So many books, so little time..

[Athena]

There are so many books I want to read, but I can't read them all very soon. I'm sure I'm not the only one with this "problem". What to do when there are many books you want to read, but you don't seem to have enough time or energy to do so?

 

Here are some 'tips':

 

- Invent a time machine

- Become a vampire

- Find a cure so you can live a long time

- Win the lottery so you can perhaps stop working or hire a cleaner etc.

- Prioritise, as hard as that is, select which books you want to read first

- Don't look so much at the places where you normally find even more great books or recommendations (except here!)

- Prioritise activities in your life, find more time and energy for reading

- Get started right now, start reading..

- Make a TBR pile or piles, then just stare at them for a while and feel all giddy about the possibly great books you're going to read

- Think hard about which ones you really want to read

- Enjoy the books that you read, even if it isn't all the books you'd like to read, try to be happy with what you've got

- Think back about the great reads you've already read in your life

 

That's all I can think of for now. I realise this is a luxury problem to have, though I wish I could get to some of my books sooner! Must try and read more..

[julie]

Athena

 Good thing to ponder . I think as I get older I realize that I will never be able to read everything that sounds good . That being said, I need to try in some way to slow down my buying  . I get very easily influenced by good reviews , mainly from online sources . I like watching other "book people's " videos on you tube . Almost all of them can talk me into buying a book ,with their enthusiastic reviews .

  So :

 Rule Number One - STOP buying books . Read what I have already . ( I refuse to count up how long it will take me to read all the good books I have on my Kindle already ) Years .  This rule will be easier to follow now that the Hubster is officially semi-retired/-unemployed Whatever we want to call it , yesterday was his last day at work , the job he has had for 37 years . He got a severance package ,but it won't last forever ,so the spending has got to be squelched for items that aren't absolutely necessary .

 

Rule Number Two - Try to go back to the Olden Days at the library, when we were only allowed to check out 4 books at a time . When those are returned, they allowed you to check out 4 more . I have a serious Library Affliction : I usually go in like a hungry wolf ,and grab as many books as I can carry . Bad idea . I walk out thinking " Why did you just check out 27 books . Can you REALLY read that many in 2 / 3 weeks ? NOPE .

 

Rule Number 3 - Since I read slower now than I used to, slow down the number of books I have clanking around in my head ,that I want to read FIRST . They all can't come first , so I need to choose one , concentrate only on it ,then when it is done, I can start another . The way I achieve this is to keep all my Kindle books on my Cloud ,and only the one I am reading currently on the device . That keeps the others out of sight a bit more .

 

* Pertaining to Number 3 and Library books -- Even now that I have the 4 book-rule in place, I leave 3 of them in the car and bring one in the house . Read it, then I can bring another in .

 

I know all my ideas sound stupid, but  I tend to overdo it when "collecting books" ,whether it is buying or borrowing ,so I need to think of a plan that allows me to read at a better pace . I tend to bring home these huge stacks of books from the library , see the due date and realize that I'd need to be the fastest speed reader in the country to polish all of these off within a reasonable time frame.  When I get to the point where the books are toppling over , I get overwhelmed with it all and usually return all the library books because I realize I can't finish them in time .

 

So, the whole thing is a vicious cycle that I need to curb a bit . That is what I am working on now .

 

Concentrate on one book .Complete it ,then choose the next . So I guess my answer is to slow down, realize that there are going to be terrific books from the past , present and future . I'm not going to be able to read them all . So, just have one book going at a time, enjoy the quality ,not the quantity of my reading .

 

I've never been one that starts a book, dislikes it, but keeps on reading it . Life is too short to waste on a book that I dislike . There are truckloads more out there that are waiting on me . 

[Brian.]

I have recently adopted 2 of Julie's rules, I no longer buy any new books until I have several off my TBR and I have started to use my library a lot more. My rather large book collection started to become a burden as I felt guilty that there were so many books I hadn't read and yet I kept buying more. Since I have donated all buy a few of the books I had read I feel under much less pressure to read to often. I know they pressure was self induced but giving away the books has been very liberating.

 

I've also accepted the fact that there is no way that I will ever be able to read everything I want and because of that I am much more likely to put a book aside if I am not enjoying it that I previously would have done.

[pontalba]

We do have TBR pile(s), doesn't help much.

 

Husband has threatened to only read first paragraphs, to get through all of them.     Might work.........

[Kidsmum]

 

- Don't look so much at the places where you normally find even more great books or recommendations (except here!)

 - Get started right now, start reading..

- Make a TBR pile or piles, then just stare at them for a while and feel all giddy about the possibly great books you're going to read

 - Enjoy the books that you read, even if it isn't all the books you'd like to read, try to be happy with what you've got

  

 

Lots of good advice Athena   One of my TBR piles is at the side of the bed , i moved it there from the side of the sofa when we decorated goodness knows where i'll put them when we get round to decorating the bedroom, anyway after i get out of the shower i like to sit on the bed just reading the backs of the books & thinking i must read this one next..... no this one is going to be my next read or maybe this one...... so many good books so hard to make a decision 

 

 Rule Number One - STOP buying books . Read what I have already . 

Rule Number Two - Try to go back to the Olden Days at the library, when we were only allowed to check out 4 books at a time .   

 

I follow the same rules Julie, most of my books come from charity shops i just couldn't walk past one without having a look at their book section & inevitably coming out with a pile but it was getting out of hand i have a TBR pile that's 500+ so why did i need to keep buying more books, it certainly wasn't because i was short of something to read   I think because i have a big family & so am always busy doing things for them, washing, cooking, cleaning etc. it was a way of treating myself & i got huge buzz out of coming home with my book finds. Since i've stopped shopping for books though i feel much better , more in control , it was hard at first not going in the charity shops but now i don't think about it anymore as i've broken the habit, like you i use the library much more so i still get to read books that people recommend but they don't sit on my shelves for years waiting for me to get round to reading them & i feel like i'm doing a good thing by using the library as busy libraries don't get closed down 

 

  My rather large book collection started to become a burden as I felt guilty that there were so many books I hadn't read and yet I kept buying more.  

 

Yep that's me as well  I know it's going to take me years to get my book mountain down to a mere hillock but i feel much better now that i've curbed my book buying habits. I'll still ask for books as presents for Christmas & birthdays but at least i'm not buying on a weekly basis anymore.

 

We do have TBR pile(s), doesn't help much.

 

Husband has threatened to only read first paragraphs, to get through all of them.     Might work.........

 

Taking up speed reading could be an option as well 

 

I try & read at least 50 pages a day that way i feel like i'm actually getting through my books & not just admiring them on the shelves 

[Athena]

Rule Number One - STOP buying books . Read what I have already . ( I refuse to count up how long it will take me to read all the good books I have on my Kindle already ) Years . This rule will be easier to follow now that the Hubster is officially semi-retired/-unemployed Whatever we want to call it , yesterday was his last day at work , the job he has had for 37 years . He got a severance package ,but it won't last forever ,so the spending has got to be squelched for items that aren't absolutely necessary .

x

This makes sense, I hope you can still afford necessary things like food though!

x

Rule Number Two - Try to go back to the Olden Days at the library, when we were only allowed to check out 4 books at a time . When those are returned, they allowed you to check out 4 more . I have a serious Library Affliction : I usually go in like a hungry wolf ,and grab as many books as I can carry . Bad idea . I walk out thinking " Why did you just check out 27 books . Can you REALLY read that many in 2 / 3 weeks ? NOPE .

x

Wow, I didn't know there were libraries that let you check out as many books as you want! In the Netherlands, as far as I know, depending on which card you have, you can have a limited amount of books, ie. 4 or 8. I went to the library every week as a child each time borrowing the maximum amount of books and reading them. I didn't know in other countries you can borrow more than a couple of books at a time. I stopped visiting the library much since our library doesn't have a lot of English books etc.

x

Rule Number 3 - Since I read slower now than I used to, slow down the number of books I have clanking around in my head ,that I want to read FIRST . They all can't come first , so I need to choose one , concentrate only on it ,then when it is done, I can start another . The way I achieve this is to keep all my Kindle books on my Cloud ,and only the one I am reading currently on the device . That keeps the others out of sight a bit more .

x

That's clever! I don't think I could do this though, at any time our internet could be down for a while and then I'd not have any other Kindle books to read. But I'm glad it works for you .

x

I know all my ideas sound stupid, but I tend to overdo it when "collecting books" ,whether it is buying or borrowing ,so I need to think of a plan that allows me to read at a better pace . I tend to bring home these huge stacks of books from the library , see the due date and realize that I'd need to be the fastest speed reader in the country to polish all of these off within a reasonable time frame. When I get to the point where the books are toppling over , I get overwhelmed with it all and usually return all the library books because I realize I can't finish them in time .

x

They don't sound like stupid ideas at all to me! If it works for you, it works .

x

So I guess my answer is to slow down, realize that there are going to be terrific books from the past , present and future . I'm not going to be able to read them all . So, just have one book going at a time, enjoy the quality ,not the quantity of my reading .

x

This sounds good!

Edited November 10, 2013 by Athena

[Athena]

I've also accepted the fact that there is no way that I will ever be able to read everything I want and because of that I am much more likely to put a book aside if I am not enjoying it that I previously would have done.

x

This makes sense! I'm glad things are going okay for you .

x

We do have TBR pile(s), doesn't help much.

 

Husband has threatened to only read first paragraphs, to get through all of them. Might work.........

x

 

Can I ask how much of your collection is TBR? I understand if you'd rather not say.

x

Lots of good advice Athena

x

Thanks !

x

I follow the same rules Julie, most of my books come from charity shops i just couldn't walk past one without having a look at their book section & inevitably coming out with a pile but it was getting out of hand i have a TBR pile that's 500+ so why did i need to keep buying more books, it certainly wasn't because i was short of something to read I think because i have a big family & so am always busy doing things for them, washing, cooking, cleaning etc. it was a way of treating myself & i got huge buzz out of coming home with my book finds. Since i've stopped shopping for books though i feel much better , more in control , it was hard at first not going in the charity shops but now i don't think about it anymore as i've broken the habit, like you i use the library much more so i still get to read books that people recommend but they don't sit on my shelves for years waiting for me to get round to reading them & i feel like i'm doing a good thing by using the library as busy libraries don't get closed down

x

Very strong of you!

x

Yep that's me as well I know it's going to take me years to get my book mountain down to a mere hillock but i feel much better now that i've curbed my book buying habits. I'll still ask for books as presents for Christmas & birthdays but at least i'm not buying on a weekly basis anymore.

x

That's good! Personally I don't normally buy books on a weekly basis, but if I'm in town I always go to the charity shop, every once in a while I order lots of books online or buy Kindle ebooks and if there's a book fair nearby I hope to buy a lot of books there too (usually a few times a year).

x

I try & read at least 50 pages a day that way i feel like i'm actually getting through my books & not just admiring them on the shelves

x

This sounds like a good idea! I do try and read a bit each day, though it depends how I feel. My mojo seems to come and go, there are days and weeks where I read a whole lot and there are times where I don't read much.

 

Thanks for your replies everyone, it's inspirational !

[Marie H]

Some very good tips Athena  , but I have  very weak willpower when I try to keep to them.   . At least I am managing to only buy ebooks, (unless I buy reference books and art books).  Ebooks don't take the space of tree books   . 

[Athena]

That's true! I'm somewhat less bothered by my TBR ebooks, as well. But then it's easier to forget which ones I have, because more difficult to go and look at them.

[Marie H]

That's true! I'm somewhat less bothered by my TBR ebooks, as well. But then it's easier to forget which ones I have, because more difficult to go and look at them.

 

Very true, as I forget that I have some ebooks (and I've only had my ereader for 3 months  ). Then it's really exciting, when I find them all over again  .

[Little Pixie]

Lots of good tips here.

 

I especially like Julie`s `there are always going to be books`.

[pontalba]

 

Brian wrote: My rather large book collection started to become a burden as I felt guilty that there were so many books I hadn't read and yet I kept buying more. 

 

I never feel guilty about the unread stacks around here.  Now, the dust bunnies, full dishwasher, stacks of stuff about.....that might make me momentarily feel a fleeting bit of guilt.....but never the books!

 

Athena wrote:Can I ask how much of your collection is TBR? I understand if you'd rather not say.

 

Oh, doesn't bother me, if I can come up with an accurate count....asking husband what he thinks................

 

There are at least three four categories of books here. 

 

1.  Ones we've actually read. 

 

2.  Ones we really, really want to read and would be very disappointed if we don't read. 

 

3. Then, there are the ones that we are a bit "ennh" about, or don't actually count in the TBR stacks.

 

4.  Abandoned, banished to the land of Uck.

 

 

I can't give figures on all categories, but in the second, ones we really, really want to get to ASAP.....conservatively, I'd have to say about 2,700.  Give or take.

[Athena]

I especially like Julie`s `there are always going to be books`.

x

Me too .

x 

I never feel guilty about the unread stacks around here.  Now, the dust bunnies, full dishwasher, stacks of stuff about.....that might make me momentarily feel a fleeting bit of guilt.....but never the books!

 

 

Oh, doesn't bother me, if I can come up with an accurate count....asking husband what he thinks................

 

There are at least three four categories of books here. 

 

1.  Ones we've actually read. 

 

2.  Ones we really, really want to read and would be very disappointed if we don't read. 

 

3. Then, there are the ones that we are a bit "ennh" about, or don't actually count in the TBR stacks.

 

4.  Abandoned, banished to the land of Uck.

 

 

I can't give figures on all categories, but in the second, ones we really, really want to get to ASAP.....conservatively, I'd have to say about 2,700.  Give or take.

x

That's very interesting, and it makes a lot of sense .

[Sagesmith]

My TBR 'pile' currently takes up four shelves of a large bookcase and I have another 'pile' waiting for me on my iPad's KIndle app (I'm putting reading these off till I get the Kndle Paperwhite on Christmas Day).

 

The problem is, when you're a crime thriller fiction fan, some of the writers (*cough* James Patterson) write new books quicker than most people can read. Fortunately, I've discovered a love of a few new authors who aren't quite so prolific and whose novels tend to take a little longer to digest and enjoy than Patterson, the Big Mac of the crime fiction world.

[Timstar]

If I was serious about getting more books read I would:

 

1. Stop going on Amazon

2. Stop going into bookshops

3. Stop going on BCF

4. Stop daydreaming whilst staring at all the books I want to read.

 

However, I'm not that serious at the moment 

[pontalba]

I'm inching toward serious though.  We've discussed at least slowing the purchases to absolutely invaluable reads.  

Sometimes, instead of clicking on the purchase button, I'll click it onto the (Amazon) wish list.....that seems to satisfy my clicking finger, and quite often I don't follow through.  I have a few things on my wish list that go back to 2007. 

[Kreader]

I don't have a tbr pile.  That's because I don't get more books until I've read all that I already have.  I also use the library a lot.  If I find I'm having trouble reading a book that I've borrowed I return it and get one that I'm most likely to finish.  I'm due for another clear out of books to the charity shop.  I just have to make sure I don't end up bringing back as many as I've taken there.

[Athena]

I'm inching toward serious though.  We've discussed at least slowing the purchases to absolutely invaluable reads.

Sometimes, instead of clicking on the purchase button, I'll click it onto the (Amazon) wish list.....that seems to satisfy my clicking finger, and quite often I don't follow through.  I have a few things on my wish list that go back to 2007. 

x

I do that too, sometimes it's satisfying enough just to put it on my Amazon wishlist.