# What percentage have you read?



## Notthemama1984 (Feb 18, 2011)

Alot of us have quite a collection of books. I started to notice that I have not read most of the books I have. Out of curiosity what percentage of your books have you read cover to cover (commentaries and research books not included)?


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## 21st Century Calvinist (Feb 18, 2011)

Don't ask, don't tell is still in operation in my house!


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## VictorBravo (Feb 18, 2011)

Chaplainintraining said:


> (commentaries and research books not included)?



With that qualifier, I'd say greater than 90%. If you include commentaries and research books--around 50%.


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## Oecolampadius (Feb 18, 2011)

Does skimming or reading in such a way that you're not really doing "analytical reading" count?

By "analytical reading," I'm referring to Mortimer Adler's definition of it in his book, 'How to Read a Book.'


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## SolaScriptura (Feb 18, 2011)

If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.


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## Notthemama1984 (Feb 18, 2011)

SolaScriptura said:


> If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.



Show off


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## JonathanHunt (Feb 19, 2011)

Chaplainintraining said:


> SolaScriptura said:
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> > If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.
> ...


 
Yeah, but Ben only owns ten books.


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## Kevin (Feb 19, 2011)

JonathanHunt said:


> Chaplainintraining said:
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> > SolaScriptura said:
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LOL, play nice!


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## Notthemama1984 (Feb 19, 2011)

JonathanHunt said:


> Chaplainintraining said:
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> > SolaScriptura said:
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## Christopher88 (Feb 19, 2011)

I find that a grasp a subject mid way through a book, and from that point on it draws out a point that had been stated in the past 10+ chapters. I tend to move on. 

Now there are short theology books like "God of Promise by Horton" that I can finish as it less than 300 pages. If a book reaches more than 300 pages, chances are I'll go to it here and now but it becomes a reference book.


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## baron (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm falling behind in my reading and still adding new book's, espically eBooks. I have read around 75% of what I own. Due to the last 4 years of not working, only had reading to keep me occupied. Lately I have been reading the Bible more than book's about the Bible, or other literature.


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## Kim G (Feb 19, 2011)

I don't buy a book unless I 1) have read it, or 2) plan to read it immediately upon purchase. I've read all the books I own (two LARGE bookcases--alot for a woman, right? )


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## moral necessity (Feb 19, 2011)

Less than 25%. I have a lot of books, volume sets, commentaries, and reference works.


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## Notthemama1984 (Feb 19, 2011)

I thought I was doing "good" when I calculated that I was around 15%, but then I woke up this morning realizing that I have not read any of my Puritan bookshelf.


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## SolaScriptura (Feb 19, 2011)

JonathanHunt said:


> Chaplainintraining said:
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> > SolaScriptura said:
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Shhh!


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## Jack K (Feb 19, 2011)

Using the cover-to-cover criteria, I'm probably well under 50%. Maybe under 25%. There are usually chapters I end up skipping or just quickly skimming. If the criteria were having read a significant chunk of the book, I've read more than 90%.


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## SolaScriptura (Feb 19, 2011)

Chaplainintraining said:


> SolaScriptura said:
> 
> 
> > If you take away commentaries and reference works, I'm at almost 100%.
> ...


 
Actually... while Jonathan's comment about 10 books is way off, the point is sound: I don't have a massive library. When you take away the commentaries and reference works, I'd say I've got about 500 books or so. I don't add to my library dozens of books at a time. I purchase books, read them, and then purchase some more. For instance, just this week I purchased 4 books. They'll keep me busy for a month or so and then I'll purchase a few more.


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## Notthemama1984 (Feb 19, 2011)

SolaScriptura said:


> I purchase books, read them, and then purchase some more.



I think this is where I goof. I have a list of books I would like to read at some point and whenever I find them on sale, I jump on it. For example, I added nearly 4,000 pages this week and it will be some time before I get all of those read.

I have read chunks of most of the books I have, but going cover to cover is a rarity (Calvin's Institutes is a perfect example of reading large sections, but not cover to cover).


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## SolaScriptura (Feb 19, 2011)

Chaplainintraining said:


> For example, I added nearly 4,000 pages this week and it will be some time before I get all of those read.



So you took what many would consider to be the financially efficient route. That's not my style.


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## Notthemama1984 (Feb 19, 2011)

SolaScriptura said:


> Chaplainintraining said:
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> > For example, I added nearly 4,000 pages this week and it will be some time before I get all of those read.
> ...



I am running out of room, so it will not be my style much longer.


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## Bradwardine (Feb 19, 2011)

A few comments on my book collection which the more it has grown , the more is unread.

1) As a student I read about 1 book a week, when marriage came (during my PhD) that slowed down and as 3 children arrived it ground to a near halt in terms of cover to cover reading

2) I tend to be seduced by large books (high page/cost ratio) but these are the least likely to be fully read

3) I used to be seduced buy multi-volume reprint sets at a relatively low price as 2) - (eg sermons of Martin Luther) - these have been largely unread (not least because they may be old translations, archaic English, etc)

4) I do justify some of the 'un-readness' to my family as knowing what books I have, if I am preparing a sermon where a particular book would be useful then I have it available (ie a reference function, even for non-reference books)

5) The seduction of the internet - all those 'must-have' reformed books, all those 5-star reviews, all those recommendations ............

6) This morning, before reading this thread, I made myself a promise that as a rule I wouldn't buty a new book until I had read one !! - let's see how long it lasts, hopefully my reading productivity will increase did read two (slim) books in the past fortnight.


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## beej6 (Feb 20, 2011)

I'd say I'm right around half. My excuse is being our church's librarian ;-).

I tend to read among a group of books rather than read one cover to cover, unless the one is going into the church library.


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## JennyG (Feb 20, 2011)

I have a bad habit of starting lots of books concurrently, and though they may all get finished eventually it can be a very long time in some cases


Sonny said:


> I find that a grasp a subject mid way through a book, and from that point on it draws out a point that had been stated in the past 10+ chapters. I tend to move on.


- that happens too!
But the main excuse for lots of unread books is snapping good ones up second hand while they're there, even if it's faster than I can read them.


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## Skyler (Feb 20, 2011)

Glancing over my collection, which encompasses all of two shelves of books (not counting my Kindle), I think I've read through almost all of my non-reference books. (Roughly 60% of my collection is reference books.) I think I've read maybe 50-75% of the books on my Kindle. (I'm actually in the middle of three of them right now, which is unusual for me. But I justify it because they're all different genres--one is a science book, one is theology, and one is fiction.)


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## N. Eshelman (Feb 25, 2011)

Standard answer to the question:

Questioner: "Have you read all of these books?" 

Me: "Some of them twice."


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