What percentage have you read?

[Notthemama1984]

Alot of us have quite a collection of books. I started to notice that I have not read most of the books I have. Out of curiosity what percentage of your books have you read cover to cover (commentaries and research books not included)?

 

[21st Century Calvinist]

Don't ask, don't tell is still in operation in my house!

 

[VictorBravo]

(commentaries and research books not included)?

With that qualifier, I'd say greater than 90%. If you include commentaries and research books--around 50%.

 

[Oecolampadius]

Does skimming or reading in such a way that you're not really doing "analytical reading" count?

By "analytical reading," I'm referring to Mortimer Adler's definition of it in his book, 'How to Read a Book.'

 

[SolaScriptura]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

 

[Notthemama1984]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

Show off

 

[JonathanHunt]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

Show off

Yeah, but Ben only owns ten books.

 

[Kevin]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

Show off

Yeah, but Ben only owns ten books.

LOL, play nice!

 

[Notthemama1984]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

Show off

Yeah, but Ben only owns ten books.

 

[Christopher88]

I find that a grasp a subject mid way through a book, and from that point on it draws out a point that had been stated in the past 10+ chapters. I tend to move on.

Now there are short theology books like "God of Promise by Horton" that I can finish as it less than 300 pages. If a book reaches more than 300 pages, chances are I'll go to it here and now but it becomes a reference book.

 

[baron]

I'm falling behind in my reading and still adding new book's, espically eBooks. I have read around 75% of what I own. Due to the last 4 years of not working, only had reading to keep me occupied. Lately I have been reading the Bible more than book's about the Bible, or other literature.

 

[Kim G]

I don't buy a book unless I 1) have read it, or 2) plan to read it immediately upon purchase. I've read all the books I own (two LARGE bookcases--alot for a woman, right? )

 

[moral necessity]

Less than 25%. I have a lot of books, volume sets, commentaries, and reference works.

 

[Notthemama1984]

I thought I was doing "good" when I calculated that I was around 15%, but then I woke up this morning realizing that I have not read any of my Puritan bookshelf.

 

[SolaScriptura]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

Show off

Yeah, but Ben only owns ten books.

Shhh!

 

[Jack K]

Using the cover-to-cover criteria, I'm probably well under 50%. Maybe under 25%. There are usually chapters I end up skipping or just quickly skimming. If the criteria were having read a significant chunk of the book, I've read more than 90%.

 

[SolaScriptura]

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.

Show off

Actually... while Jonathan's comment about 10 books is way off, the point is sound: I don't have a massive library. When you take away the commentaries and reference works, I'd say I've got about 500 books or so. I don't add to my library dozens of books at a time. I purchase books, read them, and then purchase some more. For instance, just this week I purchased 4 books. They'll keep me busy for a month or so and then I'll purchase a few more.

 

[Notthemama1984]

I purchase books, read them, and then purchase some more.

I think this is where I goof. I have a list of books I would like to read at some point and whenever I find them on sale, I jump on it. For example, I added nearly 4,000 pages this week and it will be some time before I get all of those read.

I have read chunks of most of the books I have, but going cover to cover is a rarity (Calvin's Institutes is a perfect example of reading large sections, but not cover to cover).

 

[SolaScriptura]

For example, I added nearly 4,000 pages this week and it will be some time before I get all of those read.

So you took what many would consider to be the financially efficient route. That's not my style.

 

[Notthemama1984]

For example, I added nearly 4,000 pages this week and it will be some time before I get all of those read.

So you took what many would consider to be the financially efficient route. That's not my style.

I am running out of room, so it will not be my style much longer.

 

[Bradwardine]

A few comments on my book collection which the more it has grown , the more is unread.

1) As a student I read about 1 book a week, when marriage came (during my PhD) that slowed down and as 3 children arrived it ground to a near halt in terms of cover to cover reading

2) I tend to be seduced by large books (high page/cost ratio) but these are the least likely to be fully read

3) I used to be seduced buy multi-volume reprint sets at a relatively low price as 2) - (eg sermons of Martin Luther) - these have been largely unread (not least because they may be old translations, archaic English, etc)

4) I do justify some of the 'un-readness' to my family as knowing what books I have, if I am preparing a sermon where a particular book would be useful then I have it available (ie a reference function, even for non-reference books)

5) The seduction of the internet - all those 'must-have' reformed books, all those 5-star reviews, all those recommendations ............

6) This morning, before reading this thread, I made myself a promise that as a rule I wouldn't buty a new book until I had read one !! - let's see how long it lasts, hopefully my reading productivity will increase did read two (slim) books in the past fortnight.

 

[beej6]

I'd say I'm right around half. My excuse is being our church's librarian ;-).

I tend to read among a group of books rather than read one cover to cover, unless the one is going into the church library.

 

[JennyG]

I have a bad habit of starting lots of books concurrently, and though they may all get finished eventually it can be a very long time in some cases

I find that a grasp a subject mid way through a book, and from that point on it draws out a point that had been stated in the past 10+ chapters. I tend to move on.

- that happens too!
But the main excuse for lots of unread books is snapping good ones up second hand while they're there, even if it's faster than I can read them.

 

[Skyler]

Glancing over my collection, which encompasses all of two shelves of books (not counting my Kindle), I think I've read through almost all of my non-reference books. (Roughly 60% of my collection is reference books.) I think I've read maybe 50-75% of the books on my Kindle. (I'm actually in the middle of three of them right now, which is unusual for me. But I justify it because they're all different genres--one is a science book, one is theology, and one is fiction.)

 

[N. Eshelman]

Standard answer to the question:

Questioner: "Have you read all of these books?"

Me: "Some of them twice."