"After the death in July of their father, Dan Pelzer, at the age of 92, John and Marci Pelzer discovered something extraordinary in his things — a very long list of every book he had ever read. In total, from 1962 to 2023, he read a staggering 3,599 books. The list of all the titles is a book in itself: 109 pages long, single-spaced.
Dan borrowed almost all his books from the Columbus Metropolitan Library. When the library staff heard about Dan’s list, they decided to share it on social media and made Dan’s title collection available as its own list that the library says people have been checking out."
I did check part of the list. He did not achieve his total by reading fluff! And he averaged just under 60 books a year. I salute him!
I started keeping a record of books I read each year beginning in 2013 - when I was 58. Since then, I've read 560 books. I'm up to 44 this year alone.
I have been a voracious reader since I learned to read, and in my first 50 or so years of reading I suspect I've read several times that total from the last eight years. It helps that I was an English major (with a Philosophy minor) in college, earned a Master's degree in literature, and taught for 25 years.
Since retiring, I've been averaging 65 books a year. If I make it to 92, if my eyesight does not fail me, and I keep up my post retirement pace of 60-70 a year, I'll pass 2,000 since I began keeping records. And maybe a couple of thousand before I began keeping records. So I might come close to Mr. Pelzer's tally.
Whatever my ultimate total, I applaud Mr. Pelzer.
Pax et bonum
I did check part of the list. He did not achieve his total by reading fluff! And he averaged just under 60 books a year. I salute him!
I started keeping a record of books I read each year beginning in 2013 - when I was 58. Since then, I've read 560 books. I'm up to 44 this year alone.
I have been a voracious reader since I learned to read, and in my first 50 or so years of reading I suspect I've read several times that total from the last eight years. It helps that I was an English major (with a Philosophy minor) in college, earned a Master's degree in literature, and taught for 25 years.
Since retiring, I've been averaging 65 books a year. If I make it to 92, if my eyesight does not fail me, and I keep up my post retirement pace of 60-70 a year, I'll pass 2,000 since I began keeping records. And maybe a couple of thousand before I began keeping records. So I might come close to Mr. Pelzer's tally.
Whatever my ultimate total, I applaud Mr. Pelzer.
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