/lit/ - Literature

I don't have a list of every book I've ever read, but I do keep one for all the books I've read since graduating high school.

I'm 22 and it's at 383 right now. Mostly respectable books with a few young adult and genre ones every now and then.

>27 years old
>reads YA
>saves pictures of cute little girls and reposts them

average4chanposter.jpg

Yes, I keep an extensive Excel spreadsheet tracking every novel and short story I have ever read. It's color coded and sorted alphabetically by author or franchise.

Red denotes a work I own but have not read.
Yellow is what I am currently reading.
Green denotes a work I have finished where I cannot accurately determine the date of completion (stuff I read as a child, etc). This will all have to be re-read at some point.
Blue denotes a Definitive Reading. This is done, forever, and will never have to be revisited.

I do the same thing with films and television series.

>>2778767

Sir, I refute nothing of what you have said for it is all true.

I've been reading regularly (in phases) since about twelve years old (ten years ago). The number's probably not too high though, even if I was keeping track, given that before these last couple of years I would often go months at a time without reading anything

I've only read 8 books my whole life because I didn't start reading until I was 17. But they've been getting impressively more and more advanced:

1) Harry Potter
2) His Dark Materials
3) Dune
4) Blood Meridian
5) Infinite Jest
6) Ulysses
7) In Search of Lost Time
8) Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics, 14 volumes (pictured to the left)

28,
Spreadsheet, and I Bold any books that I think were outstanding.
679
though at least 100 of those are kid's books, and probably forty or so are just Stephen King.

Yeah, on goodreads, I started reading like 3 years ago and have read like 60 or so books.

The Word of the Lord is the only book I need.

My Dad has read exactly two books start to finish. Oliver Twist, and Sod Calm and Get Angry

>>2778752
>keeping track of the past at all beyond the necessary minimum for institutions and all

I'll just take my life from now on without all that past stuff. People for get things that are irrelevant by nature, I don't need to be reminded of things my own brain can't be bothered to keep track off.

I have no idea how many I've read, but I'd put it somewhere at ... 1000? Yeah, somewhere there. I'm 25. That works out to about 40 a year.

The only book I have ever read cover to cover is The Old Man and the Sea. This means that 100% of my reading is high brow, Nobel quality literature.

I mention this is conversations quite often.

23 and I've read about 20 books in total, 10 of them just in the past few months, I plan on reading a shit ton more, as long as I don't lose my drive.

I'm 24 and I have read 14 books (8 in the past 2 months), keeping track of them on Goodreads as I go.

>>2778752

I don't have a list for my lifetime and I couldn't even venture a guess. However, for fun I've decided to keep track of everything I read this year. I've read 32 so far, working on number 33.

>>2779274
But if I were to be more accurate, I started at about 5/6, so about 50 books a year.

>>2779317
you were reading 50 books a year at age 5?

28 and well, i didn't star counting books until i started coming here early last year and tried that "50 books in a year" thing. I've only read about 51 books in that time as i am a slow reader and don't include short stories, articles, comics, school reading, unfinished books and don't read much YA as few interest me.

since i recently got an ereader and the fine links in the sticky, i plan on reading many more in the future.

>>2779326

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I got through about that number at age 5. Jungle Book, Arabian Nights, etc. Obviously, they were simplified for a typical 6- or 7-year-old's reading capability.

So no one on /lit/ has read more than 100 books. Figures.

>>2779340

Son, can you not read or are you just giving us a demonstration of stupidity?

>>2779340
Yeah, I'm quite disappointed in the numbers thrown about. 10, 20? What the fuck is that, /lit/? Why the fuck am I even coming here?

>>2779353
Well I'm not a regular, I just came here to see if people are throwing any recommendations around that might interest me, I was also curious about the e-readers, I'll be on my way now.

>>2779353

What the fuck is with you two? I can't tell if you're trolling or just stupid.

The numbers given in this thread are:
162
383
679
60
around 1000
20
14
"didn't start counting till came here... 51 since then"

I've kept records for the the last 3 and a half years. 2011 picture is shown. In my entire life, I've read maybe 350 books cover to cover.

Just turned 28 two weeks ago.

I have read a lot of children books, some Jules Verne, Karl May and other adventure stuff as a kid, but it doesn't really count imho. I wasn't developed mentally to grasp half of what I was reading.

I won't count anything before I started reading novels at 15.

From 15 to 25 I have averaged about 100 books per year. Think 70-80 at earlier years and 120 at later ones. That's a 1000 right there.

During the last two years I have had a lot of personal, university and work related distractions, so I managed 50 a year. That's another 100. Also, I noticed that I don't read regularly anymore. Sometimes I won't read for a month and then gobble up 3 books in a week.

Total should be around 1100 total.

Most of that has been science fiction of all types, but I prefer hard sci-fi and space opera.
Some fantasy, mostly the big series (WoT, ASOIAF, Riftwar, etc.).
Some classics, both from around the world and from my own country.
Sometime after I turned 22 or 23 I started reading a lot of philosophy, psychology, social science books, history (not textbooks) and biographies.

Science fiction averaged 80% of the books before I turned 22 or 23 and about 50% since that.

Why 22/23? I thought about that a lot and it looks it's the age I finally grew up and formed into a rational being. I started actually using my brain and needed answers to all fo those questions. Some books were really enlightening.

I hope that was comprehensive enough OP.

More pics of beautiful Vika!

>>2779442
Eko what would you recommend as someone's first space opera, if they already are into science fiction in general?

Also I've watched the anime adaptation of Legend of the Galactic Heroes and loved it, if that helps

>>2778752
I'm 18. Only just reached 50.

>>2779459
Foundation Series by Asimov. My favourite series, one of the best (and the best according to some) of all time. Can't go wrong with that.

After that, depending on your preferences - more popular or harder sci-fi you could go with the following in order from pop sci-fi to hard sci-fi.

Saga of the Seven Suns - Anderson
Commonwealth Saga - Hamilton
Revelation Space - Reynolds

If you chew through those and are happy with your experience you can go deeper with:

Hyperion Cantos - Simmon
Zones of Thought - Vinge

I would NOT recommend Uplift series by Brin despite its many followers. Never liked it.

If you prefer something more militaristic, that is not strictly space opera, but with a lot of pew pew space battles then:

Honorverse - Weber (although many would dismiss it's literally qualities)
Dread Empire's Fall - Williams (very light reading)

>>2779459
Foundation Series by Asimov. My favourite series, one of the best (and the best according to some) of all time. Can't go wrong with that.

After that, depending on your preferences - more popular or harder sci-fi you could go with the following in order from pop sci-fi to hard sci-fi.

Saga of the Seven Suns - Anderson
Commonwealth Saga - Hamilton
Revelation Space - Reynolds

If you chew through those and are happy with your experience you can go deeper with:

Hyperion Cantos - Simmon
Zones of Thought - Vinge

I would NOT recommend Uplift series by Brin despite its many followers. Never liked it.

If you prefer something more militaristic, that is not strictly space opera, but with a lot of pew pew space battles then:

Honorverse - Weber (although many would dismiss its literary qualities)
Dread Empire's Fall - Williams (very light reading)

162 books in a LIFETIME is many many more than most humans will ever accomplish.

Feel good breh

I'm 22 and I've read no more than 15, and not a single one in highschool. Sparknotes FTW

>>2779442
Out of curiosity, how do you find time to read that much? I get maybe 2-3 free hours a day on average with job, other responsibilities, and social time. Are you a speed reader or something?

>>2779538
He's a neckbeard who posts on 4chan. The chances of him socializing much or having a job are slim.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, I think we've all been there at some point. He's simply using his neckbeard hibernation more productively than most.

>>2779538
I've rated 165 books on Sparknotes, but I know I missed a lot, including a nice amount of theory and other nonfiction stuff read for college mostly. I guess in a year I read something like 15-25 novels. I tend to gravitate to long, complex novels when I read for myself and not grad school, so they take a while to finish up sometimes.

>>2779539

While you're using your neckbeard hibernation to personally attack people on a forum.

>>2779540
WTF I meant Goodreads, haha.

>>2779542
What? I'm not attacking anyone. I am speaking plainly, stating my observations without resorting to pointless niceties. That is kind of the point of this place, no? To communicate in a way we cannot in real life?

I spent my neckbeard years as an administrator of a Star Wars wiki. Believe me, I am in no position to insult anyone else.

>>2779538
>>2779538
I had a lot of free time once, but not so much now. The 50 books/year I read now equal to 1 book a week, but as I said I sometimes go a long time without reading. I usually read 4 or 5 books in 10 days and then don't read for awhile.

My secret? I read at work. I have a desk job that does not require constant attention. Some days I have nothing to do and just read for 8 hours straight. That's a book every 2 or 3 days.

Other times I am busy the whole day with clients, go for a run after that, plus time for family/friends and I am left with no more than 3 hours of free time if I am lucky. Just like you.

Also, e-readers help a lot, plus, I do read fast. It's not speed reading, but I find that on average I read faster than other people. Maybe slightly faster, but it makes a difference in the long run.

I'm 19 and have read 50-60 books. I keep track of them on Goodreads.

>>2778770

>The aspergers is strong with this one.

>>2779566
I can second that. I was an assistant administrator in a hotel last year and chose the night shift on purpose. Eight hours of nothing to do every night. I read a ton of literature that year.

>got fired for unrelated reasons
>without a job now

I keep an excel spreadsheet of all of the books I've read for the last 3 1/2 years; I've read 155 books. I'm 19.

>>2779595
I bet you have even more time to read now!

I have a friend that can read a whole book in one day.

I've kept track since the start of 2010, I was 19 then, now I'm at 154 books. Only really started reading in 2011.

>>2779607

>>2779610
>I have a friend that can read a whole book in one day.

Christ, the people in this thread are really making me reconsider visiting /lit/. I thought this board was for people who liked to read. Between this and the people who haven't read even 100 books ...

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Guys, I really like coming here. Don't shatter my illusion. Please.

>>2779634
Lol'd

>>2779635
>thinks /lit/ is for people who read

LOL.

>>2779635
So which is the important thing, quality or quantity? Fucking decide already I hate you I hate you.

>>2779635
lol, get the fuck out nerd we rule this joint now

>>2778780
I wonder how you did read Ulysses but was completely not impressed. Otherwise you would have read Dubliners.

>>2779635
I've read the books, I like reading... But somehow I feel like I'm losing my joy in it. There's so much information I want to shove into my brain, but it's so slow! I've got shelf after shelf of "to read"s lined up, but it'll take me forever to finish [whatever I'm reading at the moment].
Nomsaying? Maybe even gone through it?

>>2779566
I'm jealous of a job that leaves free time for reading. I have to be "on" all day and my brain doesn't even want to consider working some nights.

I haven't read anywhere near enough, I'm afaid.

My dad, however, has read 2 books a week, every week solidly for the past 30 years or so. You name it, he's read it. All the good stuff, and then piles of unimaginable dross as well.

>>2779277
Percentages don't mean shit when the numbers treated are low plus the joke is pretty sad to be honest.

>posting on 4chan
>not understanding your life is an epic failure

what the fuck does it matter how many books youve read? if you were that smart, you wouldnt be on a japanese image board.

I come here every day. But i also know full and well that im a fucking loser.

Quit trying to look cool.

This thread makes me sad.


the fact that there's a single person who can claim over 1000 books in a lifetime is disheartening.

I suppose that is why the majority of /lit/ discussion revolves around books that are of little consequence or literary merit.

I'm not yet 30 and I can confidently say that I've read nearly 5,000 books. Christ, given enough time and motivation I could quite possibly name each of them.

God damn 4chan

>>2779664
>I'm not yet 30
29yo detected. Enjoy your final year.

>>2779664
Instead of bitching, help! How do you do it, what do you tell yourself to stay focused instead of fantasising about the books to come?

>>2779644
Quality is more important, of course, but to get to the good books, usually, you have to go through some garbage.

>>2779649
I sympathize. So much to read, so little time.

>>2779652
It's pretty cool, yeah. I have caught myself hating the job and suffered a self-inflicted mental slap for it. You never appreciate something until you lose it and all that.

>22
>Finished my first book probably since school for the first time the other week
>feelsgood but also bad

Currently reading Shadow of the Wind which is pretty cool so far

>>2779664
>30 yo
>5000 books

If you started reading at 10 that's 5 books a week you lying sack of shit.

>>2779685
>lying
why lie? to impress faceless strangers on a web based message board while under the guise of anonymity

idiot

>>2779685
>If you started reading at 10

Not that guy, but I have been reading for as long as I can remember. As a young child my mum used to take me to the library for a few books every week. from the age of seven to ten I read roughly three books a week. I read even more from ten to fourteen, until a social life kicked in where I probably only read ten books over a five year period.

>>2779644

You misunderstood. Mentioning that someone you know manages to finish a book in a day, as if that's some kind of awe-inspiring feat, is just sad. Of course you should be able to finish a (not incredibly long or complicated) book in a day.

It's like /lit/ is mostly composed of, I don't know, people who like to pretend they like to read ... (For who knows what fucking reason!) It's been typed before, but I just never believed it until THIS FUCKING THREAD.

CHRIST, /LIT/, WHAT THE FUCKFUCKFUCKCUCFKCFCUFJKCJKCFASDHJFADHJNHRNHJVEGNGERGAE.

>>2779649

Yes, I have books lined up I want to read after I finish my current one. What's your point here?

>>2779753
>Yes, I have books lined up I want to read after I finish my current one. What's your point here?
My point is that doing what you're (and we're all) doing isn't a bad thing. I'm just saying that when I do it, for whatever reason, my mind decides to wonder what's in those books WHILE I'M READING ANOTHER BOOK.
My mind is a polygamist retard, apparently, who would much rather wonder about the contents of Ulysses while my eyes and hands are trying to page through Leaves of Grass. I could pick up Ulysses, and instantly, all I would be able to think of was Walt Whitman's bushy beard of glorious nut-tickles. It's just frustrating, that's all.

19 and ive read maybe 6 adult books
get on my level faggots

How the fuck do you read a book in a day? Like, I feel like a fucking fatass if I sit down for >2 hours straight. Don't you guys have lives or something?

Used to read a lot btw, but the last thing to keep my interest and read in few sittings was Book of the New Sun. Nothing else I try to read is nearly as good. ;_;

>>2778752

>That feel when I've been a reader my whole life but am still very slow when trying to read at a casual pace.

>Most recent book was The Hunt For Red October at 45 pages/hour.

I don't keep track of the books I've read.

>>2779699
....have you ever been to /b/ or /mu/?

>>2779742
This aswell.

Don't want to give details about my life right now, but since I was a young lad books kept me company until I settled down.
The seed soon sowed and I was viciously hooked, and since then every unencumbered moment I had was dedicated to my perusal habits.
Of course, as I throve towards the blue roof, time grew scarce, but I kept my reading habits close.

>>2779795
>....have you ever been to /b/ or /mu/?
this, or 4chan in general

>>2779780
>How the fuck do you read a book in a day?

With your eyes and your hands.

>Like, I feel like a fucking fatass if I sit down for >2 hours straight.

That's unfortunate. You should have that looked at. Thinking is an activity, too.

>Don't you guys have lives or something?
>doesn't know 4chan's demographic

More seriously. Sometimes you want to be reclusive and have "me time" and do something that makes you think and not have to bother with the weight of interacting with people. That's when you read.

10 hours x 60 pages = 600 pages and most people read faster than that. I don't see a poblem reading one book a day.

>>2779795
>jimanon posting on /lit/
not sure how to feel about this.

>>2779795
>>2779830
samef.... aaaah why bother.

>>2779840
>not knowing how to detect samefag

>>2779823
This. I read the stranger in about two hours it took me a fucking month to read infinite jest though

>>2779823

>4-10 hours of reading every day

Not all of us are unemployed and/or graduate students.

I only really read at work on my breaks.

Bitches love seeing that shit

>>2779852
Did somebody command you to read a book a fucking day? Some people are getting mighty defensive ... (hint hint)

And rightly so. GTFOO /lit/ if you haven't read 100 non-compulsory books.

I've drank more cans of PBR (Unironically) than I have read books in my 19 years of living.In fact, the number of books I've read barely surpasses the number of years I've been alive. I have read more books in the past month than I have in the previous 3 years of living.

Just turned 19 and I've read approximately 168 books. I've read 72 books since January 1st 2012, when I started writing them down (one of my new years' resolutions was to read 150 books and to make a list of everything I've read and would like to read.)

35 books, in just under 8 years. And two of them were graphic novels.

That's about one book every 3 months.

:(

I don't keep a list. I keep a "read" shelf on the bookshelf. Only one shelf, though. 2.5 shelves of "to read" novels. ~1 shelf of non-fiction (history books, textbook-style info books, a few biographies, etc.).

22

about 20 all the way through

I have started hundreds though

Number of books... I don't even know how one would keep count of how many books they had read.... I suppose if you kept every book you read and made logs of library records and every book you had borrowed... I don't even have a count on how many books I own... I know about 30ish fit across one of my black bookshelves.. and their are... 5 shelves each... 8 bookcases... poptart boxes hold up the back row so they can be read so each shelf is doublestacked... thats... um.. 40x60 I think.. or 2400 shelved books roughly... some are on top of shelves.. and thats the ones in my 'library' the majority of them are in the garage and closets in boxes... figure I have started about 90% of them... finished probably 60-70%... gonna guess I have read about 4800 of the books I own.. and who knows how many from the library... maybe 5-10 a month? Unsure.
Do I keep count... uh.. no. I don't even alphabetize my shelves because it is just too overwhelming. I am 40 years old.
I usually read about half a book per workday, because I use it to fill deadtime where I work. Although I have been reading alot of magazines instead recently because its easier to pick up and put down... that would be newsweek, national geographic, smithsonian, wired, maxim, popular mechanics, and whatever else I pick up I don't subscribe to.

so is number of books read the /lit/ equivalent of penis size or IQ?

In which case

>9 inches
>210 IQ
>8723 books, 10,432 magazine articles and 689 poems

I was going to begin doing that at the beginning of this year, 2012, but I never got around to it, and now it's far too late to start.
Maybe next year.

>>2780723
>8723 books

Go outside.

>>2780723
I don't even read poetry and I am certain I've read more than 689 poems either in passing or in literature classes. Furthermore, my penis has more girth than yours.

>>2778752
10,320. I'm a comparative literature professor though, so all I really do in life is read and think about what I'm reading.

>>2780727
>he thinks 9 inches was referring to the length

Two Words: Book-IT
When I was a kid you read books for points and got a certificate to Pizza Hut for a personal pan pizza, (meaning a Pizza that you didn't have to share with your brothers. Which is the best tasting pizza isn't it) Between that in grade school and a similar point system my high-school had set up where you could trade reading points for getting out of homework and stuff, I just got into the habit of keeping track of what I was reading. The rest was just a matter of liking to read.

>>2778780
So, you never read a book during grade school?

>>2778780
If you read Ulysses you've already gotten to the peak of literature.

I honestly can't remember my first book or how many books I've read. I don't remember not knowing how to read either.

>>2779537
I stopped reading books from around 16 to 20.

Except for The Great Gatsby. I loved the Sparknotes so much that I actually read the book.