"Of Making Many Books There is no End..."

...and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
It has been a profoundly long semester. My first course was fantastic, at least from my point of view. I'm not sure if my students would agree, although I suspect some of them might. But it took an awful lot of energy, and I am weary. A bone-deep kind of weary, one that sneaks up on me in the afternoon, a thief stalking a thief.
But this is at an end now. In celebration, last night, out with one of the boys. Today, a book buying binge. Tomorrow, a feast (also to celebrate the birthday of a food loving friend; the proverbial two birds, I suppose).
What, gentle reader do you suppose I bought today? For me, and only me, I purchased the following:

Steak, by Mark Schatzker
The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Room, by Emma Donoghue
Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman (suggested by a book loving friend)

I purchased some gifts for other, in the form of books, as it is Christmas season, but I suppose I shan't post the specifics in a public forum, fearing to ruin the surprise.
And the menu, you ask? For the celebratory feast? Thus:

Hors D'Oeuvres - Danish Crispy Pork Cracklings
Entree - Detroit-style Sliders
Main - Classic Standing Rib Roast, Yorkshire Pudding, Red Wine Pan Gravy, Roast Potatoes w/ Parsnip and Leek, and Sauteed Greens.
Bread - Sullivan St. Bakery's No-Knead Bread (whole wheat).
Dessert - Torta Tres Leches (I'm not making this one. It is being brought by my guest).

Should be good. I may very well slip into some kind of food coma, true, but there is always a price to pay for the good things in life.
It has been, gentle reader, a very long semester indeed. But, by Friday night, when my final grades are submitted, Christmas Break will have begun, and all will be well with the world...