Why I will not be doing the "unread books" meme

[nolly]

The cut'n'pasted text describes unread books as "they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded." I use LibraryThing, where the list originates. I have many books tagged unread, including some from that list. Not one of them is on the shelf to make me look smart or well-rounded. I have never bought a book I did not intend to read. Occasionally, I change my mind about a book before I read it, but I generally don't keep those around. My shelves tell you something about who I am and how I think, and what they say is not a lie. The unread books, in fact, are segregated from the read books, and are in my bedroom for easy access, since I do most of my reading in bed at night.

Comments

[aldren.livejournal.com]

I'll go one further: I've purchased books with the intent to give them to other people, knowing full-well they will never be read. The incident I'm thinking about involved buying a book on Robert E. Lee to sit next to a model someone had made of The Robert E. Lee.

But in general, yes: Books should be bought to be read.