I have too many books on my Kindle. I keep ads that a book that may interest me is on sale for the next 25 seconds only at a fabulous price. Just click to here to buy it instantly. How can I justify not checking the library online catalog and borrowing it for free? I can't. I try to justify buying. I am getting old and anything that save minutes packs more into my life. The price right now is so low, I won't notice any loss. But my wife, "the woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she (Genesis 3:12)" keeps pouring on the logic. "What good is a book if you never get around to reading it?", she says.
I invented a lovely counter technique. I call my invention "stalling". In this instance, an application of the technique results in my pointing to my excellent ability to grasp undefined (small) portions of the book by memorizing and quoting the title. In addition, I read a bit of the foreword or preface or the opening paragraph until I find a nugget. I quote the nugget and do a little lovable mansplaining, leaving the impression that I have benefited from reading the book or some of it, at least.
But my conscience is catching up with me. 2400 books is too many. I see that Amazon has millions more. I need to face facts.
The Kindle allows "collections". That actually translates into the same thing as Gmail's "labels", which equals "folders".
My plan is to not purchase more books until I examine each book in the 40. I realize that at my age, I could be blind or dead before getting through them.. Still, my taste is well aligned with my head and as I work my way through the forty, I find really excellent writing. So far, I have been wowed by "Advice Not Given" by Mark Epstein, psychiatrist and applier of Buddhist concepts to modern American life. Today, I looked at Prof. Drew Hart's "Trouble I've Seen". He emphasizes ideas, appearances and practices that keep branches of Christians separated, especially dealing with race.
I have 38 more to go, unless I change my goal and start reading one of these lovely books with their terrific writing and ideas.
I invented a lovely counter technique. I call my invention "stalling". In this instance, an application of the technique results in my pointing to my excellent ability to grasp undefined (small) portions of the book by memorizing and quoting the title. In addition, I read a bit of the foreword or preface or the opening paragraph until I find a nugget. I quote the nugget and do a little lovable mansplaining, leaving the impression that I have benefited from reading the book or some of it, at least.
But my conscience is catching up with me. 2400 books is too many. I see that Amazon has millions more. I need to face facts.
The Kindle allows "collections". That actually translates into the same thing as Gmail's "labels", which equals "folders".
All the items with the same label are part of the same collection or in the same folder.
So, I decided to create a new collection. I looked through the content titles listed in order of recency. I use my gut reaction often for many things and as I looked through the most recent titles, I added a book to the new collection if I could feel a genuine tug to read that one. When I got back far enough that the books didn't seem new, I stopped. Turns out I had labeled 40 books "Maybe". My plan is to not purchase more books until I examine each book in the 40. I realize that at my age, I could be blind or dead before getting through them.. Still, my taste is well aligned with my head and as I work my way through the forty, I find really excellent writing. So far, I have been wowed by "Advice Not Given" by Mark Epstein, psychiatrist and applier of Buddhist concepts to modern American life. Today, I looked at Prof. Drew Hart's "Trouble I've Seen". He emphasizes ideas, appearances and practices that keep branches of Christians separated, especially dealing with race.
I have 38 more to go, unless I change my goal and start reading one of these lovely books with their terrific writing and ideas.
