How many books do you read?

As many as it takes.

I used to read a few dozen books a year. Now, with my NOOK, and instant access to almost any book I want PLUS a two-hour train commute to work there and back...

Hmm... I'd say I read a few books a week. It's great!

kposa said:

We've heard it before. We can't be writers if we don't read.

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Yes, but I don't think 'just reading' is the whole idea. It may help, in fact I'm sure it will to some degree, but I don't see it as a tick-in-the-box job, where reading X books is better than reading less than X books. To improve, I believe you need to analyse at least some of what you read, not just read them for pleasure. So someone who reads only a dozen books in a year but analyses them might get more benefit than someone who reads forty a year just for pleasure.

The most I've read in a single year is around 25 novels (plus who knows how many short stories), which I suspect is probably not that many compared to some people.

I think I've read as many this year so far as I did all last year. Not having to be chained to the second job all the time has been VERY nice!

Since I can read and walk at the same time (a talent that amazes all who see it, though I imagine anyone with normal peripheral vision could do it), I can fit in a lot of reading. It helps that my office is a full furlong there and back from my boss's office. I measured.

So, one or two books a week, plus shorts and the NYT Book Review.

Last year I don't think I managed two dozen books. This year I've already read over a dozen already (which I credit to getting a Nook Color, which for some reason makes me read about 3X faster than normal). I'm aiming for 100 this year. I'm not sure if I've ever read that many books in a single year, and I know I haven't since at least junior high.

I've made it a personal project to answer that very question for myself, just out of curiosity. So far this year, I've read about ten.

I read one novel a week. Then I review it.

I read about 40 books per year.

I'm horribly behind. I spend enough time on screens I should probably get e-copies of the print books I've partly read so I can read them on the computer, as that's where I spend most of my time. I have a then-brand-new book I bought a year ago, second in a series, I enjoyed the first one, I haven't read yet, and yes there's at least a third one, maybe a fourth one out now.

I do read a significant amount of non-fiction. But what really kills me as a writer is I don't spend enough time writing.

In 2009 I did the 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge and I read at least 67 books (once I hit the 52 mark I didn't keep as accurate a count). Last year, because of various other commitments, I read about half that. This year, I'm up to 20 books so far.

I read two or three a week, on average.

I do tend to mostly read YA novels, though, which are often a bit shorter than adult novels.

Last year I read something like 156. I'm on pace to break that this year. My kids play lots of sports and that means lots of hours waiting on practices. Have Kindle. Will travel.

I usually win this conversation. But some of it is for work! So maybe that's cheating.

Many!

Before I got published, I used to read between 80-120 per year. Maybe more.

Now I'm down around 2-5 per month.

Maybe.

Yeesh.

I read a hundred and something last year. I think the answer, though, is As Many As You Can. I read to stay abreast with the marketplace, to be inspired, and to learn new tricks of the craft through a mix of absorption as I read for pleasure and actual analysis.

If you can only read two dozen a year because that's what your schedule allows, then I don't think there's any reason to feel bad about it. I think where non-readers writing becomes an issue is more the people who don't really love books and language, but are looking for money or to get their message out or what-have-you. If someone is very busy but tries to read where they can, I think they'll be just fine, even if more reading is generally better.

After all, reading is vital but you have to balance it with writing time, too!

I actually keep a spreadsheet where I record all the books I read either from my collection or borrowing. In 2010, I read 358 books. In 2008, I read 497 (and was even sick enough to run stats on it!). Lost my list in 09 due to a computer crash, but I'd estimate somewhere between those two counts. I read a lot.

Reminds me, I need to post my 2010 "read" list and chart....

30 books a year is pretty good.

I think 30 books a year is pretty good.

When I was in grade school I used to read several books a week, maybe up to one a day. Now that I'm writing I don't read anything. Not one book. When I do read a book I like I put it down after a few pages, inspired to write more.

I hope to catch up in-between writing. Now I'm a little more picky, some of the pure read-for-pleasure has worn off.

Hopefully those thousands of books read up through college is doing me some good.

I'm one of those people that reads a lot. Since I don't have television, my main recreation is reading (and writing of course).

But I think *what* you read makes a huge difference. Maybe once a year or so I'll get on a cozy mystery jag and read three or four a day for a week or so. But they tend to be short and easy to read. Same with YA novels (though I don't read many of those).

The sheer number of books I read is the main reason I'm considering buying a kindle.

Last two years was just under and then just over 100 for the year - getting on Goodreads back in 2009 and starting to keep track appealed to my competitive nature and I had a Read 100 books challenge last year.

I don't have a challenge to reach a specific number this year, since I found that it did tend to put me off reading long books (though not entirely. I read The Stand last year and War and Peace in 2009)

So with the pressure off this year I'm just going with the flow. I'm currently on 20 - 19 of them on my Kindle.

Never under a hundred per year. My record is five hundred in one year. If you want to write well, you have to read much.

I read about 180 a year.
A lot of those for money.

One or two a day. I'm a night concierge: 11 hours reading time at work, usually, while waiting for people to want things done, then a two-hour commute, and I rarely watch TV at home.