is a new Michael Crichton book I picked up at a mall in Kentucky. I've enjoyed everything else of his I've read, so I figured why not?

The Time Travelers Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

Henry De Tamble, a rather dashing librarian at the famous Newberry Library in Chicago, finds himself unavoidably whisked around in time. He disappears from a scene in, say, 1998 to find himself suddenly, usually without his clothes, which mysteriously disappear in transit, at an entirely different place 10 years earlier-or later. During one of these migrations, he drops in on beautiful teenage Clare Abshire, an heiress in a large house on the nearby Michigan peninsula, and a lifelong passion is born. The problem is that while Henry's age darts back and forth according to his location in time, Clare's moves forward in the normal manner, so the pair are often out of sync.

I heard this book mentioned on The Totally Rad Show when they were discussing Journeyman, and I'd heard of the book before. It sounds intriguing, despite it being more of a love story than science fiction. It sounds like Somewhere In Time, which I enjoyed quite a lot.

The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

The premise of the series is that scientist Hari Seldon spent his life developing a branch of mathematics known as psychohistory, a concept devised by Asimov and Campbell. Using the law of mass action, it can predict the future, but only on a large scale; it is error-prone for anything smaller than a planet or an empire. It works on the principle that the behaviour of a mass of people is predictable. And the quantity of this mass tends to be very huge (like equal to the population of the Galaxy). The larger the mass the more predictable is the future. Using these techniques, Seldon foresees the fall of the Galactic Empire, which encompasses the entire Milky Way, and a dark age lasting thirty thousand years before a second great empire arises. To shorten the period of barbarism, he creates two Foundations, small secluded havens of art and science, on opposite ends of the galaxy.

I feel almost embarrassed that I've never read Asimov. I get the impression that this one is a must-read.

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

The offbeat Dresden Files is an expanding series of detective novels about Harry Dresden, a wizard with a consulting practice in modern-day Chicago. Harry's profession offers him little money, lots of mockery, the suspicion of his magical colleagues, plenty of danger, and not much income.

I enjoyed the SciFi series, so I expect to enjoy the books upon which it was based.

Alternadad, by Neal Pollack

His novel Never Mind the Pollacks, a hilarious treat, used a fictional "Neal Pollack" to parody the excesses and idiocy of current pop culture. But his self-awareness becomes more self-indulgent (though still witty) in this straightforward memoir of life with his artist wife, the couple's decision a few years ago to have a baby and the attendant strains that his son, Elijah, wreaks on their hipster lifestyle. Pollack details the kind of problems that can be found in almost every memoir on child-rearing, from how to clean up baby poop to figuring out how best to be a "Dad" while being a friend. But he never really defines what it is that makes his parenting so alternative other than that he wants to be a parent and still get high and stay out late. Nevertheless, Pollack hasn't lost his flair for tongue-in-cheek commentary ("I'd begun exerting cultural control over my son; I was going to shape his mind until he was exactly like me").

I bought this one on an impulse shortly after having Lia. I expect to enjoy it.

Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop, by Frankie Manning and Cynthia R. Millman

Yes, it's a biography. But it's a biography of an amazing guy whom I've met and had my picture taken with. I've been to more than one of his dance workshops, and I completely agree that he's an amazing guy. Know those crazy swing dance moves where guys throw girls around? He invented them. Literally. He tells a great story about it too.

Eldest, by Christopher Paolini

This is the sequel to Eragon, a book I read and enjoyed.

The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks

The time is roughly the present, and the U.S. is part of the Vast Machine, a society overseen by the Tabula, a secret organization bent on establishing a perfectly controlled populace. Allied against the Tabula are the Travelers and their sword-carrying protectors, the Harlequins. The Travelers, now almost extinct, can project their spirit into other worlds where they receive wisdom to bring back to earth—wisdom that threatens the Tabula's power. Maya, a reluctant Harlequin, finds herself compelled to protect two naïve Travelers, Michael and Gabriel Corrigan. Michael dabbles in shady real estate deals, while Gabriel prefers to live "off the Grid," eschewing any documentation—credit cards, bank accounts—that the Vast Machine could use to track him. Because the Tabula has engineered a way to use the Travelers for its own purposes, Maya must not only keep the brothers alive, but out of the hands of these evil puppet-masters. She succeeds, but she also fails, and therein lies the tale. By the end of this exciting volume, the first in a trilogy, the stage is set for a world-rending clash between good and evil.

I picked this one up over the Christmas holiday just because the description sounded so interesting.

Roald Dahl Omnibus, by Roald Dahl

I've been a fan of Roald Dahl since I was a kid, and read books like Danny, The Champion of the World. This is a collection of short stories. Maybe I'll read them to Lia some day.

The Face, by Dean Koontz

Like most Hollywood superstars, Channing "The Face" Manheim finds celebrity a duel sword. Inside his Bel Air "fortress", Channing receives plenty of "gifts" from his adoring fans. However, lately one particular idolater has begun sending macabre gifts like an apple cut in half but sutured back into one piece. Channing's chief of security, former LAPD cop Ethan Thomas, is concerned as the presents from this bizarre fan turn eerier, nastier and more threatening with each arrival.

I've enjoyed Dean Koontz's work before, so I look forward to reading this one.

Alien Earth, by Greg Burke

Since having read Footfall, I've been looking forward to another good alien book. I just hope this isn't another bodysnatchers one.

The Elder Gods, by David Eddings

All gods, Elder and Younger, share the people and the land of Dhrall equally, though the one place they never enter is The Wasteland, for that barren and hideous land is ruled by the Vlagh. Now, as the age of the Younger Gods comes to a close, a diabolical plan has come to light: The Vlagh plans to exploit the weakness that comes during the time of transfer of power from the Younger to the Elder Gods, with hopes to conquer Dhrall, neutralize the Gods, and then conquer the world.

I'm not sure when I picked up this book, or why, but I'll give it a shot.

Medalon, by Jennifer Fallon

I just realized that this is a book midway through a series. I might have to try the prequel(s) first.

Anyway, I've got a lot of books to read. I'm nearly done with American Gods, which dragged at times, but held my interest enough for me to finish.

My to-read shelf contains more books than the ones I list above. I've got four comic book novels given to me by a friend who worked at DC Comics at the time: Batman: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka, The Flash: Stop Motion by Mark Schultz, Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant, and Wonder Woman: Mythos by Carol Lay. I'll get to them eventually, but I can only take superhero tales in moderate doses.

I've also got Map of Bones by James Rollins, Splinter Cell by Tom Clancy, Bleachers by John Grisham, Cachalot by Alan Dean Foster, New Spring, the Novel by Robert Jordan, and Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get to those. They're at the ass-end of my list.