To Read Pile

[thatollie]

Re: How many............

I wouldn't be quite so inclined to be sceptical. I've read goodness knows how many books in my time, but at one point I was reading 2-3 a day; I've known someone who would read as many as 5 a day (granted, they weren't the doorstops so many of today's books are, but still...), and whenever he went anywhere, he carried a backpack full of them on a daily basis, so he wouldn't run short. so there are certainly people who could have read that many, and more....

I've read all 7 books of The Chronicles of Narnia in one day before. It was a fifth reread so that probably made it easier.

And yet, I have a TBR pile nearing 900. Some of those are pretty huge books too.

 

[Vertigo]

I must admit I find this thread very consoling I had been thinking there was something perverse about having bought so many books that I haven't got around to reading. It is very reassuring to learn that I have so much august company!

 

[steve12553]

Re: How many............

I wouldn't be quite so inclined to be sceptical. I've read goodness knows how many books in my time, but at one point I was reading 2-3 a day; I've known someone who would read as many as 5 a day (granted, they weren't the doorstops so many of today's books are, but still...), and whenever he went anywhere, he carried a backpack full of them on a daily basis, so he wouldn't run short. so there are certainly people who could have read that many, and more....

I agree. I didn't start keeping track until a couple of years ago. I have a record of 300 plus that I've read but I have no way of knowing how many I've read and forgotten about in the last half century. When times were tough (and there were a lot of those), I spent a lot of time in the public library.

 

[j d worthington]

Yep. Between that, and a lifetime of collecting (and when money was not a problem, that sometimes meant huge book-purchasing sprees), one can go through a huge amount of material without being consciously aware of just how much it is!

As I've said above, my own probably mounts to well over 900 by now... I've at least two 6+-foot bookcases I've not even touched yet, let alone scattered titles in several others.... And then there are the re-reads (which are not few....)

 

[rai]

I am a slow reader, but keep track of all the books I've read which comes out to between 12 books a year (on the low side) to maybe 24 books some years.

At this pace I'd never read all the books I have, but when I retire I will have a lot more time on my hands to read and should be able to push my number up to a book a week (?).

 

[chongjasmine]

My to read pile:

book 9-13 of wheel of time
a way of kings
Mistborn trilogy
Malazan
Farseer/Tawny man etc