Have you read all the books in your collection?

All but one book and a dozen newsletters. I just got them. I have a number of books that I haven't read, primarily because they're not intended to be read from one end to the other (e.g. the CRC bible).

I haven't read all the books because my wife and I share our bookshelf, and our interests do not always intersect, plus I could never keep up with her. Plus, I generally have a few books in my stack that I plan to read.

Brian - when you create a survey, take a step back and imagine that you have come to this site for the first time, and that survey is the first survey you've ever seen. What's your gut reaction? Does it feel inviting and inclusive? Welcoming? Are all the answers phrased equally positively? Is there an answer for everyone, or at least an Other for those who don't fit into your answer categories? Imagine you are a telephone poll survey taker, and you're calling people and asking them what they think about the topic - how would you phrase it so they would want to answer, and so they would feel invited to answer? Just some points to ponder.

Neither answer applies. I have not read all the books in the house, but I don't agree with the "who wants a library of books they've already read" part.

Neither answer really applies. I have read most of the books that I own. I tend to buy several new books at a time so there are always 2 or 3 on my list of books waiting to be read.

nope.. i keep buying more and getting distracted.. same thing for my computer games.. I have ones that I haven't played yet.. or played partially.. I have probably at least a dozen books I haven't gotten to.. and as I get to them, I buy more..

I've read all the books on my shelves except for the shelf full of books I haven't read.

So ... it never occurred to you that there might be other answers besides these two?

I've read all of the fiction, but not all of the nonfiction. I plan on reading all of the nonfiction eventually, so neither of these options apply to me. Also, the options are poorly worded.

I collect well-engineered pop-up & interactive books & have, of course, read all of them, but the rest of my collection is non-fiction with a lot of reference so it is probably about 50-50.

No, but not "of course not." I certainly intend to at some point, except perhaps for some of the technical books. I have a tendency to buy a technical book on a subject and then feel as though the act of buying it is all that's required; actually reading it would be too much to ask.

Alas, no - my partner reads much faster than I do, and I have no chance of keeping up.

Pretty much. I do have a shelf of "To Be Read" books that are where the latest haul from the bookstore sit until I've read them and put them away, but there's rarely more than about ten things on it (that's probably about a month's worth).

These options would have been better with more straightforward answers.

Both answers are true for me, so I answered neither - I've got a library of books I have read, and a bookcase full of books I haven't read.

I've read all the ones on the shelves (probably 1500 or more). I have a stack of 6 still waiting to be read.

I want a library of books I've already read, but I haven't yet gotten around to reading them all. Bad options. And there should always be an "other".

I guess, roughly, that I have read 90% of the books I own.

'I have so many books to read, I can never die.'

I shop for books in thrift stores and half price book stores... mostly all used books... since I get them really cheap, I usually get a bunch at a time... I have about 5 or 10 on the shelf right now that I haven't read yet.

Except for the ones in the "to read" pile.

It is a game of incremental addition. Actually, in the last move (december), I had to part with some books.

By the way, obnoxious surveys don't bother me, but i would understand why they would bother Bill.

Because I'm a crack addict? I'm so glad my crack habit is out in the open now! I feel so much better, free to be me!

Can we PLEEEZ get away from the self-deprecating questions?!?!

i've decided to classify my unread books as reference material. doing so allows me to continue to purchase books and happily alleviate what miniscule guilt i feel for not reading everything i already have.

Nope, which says nothing about my reading habits and a lot about my buying habits (I read a lot, but I buy *heaps*) Last estimate I came up with something like 60-80 unread books (and these are just the ones I own, not including ones on my list I don't own)

supplicant: I thought I was the king of unread vooks! I abdicate to you, sir.

most...not all

A belated explanation: The "Of course not dummy" comment is not mine. It's a quote from author Harlan Ellison. he showed a friend his massive library, and this friend said "Did you really read all those books?" to which he replied, "Of course not dummy. Who wants a library full of books they've already read?"

Brian: there are plenty of people with even more than that, disturbing thought eh? ;)

I like the quote, but I think it was rather out of place and was missed by most of us unfortunately.

I often buy several books at a time so there are always a few books I haven't read yet.

No.