I'm not saying that one shouldn't have a lot of books. I've got a bookshelf behind me that is TWO WALLS wide and 8 feet tall. I'm talking about the pile of books on our desk that we lie to ourselves about. I called them Guilt Piles.
For many people that pile of books that they aren't going to read this week represents promises they've made to themselves that they didn't keep. I was just saying, be honest and take a few books off your desk. Those books are on my shelves and I'll read them when I'm ready for them.
All I can say is that I live in a state of radical disarray, and I often have books just sitting around. I wouldn't ever call them guilt piles, because leaving something unfinished causes me no real guilt, especially if I'm happy with whatever I'm doing at the moment.
In my work life, I feel I need to fight that instinct. But not in my reading life. That's part of what makes it a refuge for me.
For many people that pile of books that they aren't going to read this week represents promises they've made to themselves that they didn't keep. I was just saying, be honest and take a few books off your desk. Those books are on my shelves and I'll read them when I'm ready for them.