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DE-RE-PRIORITIZING READING I’m a reader, and always have been. I’m proud to identify myself as such, and have written here and elsewhere of my love of studying. I’ve listed my favorite science fiction and fantasy books. I keep a presence on GoodReads, where I share the books I’m studying, have learn, and plan to read. I read at least a little every day. But that’s the problem: somewhat. I need to learn moreâ€"I need to learn more. You must read this e-book. In his book On Writing, Stephen King writes about the significance of reading for writers. He says he has a e-book with him always, and fills all of the little cracks in his day with books. I love that. I agree wholeheartedly with that. If you don’t read, you don't have any enterprise writing. And due to the free Kindle app on my costly sensible telephone, I also carry a book round with me wherever I go. So, I must be filling all these little cracks in my day with books. But am I? Alas, no. Well . . . probably not. My very first publish right he re, on July 7, 2009, was referred to as I Spent My Bonus On Books, and in it, I listed the books I purchased with my Hasbro bonus. I joked that I ought to have all of them learn by the time I’m eighty. That was greater than two years in the past, and I am not even near 80 yet, however of these ten books, I even have learn 4. The different six are still on cabinets, waiting. Since then I’ve blogged over and over again here and at Grasping for the Windâ€"so usually I’m positive it’s turn out to be tiresomeâ€"in regards to the number of books I buy in a yr and the ever-increasing stacks of unread books that fill my home. Wait, I have to name them as-but-unread books! During my Christmas trip in 2006 I went round the house and counted up all my as-but-unread books and got here up with this horrifying figure: 749. I had began keeping a book journal at the beginning of 2005 and in that year I learn only 27 books (not counting all of the books I read for work), then only 19 in 2006 . On December 27, 2006 I figured that if I learn an average of 23 books a yr, it would take me 32 years, 6 months to learn these 749 as-but-unread books, which suggests I’ll be all caught up somewhere in my seventy fifth year. And that’s assuming I do not purchase a single new book until somewhere around the center of 2038. Well . . . yikes. That train only gave me a fleeting feeling that perhaps I buy too many books, earlier than I rejected the concept of “shopping for too many books” out of handâ€"that’s crazy talkâ€"and as an alternative decided to do one factor: READ MORE! I love this e-book, however it ought to rely as a minimum of two, possibly three... I put that on my New Year’s Resolutions in 2009, and I’m pleased to report that I made some serious headway in that respect. . . . after a particularly weak showing in 2007, that is: only 14 books (but a type of was Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and it was right about there that my job got insanely busy, and oth er nonsense excuses), in 2008 still solely 15, then a small increase to 22 in 2009, then after publically making that decision in December 2009 I kicked it into excessive gear and read fifty one books in 2010, and that wasn’t solely as a result of I obtained fired from my job midway via the 12 months. If something, that only elevated the hazard that I would fall into the TV lure entirely, however no, I still read extra . . . forty six books up to now in 2011 and we’re not accomplished with the 12 months fairly but. So at fifty one books in 2010 I was studying damn near a guide a weekâ€"just one off, actually. I suppose that’s about as much as a busy human with a household and a job and platinum cable and a PS3 must be anticipated to read. If I can read 52 books a 12 months, I have to be doing something proper. And if I nonetheless have 750 books to read (oh, I didn't stop shopping for books, my friends!) then I nonetheless have over 14 years’ worth of books to learn. For the record, I will be only sixty one as a substitute of 75, and we all know that 60 is the brand new forty, so . . . that . . . doesn’t have anything to do with it. Hmm. I began penning this thinking I wasn’t setting aside sufficient time daily to sit down and skim. But if I’m averaging a guide per week, what am I complaining about? I’m doing okay. This year, I plan to do that as-but-unread guide census once more, to see where I am 5 years later. Do I even have fewer than 749 books still on deck? I bet I even have extra. I wonder how many books I’ll should learn every year to get that down to 10 years’ price? If it’s still around 750, nicely, then, that’s 75 books a year, or about one book each five days. Challenging. Still, it’s a cinch that I’ll die with a minimum of a couple of hundred books I haven’t read yet. How sad. But right here’s a query: By doing all this obsessive-compulsive considering and counting and running a blog and listing, am I sucking all th e joy out of studying? Should I really cease trying to make reading a to do list item, and simply, y’know, read? Do I want psychological help? â€"Philip Athans About Philip Athans I liked this publish! And how true it's to have so many deserving-to-be-learn books round, and not enough time to read them. I, too, are inclined to depend, list-make, and such (much to my spouse’s amusement), but I find that helps me achieve my goals. Or a minimum of, that’s what I tell myself. Good luck in your reading targets, and to the remainder of us, as well! Oh my! I sneak books into each crack of the day, but I nonetheless have tons of to-be-read books. If I stopped to rely them, I’d just go crazy. Give up the entire math part and simply learn. You’ve read more than me, and I don’t have a household or pretty much the rest to occupy my time in the intervening time, so congrats to you sir. Although the books I’ve learn this year had been admittedly bigger than the same old. You can’t learn each guide you come upon though, that’s simply crazy, there are too many of them. As for a author reading, I can see how it’s a good thing, however spending all your free t ime reading? Wouldn’t it be higher to find some approach to also empty your mind of phrases every now and then? I assume it will. But I have no expertise so it’s only a thought. Hilarious post… I suppose anybody who comes here probably has an identical experience / drawback. For me, it has only received worse since I bought a kindle. It’s just far too simple to purchase books there, cheaply, and the one-click on buying doesn’t offer you a lot time to speak your self out of it. Love it! And now I have an urge to go count all my own “as-but-unread” books. Generally speaking I only get an opportunity to learn a chapter or two in mattress at night â€" typically! â€" so my book-studying could be very gradual. Occasionally I’ll start right into a book so web page-turnery that I’ll put my life on hold and read it in a day or two. But that’s uncommon. Mostly it’s no multiple book each few weeks. I don’t perceive those who can read a guide a day. I simply don’t get it. How is this attainable? They say they velocity learn, but to me that’s the identical as skipping over the textual content and probably not enjoying it â€" a bit like gulping down a burger as you’re dashing out the door and grabbing a fistful of fries while dashing down the street. You get the overall taste and you get the job carried out, however you can’t probably savor it.