How many books do you think you've read in your life?

Question

I couldnt even begin to guess how many I've read, I would GUESS about 1,500.

Answer 1

Well I figured it on an average of my reading practices - 720 books (not counting children's books before the age 10). Then when I was a teenager - a couple of summers I just about read a book a day (so that would come out to about 120 books I'd say). Adding those two together - 840 books. This is just a guesstimation!:)

Answer 2

I've been trying to figure that out, actually. I kept track in 2005 and 2006 of what books I read--in 2005 I broke 100, and so far in 2006 I'm already at 106 or so and I still have some time left! Of course, I probably was reading less when I was in school, because of homework and other projects, but still, I think I can safely estimate 60-75 books a year starting in high school.

A low estimate: 60 books a year times 4 years of high school is 240, and again for 4 years of college is another 240 for a total of 480. I'd say 75 a year for two years of grad school, for a total of 630, plus 300 more for the three years after that is 930.

I'd say that's probably a low estimate, and it also doesn't include all the reading I did in middle school, which was when reading saved my freakin' life and I read all the time, or the books I read as a child (and I was reading chapter books in first grade). I remember doing one of those summer reading programs at the bank, and you had to read ten books all summer, and I read more like 40 or 50. :) So I think I would estimate maybe 1500-2000 books that I've read. As long as we're counting rereads, that is, which if we're not would throw the whole count off...

Answer 3

Hey, great question! I wonder how many books amazon.com etc sell per year to people? And how many books are required reading (or listening) in schools & colleges, & are borrowed every year from public libraries? When you think of all the books we borrow and read and even read to others, it sure adds up. I'd guess you've read a lot more than you'd think.

I'd guess probably 5,000 or more in my whole life up to now. It would be more except for all those technical manuals I have to read also.

My local library in Dun Laoghaire has a great feature - when they scan out your books, they can tell if you have read that one before. You know how you can mistakenly pick up the same one in a new cover? It's a great feature.

So, they've introduced this new promotion scheme of sealed brown-bag books. You can borrow a couple of extra books, above your usual limit - on a pot-luck basis. You choose from the packs on the table at random. So they scanned mine out & kept sending me back to choose another bag; "Nope, you've already read that one as well" ... I was like "Can I ever escape this place?" Eventually they were laughing so much that one woman showed me a rare Terry Pratchett book they had there. OK, I couldn't borrow it, but it proved they did have something I hadn't ever seen before!

Answer 4

Well since I used to ditch Classes in Elementary school on a regular basis and just hang out in the library hiding and reading and then also taking books home and reading almost non stop, and even to this day still hundreds ...i would say quite a lot!!!
I have read all your major classics and heavey reading as well as most childrens books that are on any lists for recomended reading in each grade...I do have to say two things:

1- I got my first FULL world globe collection of Shakesphere when I was between 7-8 years old, and began reading it then too.
2- I read Gone with the Wind in less than one day (more like half a day) when I was 9 years old...

needless to say I love reading ; I am planning to be an Author as well!!!!!

Answer 5

I would have said 1,500, but when I really thought about it, its closer to 2,000.

On average, I would have read about 4 books a month, but I love to read Harlequins, which take me about two hours and I read the first Harry Potter book in one afternoon, but it took me longer for each book. The last one took me a 7-day week.

I also love to read Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" every now and then to better appreciate to gift of books and literacy.

When I was growing up, the public library was within walking distance of my house and recently I went back and looked in some old books and my name was still on the old check-out cards.

Answer 6

a couple thousand at least. 2-3 a week, some weeks none at all, It's almost impossible to know. Also I've read some books twice or even 3 and 4 times.

Answer 7

I don't know for sure but I think that around 200:Harry Potter(1-6),The Three Musketeers,Frankenstein,The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,The hound of the Baskervilles,The Man in the Iron Mask,The Mystery Island,Maytrei,The Count of Monte Cristo....;I'm planing to read much more cause I love reading

Answer 8

I think that the hardest part to estimate would be how many you read as a child. I could probably count at least a thousand childrens books as could most people, if not more.

Answer 9

I would say something between 500 and 800. I mean real books, not HQ's and comics...
Are you sure you've read 1500? At the rate of one a week it would take you almost 29 years to do that...

Answer 10

I can't give you and actual count, because all the books I read before age 16 were borrowed from the library...but...judging by my current bookcases...which have 426 books in them, and by the fact that I've emptied them into storage boxes at least four times, and given away entire bookcases full at least twice, I'd have to say somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,00 plus? nice question....