# How many unread books do you own? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 6, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670 "2003-11-06T07:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/41 "2003-11-08T06:40:08Z")
I’ve got maybe 10 books that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet. Some were by authors that I want to read but require a good amount of time to do so, some are things that I bought really cheap on the off chance that it might interest me, and one was something that I was sure I would like but can’t get past the first 95 pages no matter how often I try to read it. (Autumn of the Patriarch) I’ve moved 4 times in the last three years so I’ve pruned away just about all the excess from my book collection. I now prefer to go tp the library once every two weeks and check out a few books. My local library has a really good selection and you can go online and reserve soemthing new that you want to read. My wife has aproximately the same number of unread books. She goes to a Russian language bookstore and buys them in large quantities and spends the next few months reading them. Luckily, she gets them pretty cheap. On average, she pays 4 bucks per book. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/42 "2003-11-08T07:15:39Z")
I’d venture to guess 70 to 100. ---
**Author:** ![Kreekurmudgeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@Kreekurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kreekurmudgeon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/43 "2003-11-09T00:52:57Z")
Forty-seven. I was down to zero, but I went to the used-book store yesterday. Now I have books but no money. Good exchange. It doesn’t take long to read money. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/44 "2003-11-09T01:14:51Z")
Most of you people have more unread books than I have _read_ books. Then again, I probably own more unread books than the number of books I’ve actually read. I’m not much of a book reader, especially fiction. And non-fiction. Hrmm… ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Peter\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/45 "2003-11-09T01:17:25Z")
I was going to say none. When I buy a book it gets read within the first week. This doesn’t include gift books however. If I count all the the garage sale specials my mother drops by it adds up to about 40 - 50 before I find time to sort though and dispose of the ones I don’t want. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/46 "2003-11-09T02:02:01Z")
I went to the library today (three books on loan and bought one of their discards), then over to the mall for lunch. After that I dropped into Chapters and bought two more off the remainder table. Tomorrow I have to go out to another bookstore that’s holding a magazine for me, and have to try getting past their great selection of remainders. Does that give you an idea how many unread books I have? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/47 "2003-11-09T02:22:57Z")
Probably about a hundred. Living overseas in a country where English books are overpriced, my book buying tends to be done in huge bursts. Either I spend a few months putting stuff in my Amazon cart before sending it over in one big shipment, or one of the local stores holds a clearance sale to free up space and I go nuts. Either way, I end up with a dozen or so new books at a time, some of which get read immediately, some of which sit for a while. Inevitably, some will still be left over when the next frenzy starts, and will be left unread until some random urge strikes. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/48 "2003-11-09T02:24:35Z")
I’m not sure. More than 20, less than 50. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/49 "2003-11-09T03:01:04Z")
I think I’ve read all of my books, including most of my dictionary. How can you have books and not read them? ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/50 "2003-11-09T05:57:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by c\_carol \* > \*\*I think I’ve read all of my books, including most of my dictionary. How can you have books and not read them? \*\* ummm because it takes a minute to buy them and a week plus or minus to read them. ---
**Author:** ![smersh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@smersh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smersh)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670/51 "2003-11-09T06:48:23Z")
Over 500. My father is a book collecor and recently gave me about 20 boxes of books. Since I only read about 1 a month, I’m OK for a while. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-unread-books-do-you-own/211670.md?page=2)