“A book can make you wealthy
but like a stomach that isn’t fed…
the food between its covers,
will starve you if not read.”
I am about to move to a new residence, so inevitably there has to be a declutter, a giveaway of unneeded items to a deserving charity box, and then packing boxes for transfer to my new address. I have 2 shelf units of books and when I went through the books to see what I wanted to keep, much to my horror, I hadn’t even read most of them.
Why was that?
Impulse purchasing for one. Someone recommended a book to me and I bought it, only to add it to my book and dust collection.
I watch a lot of YouTube clips, none more than 3-15 minutes long. Fast motivation and inspiration. Then of course there is Kobe, Kindle, etc. I had downloaded a few books and read them digitally; Audiobooks, listening to books as I drove. A university on wheels.
What about today’s reading habits for teenagers?
According to the American Psychological Association, “teens today spend more time on digital media and less time reading paper books.” They also reported. “In the early 1990s, 33 percent of 10th-graders said they read a newspaper almost every day. By 2016, that number was only 2 percent. In the late 1970s, 60 percent of 12th-graders said they read a book or magazine almost every day; by 2016, only 16 percent did. Twelfth-graders also reported reading two fewer books each year in 2016 compared with 1976, and approximately one-third did not read a book (including e-books) for pleasure in the year prior to the 2016 survey, nearly triple the number reported in the 1970s. Scary stuff.
I was never a reader as a child or teenager although when I did read books, I would enjoy them. As an adult, I can’t read more than 2 chapters at a time although I love to highlight key points. I admire those who can devour books; just not me. I thought about speed reading but never looked into it. So, all these books were staring at me unread. At least giving them away will impact someone who will read them. I feel good about that.
What could I have learned by reading them all? How would my philosophies and attitudes towards life have changed? I have kept my favourites and some that I will definitely read.
Books gathering dust on a shelf are a waste. The benefits they have to give you never realized. Shame.
Go through your book collection at home. Find that one hidden gem that could impact your life. And if they are just gathering dust then give them away.