Observation of the day

    "He gestured for her to follow him and led the way into a room off the back of the hall. 'The library,' he said. 'Rather a lot of unread books.'

    Her eyes went to the shelves that stretched up to within a few inches of the ceiling. All four walls were covered; piles of books stood here and there, teetering, vulnerable, she judged, to the slightest footfall. 'But who doesn't have a lot of unread books? It's nice, though, just to know that they're there.'"

    That observation comes from Isabel Dalhousie in Alexander McCall Smith's The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds (out very soon), and as someone who has a lot of unread books, I'd agree with her view of their presence as a source of pleasure, comfort and as yet undiscovered delight.

    How do you view a large collection of books you haven't read? A waste, a reproach, and a cause of stress? A treasure trove? Or would such a thing not move you either way?

Comments

[Jo]

Oh yes, it is certainly a lovely thought knowing they are there and at any time when you may need something different to what you are currently reading or finished there is a huge choice! It is like your own personal bookshop.

They look good, they can bring enjoyment as you spend time sorting and resorting them. They are there and for that I feel safe and my future reading is safe until the next batch of books arrive and so it all begins again.

[LauraC]

Just looking at my bookshelves, full of both favorite reads and unread books, is stress reducing. I do not keep books that I have tried or read through that I would not anticipate reading again. They are donated to the library (where I probably bought them from used in the first place.) So comfort comes from seeing old favorites AND future possibilities.

[Sandy]

A pile of unread books 'somewhere else' is a mine of untapped resources and a pleasure to contemplate.

A pile in my possession is a nagging weight demanding my attention and stopping me from reading new discoveries until they are cleared.

OK I know this is dumb...

[GeraniumCat]

Oh, definitely a treasure trove! I like to have lots of unread books - what if we get snowed in again? It's happened several times...

[Karen]

My unread books used to bother me, rather like the housework I should have been doing. Now I don't mind the books or the housework quite as much. Life is too short to worry about these things.

[Mr Cornflower]

Insulation.

[Susan in TX]

A treasure trove waiting to be explored. It occasionally bothers me that some have been waiting for an extremely long time, but for the most part, it is comforting to know I only have to walk across the room for a new adventure. :)

[Dark Puss]

I have well over a million unread books (fiction and non-fiction) just in English awaiting me. Very, very few of them are in my posession. Unread books are just that unless you have shelves (or floors) that you wish to keep clear for other items else I cannot see why they should worry anyone. I just have to walk into a library for my new adventures.

[LizF]

As the owner of a very large number of unread books they are both a reproach and a treasure trove.
But I definitely don't think that they are a waste.

[Erika]

I have very few unread books except that I am now using my Kindle as a nice repository for books I will want to read when in different moods.
I am mostly a re-reader and I am now inspired to check how many unread books I do have on my shelves. I am going to guess no more than a handful. I don't include my husband's books as our tastes are very different.

[Janet]

Surely a pile (or shelvesfull) of unread books is a treasure trove, either in your own home or a library, no question. No-one can read everything and I think it a comfort to have something new to explore, whatever format it may be in.It was what public libraries were invented for, amongst other reasons.

[Dark Puss]

Janet I couldn't agree more with you about libraries! What are we doing in the UK (well certainly in England) by closing so many of them down? Let's keep the proles in ignorance ...

[Ravingreader.wordpress.com]

As LizF noted, my books are both a treasure trove and a reproach, depending on the day and which way the wind is blowing... Today, they are a gorgeous treat waiting to be tasted!

:-)

liz in texas

[Erika]

Oh funny--my husband said "insulation" also He has stacks of unread books and after a count I find that I have only 11.

[ctussaud]

My husband once said to me, (after Molly Sugden, of course), "Bums keep seats. Not books."

[Julie]

Each book on my shelf tells a story. Not just the one within the pages, but I can recall where many came from, or who gave it to me. I like a pile of books, contemplation of what to read next.....

[Cornflower]

Yes indeed - books' associations are very important.