Most of my spare time is devoted to reading and my TBR piles are becoming TBR mountains, but I continue to buy other books and check out books from the library. I think it was Schopenhauer who said, "We buy books in the hopes that we will live long enough to read them."
I wentthrough an entire closet-full of books and read the first few sentences. Based on that, I culled dozens of books deemed unworthy and donated them to my local library
At least I know my TBR closet has books with the potential of my reading past first few lines...
This is spot on, could have been written by me, though I wouldn't have written it quite as well, probably, except for the part about working at a book store, I have the internet and blogs instead of that one.
Of her top 25 she hasn't gotten to yet, I've read 5 of them.
I've reached the point, however, where if I'm sure a book isn't for me I can ignore the drumbeat and skip it.
And a partial addition is that if a book is being touted by the non-reading public - you know who they are, the people who read at most 2-3 "hot books" a year - I will definitely pass.
Examples?
DaVINCI CODE TWILIGHT THE LOVELY BONES EAT, PRAY, LOVE
I admit that I did get MARLEY & ME from the library but didn't make it through chapter 1.
I've read Ulysses and Stranger in a Strange Land (like Jeff, probably about 40 years ago). The others I'm pretty well avoiding--if I've heard of them. I have quite a few books I've been given but don't want to read, and feel crummy about giving away or selling.
11 comments:
This article is right on target :
I've done chapters only from THE FOUNTAINHEAD, FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM, and some of MOBY DICK.
Read all the way through CAT WHO WALKS THROUGH WALLS but over 1/2 of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND from Heinlein.
INFINITE JEST by Foster Wallace I had a freebie ARC copy and read all of it (but not the alternate drug chapters, I read only the story part).
I listened to Life of Pi and really enjoyed it. I was surprised I did. Maybe it was just good narration.
Yeah, these books are mostly lying around here unread.
Most of my spare time is devoted to reading and my TBR piles are becoming TBR mountains, but I continue to buy other books and check out books from the library. I think it was Schopenhauer who said, "We buy books in the hopes that we will live long enough to read them."
I wentthrough an entire closet-full of books and read the first few sentences. Based on that, I culled dozens of books deemed unworthy and donated them to my local library
At least I know my TBR closet has books with the potential of my reading past first few lines...
This is spot on, could have been written by me, though I wouldn't have written it quite as well, probably, except for the part about working at a book store, I have the internet and blogs instead of that one.
Of her top 25 she hasn't gotten to yet, I've read 5 of them.
Let me add one:
Someone gave/loaned it to me unsolicited: lack of interest combines with a sense of obligation, leading to paralyzing guilt
Great quote, Deb! I've read 13 of the books listed in the article. The other dozen don't look very appealing to me.
Excellent list. I agree with most of them.
I've reached the point, however, where if I'm sure a book isn't for me I can ignore the drumbeat and skip it.
And a partial addition is that if a book is being touted by the non-reading public - you know who they are, the people who read at most 2-3 "hot books" a year - I will definitely pass.
Examples?
DaVINCI CODE
TWILIGHT
THE LOVELY BONES
EAT, PRAY, LOVE
I admit that I did get MARLEY & ME from the library but didn't make it through chapter 1.
Jeff
Oh, of the top 25 I've read four, though WAR AND PEACE and MOBY DICK were not unabridged editions.
I loved STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND but that was 40 years ago and don't know how I'd feel about it today.
Jeff
I've read Ulysses and Stranger in a Strange Land (like Jeff, probably about 40 years ago). The others I'm pretty well avoiding--if I've heard of them. I have quite a few books I've been given but don't want to read, and feel crummy about giving away or selling.
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