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Over the years I’ve read a lot of books, I have no idea how many in total but I do have good data since about 2011. It set me thinking about something my brother-in-law once said to me about never being able to read all of the books I own before I die.
Taken literally he’s right, but then many of the books I own are ones that I have already read, some of those I will read again and there are of course many that I haven’t gotten to yet and of course many that I haven’t acquired yet.
Theoretically then, how many could I read before I die?
Based on the average number of books I’ve read per year (using the data I have) and the average lifespan for my demographic I arrived at the number 1,488. There are obviously a lot of variables. My average number of books is based on books of all sorts of length and an assumption that the average remains the same, for example if I took the last few years only the average is a lot higher. Of course it also assumes that I live to the average lifespan.
Does it matter though?
Would it matter if I never read another book? I’d posit that yes it would, but the number read isn’t important.
Reading should be about enjoying what you’re reading. Learning, exploring, making discoveries. It should be about being present and not worrying about whether or not you’re going to read every book you own. We have to read enough things that frankly aren’t worth it – terms and conditions, work reports, news and views – that when it comes to books it should be something to look forward to and not be a chore governed by arbitrary numbers.
For a few years now I’ve not had a target of the number of books I want to read. Well technically that’s not true, I’ve set my target as reading 1 book. It removes any pressure of having to read and anecdotally I’d say I’ve actually been reading more, and enjoying what I’m reading more.
So do I think I will read my 1,488 books before I die. I don’t know and to be honest I don’t care. I just want to read, what I want to read, when I want to read it.
Thanks for reading!
Electronic Scrapbook 
What’s astounding is to consider would a very small number it is! And then, when you think of all the people who think they might write a book, someday, and all the people that would have to read it to make it successful, it becomes obvious why not a lot of people have that kind of success.