too many books too little time
By raindrops12
@raindrops12 (19)
Philippines
July 13, 2011 9:03pm CST
i just cleaned my room and lo, i found out that i have about ten books in waiting to be read completely. i can't finish my backlog since every time i pass this 2nd hand book shop i can not control the impulse of rummaging to the stacks of dog eared paperbacks. who knows what book i may find on sale!
the thing is i don't want to have a strict schedule when it regards to my reading habit. i read whenever i feel like it (besides there's no stopping me at times once i am already into it). although my rule of thumb should be at least one book per month.
so what are your reading habits guys? do you finish one first before buying another one? are you that type that must read a book on a daily basis?
1 person likes this
19 responses
@wawicarmz (66)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
I am an avid reader and I love books. Also because, Reading helps me relieve stress and keeps me calm. So i have a lot of books too, and I tend to buy books especially if it catches my interest, or if it is written by my favorite authors. I don't keep a track of how many I read for a certain time or if i read books one after the other, but if there is a book interesting and entertaining for me then I read it. However, I usually finish one book first before buying another one. It also helps that I keep a budget intended for a book i will purchase to add to my collections. I wish to have a mini library in my own room. :)
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@wawicarmz (66)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
totally! it would also be a wonderful place to relax and unwind, it can also become our window to the world if we get old and we just want to stay at home. :)
@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
i wish to have a mini library of my own too..that would be a favorite place of mine for sure when i am already old and retired and have all the time to read as much as i can
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@carpediem17 (1315)
• Singapore
14 Jul 11
I know how you are feeling as I buy faster than I read. I do read simultaneously a few books at the same time, fiction and non-fiction.
I do catch a few pages in the morning before starting work and at night before knocking off to sleep.
I do not have a fixed time but as and when I am able to do so - or whilst waiting for someone.
To manage all this, I often have to refrain from buying and exercise selective purchases. And I try to borrow from the library as much as possible. Hope this helps, haha.
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@carpediem17 (1315)
• Singapore
14 Jul 11
I think the trick is to read subjects that are quite differing when reading simultaneously so that one does not get confused. ![](/Content/images/emotes/confused.gif)
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@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
i havent tried that yet ,you know, reading a few books simultaneously. maybe i should consider that in order for me to get rid of my backlog. thanks.
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@toniganzon (72277)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
Actually when i got my ipad 2 a few months back and installed ibooks on it, i hoarded on classical books. I just finished two of them out 10 that i've downloaded and just right after finishing Mary Shelley's Frankenstein i downloaded her Mathilda book which i plan to read during my free time.
I really don't have enough time to read books nowadays but i keep on hoarding them whenever i see a good one at the ibook store for free. They're all of good quality. And i the good thing about having an ebook is that they don't clutter around my room
! The bad side is that, i don't get to smell the pages of the books anymore
.
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@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
15 Jul 11
good thing i dont have an ipad yet..im afraid that il just download tons of ebooks that would caught my fancy and left it half read..but i want one just the same for reading those long articles online..
and of course there something personal when holding a book on your hand, leafing tru the pages and catching the whiff of its smell
@angie20 (191)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
Since I don't have any money to buy books for reading consumption, I borrow books from other bookworms. Today, I have three books waiting to be divulged. I'm lucky for the owner of the book doesn't care when will I return the hardbacks. Whenever I read, I became a monster and autistic; as if I am alone in this world and even not existing. I read silently and very focused that some of my friends tease me just to get my attention. Well, I can hear them but I can let my eyes off the words in the paperback. I simply can't. I read whenever I have the luxury of time.
@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
same thing here that is why most of the books i have acquired came from this secondhand store. i borrow a lot too from friends but i felt a bit sad parting with the book i have just enjoyed and returning it to its owner. its simply vanity to wish that i should have own a copy too. its good feel actually to be engrossed in a book. you are privately immersed in a universe that the author created for everyone to indulge.
@katzar0712 (324)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
hello there raindrops12!
i'm soo thrilled to finally see you here in myLot. :)
i'm guilty of buying/hoarding books and finding them sitting in my closet, unread.
but there are certain types of books that i finish in one reading. these are mostly self-help or inspiration books. lately, i'm into reading financial books because i want to grow my investment skills. ever heard of Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad?
there isn't really a reading habit for me, but i make it a point to read a good book at least once a week. :)
have a great day!
- kat
@leahjane0122 (23)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
Just like you, I don't want to get strict with my reading schedule. Oftentimes, reading books is only part of my past time when I feel like not doing other things at all. Reading a book, for me is not necessarily in daily basis. Read when you have free time. You'll see somehow that you are slowly finishing the books you have. It doesn't matter if you always want to buy book even of your not than with the others. What is important is that you make sure the books yo buy are of good help for you.
@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
15 Jul 11
true..but one had to make a conscious effort too to read..otherwise i would be occupied with other things on my free time
@chiyosan (30184)
• Philippines
14 Nov 11
hehe I have always thought of it this way too. I have a lot of books lined up and i find no time reading them! =( geesh.. i think its quite nice if i could download myself a pdf reader or a lit reader in my phone so i can read ebooks from the cp.. sometimes its just better to read books on paperback, but i have planned on reading a book a month so i guess i am on a good start now. :D
@dodo19 (47268)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
14 Jul 11
I am really behind on my reading as well. I have a bunch of books that I've bought that I haven't had the chance to read yet. For the last couple of years, I've been so busy with university that I've neglected my own personal reading. However, now that I am no longer in school, I hope that this will give me more free time to read and catch up on the books that I've neglected to read. I used to be pretty good about reading pretty much every day, but unfortunately that hasn't really been the case lately. Hopefully, I can change that.
@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
same thing here. i used to read every night actually but since i am now in a graveyard shift, my full time in reading is only on weekends.
@crimsonladybug (3112)
• United States
14 Jul 11
I am terrible about buying books as well. If I were to pile up all the books I own that I haven't read yet, the pile would probably be as big as me!
I tend to read 2-3 hours a week until I get close to the end of a really good story and then I'll spend whatever it takes to finish it.
@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
well i know someone who have used his pile of books as a table...piled it up and put a glass on it ha. the good thing though is that he was able to finish all of them.
@kelly10 (678)
•
31 Jul 11
I'm the same, I've currently got nearly 30 books waiting to be read, I'm reading 4 at the moment and I still got a list of books to buy. I often pop into a charity shop and find myself browsing the books, but I'm getting better at walking away now.
The only schedule I have is that I want to read all the Sookie Stackhouse novels, the Dexter books and everything by Stephen King. I also enjoy reading books about the paranormal/supernatural and true hauntings so find I'm often buying these too. I'm just glad that books are well priced at Amazon, otherwise I'd have spent a huge fortune.
I try to read everyday, but don't always achieve this. It was easiest to do when I was in work as I travelled by bus and the journey was a minimum of 45 minutes each way. The meant I was reading a minimum of 1 book a month. I've now got the time to read as I'm still out of work but just find I don't sit down as much and grab a book. As I'm at home I'm doing most of the shopping, cleaning and dog walking and then I've got all the job hunting to do and I do spend time online on sites like this and filling in surveys. As it can get quite disheartning being out of work I find that I would rather cheer myself up watching a good comedy.
@hdc4free (260)
• United States
14 Jul 11
I read a little some days and a lot others, it really depends on what else is going on every day. I have a terrible habit of reading several books at once though and it gets overwhelming at times. I love variety and often read 1 nonfiction, 1 novel, and 1 graphic novel at a time...plus I'm always in the middle of a book on my phone so I'll have reading material if I'm stuck somewhere. 1 book a month is about what I do on average but this year I set a goal to read 40 books by the time the year is out! I'm a little behind but I hope to catch up near the end of the year as I do a ton of reading around the holidays while travelling and to relax.
@dynzdolina (381)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
sometimes we are enticed to buy great books only to realize that it would again add up to the bundle of books found at home. best is, bring anything wherever you go, i"m sure there are idle moments where you can grab reading it.
@mikicruzpero (5)
•
14 Jul 11
hi!:) i can so relate to you. i have been reading books since my elementary days, and whenever i pass by a book store, my impulsive shopaholic tendencies just can't be controlled. lol. i can never resist smelling the pages of the books, especially if it's yellow. i see to it that i finish one book, before i start another one though..
@raindrops12 (19)
• Philippines
14 Jul 11
i agree. there is something really about the smell of books that gets in to you. the fresh smell of ink in a new book excites me and that old smell for those 2nd hand brings reverence to it.
@SydneyHazelton (4586)
• Singapore
14 Jul 11
I used to buy lots of books, but now I have budget constraint and decided to borrow them from the library. There are tonnes of books waiting for me to read over there. I couple of years back I was not reading as much as I had wanted to. But this year, I told myself that I needed to get back on track with my reading. I wrote down all the books that I have read since the beginning of the year and I have read almost 24 books. Some are thin, so I can read in one or two sittings. Others require a few days. I read mostly on my way to work, in the bus or trains.
In my school days, I used to borrow 4 books at a time. I had more time to read then. BUt now, if I borrow more than one book, I may not be able to complete them before i need to return them back, so I stick to just borrowing one at a time.
@kelly10 (678)
•
14 Jul 11
I love reading and I too have a great pile of books that are completly unread and some of them have been waiting for me to pick them up for years. The reason is that I keep on buying them. If I see a good book in a charity shop I have to buy it or if it's a new release in a series that I read, ie Sookie Stackhouse, I will buy it. Luckily I love reading so I get real value for money with my books as I do read them again and again. In fact I've that many books it takes that long to get round to re-reading them it's like reading a brand new book
@bouncybug (614)
• South Africa
14 Jul 11
I am exactly the same as you! I can't resist a second hand bookshop.. I'll go in there when I'm looking for one book to read and I will come out with a whole armful! There's something about good books that are just so satisfying! I absolutely love reading but sadly don't get the time much when I am at university studying. So in my few short holidays I make the most of my time and usually rush through 3 or 4 books in 2 or 3 weeks. Hope you can find time to make a dent in your stack of books as well!
@mikicruzpero (5)
•
14 Jul 11
hi!:) i can so relate to you. i have been reading books since my elementary days, and whenever i pass by a book store, my impulsive shopaholic tendencies just can't be controlled. lol. i can never resist smelling the pages of the books, especially if it's yellow. i see to it that i finish one book, before i start another one though..
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