I ran across this sobering formula on the blog of horror writer Dan Wells:
The number of books you’ll read before you die = (Y-A) x B x 12, where:B = the number of books you read in a month
A = your current age
Y = your life expectancy
Based on my age, my reading habits, and my life expectancy as a resident of Georgia, the math for me looks like this: (77.1-34.9) x 2.86 X 12 = 1,448
That’s less than 1,500 books! Maybe, maybe if I really blow it out in my retirement- or if I live into my nineties like three of my grandparents- I can push that number north of 2,000. But still! What a paltry pile of prose I have left! If there’s ever been a better argument for why you shouldn’t fill your time reading crap, I haven’t heard it. Thoreau said it best:
“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”
Improve yourselves, people! Improve your shelves! J
How many books do you have left? And will you let it affect your next book choice?
