Agonies of a Young Author

I am bored. My bookshelves are unappealing and their selection unappetizing. And the thought of going to Barnes and Nobles to search for new treasures just fills me with a disappointed and discontented sense of blankness. I know what I will find when I go there, and I know what I'll walk outta there with. Nothing. In both cases.

I'm mourning the state of the publishing world.

A few years ago, I could walk into a Barnes and Nobles and within 15 minutes find at least 5 books that I was truly excited to read. And 9 times outta 10 I would like every single one. There are few books that I find lacking, and fewer that I truly dislike. Most of the average lacking ones I've read within the last year or so. I don't walk into Barnes and Nobles excited anymore. Mostly, I'm just blank with undertones of a calm disappointment. I no longer have expectations. In reality, I'm actually happy if I find just one book that semi-interests me. Too many times I leave Barnes and Nobles without a book because nothing catches my fancy.

So where's the vast literary genius that I used to be able to find so quickly and easily a few years ago??? Is the publishing market just so saturated with crappy works that it overwhelms the voices of the few? Surely my taste hasn't become so snobbish and elitest that everything seems second-rate. Is everyone else finding this books of literary excitement and genius, or am I the only one missing out? Surely I'm not blinded by prejudice, or genre dislike, or reluctance to branch out, or anything along those lines... right? Am I the only one who feels like the quality of works being published has decreased, and changed from art to mainstream pulp fiction? I feel as if I read the same story, in different forms that have only slightly been changed from author to author...

I re-read habitually, often hitting ridiculous highs of finishing a book and then immediately starting it again. But if I find a book I truly enjoy, I never really let it go....

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Nothing.
What I want most in the world: A good book, one funny and that'll relieve the boredom. Or Ilona Andrews to publish the next book in her series tomorrow instead of next year. The two might be mutually inclusive...