A good argument can be made defending the idea that reading a language such as English is the most important skill you added to the basic talents and abilities you have naturally. You have probably heard that books can take you on amazing trips to amazing places, show you and inform you about amazing things. I am a fan of the newer form of books, ebooks that are a computer file of all the words of the printed form of the book but transmittable by email.
A friend wrote today that she wishes she knew the total number of books she has read. I asked Lynn, a professor of school librarianship and a PhD. She said,"3219' but I think she made up the number on the spot and just reeled it off in a calm, persuasive voice. My grad school course, Personal Reading for Professional Development, was about one's reading life. The only requirement was a list of all the books the student had ever read, from The Poky Little Puppy to the latest hair-raising mystery. Mature, experienced teachers were searching attics and perusing library shelves for books they had read but forgotten about.
If you want to know how many books you've read, keep a record, maybe for all of the coming year of 2024, of the books you read per month. At the end of the year, take the number of books you have read during the year and multiply by the number of your reading years. The result will be an estimate of the total number of books you have read.
I don't plan to do that myself. For one thing, I have read many. For another thing, "read" is a funny thing - some books I looked at every word carefully and some books I looked at most words at high speeds.
