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vxf · 11-01-2012, 02:31 PM

My preferences are very volatile. And I seem to need to change things around - so I will not read two 'similar' books one after the other, generally.

So I have learned that having an extensive number of ebooks ready for perusal does not make much sense. Even more, I have been switching devices with astonishing frequency (I think every year I end up with a new ebook reader, even if I promise myself not to), which makes it even more pointless.

So, I keep a list on Goodreads. If I stumble upon anything I might want to read, I click on it. Not sure how many books are there. Probably about 100 or so. But I don't go looking for them until I feel like actually reading them. If I decide I want to read something, it generally does not take more than a couple of minutes to find it... so I don't really worry about it in advance.

Now, that's for fun. For academics - that is, for work - it's a whole different story. I have 68 academic articles on my iPad, to be read, 4 textbooks to go through by Christmas, and a list of probably 20 or so books I want to read, most of which I have in paper copies.

I am not sure what is an optimal amount. I just now that organizing up front can lead to a lot of wasted time, if standards or devices change. I spent a good chunk of my childhood collecting and organizing music tapes and records. The records retain their own appeal, but tapes? I am not making that mistake again...

Carpe diem. Or carpe libro (??? is that even right ???) and just get reading. Life's too short to organize, I say.

11-01-2012, 02:31 PM	#2
vxf Guru Posts: 944 Karma: 1490348 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Norman, OK Device: Sony PRS 350, 900, 950; Kindles (ALL of them!); Kobo Aura One	My preferences are very volatile. And I seem to need to change things around - so I will not read two 'similar' books one after the other, generally. So I have learned that having an extensive number of ebooks ready for perusal does not make much sense. Even more, I have been switching devices with astonishing frequency (I think every year I end up with a new ebook reader, even if I promise myself not to), which makes it even more pointless. So, I keep a list on Goodreads. If I stumble upon anything I might want to read, I click on it. Not sure how many books are there. Probably about 100 or so. But I don't go looking for them until I feel like actually reading them. If I decide I want to read something, it generally does not take more than a couple of minutes to find it... so I don't really worry about it in advance. Now, that's for fun. For academics - that is, for work - it's a whole different story. I have 68 academic articles on my iPad, to be read, 4 textbooks to go through by Christmas, and a list of probably 20 or so books I want to read, most of which I have in paper copies. I am not sure what is an optimal amount. I just now that organizing up front can lead to a lot of wasted time, if standards or devices change. I spent a good chunk of my childhood collecting and organizing music tapes and records. The records retain their own appeal, but tapes? I am not making that mistake again... Carpe diem. Or carpe libro (??? is that even right ???) and just get reading. Life's too short to organize, I say.