Books and Box

Mah books are heer!  And I'm not the only one who's excited about that fact:

The cat spent a considerable amount of time establishing ownership over mah books while I caught up on my political reading for the day.  For a while, there, it looked like I wouldn't get them back.  But then she discovered Teh Box:

Apparently, the box meets her requirements, because she spent all afternoon in it.  What is it with cats and boxes?  I've never understood the fascination.

Anyway, the books meet my requirements, and as I read them I shall report back to you on the glories contained therein.  That is, I will after I've finished the - lessee - five books I'm currently in the midst of reading.

(I do believe I'm a book addict.  There are subtle signs: reading several at once; two shelving units full of unread books and the burning desire for more; the near-ecstasy I feel simply turning pages, reading a few words here, a caption there, and running my fingers over the pages; sometimes merely holding one in my lap just because I love the feel of having a book close...   If there's a twelve-step program for this, don't tell me, because this is a habit I don't intend to kick.)

Two things I can tell you already: if you don't own Richard Fortey's book Fossils: The History of Life, you should get a copy.  If you do own Fossils, but only the 1982 edition, you should get a copy of this revised and updated edition.  It is gorgeous.  Even if all you do is look at the pictures, it's worth the purchase price. 

And the second thing is, Mountain Geomorphology isn't as scary as I thought.  It's full of easy-to-read diagrams, the text seems laid out very nicely, and they very kindly print the chapter name at the upper-right side of the odd-numbered pages so that you can easily find a section by flipping through - very handy if you need to refer back to a previous section or consult one further on.  It also covers a hell of a lot more of the world than I thought, so I'm super-excited about it.  They discuss mountains from all over the world, and the scientists who wrote the various sections are from prestigious universities from everywhere, not just one or two Western countries.  That's a nice change!  I've merely glanced through the text, but it doesn't seem too difficult to wade through as long as you've brushed up on your geology terms.

So: Woot!

Let's make this an official open thread, my darlings.  What are you reading or plan to read that's currently got you excited?