The Sword and Laser discussion

From The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett.

"Her brother was suffering from tragic sweet deprivation. Yes, he was surrounded by sweets. But the moment he took any sweet at all, said his sugar-addled brain, that meant he was not taking all the rest. And there were so many sweets he'd never be able to eat them all. It was too much to cope with."

I feel that way about my to-read list sometimes. And before you go look at the to-read shelf on my profile, be aware that I haven't added all the books from my 18 1/2-page long Google document.

I long ago stopped making a "to read" list or having too many books on my "to read" pile. (5 is about my limit)
I don't want to be 80+ and have thousands of books I will never read.
I'd rather have a library of books that I've enjoyed throughout my life.

I know there will always be more books that I want to read, than I can read.

If a "must read" book comes out, I will buy it and read it. Everything else flows by and may or may not get chosen in the future when I need a book.

But a better state of affairs than the alternative!

Tassie Dave wrote: "I long ago stopped making a "to read" list or having too many books on my "to read" pile. (5 is about my limit)
I don't want to be 80+ and have thousands of books I will never read.
I'd rather have a library of books that I've enjoyed throughout my life.

I know there will always be more books that I want to read, than I can read.

If a "must read" book comes out, I will buy it and read it. Everything else flows by and may or may not get chosen in the future when I need a book."

Well said. I feel the same way except I already have thousands of books I will never read. Won't stop me from trying, of course ...

My list helps me remember books I've seen that I'm interested in, and putting just published ones at the bottom of the list usually lets me wait until the price for Kindle has dropped by a dollar or two. But it's possible that the convenience is not worth the anxiety.

Joanna wrote: "My list helps me remember books I've seen that I'm interested in, and putting just published ones at the bottom of the list usually lets me wait until the price for Kindle has dropped by a dollar o..."

Thats what I tend to do. I keep the first book of any series that I want to read on my to-read list.

I also have separate lists for the sci-fi, the fantasy and all the other books that I want to read.

I know this feeling well. Every time I look at the books above my desk that I haven't read, I feel guilty. And I have even more on my Kindle. And my Audible wish-list just keeps getting longer...

I just can't win.

I too have this problem. The list just keeps getting bigger and bigger too. I find that even when I'm ready to start a new book I'm a little indecisive because there's so many books I want to read, I can't pick which one to go with.

I don't mind having huge to-read list. It reminds me that there's always thing to choose from. I know I'll never read all the books I want as my list only keeps getting bigger, but sometimes it helps to choose something I want to read at the moment, maybe find some book promotion and simply remember what books caught my interest at one point or another.
And I never really have a choosing problem. When I finish a book I just look at my "pile" and choose something that fits my mood :)

That is such a great quote, Johanna! I think I resemble that remark as well. ;)