Lint
Matt 🔶 (LordMatt)We've been talking about books obtained, but roughly how many books do you read or listen to in an average year?
(Please boost widely for better sample size).
0 to 2
3 to 12
13 to 24
25+
Poll ended at .
Ian MalcolmDefinitely in the 25+ a year category. My rough goal is always 50 a year, but some years I veer 5 to 10 either side of that.
This is looking like a lighter year so far, only 12 to-date, though I've currently got three on the go...
@imalcolm Impressive.
Cheers, though it doesn't feel that way to me! 😉
I've def dropped the ball reading-wise the last couple of years. Turns out I only read in the high 20s the last two years, so 2020 was my last "big" year (57 books). 😔
What's changed is listening to podcasts instead while commuting, plus too many streaming services...
Which is crazy, cos when I do get immersed in a book, I'm immediately reminded how much more satisfying it is for me than any other form of media/entertainment...
Betsy@Studio_Gal Ah, a parallel reader of books. Nice. 😎
Sheepnik@lordmatt Last year I read 45 books, this year I've already read 40 - but with the proviso that anywhere between a fifth to a third of those numbers is kids / young adult fiction. And with an even bigger proviso - for many years before last year I read barely anything, maybe somewhere between 5-10 books a year. I think my 6 years working as a bookseller put me off books for quite a long time.
FredKiesche 🇺🇦@FredKiesche @cstross wow. nice going. 😮
-dsr- (not a dog)@lordmatt
In 2019 I went through the effort to note every book I read. I don't feel it was an exceptional year.
I read 203 books in 2019, ranging from 120 page novellae to more than a million words of Worm (counted as one book) and another million words of a Worm fanfic (also counted as one book.) I read several comics and webcomics in groupings large enough to count as a book (usually six months at a time). I reread some books.
If I only got a few chapters into a book, I didn't count it. If I nearly finished it but gave up more than 3/4 through, I counted it. I read several books in the process of being published -- oh, including one I didn't count above. 204, then.
I read some terribly derivative professionally-published books, and some blazingly original self-pub.
It was almost all SF -- a little science, history, biography and autobio. To a first approximation, it was all electronic. I read on my phone, I read on my tablet, and I occasionally read on a giant monitor attached to my desktop computer -- comics are really good that way.
204 books in 365 days is 0.56 books a day. I read more on weekends than on weekdays. I read more on weekdays when I went into the office than when I worked from home -- I read on the commute.
@dashdsrdash commutes were invented for reading, surely.
And thus public transit is justified.
Dammitjanet@lordmatt if you said month, then 3-12, sometimes 12-25. I read. A lot.
@dammitjanet Reading a lot is good, I think.
Terence Eden@lordmatt
I hit 42 last year https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2022/11/all-the-books-i-read-this-year/
Trying for a similar number this year.
I'd say it is cheaper than Netflix - but looking at my "to read" pile, I'm not so sure!
I hit 42 last year https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2022/11/all-the-books-i-read-this-year/
Trying for a similar number this year.
I'd say it is cheaper than Netflix - but looking at my "to read" pile, I'm not so sure!
rusty@lordmatt you mean, read for leisure or read for work? I read bits of 30+ for work but only about 3 or 4 for leisure - for obvious reasons!
@mativity I was thinking leisure but work reading might count too (if you feel it does).
@lordmatt the work ones are not whole books. I dip in and out, and the type of reading, the intention is different, so … I’ll discount work books.
@mativity Well reasoned.
I have to admit, I am now wondering what sort of work requires dipping into books. The only ones I can think of right now are IT/programming and law.
@lordmatt lecturing, creating educational programs and professional development courses where i provide reading lists. Since i teach philosophy, research methods and cultural history, much of my source material is books rather than articles.
@mativity That does indeed suggest a lot of required reading.
Moose Jolly Holcomb@lordmatt currently I'm probably in the 3-12 range, I had a good run of many years at 25+ though.
@ReverendMoose respectable 😀
random thoughts@lordmatt I used to average over 100 (two books a week min), but since Covid it has been really bad and I am averaging a book a month or less but still buying a lot more.
@hittitezombie I think we all buy more than we read. I know that I do.
Evan Jensen@lordmatt about 95 on average.
@etchlings impressive
@lordmatt I mean, there’s no right answer for sure: all reading is good and I’m lucky enough to have time for it. But wanted to add to context since the poll didn’t really nuance anything above 25.
@etchlings Yeah, my statistics training is crying that I had to cram everything into four possible answers.
DB Schwein@lordmatt
My personal stress response to the pandemic was an inability to read - so I used to be a 25+ reader easily, but I was a zero for the last 3. So far this year I've only read 1.5, but as that's a 150% improvement I'm hopeful I've turned that corner!
My personal stress response to the pandemic was an inability to read - so I used to be a 25+ reader easily, but I was a zero for the last 3. So far this year I've only read 1.5, but as that's a 150% improvement I'm hopeful I've turned that corner!
@deirdrebeth sounds like recovery to me
Htaggert@lordmatt audio books are my thing lately….
LesleyDee 🏳️🌈@lordmatt Way more than 25 a year. It's a poor reading year if I finish with less than 100 books. I've read 37 so far this year, and that tally is down because I've spent half the time travelling, which always reduces my reading rates. I'm going to have to do some seriously reading once I get home to get myself back on track if I'm going to hit that 100 mark by year's end!
sjvn@lordmatt FWIW, I average about 150 a year.
@lordmatt I was blessed with the ability to read very fast since I was a kid.
@sjvn That is a gift. I have my mother to thank that I am in any way able to read books by myself. She introduced me to reading when I was young which was a wise move as I am dyslexic. Fortunately, I got the reading bug and that has helped no end.
Clothwright@lordmatt I don't usually keep track. A few years ago I did, and hit 100 around August so stopped counting. This year I'm at 40-something as of today, not counting DNFs and the books I listen to on Audible to fall asleep.
Count drops drastically if I focus on non-fiction or hefty literature rather than mysteries and fantasy. I try to sustain a mix.
@lordmatt oops. Checked my storygraph account yesterday and I'm actually at 55 for the year so far.
I don't think there's anything inherently "better" about reading lots of books. Imho it depends on what you want to get out of reading.
@CarrieB the reward for reading a book is the memory of having read a book.
Christine Hall@lordmatt I hate to admit it, but for the last 10 years or so, it's been zero to 2. For most of my life, however, it was 25+.
@BrideOfLinux It sounds like you may have landed in "interesting times".
Greg Titus@lordmatt I purchase usually zero, get them from the library electronically via Libby. I read over 100 books a year.
0x6B757261@lordmatt I've been a pretty consistent 4-6 a month for a good few years now. A lot of audiobooks, and I am one of those heathens that cranks up the speed, usually 1.25x to 1.5x speed depending on the audiobook narrator. 😬
Being able to switch between audiobook and ebook using Whispersync has been something of a godsend to me.
@kura technology is sometimes so amazing.
Eric Thomas@lordmatt I need to read more. I wish I had a better attention span.
@electrona I am easily distracted. That can get i the way.
blinkenjimIt’s going to be hard to read 25+ this year. So much happening!
@blinkenjim We live in the worst of all things - interesting times.
@blinkenjim Are any of the many things happening exciting, happy, and/or something to look forward to?
Léonie Watson@proactivepaul @lordmatt On average 100+ or thereabouts. Insomnia! 😊
lordjeff@lordjeff impressive
Sini Helminen@lordmatt this is quite small scale. I read and listen to something like 200 or 300 books in a year.