SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion

This post by Laura Vanderkam resonates with me. Finite time and an infinite number of books.

https://lauravanderkam.com/2021/07/25...

Do you often abandon books? Or are you quite selective in what you read?

And then there is the TBR list argument. Mine is about 800 books on Goodreads and I have a long Amazon wish list. Should probably start thinking which ones should be there.
https://bookriot.com/is-it-worth-your...

I have also been thinking a lot about this issue lately. In the beginning of the year I resolved to read a number of books on my shelf, some from before 2015, however soon after, I joined a number of the book clubs on GR, and the books on the shelf do not always fit the challenges hosted by these. I am also an active member of the public library, and the books I borrow (about 10 a month, which I do read) again do not fit the challenges, or are not part of the TBR list. I also buy books, mostly second-hand copies. End result: My TBR list have increased and now stands at 660. And this figure is bound to increase, so yeah, like in the Brazilian coffee song I can just echo that there's an awful lotta books in this world. Things is I do not even know whether I will be able to finish the ones I am currently reading, so 660, 1000, 75 or even 5, the number doesn't matter, as long as one is enjoying the ones currently at hand.

Abandon? What sacrilegious talk is this? Just joking, I have had my share of those, fortunately not too often though, since I have reached the point where there is some I rather not start. I will conclude with Linton Kwesi Johnson
"More time fi leasha
More time fi pleasha
More time fi edificaeshun
More time fi reckreashun
More time fi contemplate
More time fi ruminate
More time
Wi need More Time
Gi wi more time"

We have more than enough books

Linton Kwesi Johnson is perfect for this situation!

Challenges can be both a curse and a blessing. Without them I would not have read either Palace Walk or Possession this year and that would have been a real loss. But sometimes it leads one to a mediocre book getting on the list. In my case it definitely forces me to read genres which I would normally either avoid or read a lot less which may be a good thing.

A decade ago, my mother and I read very similar books in a fairly narrow genre range. Since I joined Goodreads, my taste has evolved and these days there is probably a 30% overlap with my mother. Much to her frustration, because she relies on me for recommendations.

I'm listening on audio to The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Ones) Saved My Life which lead me to On Books and Reading. Written in 1851, it is still so relevant and made me laugh out loud. His section on bad books is excellent as well as his thought on non reading at the end.

Between you and Andy Miller, I'm going to have to tackle Middlemarch.

I am a big LKJ fan.

I agree about the challenges. I have read books which I will not normally consider, but have come across some gems in the process. I need to be sharper though in focusing on books already on the want-to-read shelf.

What a coincidence, Andy Miller's mentioning of my October suggestion A Confederacy of Dunces.

I am really into Middlemarch. Such a rich book - great character development, believable human dramas, observations on gender, class and religion, lots of historical markers, and great narration. I thought I might struggle with "old" language, but I am galloping through this little tome. Highly recommended.