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Books "Several years ago, I calculated how many books I could read if I lived to my actuarially expected age. The answer was 2,138. In theory, those 2,138 books would include everything from "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" to "Le Colonel Chabert," with titles by authors as celebrated as Marcel Proust and as obscure as Marcel Aymé. In principle, there would be enough time to read 500 masterpieces, 500 minor classics, 500 overlooked works of genius, 500 oddities and 138 examples of high-class trash. Nowhere in this utopian future would there be time for "Hi-Ho, Steverino!" -- Joe Queenan on too many books so short a lifespan. I wish I was as well adjusted in my reading as Karie.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I read trash too. Fortunately I have a job which allows me to read books. And I'm a fast reader. I average around 60-65 books per year .. I think I'll end up reading more than 2,200 books.. including trash.