How many books do you read?

[Kiouni]

I came across a study that found that avid readers on average read 26 books a year. I did a small survey of the people I work with and found that the average person reads 4-8 books a year. Does this sound right?

I thought people would read a little more then 4 books a year with the most avid readers at only 26. I just notice in the news that people throw fits about so and so's book, and they have never read it!

How many books a year do you read? Fiction or non-fiction?

[NMMNG]

1. I read 2-3 books a month

Which would be 24-36 books a year. I read both fiction and non-fiction.

[BlueIris]

5. Same here.

I also read something non-internet every day.

[Liberal In Texas]

24. About the same with me. Wife reads probably double or triple that.

Our house looks like a friggin' library.

One of the first thing I had to do when we bought our house was put up Elfa shelving, everywhere. (BTW, the laminate shelves they sell aren't strong enough to hold a lot of books, they bow under the weight. I buy boards at Lowe's and spray them with enamel. But I digress.)

I read both fiction and non-fiction. A trip to Border's for us usually produces a bill of about $100 or $200. What we can't find there, we order on-line.

We also watch very little TV, and don't have cable or satellite, even though we have an HDTV and an HD tuner. I surfed around broadcast TV the other night to see if anything was on. It was all crap. I turned it off and picked up the book I was reading.

[NMMNG]

26. I understand the house/library thing

I had to part with a good number of books when packing for my upcoming move, which was no easy task. In the meantime I ended up buying at least 30 to replace them so I'm getting back to where I started. Such is life as a bookaholic. :shrug:

[Duer 157099]

2. I think we should count some DU threads as books n/t

[jgraz]

3. Shit, we should count some DU *posts* as books

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Hmm tough question

I'd say anywhere from 20 to 30 books a year, and in the last few yaers mostly non fiction... I am trying to get back to the fiction though... I write fiction, but ...

the real world is so fascinating these days that it is hard to write anything as fantastical as the Bush Administration... and their antics

;-)

[jgraz]

6. Not to channel Clinton, but it depends what you mean by "read" and "book"

If you count audiobooks and nonlinear texts like cookbooks and technical manuals, I probably average around 3-4 a week.

[unsavedtrash]

7. I have read 3 (small) books and several long articles since last Saturday.

But I am a grad student. I have no clue how many books I read a year.
Other than school work, I generally read fiction.
4 to 8 books a year. damn.

[pnorman]

8. I used to top that upper figure, and by an appreciable amount.

I still come close to it, but for the past few years, I'm also supplementing it with spoken word books (http://audible.com). I'm not sure that a "purist" would consider that as "reading", but for the most part, they're 'absorbed' into my mind almost as well as the printed word --- in a few cases, even better. Yesterday, I went through Isaac Singer's "The Slave", in about 5 installments. The sensations/emotions are still throbbing in my consciousness, and that seems to be the whole point of most books.

pnorman
On edit: I probably should have mentioned that being retired, virtually all my time is "spare time". Also, I haven't watched TV in about 8 years. I get virtual of my input from the internet. A friend, via NetFlix, probably watches 5 or 6 movies a week, perhaps even more. I'm afraid of getting into such a time-consuming addiction, so I BUY all my DVDs. That limits me to those that I'm likely to view many times in the course of a few years.

[cboy4]

9. I used to read a hell of a lot more books before newspapers and

other publications went online!!!

I'd say about half a dozen, but I read the forwards of dozens in bookstores! ;)

[DeSwiss]

10. If 26 is an avid reader.....

...then I don't what word quite describes me. Fanatic??? Bibliophile??? Bookworm??? Ink-Addict???

I read about 2 or 3 books a week. Yeah, I don't watch the teevee that much. Jeez, am I weird or what????

[Kiouni]

12. I am in that category

I read 2-3 non-fictions a week (I throw in a fiction for shits and giggles every so often to keep sane) as well and I was interested if their were others out there. I have difficulty understanding how people stay topical on issues without this kind of "fanaticism."
When I read that 26 was considered on the high end I was shocked!

[ClintonTyree]

17. Not weird at all....

the mindless drivel on television does little to spark the imagination. TV is a drug: a brain numbing, intellectually suicidal drug. "The Real Housewives of Orange County", "American Idol", "Future Weapons", "The Real World", "South Park" , ANY Soap Opera......and 99% of the rest offered by networks and cable channels, all freaking useless garbage, in my opinion.

Books allow you to travel to different worlds, be different people, witness history, imagine fantastic scenarios and most of all, exercise the gray matter in a way that television has the direct opposite effect on.

But....each to his/her own. What one does with one's life is a matter of personal choice. :shrug: What works for me may not work for others. Your mileage may vary.

[B Calm]

11. 80 to 90 books per year

[KatyMan]

13. since we spend at least 2 hours a day on the train

I usually read 2 books a week, varying between fiction and non-fiction (mostly history), so my yearly total is probably around 50.

[annabanana]

14. woof... I used to read a LOT more..

Before I got here and DU absorbed me into the matrix..

[ClintonTyree]

15. 50-60 in an average year....

there isn't one day out of the year when I'm not immersed in a book of some sort. Fiction, non-fiction, research, sometimes I have several going at once. I'd consider myself an avid reader, yes.

[flobee1]

16. 2 books a month

As someone who drives a lot for work, audible.com is the greatest
at the begginning of each month, download 2 more books onto my ipod and I'm all set

[SecularMotion]

18. 12-15 per year

I used to read more when I read mainly fiction. Now the majority of what I read is non-fiction and it takes more time to absorb. Even at 12-15 per year I have a 2 year backlog of books to read.

[BlueCollar]

19. I've really never thought about it

but I'd guess that figure is low for me. I read a few chapters almost daily as a way to unwind...mostly fiction, but when I get interested in a topic...for instance I decided late last year that I wanted to learn more about the "Battle of Britain"...I must have purchased and read 12-15 books on the subject over 3 months.

I'm a print junkie and have a book at hand at all times...

[Swamp Rat]

20. It's hard to say

By Monday I have to read 2 social science books (about 600 pages) and half of a huge science textbook (300+ pages), and about 12 articles from academic journals (200+ pages). This is an average week during school. I also have to read through at least 30 or more books and well over a hundred articles for bibliographies for all the research papers I write... I should be reading right now... or sleeping. There is not time to do much else.

[H2O Man]

21. I read a lot.

I'm retired, which gives me the time to read as much as I want. I usually read about 5 to 8 books at a time. I read significantly more than 26 books per year.

[DemReadingDU]

29. My daughter is an avid reader too

She is in early 30's, and also reads at least 5-6 books at the same time. When my kids were young, we often went to the library, and were reading books every day. And back then, we had little money, the cheapest 'toys' to buy were The Little Golden Books. A trip to the store, meant another book to bring home! Our house is full of books, now I read to my grandson.

While I still read a lot, it is due to the Internet! If I didn't spend so much time on DU, I would be reading more books. I just finished Senator Byron Dorgan's book, 'Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America'
http://www.amazon.com/Take-This-Job-Ship-Brain-Dead/dp/031235522X

[mainer]

22. DU is a select group -- probably read more than average

In my case, reading books is part of my job. But I"ve met several people whose only reading consists of the Bible and TV Guide.

[MrSlayer]

23. Probably 100.

Whether they are new books or re-reads I'm always reading something.

[Buttercup McToots]

25. Me too

I read 2-3 at a time...one on one day, another the next...
I love to read...

[Thothmes]

27. Two or Three a month

[Odin2005]

28. Around 20-30 per year, mostly science, history, and sci-fi.

[malta blue]

30. I read 1-2 books (fiction) per week and yoiu can

toss in journal articles, etc. on top of that. I have a huge stack of books under my nightstand and I have to replenish it every 2-3 months.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

32. I read 76 books last year. Back in 2006 one of my New Year's resolutions

was to start a book diary and track what I read for a year. I picked up a book journal at the Library of Congress (rare trip to DC - a place NOT to be missed!) but they can be found at most bookstores or you can use a simple notebook.

I list the title, author, publisher, publish year. I then note where I got the book - library, friend, bookstore and the month and year I read the book. I then give a one sentence impression of the book. I have really enjoyed going back and reading what I wrote and my brief impression. 2007 is on track with my 21st book now being read.

BTW - right now I'm reading "The Alexandria Link" by Steve Berry. This is a recently released fiction about the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the search for the Library of Alexandria lost centuries ago.

Well written and fast paced. One of the interesting parts? The author does not name Chucklenuts and The Cabal by name but makes no bones about what administration that is being discussed throughout the book. Talks about corrupt, lying, fake Christians in the White House in search of a "legacy." Talks about 9/11, etc. Poor Little Chucklenuts is even being eviscerated in fiction, too. I'm about half way through a good page turner.

[malta blue]

35. I like the idea of a journal.

I have never kept track of what I read, and have been known to purchase a book two or three times, with several years between purchases.

I will check out "The Alexandria Link". It sounds like a fun book.

I am starting "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ismael Beah this evening. I think I saw Ismael Beah somewhere on TV - my memory fails me.

I just finished "Like Water for Chocolate" in Spanish for the 3rd time last night. I love that book.

BTW - I just adore the Library of COngress!

[Democrat 4 Ever]

39. I saw the interview of Ismael Beah by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

and have wanted to read the book ever since. Stewart did an excellent job and if you didn't see the interview here is a link to the video at Comedy Central -

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=82274&ml_collection=&ml_gateway=&ml_gateway_id=&ml_comedian=&ml_runtime=&ml_context=show&ml_origin_url=%2Fshows%2Fthe_daily_show%2Fvideos%2Fcelebrity_interviews%2Findex.jhtml%3FplayVideo%3D82274&ml_playlist=&lnk=&is_large=false

Would be interested in your impressions after you finish the book.

And a journal helps keep me from buying books twice. Although I did buy Nelson DeMille's Wild Fire twice back before Christmas. I returned one copy and didn't really enjoy the one I kept. I love DeMille but when he comes down in favor of the Patriot Act and preemptive nuclear war, he has jumped the shark for me.

[malta blue]

41. That must be where I saw it.

I bought Wildfire too! I am a DeMille fan, most of the time when I double-buy they are his books. There are just too many to keep track of...

I enjoyed Wildfire, but I agree with you on the patriot act crap. It seems everyone jumps the shark once in a while, though.

[cgrindley]

31. 8-12 per month on average

I ride the train for 3 hours a day. From September 2006 to now I've been really busy, so my reading has been cut back considerably, but in 2005, I probably read 200 or so books, mostly Latina fiction (I am so sick of hearing about drunks in undershirts playing dominos while no one gets on with their lives) and science fiction (including a run of two PKD's per day for 20 or so days straight).

This past month I read 15 or so film studies textbooks, three scholarly books on medieval language and manuscript illumination, the God Delusion, the new Auster, and I am now currently working on the new Mailer and finally getting around to Terry Jones' Who Murdered Chaucer.

Currently, my faves include Houellebecq and Vollmann. I am increasingly irritated by Auster, Eco and Perez-Riverte. If I could reanimate the corpse of Italo Calvino, I would.

[spinbaby]

33. Two, three, four a week

I have a book storage problem at home--as another poster mentioned, cheap shelving tends to bow under the weight of too many books. And I usually have a stack on my bedside table threatening to slide off. I carry books with me in case I get stuck in a line or something and might want to read a bit.

[electron_blue]

34. This is one reason I started checking books out from the library

I got tired of the storage problem. I told myself if I came across a real winner, I'd buy it to keep, otherwise, I'd be happy to return them all. It really helped - so far I've only bought one book I checked out from the library in the last 2 years. Saved money, too.

[spinbaby]

37. I'll admit I don't do the library much anymore

Our library's hours more or less coincide with my work hours nowadays--budget cutting--so the only time I can go is on Saturday morning. When you also consider that I need to get most anything interesting through interlibrary loan, it just doesn't seem that worthwhile.

Besides I like HAVING books. I love that moment in the evening when I run my fingers along the shelves to select a book. I can almost feel the texture of each book as I consider what's in there and if I'm in the mood to read it tonight. Do I want "Rats, Lice, and History" or do I want "Bobbsey Twins at the Circus?" Maybe a murder mystery. Ah, "The Time Traveller's Wife" was great, I could read it again. Is it too early to start another run through Harry Potter to warm up for the new release this summer?

I love my books.

[electron_blue]

50. I totally understand wanting to own favorites. It's the ones I bought and read and

then reacted "eh" to that I resent paying for.

Just curious - what's your batting average? That is, if you buy 10 books, how many do you look forward to reading again someday? And if it's higher than 2 or 3, would you mind sharing your secret of how you pick winners in the first place?

[fishwax]

36. I'm in grad school, so 2 or 3 a week

or more, at least during the semester ... a mix of fiction and non-fiction, with heavier doses of non-fiction as the semester wears on.

As far as though who read 4-8 books a year, though, they might read a great deal of other material--magazines, newspapers, online news, journals, etc. I've always been an avid reader, it just hasn't always been focused on books; i'm confident, though, that even in those years when I read 5-10 books a year I still read far more words than about anyone I knew.

[BlackVelvet04]

38. I average about 12 a month....

fiction and non-fiction. I read fast and I read a lot. I don't watch a lot of t.v.

[bikebloke]

40. 60 or more per year

Average. Though some years its more. It depends on the books and living conditions. Noisy neighbors, creative projects and travelling can put a crimp into reading. Flowering romances, too.

[shrike]

42. About a book a week, give or take

Depends on whether I'm in a light reading phase or heavy duty. If I'm doing light reading, it'll be three or four a week.

I used to think I was a piker because Jimmy Carter reads three or four a week and I'm SURE they are not light reading.

It's usually a mix of fiction and non-fiction. My fiction tastes are eclectic -- I just got done with Dickens' Bleak House and also finished up an Archy McNally mystery by Lawrence Sanders.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

43. Who counts? I'm never without a book, usually reading several at a time.

I also read aloud to my wife every evening. Something we've been doing since we started living in sin (for about a year before marrying) 27 years ago. Try it sometime. It gives one an appreciation of fine writers.

Fiction, non-fiction, with an emphasis on history, but damned near anything that looks interesting. My wife, is similarly, a big reader.

[Chemical Bill]

44. 26 works for me, mostly non-fiction.

I also subscribe to 10 magazines, plus here and a few other sites.

Bill

[rasputin1952]

45. I try to get in at least one book a week, but there is other reading to do

as well.

I have to admit, I've come across some pretty horrid tomes in my time, so off to the bookshelf they go, eventually to find their way into a box in the basement, (I have never been able to throw a book away, even a "bad" one).

Weekend evenings/nights are great for reading, my 19 yo son thinks I'm a dud, but he's just learning to appreciate reading himself, w/a little help from me.

I read non-fiction almost exclusively, a lot of that is history, science, sociology, philosophy and of course politics. Most run into the 300+ pgs variety, and I look for substance over style. Some pretty dry books are a wealth of information, but it is tough to get through the author's writing style.

In most cases, I find that reading in one hour + -, sessions w/a short break helps me correlate the info I've taken in. There are times though, when a book has been so fascinating, I've found myself waking up w/the book a s a pillow, and I have to straighten out my glasses after I've slept w/them on.

[Cerridwen]

46. 30-40/year fiction, maybe half that non-fiction. So 45-60

is a conservative estimate.

I spend more time over non-fiction than I do fiction. I read non-fiction to learn something which requires more effort. I read fiction for a break to let my mind meander around.


I go through cycles - obsessive reading - including pulling all nighters to get through an exciting fiction piece or a compelling read of non-fiction - then gradually slowing into something more "reasonable" such as a week to read a book rather than one day. Then I try to catch up on some of the great documentaries and films that are coming out. Then I take a break and what I've read and seen start to "settle" into my head.

As with many others here, I have a book moving and storage problem. ;) Though now I use the library more and I'm usually on a first name basis with my local library staff after a couple of weeks. :D

[BlooInBloo]

47. Oooh! A self-stroke thread! I read 10,000 books each day!

[gratefultobelib]

52. LOL! Exactly what I was thinking as I scrolled down through this thread! We have book

forums (fiction and nonfiction) here at DU, by the way!

[eppur_se_muova]

48. Recreational reading? Probably ~1/wk, +/-50%

That's not counting professional books, which I seldom have any need to read cover-to-cover, but read pages and chapters of very intensely. I assume that's not what you're interested in, but I wonder if that's what's included in the original figure cited.

[Roland99]

49. Lately, I'm on a 2-3 book/yr rate but I still buy them at 1-2/month!

:)

[deutsey]

51. I read so much, I can't really say

In addition to the books I read, I have numerous subscriptions to publications like Harper's, New York Review of Books, etc.

[etherealtruth]

53. Prior to my current job

2-3 books/week

Now ... I can rarely read for pleasure :(!

[mitchum]

54. 250-300 a year

[Jonathan50]

55. I used to read maybe a hundred books a year..

Can't afford books any more and there aren't any decent book stores near enough for a regular visit and the only used book store in the county closed a few years back.

Now I do all my reading on the intertubes, science, history, politics, current events.

I read several military blogs, several science blogs, DU, Internet Infidels, rec.arts.sf.written on usenet, The Authoritarians on Google groups, a couple of local blogs, Salon and too much other stuff to list.

It's gotten to the point that I prefer to read on a screen than on paper now, I find it's easier on my aging eyes.