So Many Books, So Little Time…

Lately I’ve been posting on social media a “book of the day.” It’s a combination of new books that I find interesting (which I may or may not have read), along with an assortment of books in my library ranging from antiquarian treasures to more recently published titles.

Here’s a recent example:

https://www.instagram.com/p/COSf907juR1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The feedback on these “bookstagrams” has mostly been positive, although a few people have teased me that my posts are not good for their wallets! But then recently, I got this message from someone who has been reading my blog for a number of years now:

Carl, I love seeing all the books you are adding to your library. How do you carve out time to read so much? My list of books to read is growing much faster than what I am getting through. Challenging as a busy professional.

Friend, I feel your pain. So let me offer a few thoughts under the rubric of “So many books, so little time.”

Walk into any bookstore and we are immediately faced with our own mortality. There are not enough days in a lifespan to read all the wonderful books that will cross your path. You could be the world’s fastest speed reader with the comprehension of the gods, but you still wouldn’t have time to get through all the great books of the past, let alone the thousands of new books published ever year (“thousands” is probably an understatement, especially when you take into consideration self-publishing…