About how many books have you read in your entire life?

[Deleted member 5148]

Books only, manga , comics don't count.

I honestly think I've read less than 5 books in my entire life. If it didn't have images I would avoid it and perhaps I've read more for school, but I don't consider those since I don't remember them or had to read them for a quiz or test.

I bet I'm a rare case as many of my friends are constantly reading books or talking about new books very often.

How about you (and please don't judge me )?

Recommend each other books if you like as well.

 

[Quinton]

Tough to say. Maybe 300 or so. That will sound big to some and small to others but for me personally I wish it were at least tripled.

 

[Deleted member 14377]

What about graphic novels or children's picture books?

 

[FUME5]

I'd guess around 1000 or so, more if we're counting short stories.

 

[TheBeardedOne]

I used to read a lot as a kid, so I really have no idea. I don't want to exaggerate, but it could be up in the high hundreds.

Last year, I read and finished 54 novels. Also parts of some others (two were short story collections). This year, I've finished two, both started last year, and am partway through another.

 

[Strangelove_77]

I'm guessing somewhere between 300-350.

 

[Deleted member 5148]

What about graphic novels or children's picture books?

Click to shrink...

I dunno. I think so, they are heavy on text right.. but maybe not children's books I guess.

 

[Deleted member 8583]

Taking into account my university, Master and current PhD too many to count.

Removing academic books, I do not read much novels, but I do read many philosophy and anarchism books.

Including all, probably around 60 a year. If we add academic papers...

Lifetime probably around 1000. Even if most of them were on my last 10 years.

 

[ForKevdo]

Just looking at my bookshelves in my room and I've probably got somewhere in the vicinity of 200 books, my personal collection. I like having my own library so if anyone recommends any books to me I just buy my own copy.

That's not even counting all the books I had to read for school that I don't own.

Have you tried reading different genres? Could be that you just haven't found something that's right up your alley, but hey, if you just don't like to read, no judgment! I just think you're missing out :P

 

[digitalsea]

Impossible to say for sure. Hundreds. Used to read more as a child, pre-internet and all that. Let's say I'm reading around 15-20 a year now, depending on length.

 

[Crissaegrim]

Not enough at all. Probably around the <50 mark.

 

[Drain You]

I'm kinda there with you OP. I mean I've def read wayyy more than 5 books, but the older I get I can't seem to be able to sit down with a book and read it. It actually makes me pretty sad as I think books are great. I actually do a lot of reading, more than most of the people I know, but it is never an actual book. I can wormhole into researching any given topic for hours on end reading every bit of info I can find but I can't get myself to sit down with a book and read it. No one to blame but myself I guess.

 

[THE GUY]

Couldn't say exactly, but definitely in the hundreds at least. Reading is one of the best things anyone can do. Get on that shit. Your brain will thank you for it.

 

[Deleted member 5148]

Just looking at my bookshelves in my room and I've probably got somewhere in the vicinity of 200 books, my personal collection. I like having my own library so if anyone recommends any books to me I just buy my own copy.

That's not even counting all the books I had to read for school that I don't own.

Have you tried reading different genres? Could be that you just haven't found something that's right up your alley, but hey, if you just don't like to read, no judgment! I just think you're missing out :P

Click to shrink...

Believe me I've tried, I just need s
To see images. Hence I rather watch a movie, series play video games.

 

[Possum Armada]

I'm 41 and probably read a book a month or so. Way more as a kid. So somewhere around 2000.

 

[Narag]

probably approaching 1000 if i counted all the stuff i read as a kid

 

[Deleted member 5148]

I'm kinda there with you OP. I mean I've def read wayyy more than 5 books, but the older I get I can't seem to be able to sit down with a book and read it. It actually makes me pretty sad as I think books are great. I actually do a lot of reading, more than most of the people I know, but it is never an actual book. I can wormhole into researching any given topic for hours on end reading every bit of info I can find but I can't get myself to sit down with a book and read it. No one to blame but myself I guess.

Click to shrink...

Same.


Why is it that I like you feel guilty for not reading as many books?

Is it because of what teachers told us as kids?

 

[Usul]

Reading and listening, comics included (Omnibus not individual issues) I would say at least 1000.

 

[Wein Cruz]

Dunno how many books has the prestigious dean koontz written?

 

[PennyStonks]

about 50. Counting re-readings would be closer to like 75

 

[Yams]

Like a 1000 our something like that. That's novels. If we include comics and manga the real answer is around 10k

 

[djplaeskool]

Not enough. Maybe in the 100-120 range total.
Once I started working in Atlanta and was exposed to hour+ long commutes, I started shotgunning audiobooks, but I'm not counting those.

 

[PassiveObserver]

381 logged on my Goodreads, with a significant chunk of graphic novels and novellas in there. Hoping to tack on another 30 books this year.

 

[Wracu]

Not nearly enough. But that's the answer for everyone.

 

[Drain You]

Same.


Why is it that I like you feel guilty for not reading as many books?

Is it because of what teachers told us as kids?

Click to shrink...

This is something I think about often. Aren't the benefits of reading a book really just benefits of reading in general? So as long as I'm not reading trash then I'm still getting the same benefits I would if I was reading an actual book. Yet I still feel like I'm doing something wrong. I think this is a somewhat coherent response to you're question I didn't fully get.

Now if we go off into appreciating books for what they are, as an art, and all that. I can't argue with. That's not what I'm talking about at all. I wish I had a more artistic head.

Edit: Reread your question, I was punctuating it in my head wrong, it makes sense. I gotchu

 

[Yasumi]

I'm mostly a manga reader, but a lot of the novels I do read tend to be fuckhuge, like Murakami's stuff, various mystery anthologies, and the Spice and Wolf tome I have. I've moved more to my ereader for smaller novels, so it's a little harder to quantify. 30+ in the last few years, 60+ ever? Like 300+ physical manga.

 

[Bakercat]

Whats a book?

 

[Chaosblade]

Excluding the early childhood books I had that were mostly pictures anyway, probably less than 5-10 that were required for school at some point. I really struggle with visualizing things, and combined with difficulty focusing in general it makes reading more than a page or so of anything very difficult.

 

[apocat]

No idea. I've read constantly since my early childhood, though a lot less through the last few years. I'd assume it's a four digit number.

 

[Man God]

A few thousand.

 

[Smash-It Stan]

About as many as School required you to for classwork/homework then minus that by 50-75%. Never liked reading. I can't visualize anything and it takes me multiple re-reads to understand whats going on because I always just blank out.

 

[TaterTots]

Honestly, I've barely read any books. Only ones I've read were requirements for school. Last one was a book about Zitkala-Sa when I was in community college. I've been searching for a book about the "old west" that is factually accurate with no luck. I've even asked for suggestions here. I only read what interests me.

 

[Poppy]

does son of sniglet count

 

[xxracerxx]

I've been searching for a book about the "old west" that is factually accurate with no luck. I've even asked for suggestions here. I only read what interests me.

Click to shrink...

And I assume people have suggested Lonesome Dove, True Grit, etc...what were the reasons you are uninterested in those? Are you looking for non-fiction novels about the old west?

 

[nemoral]

As a low end estimate, around 2000. I'm old, so that presumes about fifty a year for the last forty years. I read about fifty to sixty a year now, and used to read more when I was younger. There was a period where I was regularly doing 80-100 a year. So probably in the low 2000s.

 

[JustinP]

Not enough but thankfully too many for me to be able to reasonably guess (I'd have to like, sit down and try to guess year by year or something)

 

[Chainshada]

Probably between 50-60. Probably about half of those were in the last 2 years of high school and a couple years after. Found an author I really liked, read all 25+ books, then he died and nothing's really clicked for me since.

 

[Bor Gullet]

As a youngster I read a lot. Reading was once my favorite hobby.

 

[legend166]

I started reading in 2011 when I was 23 (before that the only real novel I'd read out of school since I was a child was Lord of The Rings). I've been tracking everything since then on Goodreads and I've read 145 books. I've settled in to an average of about 20 a year.

 

[Neece]

Do audiobooks count? I listened to around 20 in 2018.

 

[XDevil666]

Nothing since I was forced to read at school, I struggle with reading and maintaining concentration

 

[ara]

I only started reading more again a couple of years ago, and usually take my time with the books I do read, so despite the fact that I really enjoy it, not that much. Maybe a 100 or something. I have 61 books marked as read on goodreads, but that's not counting whatever I read when I was younger or in school.

Veery slowly reading more and more. I think I read 13 books last year, and 10 the year before that. Maybe I'll hit 16 or 17 this year.

 

[Osahi]

250 is my estimated guess. I am 31 and now I read less, but I still read at least 5 books a year. In my prime reading years it was at least 20 a year.

 

[Van Bur3n]

It is certainly less than 100.

 

[GCX]

Really hard to say but probably 400+.

I love reading and the older I get the more I begin to appreciate it. Recently I've started to visit libraries a lot again.

 

[flook]

A quick rough calculation gives me a minimum of 2500 - I've read books in one sitting many times. I read a lot fewer now I'm older but I still read every day.

 

[Deleted member 41178]

Difficult to say, but at a guess I'd say over 1500. I average about 50 books a year. Some years have been much higher and I used to read way more when I was younger and wasn't really tracking what I read.

 

[i hate cheaters]

more than 250
less than 1000

 

[Skade]

I have more than 400 books at home and i've read more than those (and i love re reading the same books over and over again).

Books are love, books are life.

 

[Maktokious]

I've estimated around 90 unique, putting it on roughly 120 with re-reads. This is without counting the ones I don't remember (e.g. from school)
So about 150 at least.
I also have about 50-75 books at home that are on my to-read list...