Monday, June 30, 2008

The New Classics: Books

I really used to think that I read a lot. I know I definitely read more than some of my friends who also love to read. But I have been checking out some blogs lately by other readers and it puts me to shame. One woman reads 80-150 books a year (she recently told me it's more like 1-2 books a week, but still)! While she reads a lot more non-fiction than I do, it's still a huge accomplishment. Another blogger reads many of the same books that I do, but he still kicks my ass at the quantity of books, and even has a 10,000 page-a-year goal. I'm too afraid that if I gave myself that kind of "goal" it would feel too much like homework and therefore be too much pressure. I feel that way about book clubs too. I prefer to read what I want, when I want, and in my own time frame. But I still say (almost daily I repeat it to myself) that if I didn't work there is NO WAY that I would ever be bored. I would have time for my many hobbies, cook better and workout daily. Ahh, to dream. But I digress.

I love lists. Especially lists made about "best" books. Entertainment Weekly came out with the top 100 books from 1983-2008. I like to play a game with myself and get a really high number of "been there, done that." But on this list I only count eleven that I have read. That makes me sad. My list continues to grow, and if weren't for books on CD, I would be even further behind. Check out the list and let me know how many you've read. If it's less than 11, I might even feel a little better.

4 comments:

  1. Don't feel so bad! I've read at least a book a month for the past 5 years and I've only read 6 on that list! In my opinion, a couple of those 6 were not that spectacular.

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  2. I never do challenges or set goals for reading. Even though my to-be-read list is a mile high, I approach it very casually when I'm looking for a new book, just pick what strikes my fancy. I will never run out of something to read, and like you said, never be bored!

    But it's really only fifty or so a year, sorry. I recounted. The year of 100+ books was child-free and may not come again.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 03, 2008

    Thanks, Jeane, for agreeing with me on the pleasure of leisurely reading. And don't worry, I still admire your love for books and I know we all wish we could read more!

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  4. Hi Amy! Was just investigating some of the links to my blog and discovered you! Thanks so much for you nice words in this post (and another one from April I believe) and so glad to hear/read that folks enjoy my book posts!

    Despite what it seems, I don't get TOO caught up with my reading goals, though it has happened from time to time. One big reason I chose "pages" over "books" was that I didn't want to have the dilemma/temptation of choosing a shorter book over a longer one. Reading is for FUN and I totally get how setting a quota could/would seem like "work"! Actually, I keep track of it since another of my many obsessions is creating spreadsheets and crunching numbers, so this combines two of my loves... ha!

    Will be checking out your reading list and recommendations - we do seem to like a lot of the same stuff! Thanks again!

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