the case of the missing knitter

remember when i said i'd fill you in on what i was doing instead of knitting?
well, i am plowing through some books.
you see, i have this problem and i've had it for as long as i can remember.
i go to the library or the bookstore and i find myself walking along with an armload of books. to the point where i can't pick up another book for fear of dropping the load. unfortunately, when this happens in the bookstore i then have to find a spot to browse through the books and painstakingly decide which of the desired objects get to make the trip home with me. but at the library this is not the case. they can all come to my house for a visit. and then get renewed and renewed, until they make me bring them back.
apparently i cannot delve into a pile of books and keep up with knitting. if anyone out there has mastered this, please share your secrets. i just find that i get sucked into the books whenever i have a free moment (also another excuse for being absent from here lately).
and then, the funny thing is that none of these books i have been reading are anything super fantastic. mostly parenting and education books lately. henry is on the side of being closer to 3 than 2 and i am having some major parenting challenges. (tell me i am not the only mother of a child that blatantly ignores her). and i'm just looking for some guidance. he's having a lot of emotional outbursts and obviously becoming more independent (maybe those go hand in hand?) but then i also worry sometimes that it is stress (his, not mine) and he just hasn't learned how to release it. anyway, i have found bits of good advice in some of the books or at least their advice works part of the time. other times nothing works and i resort to losing my mind and wishing i could have a few strong drinks and lock myself in the bathroom (with a book of course). then there are the books that make me feel like i am going to do irreparable damage to my child if i ever use time out, raise my voice, or do anything besides attempting to reason with him. as matt likes to tell me, you can not reason with the irrational (this is good advice), and well, toddlers can be irrational. so what am i to do? i don't know. all i know is that i have to get creative with this kid (and most likely will with bea, too). in the meantime, i will just keep trying to prevent the tantrums and give him his space when they do come.

anyone want to recommend some good fiction?