I have a problem.  I hate to throw out books.  You may think this is a non-issue, since it’s easy enough to donate them to church or library sales, throw them on a card table at a garage sale, give them to friends.  But the truth is, I have books most people I know can’t read. 

I have books in Italian, like this truly gorgeous version of Fortunate Harbor.

I have books in Lithuanian (that took me quite a while to figure out) like the lovely version of Endless Chain below right.  And, most startling of all, I have Fox River in Swedish, a two-for-one bargain with Nora Roberts–let’s face it, that can’t hurt sales, right?  In fact I received an entire box of the Swedish Fox River.  Nora and me, sitting in the middle of my study, just waiting to be pitched into my recycling bin.

Only I just can’t quite do it.

Oddly enough this summer I received a small box of my Swedish books at my summer address.  No sooner had I gotten the courage to toss them than I met a woman who was (you can’t make this stuff up) an organizer of a Scandinavian Folk Festival in Jamestown, NY and badly needed door prizes.  How this came up in conversation, I can’t remember, but she was one step ahead of garbage pickup.

So maybe someone will tell me they need a novel to help practice their Italian.  Or quite possibly a Lithuanian family will move into my neighborhood and I’ll have a built-in welcome gift.  Heck, maybe I’ll just drag that entire box of Fox River back to NY for next year’s Scandinavian Festival, where the books will be richly appreciated.

Meantime, while I’m waiting for another miracle, don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a while.  It’s nothing serious.  I just can’t cross the floor to get to my computer.

Just for fun, can you guess the English title of the cover on the right?  I only know which book it is because I recognize the names of the characters, which thankfully weren’t changed.  But without that clue, care to try?   The title in French is: Le temps d’un été.