Cera S. ([info]diony) wrote,
@ 2004-01-22 23:49:00
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once and future reading
[info]coffeeandink has a very tidy list of books she owns which she hasn't yet read, organised by the year in which she bought them. It's an appealing meme, but would require such a massive amount of data entry on my part that I'm unlikely to get it done this month. I do know, though, that I have 450 (+/- 50) science fiction & fantasy books I haven't read -- because I did at one point put all of those into a spreadsheet, ages ago -- and many more in the history/biography/fiction shelves out in the living room. And the young adult section -- how could I forget my copious unread YA novels?

My guess is about 1200 total unread books that I own right now. Most of them are probably from 1997, because Earl and I spent a lot of our time going to bookstores; bad for my wallet, good for my bookshelves. Now I go to the library and check out 20 books at a go, and goodness I'm glad this meme doesn't count library books.

Having roughly identified the number of unread books in the house, I now find myself considering how to reduce this number. Shall I go through my shelves in alphabetical order? Spin around in circles and see what I end up pointing at? Roll a 1200-sided die? Suggestions are eagerly sought!

(Why, yes, I do like making plans. And lists. I really like lists.)

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[info]nolly
2004-01-23 12:00 am UTC (link)
Wow. I don't feel quite so bad now.

(~4 full bookcases of unread.)

I switch between alphabetical and random letter selection (draw scrabble tiles or similar, discarding non-matches, until a book is uniquely identified).

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[info]kittiwake
2004-01-23 12:56 pm UTC (link)
Last year, I found that trying to read my unread books more or less alphabetically had an unexpected effect. When I got up to the Fs I found that I still couldn't bring myself to read the copy of Madame Bovary that had been sitting on my shelf for years. I finally accepted that I had bought it because I thought I ought to have read it, and that I was never going to be in the right mood for it. So I registered it on BookCrossing and felt immediately liberated. I ended up sending it to my brother, who did read it. I gave up on a few other books too, and feel much less guilty about my unread books now.

Izzy : )

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[info]diony
2004-01-26 05:16 pm UTC (link)
That is exactly the sort of thing I seem to discover whenever I try any organised reading solution! That's one reason I don't just want to read 'whatever I feel like' -- because, you know, there are things I never feel like reading, and it would be good to identify them.

Hmn, maybe I'll do the first A, the first B, and so forth until I wrap around.

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[info]nolly
2004-01-27 04:18 pm UTC (link)
I'm feeling that way about, of all things, the Illuminatus trilogy.

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[info]diony
2004-01-26 05:15 pm UTC (link)
Oh, don't feel bad! Isn't it nice knowing you're not going to run out??

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[info]nolly
2004-01-27 04:21 pm UTC (link)
Yes, but I tend to acquire faster than I read, still, and I'm running out of room. See, there's this marvelous used bookstore, catacorner from my yoga studio. I find such wonderful deals there. Not just the usual fare, but some excellent knitting and crochet books, religion/spirituality, kids' books...the only area not-so-good is SF/F, and I've got Mysterious Galaxy for new stuff, and cons for old stuff.

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[info]brisingamen
2004-01-23 12:26 am UTC (link)
I don't think I could begin to identify how many unread books there are in this house. I read by enthusiasm when I have the time. I can't say it's effective, but ...

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[info]angeyja
2004-01-23 03:58 am UTC (link)
Mmmm. That sounds lovely. I don't having moved lightly too many times...still haven't managed to replace some of my loves from the eighties, books and I had a nice little Xmen collection.

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[info]cissa
2004-01-23 05:57 am UTC (link)
I choose based on what's on top and my mood. :)

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[info]oracne
2004-01-23 06:42 am UTC (link)
Wow. You totally defeat me in owned-but-unread-books. I am totally impressed and in awe.

So, maybe see what you've been reading lately, and pick something in a different genre or by a different author?

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[info]diony
2004-01-26 05:17 pm UTC (link)
*beam*

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[info]tersa
2004-01-23 08:11 am UTC (link)
1200 *unread* books?! I don't think I even own that many! :)

I boggle and am impressed with your library.

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[info]diony
2004-01-23 01:44 pm UTC (link)
It boggles me too! When I indexed my unread f&sf and came up with over 400 I was astonished, since I wouldn't have thought I owned even that many total. But if four shelves of f&sf yield 400 unread books -- and I've read more of those than anything else -- and I have nine more full bookcases -- well!

It's strange; when I look around my apartment it doesn't seem like I own thousands of books, but I guess I do.

That's a gorgeous icon, by the way!

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[info]coffeeandink
2004-01-23 09:58 am UTC (link)
I'm so pleased someone else has over a thousand!

Sometimes I go back and look at the books I bought on today's date in a different year. But mostly I just read by mood.

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[info]diony
2004-01-26 05:19 pm UTC (link)
I sometimes go back and see what I read on/near a given date in previous years -- and I, uh, actually wrote a script to tell me what the Nth book read in each previous year was -- so that when I finish the 25th book of the year, for example, I can see what #25 was for all previous years.

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[info]aelfsciene
2004-01-23 12:38 pm UTC (link)
Something I'm facing with impending move and god knows what else is that I've got Too Much Stuff, and that, sadly, includes books. Shelves of ones I haven't read, I'm finally, finally getting to, and thinking very hard about how likely I am to read them again. It's bizarre to be thinking this way, as I've always been a book-hoarder, but really, there's a lot of stuff that I feel like I should have, but don't care that much about actually having on my shelves. I've culled out nearly two boxes already, from children's illustrated tales to gaming books, and will be taking them to BookBuyers at some point in the near future.

It's freeing, somehow, though I know I'll always have a lot of books, and won't get rid of even half of my collection, I'm sure. But it gives me a strange feeling of accomplishment, and I encourage you to start going through your unreads.

As for a system, I'm just skipping from genre to genre, really; a spate of young adult, then some kids' books, a few Gaiman I hadn't gotten around to, and now I'm entrenched in fairy tale retellings. Though with as many as you've got languishing on your shelves, a plan and lists are probaby the way to go.

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[info]vassilissa
2004-01-23 09:42 pm UTC (link)
My own system for how: I try to make sure I read one owned-but-unread for every library or new book. Borrow 20 library books, read them plus twenty owned books.

And if I decide that I really can't face reading a book, now or later, then it goes to bookcrossing or the second-hand bookstore.

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