What's in your TBR (To Be Read) pile?

I try to keep my TBR pile contained, but every now and then it doesn't submit to the whips and chair and roars into a mongo pile.  The box in my closet is under control, but the pile on my desk has just grown by five new books . . . oops, recount--six (one of them snuck out of my box and into the pile).

--and this doesn't count the two library books sitting on the other side of my desk.

Two of these books have been in process for over a week.  And if you simply looked at them you wouldn't find anything in common about them. 

1) How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell--this is a middle grade novel.  Yes, Cowell is she who wrote How To Train Your Dragon, the blockbuster movie that isn't anything like the book, so sayeth my daughter, and I have to agree simply by the information that I've garnered from this other book. Toothless is small and not rideable. Bummer.  But this book has more problems than that, one that kids seem to enjoy, but these tired eyes find it tough.  This book has numerous different fonts of different sizes and sometimes in all caps. It's wonky and hard to read.  But since it's due on Wednesday, I'm going to fight my way through it.

2) A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey--a historical romance.  I've been reading JL for YEARS, but she hasn't had any new books out in a very long time, or at least any that I've been able to find, and it does resemble those books from an older style--many more backstory dumps and narrative clumps.  Clumps and dumps slow the reading down to a standstill--get on with the story all ready!

Two stories with different issues, resulting in one problem--lack of reader attention. 

In the interim, I managed to read another middle grade story yesterday, Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Bruce Coville.  EXCELLENT story.  He wrote a few books involving a magic shop that moves around to where it's needed.  And yes, there is a moral to the story, but I think it's hidden well enough to fool most children.

After I finish these two books, I have another MG library book to read and then I can't wait to grab Changeless by Gail Carriger, two Jayne Castle's (reissues from 1998 with her futuristic world of Harmony and their 'dust bunnies').

But the fun reading will have to wait since I have a contest to judge--historical category.

I hope they are juicy new reads.  I can't wait!

Write on!