Packrat papers: Backsliding bigtime

Hopeless. I am hopeless.

There I was, minding my own business, strolling into the library to return the latest load o' books and WHAM. I'm face to face with the Bag Day finale of the Friends of the Library book sale. The counter lady locked eyes with me and smiled a beguiling smile. She slowly slid me a lovely, big, clean paper bag. She purred: "Fill it up for just a dollar. Anything you can fit in there, the whole bagful is a dollar. You can have as many bags as you want."

I felt my pupils dilate and my brain disengage, and I watched my quivering hands reach for the bag. A small line of drool dribbled from the corner of my mouth. That's the last thing I remember before coming to at home with my arms aching from the weight.

So. Now I have more books. I don't even remember what I bought. Want to watch over my shoulder as I unload the loot? OK, then, here we go ...

The one on the top is Mundome, by A.G. Mojtabai. "A story of schizophrenia, at once haunting and horrifying ... a stunning short novel." Well, that looks good.

The Turtle Warrior, by Mary Relindes Ellis. I've heard that's a good one, too.

Late Bloomer, Melissa Pritchard. OK, this looks whacky enough to be a fun beach read.

Spotted in France, Gregory Edmont. This thing is about a guy traveling around France on a Vespa with a dog. What was I thinking?

Whad'ya Know, by Michael Feldman. I like the show. Could be amusing.

Everyone Is Entitled to My Opinion, David Brinkley. Promising. He's one of my faves.

God's Banker, Rupert Cornwell. This is a nonfiction account of a particularly colorful banking scandal that involved the Vatican's finances, mentioned in The DaVinci Code. I'll need to be in nerd mode to read this one, but it could happen.

The Pigeon Project, Irving Wallace. I like Irving Wallace. "What would happen if every human being presently on earth could live to the age of 150 -- or more?" Good question.

In the Words of Great Business Leaders, Julie M. Fenster. Good addition to my reference shelf. You never know when you'll need a good business quote.

Protect and Defend, Richard North Patterson. Amy Tan says it's "an important novel on passion and politics." What's not to love about passion and politics?

Points of Light, Linda Gray Sexton. Oops. Chick lit? We'll see.

Making Picture Books, A Method of Learning Graphic Sequence, Stephen F. Gordon. Because I harbor a secret desire to write children's picture books. And I wish I could draw. This was a dumb one.

The bag is now, mercifully, empty. Wish I could say the same for the floor space around my bookshelves.