Several literary friends have spoken or written to me about the hazards of keeping most or any of the books they buy and read. I confess to that indulgence, because I read two to seven short story or poetry collections, plays, novels or nonfiction books each week. After all, how can we writers improve our compositions if we don’t read other published writings for comparison, and comprehend what constitutes excellence or not, and how that is achieved? Reading is extremely pleasurable, particularly during these long winter evenings and cocooned, insomniatic nights. Those books I’ve deeply enjoyed I read again because …