SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Members' Chat
>
Are your eyes bigger than your reading capacity?
date
newest »
newest »
I keep my to-read list at 50 books for a couple of reaons. One, I am one of those personalities that get overwhelmed by an unaccomplishable goal. I can read 50 books in a year so it seems very doable even though the reality is that the to-read is always at 50.Which brings me to my second reason, obvisouly we all read books because it gives us a certain pleasure, one of my pleasures is getting to add another book to the to-read list after I have finished reading my current one. Otherwise I would have to remove a book in order to add one I have just heard about, which can be difficult.
If I have more than 50, I would just have to sift through those to find the next one I want to read and then why bother, why not just use GR suggestions or some other very broad list?
This is probably a bit too rigid for most but it works for me :) And if anyone bothers to check you will find that I am completely lying to you since my to-read is at 51 right now.
Pat wrote: "I've got 109 books on my GR list. Probably 60% SF, 10% Fantasy and the rest various genres. No idea how many I'll actually read - if come across a book that looks interesting, I add it as a remin..."
I do the same, but I often fail to temper using fancy to choose a book from my list by giving some attention to reader's reviews on GR and Amazon. This, at times, has caused me to suffer some disappointment and wasted reading time.
At the same time I try to bear in mind that many reviewers are inclined to be kind.
MrsJoseph wrote: "My biggest issue are the authors and groups. It seems that no one can write a standalone today - everything is a 15 book magus opus. O_o So I pick up a group read and suddenly I need to read 14 ..."I started avoiding most long series years ago. Life is indeed too short.
I'm actually light on things that I want to read. I haven't done a lot of book searching in years due to being preoccupied, but with a little more free time I expect that my list might grow.I definitely don't think that my eyes are bigger than my reading capacity. I'm fairly selective already and as of late I've been focusing on the unknowns.
Zayne wrote: "I think my “to-read” shelf has gotten a little out of control compared to some people. I have 210 right now. To me, my “to-read” shelf is my wish list. If I ever see a book that I like, I immediate..."I use my TBR list in the same way, and I very much appreciate GR as a resource, but I initially joined to track the books I've read.
Back in the day, I kept it all on index cards that included dates, a 0-10.x rating system, and my comments. (I eventually threw them all away during a move.)
I hate reading a book and getting the frequent feeling that I've read it before but not be sure of it.
On my to be read is combination of the books I entered giveaways for and the ones I selected on my own. The ones I've personally decided on is only at 22. But it's low because a lot of the books I read at random -- just decide to check it out at the library.
I essentially have two To Read shelves that add up to 537. Of those, I read maybe 40 a year.
They used to be but I've had to slow down on my book buying recently. Still, I've got a few large tomes that I haven't even started on yet.
As of today I have 140 books on my want to read shelf. I already own 25 of them, some of them ebooks. I'm not sure if I'll really read all of those books. Once I get around actually buying some of them I'll go through the reviews and see if there's any reason why I won't like the book.
I actually don't have any genre shelves. :') Even on my RL shelves there are only two parts: comics/graphic novels is one small part, everything else: novels, non-fiction books, is the other part.
I recently got two new shelves so I might think about separating my books a bit more. With all the art books I didn't list on Goodreads I own about 200 printed books.
Well, I don't intend to stay in the flat I rent forever. Maybe some day my dream of a room full of books will come true?
I've seen homes with books in every room before. Not doable in my current flat. It's built in a weird way that doesn't allow to add many shelves. My two new shelves are in my hallway - the only place besides my cramped up storeroom that had enough space for shelves. *sigh*
I have 194 on my TBR list which I don't think is too much because...Some are books in a series that I haven't finished yet and I'll get around to those when I'm in the mood.
Some are books by authors where I want to read all their works (e.g. Agatha Christie) but I only read 3-4 per year.
I usually don't read the same genre two books in a row so I like to have at least 4-5 different books in each genre on my TBR pile so that I have a few to choose from in each genre.
I read between 125 and 150 books a year so my 194 TBR pile seems like a good number for me.
Everyone is different. Have the pile that you feel comfortable with, if it's too large - read faster or take books out of your TBR pile. If you have books in your TBR pile that have been there for 3 or 4 years then chances are you aren't going to read it so get rid of it.
Jonathan wrote: "I'm in general agreement with you there. I've found vry few authors who can keep a series interesting past 3-4 volumes, although there are notable exceptions, but most of the newer series seem to be for marketing purposes. I don't want to commit to an endless series. "Agreed!
MrsJoseph wrote: "My biggest issue are the authors and groups. It seems that no one can write a standalone today - everything is a 15 book magus opus. O_o So I pick up a group read and suddenly I need to read 14 ..."I totally agree. Both of my novels are a single work without sequels etc etc. My next three planned novels are the same.
Honestly, there is just too much to write about to commit to a long series of volumes.
Scott wrote: "I have 194 on my TBR list which I don't think is too much because...Some are books in a series that I haven't finished yet and I'll get around to those when I'm in the mood.
Some are books by auth..."
It sounds as if you have good bookshelf discipline. I have acquired that quality lately, but only because I have switched almost entirely to ebooks. My physical shelves still include more than one book that I bought with the best intentions--but somehow they sit there still, unread, a silent testament to my never-really-heartfelt attempts to upgrade my reading content.
I have this problem pretty bad and to give you an idea of how big it truly is I'm not going to talk about just sci-fi and Fantasy. I read those genres with a very casual interest anyway.I first started using goodreads solely to catalog my book collection so I could avoid buying duplicates. It turns out I own well over 3,000 books. I have only read around 500 of my entire collection so far. And that's not just "in" the collection, because, of the 500 I've read borrowed books, required reading for high school etc.
This summer one of my major tasks is to strip this collection down a bit more. Go through what I've read and get rid of the things I'm probably never going to read again or look at again. Good luck to me... parting with books is very hard for me sometimes.
Adam wrote: "This summer one of my major tasks is to strip this collection down a bit more. Go through what I've read and get rid of the things I'm probably never going to read again or look at again. Good luck to me... parting with books is very hard for me sometimes."Careful what you get rid of. I got rid of a lot of books I swore I would never read nor look at again. I find myself wishing I had held onto a lot of them, as I realize I didn't have my head on straight. That's what 15 years later looking back on your life will do to you. Good luck!
Jack wrote: "Adam wrote: "This summer one of my major tasks is to strip this collection down a bit more. Go through what I've read and get rid of the things I'm probably never going to read again or look at aga..."True... I'm hoping that now that I'm 32 I've got a pretty good sense of what I would want to keep around. I, honestly, read mostly non-fiction and I often have books that duplicate information. The ones that are more well written are what I will hang on to and get rid of the other things I don't want. A lot of the other stuff is popular fiction that I can, honestly, repurchase for a dollar if I ever REALLY felt I needed it.
Nnoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!Don't do it! Keep all the books!
Obviously, I have some regrets, lol.
MrsJoseph wrote: "Nnoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!Don't do it! Keep all the books!
Obviously, I have some regrets, lol."
haha but moving the collection is SO cumbersome. If I was never going to move again I would keep the library intact. Plus... I'm STILL buying more books :P.
I was going to come here and tell my woes of all the books I have left to read, but after seeing some comments here, some of you have got it even worse than I.I came to the conclusion about 10 years ago that i had a limited amount of time to read a pile of books that grew faster than it shrank. I decided to start putting them in order (and since coming to Goodreads, that has become remarkably easy, due to the ranking system). I don't stick very well to the order, but I'm reading some of the books I feel i should be reading more often.
And when I die aged 108, there will be an even larger pile of books left to read... c'est la vie.
So, I didn't do what you asked me, Doc:How many books do you have right now on your “Want to Read” shelf?
609. Out of a total of 1643 (37%) However this does not include all the books i have read, and probably a few I want to read as well.
How many on your scifi shelves (mine includes read books)?
295 (18%) But I have not categorised perhaps 25% of my books properly.
How many on your fantasy shelves (mine includes read books)?
450, but this does not include sub-genres such as urban fantasy, graphic novels, occult or horror, which adds another 182. I do think this is larger than the SF because it is a broader category. It's probably 30-40% of 'high' fantasy.
Now the hard one: What percentage of your “Want to Read” list do you think you’ll actually read?
Well, I put books on here to check out, not necessarily read, so if you take them off that reduces my total to about 500. Probably the bottom 20% will just be moved on, and I'll skip a few others, or time will move on and I will no longer want to read them...
So, about two thirds, I guess.
Good questions :)
I cannot help but wander if some of the members who have accumulated several hundred or even a thousand or more books on their shelf also fall into that category of persons who, by their very nature, have cluttered their home or apartment with objects that they intend to use for something, someday, maybe.
Jim wrote: "I cannot help but wander if some of the members who have accumulated several hundred or even a thousand or more books on their shelf also fall into that category of persons who, by their very natu..."Everyone is different. I have 1200 books on my Read shelf and have bookshelves all over my house but I also have no television, no dvd, no microware, no coffeepot, no game system, no snowblower etc. etc. etc. I have the bare minimum to live. I do have 140 GB of music on my ipod and thousands of books in my house. I live a very minimalist life but I love my books and music. Everyone is different - I'm sure there are others who have cluttered houses.
Well, I've got 872 on my to-read, which doesn't include any of the ones I got at book sales or garage sales this last month.And yes, I also have other things I've picked up as "good deals" or "things to use in the future" maybe my eyes ARE bigger than my stomach...
Jim wrote: "I cannot help but wander if some of the members who have accumulated several hundred or even a thousand or more books on their shelf also fall into that category of persons who, by their very natu..."As someone who has accumulated thousands, my apartment is cluttered because of the books. I also have a vast music collection, of which, I've listened to just about every single album. I've watched every DVD I own (which isn't a lot) and I've played almost every video game I own. The things I didn't really like much I've gotten rid of, for the purpose of reducing clutter. If I'm going to be cluttered, I'd rather it be with things I actually use.
I have a related problem. I read way more than my account here would suggest. The thing is, I keep forgetting to rate the books I've read (and I have to force myself sometimes to write reviews).
Yeah my bedroom is very cluttered. I've got 3 or 4 boxes full of books on the floor. I actually do plan on getting rid of most of my books because I pretty much only read ebooks now, and I'll only keep the ones that I can't find as ebooks or have sentimental value. When I get rid of them I'll be donating them to my local library.No idea when I'll get around to doing this though as I'm recovering from surgery and even when I'm all healed up I'll still need help because of back issues.
It usually takes me two weeks to finish a book. This averages out to approximately 26 books per year.This world is filled with wonders to behold, experiences to be had, good people to meet, and good books to read. Unfortunately, life is short; so, I personally believe that, in order enjoy it as much as possible, I must wisely ration the time spent enjoying each wonder, experience, person, book, or anything else I choose.
Each individual's circumstances differ. Not everyone is exposed to the same number of opportunities during their lifetime. But everyone does have the ability to make the most of what they do have and to make good choices. An opportunity overlooked or ignored is an opportunity wasted.
We should not squander what little time we have to enjoy life by allowing any one thing alone to monopolize it.
That said; no single philosophy is suited for everyone. Whichever provides the most satisfaction for an individual is usually the best one for them. To each their own.
I currently have about 233 on my various to-read or may-read lists. This only includes first of or next in series - I never understood people adding entire series upfront 'cause what if the first book sucks? Or it starts sucking after book 3?Of those 233, I'll probably read 90-95% or so - every once in awhile I go through a see books and think "what was I thinking" and dump them from the list. (I think sometimes I add books that I think I *should* read, but after they sit there for awhile and I keep passing them by... well, sometimes I finally just accept it's not gonna happen.)
Anyway - of that 233 I own exactly 2 of them.
Yes - I have 2 unread books in my house.
(Ok, technically there are more than that, but those are hubby's books, so I don't count those.)
These days, I get 98% of my books from the library. If I enjoy a series after a couple of books and ever want to reread them, then I'll buy them so I can have them. But I'm kinda picky, and most books are mediocre at best and not worth paying for.
ETA: I've been reading a little over 100 books a year, so if I didn't keep adding books I could get through my current list in 2 years, give or take.
Of course, I do keep adding things, so... *shrugs*
Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositiy, how many group members do not have a library card or do not borrow books from their local library? I was surprised to discover that this is the case with the majority of my friends, relatives and acquaintances.
Well technically I have no library card. It turns out that due to system updates my local library wanted everyone who registered after June 2013 to re-register in person and I haven't gotten a chance to do that yet. I've only known about this for a week or two so that shows you how often I actually borrow stuff from the library. I used to borrow stuff from the library a lot when I was younger, but the problem now lies with the fact that I pretty much only read ebooks.My local library does have an ebook borrowing system, but they don't have any of the books I'm interested in reading. I did find an online library that did have some, but not all, of the books I was looking for.
https://openlibrary.org/
The only downside is that all the books(or all the ones I borrowed) were scanned copies of library books so the quality wasn't that great and they were in pdf files which I loathe. There was the option to download as epubs as well, but it seemed like the epubs were just converted from the pdfs because there were lots of errors in the formatting and text. Well beggars can't be choosers and I've already saved a lot of money borrowing books from this library.
Jim wrote: "Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositiy, how many group membe..."
I have a library card! Use it lots. Your book isn't there, tho, Jim! You should send your book to libraries :D.
As to 'to be read' shelf - Goodreads uses it to generate recommendations, so I treat it completely as a 'teaching the recommending algorithm how to recommend better books' tool. I 'tbr' books I think are interesting. My 'tbr' isn't at all an actual list of books I plan to read.
Jim wrote: "I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositiy, how many group members do not have a library card or do not borrow books from their local library?"Up through my mid-twenties or so, I had a library card and used it constantly. I came home with as many books as I could carry and returned them before their due date. But that was when I had plenty of spare time – fewer responsibilities and fewer interests.
As I’ve posted previously, I have a large backlog of Kindle books that I obtained for free or very cheap back when the Kindle was new and publishers were all jumping on the bandwagon to offer free e-books. So I pretty much confine myself to reading what I already own, plus any sequels to those books if I like them well enough to continue a series.
I do have a library card, and getting one was one of the first things I did when I moved into my new home a couple years ago. But I almost never use it. It’s almost a shame because, for the first time in my life, I live within walking distance of the public library. That would be really convenient – easy access to books, and some extra exercise in the bargain!
If/when I ever get through my backlog and start seeking out new books, I’ll probably use my library membership to borrow e-books if the selection is decent. But I’m excessively fond of the convenience of e-readers. Reading on an e-reader is much more pleasant to me than reading a physical book. I doubt I’ll be borrowing many physical books from the library in the future, unless I find that I’m really spending an excessive amount of money buying e-books because the books that interest me aren’t available to borrow in an e-format. However, given my slow turnaround time and the quantity in my backlog, it will be a long time before I get to that bridge.
MK wrote: "Jim wrote: "Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositiy, how many..."
M.K.
Copies of both the paperback and audio book formats of my novel are available in the Carnegie libraries throughout Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. According to the publisher, it is also available in some other libraries in other states. My relatives and friends have found it in their libraries in California and Florida.
The local librarian informed me that libraries obtain the majority of books through various distributors - Ingram/Spring Arbor in their particular case and from whom they ordered mine. The number of books purchased is limited by each library's budget.
Please inform your local librarian that, unless they add at least one format of my book to their shelves, I will never step through their door again. (There is no need to tell them that I live in Pennsylvania.)
Jim wrote: "Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositiy, how many group membe..."
I live in the middle of nowhere, and when I looked though all the books at the library I found basically nothing interesting that I hadn't read.
Somehow a bookstore near me has a pretty darn good collection.
Their fantasy/sci-fi collection is like exclusively only REALLY popular stuff, and ancient stuff I have never heard of and has terrible ratings.
It doesn't help none of the librarians know anything about sci-fi/fantasy.
Jim wrote: "MK wrote: "Jim wrote: "Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositi..."
Not a one, in my whole state! I will warn them all (and I won't tell them you already hit Maine in your 50-state tour ;-) )
MK wrote: "Jim wrote: "MK wrote: "Jim wrote: "Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out..."
MK,
Or...you could purchase a copy or download the e-Book format - hint, hint, hint.
Jim
Jim wrote: "MK,Or...you could purchase a copy or download the e-Book format - hint, hint, hint.
Jim "
No choice but! :p
Jim wrote: "Like c.o.lleen, approximately 98% of the books I've read during my lifetime have been borrowed from the local library.I realize that this is off-topic, but, out of curositiy, how many group membe..."
I have a library card but do not get to the library often. Most recently I went to find some older piano music not available on the Web.
Sorry for the change in conversation, but I just read over all the comments What is so bad about having a large tbr list though? It just means that you will never run out of things to read
c.o.lleen ± (... never stop fighting) ± wrote: "I currently have about 233 on my various to-read or may-read lists. This only includes first of or next in series - I never understood people adding entire series upfront 'cause what if the first ..."I am at my local library every single week (in fact I'm on the Board of Trustees at the library) but I do love owning books. I tend to get books out of the library if it's an author I haven't read before or if I'm on the fence re: how much I think I'll like it. I also get 100% of my audio books from the library. I'd say probably 30% of my book reading (which makes about 50 books a year) is from the library.
BUT
I have to say that I am in the minority of people I know. Most people I know do not go to the library regularly.
I use my library's Inter-Library Loan program a lot, since my local has a crap selection. I admit that a few years back I hardly used the library, because I hated using ILL before it was on the computer... but I got tired of buying books and then not liking them, so I almost always test out books first, now.The other bonus is I don't have to wait so long, 'cause I almost only buy paperback books, so I'd have to wait forever for a book to get released, and then another year for paperback. Now I can get them a lot closer to release date. :>
I grew up going to the library constantly. But then with university and work and the rise of online book-buying (pre-ebooks), I started to buy just the odd book. When my first son was born and I started going back to the library with him, it was only natural to start getting books for myself. I've never been a hardcover buyer, getting mostly mass-market versions, but now I switched to e-books for purchases, library for some physical reads.
We've got a pretty good but spotty SFF section in our system. Tons of some authors, no Brandon Sanderson, for example.
I have a couple of library cards - the trials of the burbs, lol.Like Colleen, I use my library's ILL system a lot. I currently have about 7-8 books out on loan. I get 99.9% of my group reads from the library because I'm picky and moody about my reads. I need to test it out first.
Mrs. Joseph's reference to having a couple of library cards spurred my curiosity.The card issued by libraries in my area (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) is a "Countywide Library Card" which may be used in any Carnegie Library located within the boundaries of Allegheny County.
Is this a common system; or is it unique to my area?
Jim wrote: "Mrs. Joseph's reference to having a couple of library cards spurred my curiosity.The card issued by libraries in my area (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) is a "Countywide Library Card" which may ..."
My system is like that, too. But I live in a metro area. I work about...45 mins from home in a different county. So I am allowed to have one for my county and one for the county I work in. I'm not sure if I could get access to more, I haven't looked. The two I have are working well for me.
My SF shelf has 13 books on it, and my fantasy shelf has 139 books. However, this ignores the hundreds of books in both categories I read between 1960 and 2012 which I haven't put on GR, mainly because I can't remember them well enough to rate them.
I read about 6 books a year. (Yes, you read that correctly.) So it will take me about 30 years to read all my TBR books, by which time I will be 91 years old. I might just make it. But of course, it's more likely that I will put more books on my TBR shelf and not live long enough to finish them.
Best guess - I'll probably read half of them before I snuff it. Which reminds me: I should put Snuff on my TBR shelf.
Done. That's 180.