This post is a tough one for me to write, as the fact that I own a large number of books that I’ll probably never get around to reading is never something I would usually admit to.
Looking at the stats…
It’s time to face facts. There are currently 184 physical unread books currently on my bookshelf, along with 109 unread books on my kindle and 11 in my audiobook library. That’s a total of 304 unread books (and yes, counting up all of these was slightly horrifying and took forever!).
Despite the fact that I already own almost enough books to open my own private library, only a paltry 5 of the 50 books that I’ve read so far in 2017 are books that I owned prior to the beginning of 2017. This means that the vast majority of the books that I’m reading are either new releases, review copies or books that have been otherwise bought or borrowed by me in the last six months.
What does this all mean??
These statistics really doesn’t bode well for the piles of books that have accompanied me from house to house for years but haven’t yet got around to reading – some of which I don’t even remember buying!
Looking at it mathematically I’m on track to read about 90 books this year – as long I carry on at the rate I’ve been reading for the first seven months. At this rate, finishing all the books I currently own without adding any in new books at all would take me almost 3 and a half years.
If I carry on my current rate of reading on average 10 books from my backlist every year (which is far more likely, given my obvious weakness for new releases, Amazon ebook sales and second hand bookshops) working through the books I currently own will take about 30 years.
What am I going to do about it?
All of this makes the chances of me ever finishing the books I already own increasingly unlikely! But even though I know this is the truth, I just can’t bring myself to get rid of my unread books. Every time I do a clear out and read the back covers of long neglected books, I’m reminded of why I thought I’d enjoy it and I remain convinced that soon there will be a day when that particular book will be perfect for my mood.
However, in an attempt to try and tackle some of the backlog of books that have steadily been piling up, for the next six months of this year – and beyond that as well – I’m going to make a real effort to attempt to read at least one book a month that I’ve owned since before Christmas 2016.
I’ll also make an effort to donate some books to charity, including those that I know that I can’t see myself reading anytime in the near future – such as biographies or titles that I’ve had for a while but I now know from experience that I’m not a huge fan of the author.
Does anyone else have this problem? Are there any books in particular on your bookshelf that you think you’ll never get around to reading?
The Stacked Shelf 
I can really relate to this – I committed to reading at least one book a month from the books I have owned for more than one year, and although it will take me years to get through my TBR, it does feel pretty good to be eventually reading them. I have read some real gems too. I hope this works well for you 🤞
I definitely get a sense of achievement after finishing a book I’ve owned for a while – and I agree about finding hidden gems. Sometimes a book has been there so long I’ve forgotten why I bought it, and it’s always a nice surprise when it turns out to be great!
That sounds like a mammoth feat! Perhaps you could thin the herd a little more by prioritising some shorter books, so you could potentially squeeze in two a month? You could also try sticking to a rule about book-buying: you can only buy a new book if you read or give away three old ones. Not sure if I could stick to that myself, but worth a shout!
Oh yes, a very familiar problem! I’ve tried to cut down on acquiring new books, but the availability of review copies is too tempting. I have culled some of my Kindle books – ones I picked up in the first flush of enthusiasm because they were so cheap. But I still have far too many. Good luck with making some inroads into the pile!
I just can’t resist new books! I wish I had better willpower – or more resolve to clear out some of the books I own! I’m remaining optimistic – hopefully I’ll get to at least some of them sooner rather than later!
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