How many ebooks should you have? - Page 3

owly · 11-02-2012, 03:54 AM

As many as you feel comfortable with. After that you join the E-books Addict thread.

rhadin · 11-02-2012, 04:21 AM

I have about 2700 fiction ebooks in my TBR pile (buy nonfiction onky in hardcover) and I add several new ones each day. Will I read all of them? Unlikely. I find that a book's description entices me and so I add the the book to my TBR. Often, when I finally get to the book, I find the blurb is the best written part of the book and after a few pages hit the delete button.

eBooks have allowed me to broaden my fiction reading experience especially because the 98% of the ebooks in my TBR are freebies. My reading priority, generally, is that I read the ebooks I paid for first then the freebies. In some cases, the freebie seems particularly interesting and I will treat it as if I bought it, in terms of reading priority.

Like many other have commented, what interests me today may not interest me tomorrow so I try to obtain a wide variety of ebooks.

To complicate matters, I also buy nonfiction but in hardcover. These books are priority reads for me, but I generally have 2 or 3 books being read concurrently. I spend a few hours on the hardcover and then a few hours on the ebooks each day.

soulfuldog · 11-02-2012, 07:11 AM

I've got about 700 in Calibre. Far too many freebies from Amazon and some old classics that I will probably never read.... I might read them though, and it's great, despite being worried about spending a lot more on books than I did before I got an ereader, I've spent a little bit more but not much, and have a ton more books available to read.

jbcohen · 11-02-2012, 07:24 AM

Oh my 4500 TBR, and I thought my pile was bad its up around five at the moment and typically never goes above that. My Mrs thinks I am nuts for having anything on that stack.

pdurrant · 11-02-2012, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

So, I guess I will just keep on collecting. What do you think is a reasonable number of books to have in TBR? And how do you justify it (if you think justification is even necessary)?

It rather depends on how you defined your TBR. I don't count free ebooks. I get any free ebook that looks vaguely interesting, but I don't necessarily download and look after them.

Books that I've bought, on the other hand, do count. I think that around a three month TBR list is reasonable. That way you're unlikely to run out of books to read, but equally you're able to add a new release and read it without worry.

For me a TBR of three months would be about 40 to 50 books. My TBR at the moment is 343 books. Whoops.

I now don't expect to get my TBR down to the 50 book range before the end of 2014 at the earliest, and it's more likely to be the end of 2015 or later.

Apache · 11-02-2012, 08:03 AM

My wife has always said she was going to stuff my coffin with as many books as it would hold. And unless it was extra large it would not hold all. Now with ebooks, all she has to do is throw in my current ereader.

Apache

pdurrant · 11-02-2012, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apache

My wife has always said she was going to stuff my coffin with as many books as it would hold. And unless it was extra large it would not hold all. Now with ebooks, all she has to do is throw in my current ereader.

Apache

Just so long as she doesn't change her mind and exhume you to get it back. (c.f. Rossetti).

DrNefario · 11-02-2012, 09:10 AM

I think when you start to lose track of the books you have that you actually want to read, then it might be time to stop accumulating for a while.

I've been trying to gather up my data into a TBR spreadsheet, lately. At the moment it's in the 400s, and doesn't yet include quite a lot of stuff, but it also does include some books I don't really care if I never read. When I've got everything in there, I'm going to cull the ones I'm less interested in to a second list, and see where I really stand.

In the meantime, I'm only buying new books I really want to read now (or I really want to read later and are on sale), and I'm not grabbing freebies unless they really sound like something I might like.

Apache · 11-02-2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Just so long as she doesn't change her mind and exhume you to get it back. (c.f. Rossetti).

She has her own.

Apache

CWatkinsNash · 11-02-2012, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deljah

I have about 6,000 ebooks. I don't expect to ever read them all, but I do so love to collect them. I consider myself to be creating an e-library rather than just a TBR pile. I'll never read everything in my county's public library, but they certainly don't have too many books!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreams

I have over a thousand, but not yet ten thousand ebooks.

I stopped worrying about the amount and started enjoying the fact that I can meander through them to choose what I want to read at the time I want to read. I love it. I no longer have to go out somewhere to wander around a bookstore, then come home and realize that I really am not in the mood to read what I brought home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I think when you start to lose track of the books you have that you actually want to read, then it might be time to stop accumulating for a while.

That's what calibre is for. 3000+ and still growing. "Want to read" is a bit nebulous - I know all too well that what I want to read this month may change next month, so I must have a bit of nearly everything. If it's in my library, then it's something I feel I will want to read at some point.

I see no logical reason to limit myself as long as I'm not blowing my budget.

Tarana · 11-02-2012, 11:26 AM

I have several thousand ebooks. I don't let it worry me. They will all be read by one family member or another eventually. Many are things I have read before. I also 'collect' ebooks for family members. My Mom is a big old western fan and you can get most of those titles for free from Guttenberg and covert them. It is the stuff that is current that I am limited on - only so much money can be spared from quilting.

elcreative · 11-02-2012, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I think when you start to lose track of the books you have that you actually want to read, then it might be time to stop accumulating for a while.

snip...

Why???

elcreative · 11-02-2012, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Just so long as she doesn't change her mind and exhume you to get it back. (c.f. Rossetti).

And don't forget to have the coffin fitted with Solar charging...

Dr. Drib · 11-02-2012, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apache

My wife has always said she was going to stuff my coffin with as many books as it would hold. And unless it was extra large it would not hold all. Now with ebooks, all she has to do is throw in my current ereader.

Apache

Please tell me where you will be buried.

Don

crich70 · 11-02-2012, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Well, my 14 year old daughter thinks I was born in the stone age, so it is all relative. But thanks anyway!

You mean she thinks todays adults got their start back when the tablets were literally made of stone? lol. I remember when Pac man and Pong were the state of the art, and now they call them 'retro' games. Of course back then a cell phone was roughly the size of a WWII walkie talkie.
Back then the notion of ebooks was little more than a science fiction prop. I still think my kindle looks a bit like the PADD device they used for books on ST:TNG. Of course ebooks did exist back then courtesy of Michael Hart and Project Gutenberg, but it's kinda hard to fit a CRT monitor, tower and keyboard into your jacket pocket.

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11-02-2012, 03:54 AM	#31
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	As many as you feel comfortable with. After that you join the E-books Addict thread.

11-02-2012, 04:21 AM	#32
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	I have about 2700 fiction ebooks in my TBR pile (buy nonfiction onky in hardcover) and I add several new ones each day. Will I read all of them? Unlikely. I find that a book's description entices me and so I add the the book to my TBR. Often, when I finally get to the book, I find the blurb is the best written part of the book and after a few pages hit the delete button. eBooks have allowed me to broaden my fiction reading experience especially because the 98% of the ebooks in my TBR are freebies. My reading priority, generally, is that I read the ebooks I paid for first then the freebies. In some cases, the freebie seems particularly interesting and I will treat it as if I bought it, in terms of reading priority. Like many other have commented, what interests me today may not interest me tomorrow so I try to obtain a wide variety of ebooks. To complicate matters, I also buy nonfiction but in hardcover. These books are priority reads for me, but I generally have 2 or 3 books being read concurrently. I spend a few hours on the hardcover and then a few hours on the ebooks each day.

11-02-2012, 07:11 AM	#33
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	I've got about 700 in Calibre. Far too many freebies from Amazon and some old classics that I will probably never read.... I might read them though, and it's great, despite being worried about spending a lot more on books than I did before I got an ereader, I've spent a little bit more but not much, and have a ton more books available to read.

11-02-2012, 07:24 AM	#34
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,032 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	Oh my 4500 TBR, and I thought my pile was bad its up around five at the moment and typically never goes above that. My Mrs thinks I am nuts for having anything on that stack.

11-02-2012, 08:03 AM	#36
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,277 Karma: 90000484 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	My wife has always said she was going to stuff my coffin with as many books as it would hold. And unless it was extra large it would not hold all. Now with ebooks, all she has to do is throw in my current ereader. Apache

11-02-2012, 09:10 AM	#38
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,203 Karma: 12029046 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I think when you start to lose track of the books you have that you actually want to read, then it might be time to stop accumulating for a while. I've been trying to gather up my data into a TBR spreadsheet, lately. At the moment it's in the 400s, and doesn't yet include quite a lot of stuff, but it also does include some books I don't really care if I never read. When I've got everything in there, I'm going to cull the ones I'm less interested in to a second list, and see where I really stand. In the meantime, I'm only buying new books I really want to read now (or I really want to read later and are on sale), and I'm not grabbing freebies unless they really sound like something I might like.

11-02-2012, 11:26 AM	#41
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,038 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I have several thousand ebooks. I don't let it worry me. They will all be read by one family member or another eventually. Many are things I have read before. I also 'collect' ebooks for family members. My Mom is a big old western fan and you can get most of those titles for free from Guttenberg and covert them. It is the stuff that is current that I am limited on - only so much money can be spared from quilting.

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