Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion

Have you ever calculated how long it would take you to read all of your owned and unread books?

I've been cataloging and calculating, and I think I could read for 2 or 3 years without acquiring more books. Good grief! Thought sounds kinna ridiculous when you think about it. :) lol

What about you? How many owned and unread books do you have?

I actually do not have any idea how many owned and unread books I have. A lot. It gets a little fuzzy because I have received books from my mother in law that were hers and then there are my husband's books, some of which I have read, or would like to read, and then there are the books I "collect" like fairy tale books, so I really have no idea. But I'm sure I have over a one hundred books I own but have not read that are sort of normal go ahead and read books. :) But I do read these books...so I don't mind having them waiting for me.

I have 1500 books listed on GR which I own and haven't read yet; I know I don't have all my books up here yet, so call it 1750. Call it an optimistic average of three days per book = 5250 days, divided by 365 (I'm not going to like this) = 14 years.

I'd better get started.

My husband just told me not to even try to figure it out, LOL. He figures my amount is probably close to Tracey's, though!

Will that stop me from buying more books?

Nope!

14 years?!? :0 Wow, I'm impressed. :)

Let's see... Goodreads says I have 5,013 books. That's not counting 3 or 4 apple boxes in the basement not inventoried yet. So let's round it up to 5200 books. I've read 859 per GRs, leaving 4341 books unread. If it takes me 3 days per book (using Tracey's optomistic average, as some books I can read in a day and others take a week)... 4341 books x 3 days = 13023 days, divided by 365 days in a year = 35.679 years. Oh lordy. LOL Let's see... I'll be 44 at the end of the month... so I'm good to go til I'm roughly 80! PMSL

I feel good after all:) I'm close to Her Royal Orangeness's times: I would need about 3 or 4 years to read them all. But I have resigned myself to the fact that I have bought books that I'll never come to read, since there always something newer and shinnier out there:)

Wow..I've never thought about it...But at the rate i read..it'll never end..lol

Optimistically, if I live to 3 or 4 hundred years old I should be able to finish all the books I own, unless, of course, I acquire any new ones.

And then I could start on my re-reads.

Hmm, let's see. I own about 4500 books. Of those, about 1700 are nonfiction/reference books, so I'm not including them since you don't read those cover to cover. Of the about 2800 that are fiction, I have read about half of them so that leaves 1400 that are unread fiction. Now, considering that I am such a chronic reader and do tend to average about a book a day, 1400 unread books divided by 365 days per year equals about 4 years to read my unreads. And that's only if I don't reread and also stop buying new books to read, and that certainly is not likely to happen. :-)

I've already decided. When the Good Lord calls me, I'll have to tell him..."I can't die yet, I still have books to read!"

I think the phrase "Too many books, too little time" is appropriate for all of us. If I would stop buying books and re-reading my favorites, I might....just might....be able to finish my unread by the turn of the 22nd century!!!

To read all the ones I own would probably take me 5 to 8 years.

Jill wrote: "I think the phrase "Too many books, too little time" is appropriate for all of us. If I would stop buying books and re-reading my favorites, I might....just might....be able to finish my unread by the turn of the 22nd century!!!"

And that says it all! lol

People, I think we have serious issues. ;)

No additional books - it would take me about 3 years, but I would have to add books because some of the books are part of a series that I don't have the entire series yet, so who knows how long it would take.... I haven't bought a new book in a long time, I have been good. Although I have been cheating - I have been getting new books from the library. I need to stop that. lol.

Jennifer wrote: "..but I would have to add books because some of the books are part of a series that I don't have the entire series yet..."

*facepalm* I forgot about that!

See, that's why this is like the question "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll tootsie pop?" lol

Jennifer wrote: "No additional books - it would take me about 3 years, but I would have to add books because some of the books are part of a series that I don't have the entire series yet, so who knows how long it ..."

Well shoot. I didn't factor those in either. I'm with Patricia - "I can't die yet, I still have books to read!" And with some of the series I'm reading: "I can't die yet! The series has about six books to go!"

Patricia wrote: "I've already decided. When the Good Lord calls me, I'll have to tell him..."I can't die yet, I still have books to read!""
That is definitely my quote of the day!!!!!! That just made me smile and I had to reply. Thank you

My husband has calculated, that I have unread books for the next 16-17 years... And I'm afraid he's right ;-)

Her Royal Orangeness wrote: And that says it all! lol

People, I think we have serious issues. ;)

Yesss - isn't it delightful ;-)

I have calculated that I currently have enough books to last me 7-8 years. However once I have read a book I always seem to buy another to replace in on my tbr pile, for me it seems to be at the moment a never ending cycle.

I seem to read an average of 100 books a year, and with my current book count being a little over 400, it would take me about 4-1/2 years. That sounds really low compared to some of you. . .but since we all know we suffer from an addiction, we know that not one of us will be able to NOT buy any books during the time it would take us to read all our books we have right this moment, so for every one of us the answer should be "til the end of time". . .
I'm a happy addict!

If I read nothing except my own books, I'm good for at least another year or maybe two. Since some of my books are thick tomes. And then if I factored in all the titles that I have downloaded to my e-reader, I think I could add a couple more years onto that still.

I think I could go at least 2 years without buying another book; but I really don't plan to try that. I love buying books almost as much as I enjoy reading them.

Patricia wrote: "I've already decided. When the Good Lord calls me, I'll have to tell him..."I can't die yet, I still have books to read!""

A lovely quote Patricia!

Without any Kindle, Nook, iBooks or other downloaded books, I could finish my reading in about 10 years...... this is of course if I refrain from shopping and visiting my 2nd favorite place in the world, the library. I can not even begin to guess how many digital books I have just waiting for me and an ereader, likely enough to last a lifetime.

at 54 books now read this year, 450 books. lets see...

Her Royal Orangeness wrote: "Have you ever calculated how long it would take you to read all of your owned and unread books?

I've been cataloging and calculating, and I think I could read for 2 or 3 years without acquiring mo..."

I have absolutely no idea. I have catalogued only the books I have read. I have this virtual shelf here with 200+ books on TBR; some I own, but like I said, i haven't logged down what I own. uh, i don't think this is gonna work... i say we all quit worrying about, pick up a good book and read!! ...hehehe *tries to forget mountain of books on TBR*

i have 450 books now. a little over 8 years if I don't buy any more books.

\

Sonya wrote: "i have 450 books now. a little over 8 years if I don't buy any more books.

\"

aawww, what problems you have!! ...hehehehe *sends more books to SOnya* ... Happy reading :D

*sends more books to Alondra*

Sonya wrote: "*sends more books to Alondra*"

hehehe... oh goodness. We all are in so much trouble; especially with 2012 looking like such a great year for books... :O

no kidding. .....sends more books to everyone on this thread

Sonya wrote: "no kidding. .....sends more books to everyone on this thread"

i just got back to this thread!! Thanx a bunch SOnya; my list is over 330 now... *cries uncontrollably*

hhahaha

Beth wrote: "I seem to read an average of 100 books a year, and with my current book count being a little over 400, it would take me about 4-1/2 years. That sounds really low compared to some of you. . .but si..."

I also read about 100 books a year. Seeing as I own just over 5,500 and have read over 950.. that's roughly 4,500 books left unread divided by 100 books a year... meaning I currently have enough books for 45 years in my house!!!! lol

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ wrote: "Beth wrote: "I seem to read an average of 100 books a year, and with my current book count being a little over 400, it would take me about 4-1/2 years. That sounds really low compared to some of y..."

..at least you won't be bored :D

After reading this I feel better because now I know that there are people who have faaaar more books to read than I have. *lol*
Let's see... I have about 300 books that I haven't read yet. I won't calculate with a book every three days because I am a slow reader. I can read about 50 books a year so it would take me about 6 years to read everything that I own. Assuming that I won't by any new books during that time, which is highly unlikely. :)

I have around 300-325 books that are owned-unread, with some of them being textbooks that I want to read. So say I could finish 40 a year, that would take me about 8 years. If I could only finish 35 a year, then it would take me about 9 years. This is why I'm on a book-buying ban for the entire year.

400 at 50 books a year. 8 years now plus 300 on kindle. damn. over 15 years if i bought no more.

Im pretty sure I'll have more than enough books for my funeral pyre whenever I go! LOL

I actually think I can get out of this fairly. I have about 150 books I own, toread and, currently, because of school work I am averaging at about 100 books a year. So as long as I don't get anything from the library or buy anymore I could finish in approximently a year and a half. Haha like I'm going to stay away from a library or bookstore! :) Actually, when I think of the number of books I own but haven't read, I get this kind of sick feeling in my stomach that makes me not want to go out and buy books. :(

Karen M wrote: "Im pretty sure I'll have more than enough books for my funeral pyre whenever I go! LOL"

lol

Danielle wrote: "I actually think I can get out of this fairly. I have about 150 books I own, toread and, currently, because of school work I am averaging at about 100 books a year. So as long as I don't get anythi..."

See now, 150 books makes me want to buy more. I get a panic feeling if I don't have tons of books, more than I will ever be able to read but who says you can't read in the afterlife/heaven/whatever.

A rough estimate is that it would take me 6 years to read all of my currently owned and unread books. However daunting this may be, I don't know that this knowledge will change anything. I'm retired. Maybe the time will come when I can't buy so many books. Of course there is always the library.

If I didn't get any more books (which is highly unlikely!) I think I could have enough books to read for 10 or 12 years!

I have 271 unread books on my TBR pile so if I carry on reading at an average of 75 books per year (which is probably unlikely!) it will take me 3.6 years to read all of those. However, I bought 218 books this year so my TBR pile has actually grown by 132 books! Eventually there will be no room left in the house and I'll have to live in the garden. ;-)

Paulfozz wrote: "I have 271 unread books on my TBR pile so if I carry on reading at an average of 75 books per year (which is probably unlikely!) it will take me 3.6 years to read all of those. However, I bought 21..."

I am going to count mine. Now I have to see. I'm going to do it tomorrow when my husband is at work. ;-)

Let's see...

GRs says I have 6,224 books. This does NOT count all my ebooks. I have two DVDs, one with 8k romance novels and another with 5k crime novels.

GRs has it recorded that I've read 1069, so far, average of roughly 100 a year...

So, not counting the ebooks, I have 5155 books unread, at 100 a year, it would take me 51.55 years to read them all... and since I'm 46.. I'd have to live to be 97 and a half to read all my dead tree books, provided I never buy anymore, lol, before I could even start my ebooks. It would take another 130 years to read all the ebooks. lol

Well fellow readers - I guess I have about 525 books - that is more than I thought. I read about 70 to 75 books a year, so that would take about 5 to 6 years to finish reading what I have. Let me go sit down and read!

Last year I read 120 books. This year I didn't read much at the first half of the year, but picking up now, think I may get to about 110. Let's say it's 120 by average. Right now have 1463 books to read.

Comes out to 12 years and change.

Guess we all just need to start reading faster.