# How many books have you read in your lifetime... for fun :)



## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm always amazed at how many books people read. How many have you read in your lifetime? Of course, I'm not talking about in college... just recreational reading.

I believe I've read somewhere in excess of 100 books, but certainly not more than 125 (I think). Actually, with my own novels I've written, that might make 130 or so  . Do your own stories count?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I have no idea other than it's a lot more than 100. Let's see...I've been reading for fun pretty regularly since when I was still in single-digit years old, and I'm still going strong now that I'm 50-something. In my 20's and early 30's I was probably reading a minimum of one book a week and quite often 2. I've slowed down a bit now and probably don't quite average one a week.

Then there's the question of whether or not I should count re-reads. Even without them, I have to figure at least 1500 if my arithmetic is right. (I'm figuring somewhere around 35 new books each year on average for about 45 years as a good SWAG.) You could probably add another dozen or so re-reads per year on average.


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

Wow, 1500? That's a staggering amount of books. I'm trusting you left a little bit of time in there for sleep?

I feel so ignorant. I had no idea anyone could read that much.

All I can say is: Great Job!


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

NogDog said:


> I have no idea other than it's a lot more than 100. Let's see...I've been reading for fun pretty regularly since when I was still in single-digit years old, and I'm still going strong now that I'm 50-something. In my 20's and early 30's I was probably reading a minimum of one book a week and quite often 2. I've slowed down a bit now and probably don't quite average one a week.
> 
> Then there's the question of whether or not I should count re-reads. Even without them, I have to figure at least 1500 if my arithmetic is right. (I'm figuring somewhere around 35 new books each year on average for about 45 years as a good SWAG.) You could probably add another dozen or so re-reads per year on average.


Same here, but I'm a little older so probably two thousand to twenty five hundred.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

avg 2 books per week for 30 years.....52*30*2=3120 or so
some were re-reads....do those count?


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED BOOK?!!!! 

That's like all the books on Amazon... OK, it's few shy, but you get my point. You two guys are like freaks of nature (that's a compliment). Honestly, I had NO idea that people read that much. Amazing!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

ChristopherDavidPetersen said:


> TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED BOOK?!!!!
> 
> That's like all the books on Amazon... OK, it's few shy, but you get my point. You two guys are like freaks of nature (that's a compliment). Honestly, I had NO idea that people read that much. Amazing!


I know several people on GoodReads who have committed to reading 100 books this year in the book-reading challenge there. I'm a slacker in comparison to them.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

A lot. I really have no clue but in the past two years alone I have read over 400 books so......lots, lol. I started really reading (novels) when I was eight so if I had to guess I would say well over 1000 as well. 
If you counted bedtime stories and short stories and children's books, crap I would be well over 2000!


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm not getting any of my work done. I keep hitting the refresh button to see if someone has out done the rest. So far, the count is 3120 books.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

hmmm......I thought that was just pretty average


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## J.R.Mooneyham (Mar 14, 2011)

I read at least 2000 by college. I know the number because once I wasted several days generating the list instead of studying (of course, to jog my memory for the complete count, I perused a library and commercial book list or two for help; not every title you've read will come to you merely off the top of your head).

Probably 1000 of these were of either the science fiction or fantasy genres, such as Larry Niven and Tolkien books.

Work and other matters drastically reduced my book reading after college, so although I'm an old guy now, my grand total may still be substantially below 3000. However, since I've now begun publishing books myself, I feel I can justify my reading for business purposes (as I try to improve my own writing by closely examining the work of others). Hence, I've read more books in just the past few months than I did over perhaps the previous ten years.

However, my recent reading has made me recall some of the things which curtailed my reading appetite long ago; namely, I began getting much pickier back then, and found my favorite authors to only be outputting new works at a painfully glacial pace.

Fortunately, the internet today makes it much easier to possibly find new authors to pique your interests...


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## Lynn Mixon (Jan 2, 2011)

I have over 1500 in my personal library and I've read all of them. Guessing at the other books I've read over the last 3 plus decades and I'm sure the number I don't have anymore or never owned would be at least that. So let's say 3000.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

See Christopher, I am surprised at reading 130 in a life time.  . I thought authors are some of the most voracious readers out there.  

I have to give a guess, hmm, well I just started reading again 2.5 years go when I got my Kindle. Stopped for a few years. I am up to 383 for 2.5 years. So lets say 500 books in english and before that I have to take a wild guess and say around 1500 german books. Rough guess, might be more, might be less. Probably more though. 
Never been good at math   So ask me again in 10 years, if I read an average of 150 books a year I'll have the highest number beat by then  . Unless they keep reading. Then I'll just have to outlive them


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm sure I'm in the thousands with Nog et al.  . . Looking at 'my collection' at Amazon, I've bought 1,875 paper books in the last 15 years.  And another 1,065 ebooks.  Now, I've not read all of them. . .but in 15 years I have read MOST of them.  And then there are the books I've bought elsewhere. . . .when I lived in the UK for 3 years I was in the high street shop weekly buying books that were completely new to me -- not available in the US.  Plus I utilized the village library a lot. We'd lived lots of other places too and I bought books every where we lived and joined the local library. . .then you go back to college. . .and every year I took a literature course so read 8 or 10 a year just for classes. . . plus the reading for fun. . . .did a lot of reading for fun in HS too. . . . . so, at a rough estimate, in my lifetime, 2000 is probably a conservative number. . . . .


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Since I have about 4500 books in my library (yes, it takes up the entire middle-sized bedroom), I think I can safely say I've read more than 4500 books in my lifetime. I probably read 1000 to 1500 from libraries before I started buying the books I read. That would total around 6,000 books in 60+ years.

Mike


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## Mrs. K. (Dec 31, 2010)

I'll give a conservative estimate of 1900 based on reading about a book a week since age seven (I figure only chapter books count, and that's about when I would have started reading them.) Most weeks I read more than one, and some weeks (say, if I were sick in bed) I may have read considerably more.


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## kCopeseeley (Mar 15, 2011)

I have at LEAST 300 books in my personal collection, and I've read them all.  But that doesn't account for the VAST MAJORITY of books that I've read from the public library and now the Kindle.  From 11 to 19, I read about 5 books a week.  There were many weeks I read much more than that, but I'm going to be generous, call it five, and weed out those re-reads.  Google says that is 2,080.  When I went to college, that got cut down a LOT, let's say to 2 books a week, but I was bad and read during class, so my reading didn't suffer too badly.  16 weeks a semester, and two semesters, so that is 32 weeks of 2 books a week and 20 weeks of back up to 4 for summer break.  Multiply that by another 8 years, and you have... 512 +640 = 1,152.  
After college my reading went WAY downhill, and I read probably 3 books a week.  I've been graduated for 5 years, so that is... another 780 books.

My grand total is 4,012.  Although, I just want to say, I think that is a conservative estimate.  I'm not counting all the books I read before fifth grade.  

I'm sure it with my writing, my reading will slow down.  It has to, because writing is taking a precedence for me.

But there is a reason I call myself a bibliophile.  Hardcore.


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

I know I haven't read many books, but I have a good excuse (sort of)... instead of reading about adventures, I spent my time living them for real. If you visit my facebook photos, you'll see what I'm talking about. 
http://m.facebook.com/?w2m&_rdr#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.113481452068546.20942.100002200767589&op=1&v&refid=17



Atunah said:


> See Christopher, I am surprised at reading 130 in a life time. . I thought authors are some of the most voracious readers out there.
> 
> I have to give a guess, hmm, well I just started reading again 2.5 years go when I got my Kindle. Stopped for a few years. I am up to 383 for 2.5 years. So lets say 500 books in english and before that I have to take a wild guess and say around 1500 german books. Rough guess, might be more, might be less. Probably more though.
> Never been good at math  So ask me again in 10 years, if I read an average of 150 books a year I'll have the highest number beat by then . Unless they keep reading. Then I'll just have to outliv


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Wow, I don't think I could begin to guess how many books I've read in my life. My teen years of Baby-Sitters Club books alone would put me over 100. Back in the day I had the whole series.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

well, the one year I recently kept track it was 308... let's say average year 250... I'm 40, I've been a reader all my life, but for simplicity, lets say 30yearsx250books..7,500. Yes I read ALOT and yes I read FAST.. I do have a life, I have been married 20 years, I have 3 teenagers, I am a full-time college student, and .. I read.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

BTackitt said:


> well, the one year I recently kept track it was 308... let's say average year 250... I'm 40, I've been a reader all my life, but for simplicity, lets say 30yearsx250books..7,500. Yes I read ALOT and yes I read FAST.. I do have a life, I have been married 20 years, I have 3 teenagers, I am a full-time college student, and .. I read.


You win


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Nah Atunah.. I know there are people who read like I do, and are older, so their totals will be higher..


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## Keair (Apr 18, 2011)

I honestly have no idea how many books I have read in my lifetime. I've been trying to build up my shelf on Shelfari because I am actually really curious about this myself. So far I have around 300 books on the shelf but I own more than that. If I had to guess I would say the number was at least 1,000 but no more than 3,000...I don't think. hahaha I read alot.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

BTackitt said:


> Nah Atunah.. I know there are people who read like I do, and are older, so their totals will be higher..


But imagine what you can do in the _next_ 40 years. 

I know some people wonder how one can read that much and still have a life. But I said it somewhere else before, its all a matter of delegating and some of us read fast.


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## jongoff (Mar 31, 2011)

I sat down to figure this out once, many years ago.  I calculate that I've read in excess of a thousand books. Looking through my library and checking off what I have read, not counting reference books, I have well over a thousand books, and I've read them all.  There are other books I read when I was younger that I no longer have a copy of, but if I were to estimate I'd say I'm closing in on 2,000.  I don't read as much as I used to, and I don't read at all when I write because I find myself taking on the voice of the person I'm reading, which I don't want to do.  The fact is, if it's printed, I'll read it.  My appetite is voracious.  The great thing about the kindle is I can keep buying books without having to buy more shelves


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

It would be hard to count.  I started reading at 4 and by 1st grade I was reading multiple books a month.  From 9 to about 17 I read maybe 4 books a week ... college and my 20's slowed down immensely as I couldn't afford to buy many books - but I still read about 1 a week .... my 30's it picked up to about 6 a month and for the past 3 or 4 years now I've been reading about 10 - 12 a month.  I read 129 books last year and I've read 45 so far this year.  Now, many of those are re-reads as I have numerous series I've read 3 or more times (last year I re-read 16 books and this year I've already re-read 9).

So I'll estimate that at age 45 I've read over 4000 books - somewhere between 4k and 4.3k ....


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Yup - at about 2-4 books a week, and I'm 38, probably around 3000.  But many of them are re-reads.  Also - I forget them quickly.  That's great, because I can enjoy them again just as much when I read them again.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Certainly more than 2,000. I average 2 to 3 books a week and sometimes as many as 2 a day so... At least 2,000. That does include re-reads though. I frequently re-read books that I enjoyed.


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## valleycat1 (Mar 15, 2011)

I join those shocked to think  Christopher has only read 150.  I read at least 2-3 a week, sometimes more (thank you, public library) - so I read in one year what you've read in your lifetime (yikes!).  I have more already read books on my shelves at home than you've ever read. Even at *just* 3 a week, x 52 weeks/year, x 50 years of reading, I'm probably at least at 7500! Not many rereads.  I obviously can't recall a lot of them, but if I pick one up that I've read in the past, I usually realize it within a page or two.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

valleycat1 said:


> if I pick one up that I've read in the past, I usually realize it within a page or two.


Me too.. and at least with Kindle, you don't re-purchase a book. I used to hate when publishing companies brought out old books with a new cover and you'd think OOOO new book!.. get home and WTF! I've already read this!

Now when I click on a link to a book thinking hmm that sounds good, Amazon is kind enought to tell me, you already OWN this book (moron) Go look through your 600 unread books on your Kindle.


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## Remi Michaud (Apr 24, 2011)

Gee, I dunno. I've never actually tried to figure it out. I would have to guess somewhere between 3000 and 3500. At, say, 2.5 books per week * 25 years (That's assuming I started reading at 9 which isn't quite true but I'm sure there were some weeks during my life where I couldn't read 2.5 books) that's 3250. I'd imagine that's accurate within a couple hundred.


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## KJ Kron (Mar 24, 2011)

Wow, there are some serious readers here.  I've probably read about 500, although I could only remember about 400 on goodreads - I'm trying to get over 1,000 in my lifetime.  But I try to stay away from too much trashy fiction - I try to read a couple of classics a year and non-fiction as well.  I say I read about 25 books a year. 

Do children's books count?  Then that number would be much higher.

I'm an author - someone mentioned earlier that they thought authors read more than other people.  I feel an author should read a lot, but an author also devotes a good chunk of time writing where other people could spend that time reading.  At least that's my take.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

2500+...


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## BuddyGott (Feb 4, 2011)

Trying to figure out how many books I've read is making my head hurt. I started getting serious about reading when I was 13. I lived directly across the street from a library and spent countless hours there. I must have read several hundred books by the time I was out of high school. 

Since that was at least, uh, a dozen (or so) years ago, my total now is probably closer to a thousand books.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

KJ Kron said:


> Wow, there are some serious readers here. I've probably read about 500, although I could only remember about 400 on goodreads - I'm trying to get over 1,000 in my lifetime. But I try to stay away from too much trashy fiction - I try to read a couple of classics a year and non-fiction as well. I say I read about 25 books a year.
> 
> Do children's books count? Then that number would be much higher.
> 
> I'm an author - someone mentioned earlier that they thought authors read more than other people. I feel an author should read a lot, but an author also devotes a good chunk of time writing where other people could spend that time reading. At least that's my take.


That is not the case necessarily. Stephen King posited that an author should spend equal time reading and writing. I spend the time reading that some do watching tv.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Wow...I have no idea! I'm guessing 2500 or so over 45 years, presuming I was mostly reading on my own around age 5, and if we're counting the short books we read as kids...


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## Miriam Minger (Nov 27, 2010)

More than I can count or even recall!

Miriam Minger


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

1,037

Yes, I've kept count. ;-)

Though that probably doesn't include a hundred or so books read for school and college.

Wish I read faster. I only average about 45 books a year over the last decade.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I suspect a pile of the books I have read would reach the moon, or at least the space station. I always have a book in the works, with others waiting. I started when I was very young and now I'm 53, someone else will have to do the math.


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## Jud (Jun 22, 2010)

OMG, I think I inhaled every one of the Nancy Drew books by the time I was 11. Next came Trixie Beldon mysteries.  Then I moved up to Gothics from Victoria Holt, Virginia Coffman (LOVED her books).  Next came the Romances.  The total of books I've read would be in the thousands.  I have always loved to read and I read fast.  I read Twilight one Sunday afternoon when the family was out.


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## KJ Kron (Mar 24, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> That is not the case necessarily. Stephen King posited that an author should spend equal time reading and writing. I spend the time reading that some do watching tv.


True - I'm humble enough to say you've got me beat and you've written novels. I wish I could retire and read and write more often.


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

valleycat1 said:


> I join those shocked to think Christopher has only read 150.


That BASTARD... only a 150 book? I say take him out back and burn him at the stake. He MUST be some kind of no-good illiterate, completely without worth... an atheist even!!

If I ever catch that man on the street... WELL... well, I'd rather not say...

But to be sure, I'd let him know just how inadequate he is.

Does everyone feel the same way about the bastard Christopher David Petersen? Please - don't hold back. Tell 'em how you feel.

(BTW - for those who think I'm serious, or a lunatic, I am just having fun with it all - hope I didn't offend anyone  )


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

ChristopherDavidPetersen said:


> That BASTARD... only a 150 book? I say take him out back and burn him at the stake. He MUST be some kind of no-good illiterate, completely without worth... an atheist even!!


Burning's a bit much ... it might accidentally spread to a book and I can't support book burning (I only support burning incense and witches - you know, things that smell nice ...). Maybe we should just break out the reading stick and beat some literature into him ....


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

Geoffrey said:


> Maybe we should just break out the reading stick and beat some literature into him ....


Not the reading stick again... they used that on me in college, but alas, I was too smart for them. I read enough to get me though school, then only read 150 books since.

Humph... and they thought they were dealing with an idiot, an amateur. Guess I showed them.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

You still have plenty of years to go to catch up a bit Christopher  

I figured, I better get as many books in as I can while my eyes still cooperate. Its getting worse every year  . 

150 books is till way more than a lot of people read. My dad I am pretty sure never read a novel in his life. He just isn't that kind of person. 

Fun thread though you started, pretty amazing the amount of books, and paper and papercuts   shared here. 

But you better get a move on on the reading progress, or else you'll have written on your tombstone:

"He of only 150 books read" 

Now why does that read funny. I'll use my foreigner excuse now


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## brianspringer13 (Apr 24, 2011)

Wow, good question. Probably about 1500. Pretty pathetic compared to most of the people on here.

Springer


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## Julie Christensen (Oct 13, 2010)

I'm a slow reader, but I used to read a book or two a week when I rode the subway to work.  That changed in my late twenties and thirties to probably one book every two weeks.  (No more mass transit).  Now that I'm a mom of two toddlers, I only get to read about 20-30 minutes at night before I fall asleep.  So I'd say that I'm at about 1500?  Since the fourth grade or so, I don't think I've ever not been reading a book.  I think other posters on this thread can identify.  Even in grad school, I made time to read.  I couldn't live without reading and I don't think I could sleep at night without first checking in with my current book.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

ChristopherDavidPetersen said:


> That BASTARD... only a 150 book? I say take him out back and burn him at the stake. He MUST be some kind of no-good illiterate, completely without worth... an atheist even!!
> 
> If I ever catch that man on the street... WELL... well, I'd rather not say...
> 
> ...


In your defense, you're definitely looking at one extreme end of the spectrum here. You're still way above average. I can't remember the statistic, but the average books read for an American I think was barely in the double digits.

edit:
answers.com has it at about 9 books per year on average
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_books_does_the_average_american_read_per_year


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## Emily Kimelman (Apr 29, 2011)

I got a late start on reading but I'd guess from the age of 12 until today at age 30 I've read about a 1000 books. 

I once broke up with a boyfriend because we were over at a friend's house and there was a big bookshelf. He asked if I could imagine reading that many books even in a lifetime. Turned out I couldn't imagine being with someone who couldn't imagine reading that many books.


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

Hi Thumper, 
I just noticed your avatar. I'm STILL laughing as I write this. Too funny...


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Well, I started reading at the age of three.

I read constantly as a kid. (I was an only child, for the most part, and we moved around a lot.)

As an adult, reading is what I do instead of watching television.

I'm 42 now, so I would guess: 7,000+


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

Like Red Adept, I started reading when I was three and I read fast. Nowadays, I average just under a book a day because I've grown busier with kids and teaching, etc. I'd say I read between 200-300 books a year and I'm 37. About 9350?


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

KMA said:


> Like Red Adept, I started reading when I was three and I read fast. Nowadays, I average just under a book a day because I've grown busier with kids and teaching, etc. I'd say I read between 200-300 books a year and I'm 37. About 9350?


Wow! Maybe I need to add you to my Review Staff.


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## NaomiMarx (Apr 9, 2011)

I've never counted the books I read, but it looks like what ever the number is I'm out numbered here. The number of books I read in a month decrease substantially when I pick up Gore Vidal or Dostoevsky, as I tend to have to re read what I read, and they seem to take quite a bit longer. But when I offset them with children's books, like, "my friend rabbit" the numbers start to increase substantially!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

darkbow said:


> Yes, I've kept count. ;-)


Wish I had.....but the Kindle counts for me now (I archive books I have finished).......41 books in the past 102 days

One of my very first memories is standing on a kitchen chair, turning the pages of the New York Times and asking my mother when would I be able to read.....my parents started working with me that night.....I was reading at a very early age. Through the years I have always had 5-7 books going simultaneously (not counting school/work). I am a fast reader and the Kindle has increased my speed considerably.

55+ years of reading = thousands of books


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

RedAdept said:


> Wow! Maybe I need to add you to my Review Staff.


Sounds like fun!


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## MaryKingsley (Mar 26, 2011)

I read 2-3 books per week average, and have since I started reading.  I've easily read over 6,000.

We have a 50 book challenge going at my library.  I finished that a couple of weeks ago.  My boss and I had a friendly wager as to who could finish first.  If she won, she got pizza; if I did, I got chocolate cake.  Let's just say we had a cake party this week!  The last time we competed, to see who could read the most in 6 months, we each read 82 books.  Now I'm aiming for 150 for the year.  Don't know if I'll make it, as I have tried before and failed, and I wasn't heavily involved in writing when I set the goal.  We'll see.


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## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

I lost track about a couple of thousands ago.  Started at age three. and now at 57,have no idea.    First book was Cat in the Hat and loved all his books.  Favorite Suess is Horton hears a hoo.  Just love to read.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

From 15 to 25, I probably read two books a week, except the college years (during which I still read!).  After my son was born, I slowed to one a week.  Then I started writing novels, and now it varies, but is probably one or two a month. I'm too lazy to do the math, but it's a lot of books. 
L.J.


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

Whoohoo - I just finished two more books this month. Many whopping total now is in the 130's.

My wife thinks I've read a lot more, but I have her fooled...


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

ChristopherDavidPetersen said:


> Whoohoo - I just finished two more books this month. Many whopping total now is in the 130's.
> 
> My wife thinks I've read a lot more, but I have her fooled...


You mean two more in May? That's a pretty good clip....you should be in the thousands in no time.....


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## John Booth (May 1, 2011)

I have over 1500 books on my shelves and I've read all those.  

Last time I actually counted I think it was in excess of 3000. I've slowed right down though and I doubt I'll double what I read in my first 25 years in the rest of my life. When I was in my teens I was reading over 10 a week using the library. I wasn't so much living as reading. I only buy about 20 books a year these days.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

The funny thing is that writing doesn't slow down my reading at all. There is a great line in a Joseph Hansen novel said by the young genius protagonist about how his mind is like a small animal that bangs its head against the bars unless it's fed something to read and if its shown television it starts making up songs and singing loudly.

I so identify with that. For me, I could go without food before I went without books. If I don't read regularly, my brain hurts.


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