As consequence of the kind of work I do, I end up with a fair stack of ARCs on my coffee table, pretty much all the time.

(For the uninitiated, ARCs are the paperback not-quite-totally-perfectly finished books that go out to booksellers and reviewers and librarians and, um, me, before the book is actually published.)

And, as consequence of having all these ARCs lying around, we seem to be reading them exclusively these days.

(Currently finishing the amazing and tender Water Balloon by my agent-sister-and-dear-friend Audrey Vernick (more on that later)(and yes, I know it's actually OUT now, but we still like the ARC)(and yes, I realize these parentheticals are getting a little out of control))

(About to start Colin Meloy's Wildwood (ditto on the already out part))

(And Tall One is finishing Lauren Oliver's Liesl & Po)

So, I'm wondering. 
What does this say about us, in terms of patience?
Er, IMpatience.

I have thought for a long time that the reason I got involved in the publishing industry was to test and grow my patience. But this seems to be undermining all that. Mercy. I'm all mixed up….