read all the books I own

That means 11 days each. Yes! I won’t have to sell any!

41.

With 47 weeks of 2007 still to go, I’m sure I’ll be done before the year is out. So I think I’m pretty sure I’ll meet my “personal challenge”. Heck, that even gives me 3 weeks each for Martin Chuzzlewit, Nicholas Nickleby, and The Mill on the Floss.

... and it’s already made a difference. I challenged myself to read the rest of my unread books by 2008, or I’ll trade away/sell all that I’ve left unread. I’ll have to read hard, but I think I can do it. But most interestingly, it has made me look at my shelf full of unread books in a new way, evaluating which books I’d be upset about trading away/selling. Trading away the ones I don’t care about has alone reduced the stack … Now I’m down to just 46 unread books. Now, let’s see if I can average 1/week for the rest of the year.

For those who are interested, there’s a sister site of 43T Lists of Bests, which has proven helpful for me in keeping a list of unread books on my shelf, and my progress in reading them (http://www.listsofbests.com/list/2700/compare/MrPixel)

Down to about 75 now.

Some people below mention that not all the books they own are good. This is true for me, as well … though I have really only had the impulse to throw away a junk book twice in the last 100 or so.

David Copperfield (in progress), Oliver Twist, Martin Chuzzlewit, Nicholas Nickleby ... and about 90 others (I counted) – not all by Dickens, of course. This is gonna take some time.

Fortunately, I promised my wife I wouldn’t by another book until I’ve read everything (not counting gifts for her and the kids). But I think it’ll probably be 2 years before I finish them all … :(

Or should I say, “Thift stores”? I went to a wedding last month, walked by the thrift shop, and came back home with 50 books (couldn’t have been more than a coupla bucks). Until that point I owned 5 books that I hadn’t read.

Since then I’ve finished about 10-12, so I’m making good headway … Maybe I should combine this with the “read 30/40/50/100 books in 2005” thing(s) ... kill 4-5 birds with one stone, eh?