Books, or: finishing them

As long as I remember I have something with books. People say I was always reading when I was young and I can't imagine I will one day hate it. In a bookstore I get greedy and I think that from all the books we have in our house, about 90% is mine.

However, I find that I hardly finish books. Which really is a problem, because my reading list grows every day. It is not only a matter of time (I spend less time reading now than I used to). Maybe I'm just spoiled: at the moment a book gets predictable I put it aside. Or, when I get the point but the author thinks I need more and more examples to convince (Blink, Wisdom of the Crowds).

The problem is that I find so many things interesting. It is difficult then to prioritise. And to finish before something more interesting comes by.

It could be the reason now why I read weblogs or papers. The postings in weblogs are concise and I can quickly see if it is interesting enough to continue. Papers are also often concise and have the advantage (to weblogs) that they are on paper, which is more relaxing to read than a computer screen.

And here is a message to book authors: don't try to make as much pages as possible when there is nothing more to say. (Does anybody know if they get paid by the number of pages, then I can understand) I don't have problems with thick books, as long as they have something new, interesting to say.

Comments

[Tammy]

I actually have the same problem, especially with non-fiction books. I break things up by reading a good, classical literature book for every three or four non-fiction. It forces me to slow down and enjoy the language and experience of reading.

[Carla V.]

Thanks for the suggestion, it sounds worth trying. It's good to know that you're reading a good book and those classical books can expected to be in this category (otherwise they were no classicals). That must be a good prospect!