Even before the midnight bell rang on the New Year’s Eve of 2023, book lovers from around the world have been sharing via the Socials Realms their favourite books of 2023, their most anticipated books of 2024, and their book reviews in between.
So. Many. Books!!!
I added wonderful titles to my pile-to-read. Books I might never have heard of otherwise, books I sadly forgot about, even though they did catch my eye once.
Like I said: so many, many, many books.
To top it off, since I’m working in a bookstore, I’m surrounded by new books, old ones, must-be-read novels or must-be-bought beautiful collector editions of books I’ve read before.
I want them all. I need them all! If you’re here to read this (thank you very much by the way!), there’s a good chance you understand what I’m talking about.
And, right this instant, if you heard a desperate muffled cry, it certainly came from my credit card (or was it yours!?!!! 🙂 ).
What can we say: one can never have enough books.
But… can there be too many books?
When will we have the time to read all the books we must read, according to our favourite book people on the Book Socials.
Do we even read as much as we used to, being constantly distracted by our technological devices?
Could it Be Such a Thing as Too Many Books (please don’t throw things at me, I’ll explain)
Going back to working full-time in a bookstore didn’t help the size of my books-to-be-read pile!
I know I’m not alone, dear readers and writers. Maybe it’s your case too. Some of my co-workers and some of my favourite BookTubers have full-on bookcases packed with to-be-read novels.
For now, I limit the physical pile to ten or so books, mainly novels, graphic novels and manga; also a guide about parenting, to refer to in times of « what just happened? ».
As for the wishlist… Oh my, oh my… Last time I checked, I had 350 + books waiting.
Every time I finish a novel, a dilemma arises: how to choose what to read next, the new ones or one in the wish list?
As pointed out many times before, there are so many booooks!
Too many?
For a while now I’ve been thinking about the near-infernal rhythm of the publishing industry.
The book ecosystem that gravitates around it too, and the amazing book community it creates.
But mainly about the frenetic pace of the industry.
Because, well, as much as I would love to, days and nights combined do not have enough hours for me to read it all.
No one does.
Plus, like you, I love to do other things! Really Really!
Things like spending time with my family, writing, and enjoying the wonderful nature surrounding our little house nestled near that beautiful tumultuous river. One more fun fact, I also like to go to work (yep, I love my underpaid, long hours, physically demanding bookseller/libraire day job!).
However, the publishing industry’s new releases are adding up, to the point where we should maybe stop and ask ourselves: wouldn’t it be damaging in the long-term for the publishers to get so many books out, when the reader’s attention is solicited over and over again, all the time, especially during the Book Prizes season?
As a writer, I would prefer to see my book released alongside a couple of other titles instead of a couple hundred…
As booksellers, there’s sort of a pressure building up. It comes from the many wonderful titles pushed upon us by the many wonderful publishers (and some less great, but since, as booksellers, we have to know even about the books they like less, or not at all, we have to at least take a look anyway).
As readers, we ought to read the Goncourt Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the Angoulême Prize, and so on, and so forth.
We have to read the book everybody is talking about on the Socials.
And, incidentally, we want to read OUR book pick !!!
How to Choose?
A colleague of mine said something refreshing. Maybe you heard it before.
Instead of looking at our pile of books to read as something that MUST be read, that MUST go down, let’s compare it to some kind of previous, mysterious library, sort of a library cellar if you may.
Books we own are there, waiting patiently for the right timing, the right mood.
As I like to say, books are patient. When we’ll be ready, they will be there.
How to choose?
Well, let’s just see what strike our fancy at the moment. Let’s just have fun reading what we want, not what « must » be read because it’s what everybody’s talks about.
Exit the fear of missing out!
And if we want to re-read something, let’s do it without a single smidgen of remorse.
Dear readers, dear writers, I hope you had fun reading this. Thanks for tagging along.
Until next time, I’ll brave this widly windy day and walk that dog of mine before it starts to rain again.
Marie Alice Writes & Reads 