Stowe Free Library

Recently I mentioned to a Library patron that I sometimes don't finish books I begin. After the initial shock and amazement, he admonished me on the grounds that there could be some literary gem or insight missed as a result of abandoning a text after fifty pages. Hmm... What if I get to the end and find no such pot of gold? All that time wasted... Recent abandoned books by me include: -Audition, the memoir by Barbara Walters. Loved the pix; saga less than mesmerizing; style uninspired. -The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Authentic detail and interesting history lesson on the Dominican Republic, but the foot notes wore me out - some of them are longer than a page of text. Current bed book: - Karen Armstrong's the bible. Confirms my belief that the bible is the greatest Middle Eastern novel ever written (authors known and un.) Guaranteed to induce sleep after five pages, which is why I have it. Still. Recent finished book: -Unaccustomed earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. Elegant and crushingly sad.