THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion

I have an absolute huge home library, and find myself checking out 30-40 books at a time from the local library. Problem is, I have some books in my home library I haven't even read yet - either books that were gifts, or new books from favorite authors that I am "saving" (maybe that's a different thread topic right there!) or books I've picked up at Half-Price Books because they looked interesting. I'm constantly adding books to my "To Read" list. I recently went through my library and purged some books, and decided I was going to stop checking out library books for a bit until I caught up with the unread books in my own library (and yes, my friends at the library were worried because they hadn't seen me in a while). Anyone else with this scenario?

I have about 50 unread "real books" that I own, 98 "real books" from the library, 6 ebooks from the library, and several hundred on my Nook. And an unfinished shopping cart at Better World Books that I'm still adding books to. The Nook was supposed to cut down on my book clutter- hasn't worked, my husband built a separate bookcase this week just for my unread books. I have about 1/4 of a one car garage stuffed with books, floor to ceiling, that won't fit in the house and are still boxed up.

haha yeah i have a few more then I'd want to admitt to...

I can't do the eBook thing... just think it's wrong, wrong, wrong... :)

For this I'll kill trees I want the actual book in my hands and on a shelf

That's my only home library. I don't keep books after I've read them other than what I've put up for trade and it's rare that one doesn't get requested within a fairly quick time.

The other 900+ are TBR books. I do get books from the library and booksfree but I use those mostly for series fillers that I need.

I'd have to say yes to this. I've got a couple of hundred books in my home library to read pile. Of course that doesn't stop me from getting more.. I carry a book around with me, called 'Books I've Read, Books I want to read' and I add books as I visit bookstores or read a new author and find that I like them..

Yeah I tend to pick up a book or three every time I enter a bookstore, bad habit I know, but I just can't seem to help myself!

That said I have been on something of a 'detox' of late, scrutinising the books I do have and concentrating on reading through the 'backlog' before I venture out to buy some more, and so far it's worked. I pray for strength from the Gods of Bibliophilia, and I need your help brothers and sisters of the overwrit page:p

I have +1300 unread books. I have my read books put away, for the most part.

I don't know why I thought things would get under more control with a kindle. They're just as out of control. Although now I will check to see if a book is available before I buy the hardback.

Although some books I do prefer in the hardback. Mysteries are okay on kindle but I really prefer to read history in an actual book.

But that doesn't save me ... I read a lot of both.

ahh i can't put away books I'm almost tempted to ask my dad to build me another shelf...

I've probably got about 100 books on my bookshelves that aren't read. I don't tend to keep books after I've read them, unless they really struck a cord or were gifts. I just don't have the room for it.
Despite having all these unread books, I still use the Library and browse the Bookstores (and buy books).
I tell myself that it's for my retirement, if I don't get to them before then.

For me, new books go on closet shelves until there is room on one of the bookshelves.

When I get to the last 100 pages in a book they get rotated off my bookshelves and moved to the bedroom for nighttime reading.

I'm not even sure how many unread books I have in my library. I have boxes after boxes of books. I'm a school teacher, so I've got tons of kid's books and all the way up. I love books------- adore books---- can't resist books--- I have my favorite used book stores and places I can get books for 25 cents. Not good for a book addict. HA HA I've read a "few" ebooks, but much prefer the feel and smell of a dusty, old book with a history about it. The smell of leather makes me swoon. I tell myself that one day I'll own a bookstore---- or I'll have a mansion with a huge wall to wall, floor to ceiling library in it. Such are my dreams!

Oh good Lord yes! It's never ending! I have series from years ago that I haven't even touched cause I kept buying more books and then those series are old and there are now new ones.

I have many, many, many books in my home "library". I have nice bookcases that hold just some of the books! The whole house is filled with books. I keep some of my books, mostly the non-fiction - history & biographies. Most of them go once we've read them so there are many that unread. You'd think that would keep me from buying more, but no. I'm always on the lookout for the next great book.

Over a 1000, which is sick!

Wow, thanks, everyone - I don't feel so bad. I think I have about 3,000 books, of which I have about 250 unread, so I am not doing as poorly as I thought! :)

Yeah I have at least over 300 I own and haven't read. It's a never ending battle.

I can't even tell you how many I have that are unread. The majority of my collection, I would say. I just went to the library book sale yesterday and amassed more. I will never get rid of a book, as I have a dream of a whole room just for books in my future home. I always have the goal to read more of my own books, but, of course, I continue to use the library.

We use to have five bedrooms and now we have four, so guess where my books are?

:)


...any most of them are unread or in need of a second reading.

Yes, I have alot of books in my home I haven't read yet, but like you keep checking them out from the library or buying at the bookstore.

If I haven't read a book I own, I put it in a stack on the bottom shelf of the bookcase in my office, rather than standing it up in the shelves above. At the moment, I have half a dozen stacks with 73 books unread (which I thought was pretty excessive, until I read some of the posts above :-) ) Since I work in a library, I read a good many books from there; but since it's a college library, it doesn't collect much in the area of speculative fiction (fantasy, SF, etc.), mystery, or contemporary fiction in general. So, if I see good bargains on books I'd like to read that I know the library doesn't have, I often can't resist buying them; and I get books as gifts, too, and on BookMooch. Over the years, I've gotten them faster than I can read them, and they do build up. (And that doesn't even address the massive amount of books my wife has that I haven't read --although some of them I do want to read someday!) Like Petra, I sometimes tell myself that all this backlog will give me something to read when I'm retired, and no longer coming to the library as part of my normal workday. :-)

Let me put it this way: if there was a horrible disease outbreak and we were all quarantined in our homes for four or five months, I take comfort in knowing that I wouldn't run out of reading material. ;-)

Werner wrote: "If I haven't read a book I own, I put it in a stack on the bottom shelf of the bookcase in my office, rather than standing it up in the shelves above. At the moment, I have half a dozen stacks wit..."

Retiring doesn't change things. Trust me. I'm like you in that I have most of my unread books in the bottom shelf (well, bottom two) in the den, stacked two deep and two high on each shelf. I do have some mission creep into the lounge as there is an overflow bookcase there. :0). But trust me, when you retire, you may read a bit more, but you will still acquire books.. lol

That's what I was afraid of, Bill!! :-)

Martha wrote: "That's what I was afraid of, Bill!! :-)"

It's a trial that you will have to live with.. *g*

When I'm retired, I'll still have kids at home. So, I'll still be busy.

Shay wrote: "When I'm retired, I'll still have kids at home. So, I'll still be busy."

I was lucky. I didn't officially retire until my kids finished university... Having said that, even though I retired, I still work part time, just to keep busy. :0)

I would love to cut back to 2-3 days a week. I'm not ready to fully retire, but would love a 4 or 5 day weekend!! :-)

Yeah i'm not even out of college yet...

Bill wrote: "Shay wrote: "When I'm retired, I'll still have kids at home. So, I'll still be busy."

I was lucky. I didn't officially retire until my kids finished university... Having said that, even though I..."

I'll still have one kid in elementary school when I officially retire.

I couldn't begin to count the number of books in my library that are still to be read!!!! Scary. I turned my den into a library with floor to ceiling shelves and I still have books piled around and three other bookshelves in other rooms. And please tell me why I am still taking 10 books at a time from the library and buying more through my book club?????? It is the best kind of addiction.

I'm just glad it's not fattening!! I have enough trouble that way!! My husband is planning to put jacks under the parts of the house where the most books are stored. LOL

ha! my husband once joked with the librarian about how many books I had - she said "well, it could be worse - she could be a crack addict" to which he replied "if she was, there'd be a lot more room in the house!"
:P

It is a dream of mine to have a section in my house when I get one be a 'library'.

In our current house I have several bookcases but still have several boxes of books because I don't have space. Our plan is to build our next house - included in the plan is a library, a gallery room for our art, and a painting studio for me. I told my husband that I didn't care about any other rooms. Well, except a walk-in closet for me, ;)

haha jenny I like your thinking

Jenny wrote: "In our current house I have several bookcases but still have several boxes of books because I don't have space. Our plan is to build our next house - included in the plan is a library, a gallery r..."

As much as I like books, I'd rather have the room in the master bedroom. Ours is 2/3 of the upstairs. I have a complete living room suite in it, computer area, etc. I need an oasis away from the children, sometimes.

:) - What other woman would say "design the kitchen/living room/bathroom/bedrooms however you want - as long as I get my library, gallery and studio"??

eh the fun part is picking the colors and decorating anyway!

Jenny.....you've got to have that walk-in closet....BUT you know what would happen. You would fill it with books!!!!

@Jill - oh, I have enough shoes to fill the closet. Most definitely.

I'm trying to keep the "to be read" pile to a minimum, but there are about a dozen books (mostly paperbacks, fortunately) sitting on my bookshelf.

Five of these are Louis L'Amour westerns that I pick up between more current titles. I get through them pretty quickly and they are always just a simple pleasure.

Since you are asking about 'bookshelves' I'll not even mention all the ebooks I have downloaded with no idea when I'll get to them.

Wow - I thought I was a pretty dedicated reader but I really only get a new book when I've finished the old one. So on my actually bookshelves there's only one, sad, lonely book I haven't read which is a Michael Crichton I can't seem to get into.
Only when I got my Kindle did I start getting a TBR pile that was, I thought, a little out of control. I currently have 14 books that I haven't yet read.
I feel embarrassed in your company :0)

Ottilie wrote: "Yeah i'm not even out of college yet..."

You've got a ways to go then.. ;0)

haha yeah...i have till 2012 to graduate also...

oh- about 1,500-2,000-estimate- ...conservative estimate:>)

If I never bring another book into my house for the next year, I will have plenty of unread books to bide my time with ... currently, about 30 review books (which is WAY more than I'm comfortable with). Only about 20 (mostly classics) in my Kindle for PC program, and about 70 personal books (most from this year) that have not been opened. I Don't have a lot of bookshelf space, so I regularly purge, and I actually took the time during the last purge (the books are gifted, swapped, and donated) to pull out ALL of my unread books, which are now somewhat organized in about 4 separate stacks outside of the bookcase (3 on my file cabinet, 1 on my task table - the task table pile are the ones I've pledged to read this year). Keeping them out of place like that is a reminder to me that I need to get on the ball. :)

About 50 unread books.

I have lots of books that still need to be read. There are some that I want to reread, but then I think about all of the ones that still have not gotten their first chance. And there's the books that I have from two different libraries. And the books that I borrow from my friends. And the books that I am given as gifts/buy in the future. The joyful struggle of a book lover...