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1Cecrow
I'm sure you are all familiar with the term "life hack". Good news, there is now a "life hack" for picking the next book you're going to read, and to ensure you do eventually read everything you buy. All of our problems are solved with this magic formula! https://lifehacker.com/heres-a-way-to-make-sure-actually-read-the-books-you-bu-1...
Wait a minute. Wait a sec. It's basically saying the "secret" is to buy fewer books. Now I feel betrayed by this holy promise. If the solution were as easy as that, I would have been cured years ago. This person clearly doesn't understand how nefarious an unpurchased title can actually be.
It's correct about one thing. I do get spurred to hunt down this or that title thanks to whatever I'm reading right now. And it does go into a "I'll buy this someday, eventually" list. And I do tend to forget after a while why I was ever interested in that title, so it gets weeded out again. This is a good thing, yes. But my book buying habits are not merely predicated on specific titles I'm actively looking for (although that can be part of the mix.) It is more often based upon "Here is a book I did not come in here looking for, here is its bargain price, thus knocks an opportunity, this is destiny, I must succumb." You can't hack destiny.
Wait a minute. Wait a sec. It's basically saying the "secret" is to buy fewer books. Now I feel betrayed by this holy promise. If the solution were as easy as that, I would have been cured years ago. This person clearly doesn't understand how nefarious an unpurchased title can actually be.
It's correct about one thing. I do get spurred to hunt down this or that title thanks to whatever I'm reading right now. And it does go into a "I'll buy this someday, eventually" list. And I do tend to forget after a while why I was ever interested in that title, so it gets weeded out again. This is a good thing, yes. But my book buying habits are not merely predicated on specific titles I'm actively looking for (although that can be part of the mix.) It is more often based upon "Here is a book I did not come in here looking for, here is its bargain price, thus knocks an opportunity, this is destiny, I must succumb." You can't hack destiny.
2Petroglyph
Acquiring books and reading books are two separate hobbies, as far as I'm concerned.
Also, I'm always in the process of reading multiple books, which all satisfy different purposes and/or moods: for commuting, a few for work (and related interests), bed-time reading, maintaining foreign language skills, impulsive reading & sudden interests, stats-based selections (general diversification of my reading by genre, nationality, gender, time period), aspirational reading (I should really read more poetry or Proust), multiple unfinished series, and so on. Only one book at a time, for all purposes and moods? Ew, no.
In other words: "only one can be next" is clearly not true for someone who reads in parallel instead of serially: some of my reading is more or less planned, so much is true; but some of it is entirely dependent on mood or chance recommendations, and giving up that serendipity would make my reading much less enjoyable.
And this leads naturally into the next step: whenever I'm done with, say, a commuting book, or whenever I'm in the mood for something short / long / weird / French / recently-published / whatever -- I will have something on my shelves to satisfy my wants in that moment. Book-cases containing only a handful of unread books feel constraining and pre-ordained instead of liberating.
Also, I'm always in the process of reading multiple books, which all satisfy different purposes and/or moods: for commuting, a few for work (and related interests), bed-time reading, maintaining foreign language skills, impulsive reading & sudden interests, stats-based selections (general diversification of my reading by genre, nationality, gender, time period), aspirational reading (I should really read more poetry or Proust), multiple unfinished series, and so on. Only one book at a time, for all purposes and moods? Ew, no.
In other words: "only one can be next" is clearly not true for someone who reads in parallel instead of serially: some of my reading is more or less planned, so much is true; but some of it is entirely dependent on mood or chance recommendations, and giving up that serendipity would make my reading much less enjoyable.
And this leads naturally into the next step: whenever I'm done with, say, a commuting book, or whenever I'm in the mood for something short / long / weird / French / recently-published / whatever -- I will have something on my shelves to satisfy my wants in that moment. Book-cases containing only a handful of unread books feel constraining and pre-ordained instead of liberating.
3SandraArdnas
>2 Petroglyph: Very well put, even though I only ever read one fiction book at a time and mix and match only non-fiction, but practically al the points still hold.
Also, Umberto Eco has things to say about value of unread books in your library :) https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/24/umberto-eco-antilibrary/
Also, Umberto Eco has things to say about value of unread books in your library :) https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/24/umberto-eco-antilibrary/
