Can't read them all!!!

[nadinka]

Hi!
I hope this question was not discussed already...I wanted to ask you: Do you sometimes have this feeling, when you see many different books (like in the library), or hear someone talking about books, like on this forum, and think :"I want to read this! And this! And of course this!..and..." And then you realize that you will never ever read them all. Yes you can handle a lot in your lifetime, but there will definitely be something left out....And also, what happens to me, there is so many other things to read (for school), that I end up with the small fraction of what I planned to read... It makes me sad and dissatisfied.
So, what do you think about it? Maybe I am just too obsessed with quantity, while the point in reading is quality? I think that's it. But still, when I am in a library, just can't control myself :) Crazy

[mono]

I entirely agree, nadinka.
While wandering through my favorite bookstore, Powell's Books, which consists of several rooms and three floors, I cannot help myself but want to read every book by every writer, fiction and non-fiction. Having such a limited budget, as college consumes most of my funds, I generally feel compelled to hinder my excessive purchases, of which I often over-spend. I usually buy most of the books I read, but, due to my relatively low finances, I must narrow down my must-read books, and swallow that pride within myself that wants to read everything. While purchasing my must-read books, in retrospect, I have found myself quite satisfied, reading more quality than quantity, but still, somehow, a high quantity, regardless.
Welcome to the forum.

[subterranean]

Well the feeling comes when you meet or ecountered people who also likes to read. As you talk or make discussion with them and found out what books they have read and what are their opinions about them, your curiosty and interest grows. Thus u feel like
" Oh my, there are so many books I haven't read" and seems all time in the world don't enough for you to finish them all...
My advise is, just read things that you conidered interesting or that can satisfy your need ;)

Welcome on board :wave:

[baddad]

Yes, welcome aboard......matey. And Nadinka, this driving passion you have, the innate need to try to read EVERYTHING.....is shared by quite a few of us here. I'm sure that if we could compile our own library from the books that members of this forum own we would need a building larger than the average cities public library......in fact I'd bet money on it. A member was saying the other day that she will earnestly read the cereal box label during breakfast if there is nothing else to read....and I thought to myself, hmmmm, I wonder what it said....... ( :

[Koa]

I often buy books which i end up reading years later for lack of time... And I'm annoyed with myself cos I used to read much more when I was younger, while now I dedicate to reading just a little time, especially when I have to study cos I know that if I start reading something else, I will never study...
So I join this common feeling...

[mister_noel_y2k]

A member was saying the other day that she will earnestly read the cereal box label during breakfast if there is nothing else to read....and I thought to myself, hmmmm, I wonder what it said....... ( :


hahaha, v. good baddad

:banana:

[byquist]

Nadinka, Total agreement. You see famous, classic authors with a dozen books of 800 pages each and know it is not in the realm of possibilities, and anyways, who cares -- there's a natural level for each person, lest they go nuts. One way around it is just acquiring general knowledge from literary criticism books. You can pick up a lot of expertise by reading critic's ideas about such-n'-such a novel. I've never read, for instance, any Proust, but I know a little about his books and how respected they are by those in the know. I tend to be a re-reader of books, and therefore going for quality (or improvement) rather than quantity.

[ajoe]

Hi. I used to have the same problem as you do. But after I tried the following methods, I find myself reading books more efficiently and not worrying if I could ever get everything read.

[/infomercial]

Prioritize books you really want to read.
Yeah, I haven't really read The Grapes of Wrath and Anna Karenina and whatnot (gasp), but I think continually reading "classics" and only those were slowing me down. Oh, they have pretty languages and I'm sure are deep and interesting to analyze, but perhaps because they're classics I already know what they're basically about and so don't have that much interest in reading them. So instead, lately I've been reading bestsellers (gasp again) just because I'm curious what they're about and children's books just because they're fun. Yeah, maybe they're not as educating as "true" literature, but who cares. I enjoy them. And when a book turns out to be dull than its cover makes it to be, I usually toss it away. Ah well, I still have many books on my reading list; I don't need to waste my time on something I have to force myself to read and not really enjoy. Maybe one day I'll come back to it, but most likely not.

Read 3 books simultaneously.
I used to read one book at a time before I move on to another, but this technique apparently doesn't work for me just because I'm easily bored. I'm not saying the books I'm reading are boring, but I'm just greedy and want to know everything all at once, I guess. So whenever I get tired of one book, I switch to another book, read it until I get tired of it, and go back to the first book, and so on. It's also more fun because you get to be at 3 settings at a time.

Make a reading list.
It encourages you to get your reading done because it's just fun to cross a book off the list.

Make an insanely-busy schedule.
I don't if it's just me, but I totally work more efficiently under time-constrain (--> this is probably not the right phrase, but you know what I mean). I have a part-time job now on top of more and harder classes, but I'm actually reading more books than I did last year.

[nadinka]

Thank you for your replies and suggestions! :)
Readinbg literary criticism books seems like a good thing to do, if one is really interested in it. (Not too much though :)) And of course, priorities should be made. I want to emphasize again the importance of the quality of reading. I am sure that sometimes one person who've read one book can understand it in a much deeper level or get much more enjoyment from it than another person who've read ten books. Why are we reading after all? But yet again..probably the ones who enoy the most are the ones who want to read the most:) closed cricle hehe . I think the right thing to do is just to concentrate on current reading and not bother about the future and worries.

[mono]

Why are we reading after all? But yet again..probably the ones who enoy the most are the ones who want to read the most:) closed cricle hehe
Interesting question, nadinka. Reading, to me, seems a hobby that corresponds to a hiker hiking, a gambler gambling, or a bicycler bicycling, though, in my immodest opinion, reading seems among one of the most intelligent hobbies.
I often enjoy asking other people why they read the specific genres they read - why philosophy, science fiction, or poetry?
Much of it seems one very long conversation of story telling, insightful ideas, rhymes, random thoughts, and debates. A reader hopefully takes his/her part into these conversations by the mere contribution of reading, while discussing or writing seem options, bringing us to branched ideas, literary criticism, inspiration, and, in turn, a better self-realization.

[nadinka]

Agree! For me it was always like a conversation:)
We should open a new thread: "Why are we reading?" Which will become "Why reading is good?" ;-)

[q0987]

It seems that all of you are going through a mid-life reading crisis so to speak. The loss of time is catching up with you. Your suffering from same thing as people who wanted to travel the world but dont get the chance because of life situations. My advice to you is re-lax. Enjoy the time that you have, and the books that you get a chance to read. You may not get to read all the books you want to read, but you can enjoy all the books that you do read.

[mister_noel_y2k]

it is weird that whenever i have papers due and lots of work going on, my reading rate goes right up and i fly through books. then when theres no stress and all i can all day is read, my reading rate drops. weird eh

:banana:

[Monica]

Our literature professor always ennumerates dozens of books we should read. And she tells us we should peruse and sail through literature. After the lecture everyone goes to the library and borrow something like 10 books and everyone is really eager to read it but it's not possible. So cruel!