Lists and Stacks

I have a pretty extensive to-read list. For a long time, this was just a mental list. I'd hear about a good book and think that I should read it. And then, depending on my memory, I might or might not ever actually do that. But when I started this blog, one of the first things I did was actually write out that list. You can see it by clicking on the "Books" tab at the top.

Having an actual list has helped a great deal. I'm never at a loss when I finish one book and need a new one. I can add a book when someone mentions it in passing and then remember the name and author the next time I'm going to the book store. I've even sort of organized it according to the order I'll probably read those books in. That is, the ones I own are at the top and the ones I want to own are at the bottom. Every time someone recommends something already on the list it moves up a little bit.

When I add a book to the list, I'm thinking "I should read this book". It's not until I actually buy the book that I've committed to reading it. I may hear something new and lose interest. Or it may just wallow on the list for several years until the stars align and I decide to buy it.

A few times a year, I go on a book buying spree. I head into a book store and give myself free reign. This is a lot more fun than just buying books one at a time. Since I'm able to limit how often I do this, I end up with a stack of books that I'm planning to read in the near future

You see, the problem with my to-read list is that it keeps getting longer. No matter how fast I read or how many books I juggle at once, I add to that list faster than I check things off it. I never feel like I'm making progress. In a way, that's how it should be. I'd hate to run out of books to read. That's not really likely to happen, but it's nice to have a safety net stretching out to infinity.

Then again, it's nice to feel like I'm making progress. That's where the stack comes in. The stack doesn't grow; it shrinks. It will last me for a finite period of time, but then it must be replaced.

I mention this, because I have a pretty good-sized stack right now. The last time I had one this large was when Borders went out of business and I went on a mini-rampage. This year I used part of my end-of-year bonus to finance a bunch of books (along with a new bookcase). Here's the result.

Okay, I already owned Robinson Crusoe (the brown and red one) and The Silmarillion. But I just added them to the stack because I'm really planning on reading them before my next major book purchase.

That should keep me busy for a while.