How many books do you guys read, on average, in a week?

[Khoren_]

Just a lighthearted discussion about reading speeds, and the amount of reading done by fellow occultists. I typically range anywhere from 3 to 7 books a week, depending on the amount of free time I have and the level of book I'm reading. Obviously, this probably actually averages out to around 1000 to 1500 pages a week, but I wanted to see if anyone else reads around the same amount.

 

[Saint]

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How about starting this thread with a disappointment, in the form of me? Tho' I made a book reading plan, recently.

One is about Szvapna szádhana, the other is the Akashic records. I've got three other books last week besides these, but I'm the kind of person who may buy a book just to sniff out certain details that she was curious about, then leave the rest of the boöok never to pick it up again. Yeap, that's me.​

 

[beardedeldridge]

1 book every week or 2. That can increase to maybe 2 books a week if a particular topic strikes my fancy or when I pick up a fictional series.

*work can increase that by 100-1000 pages a week

 

[Xenophon]

I usually have 3 books going at any one time: one occult, one political/historical, one novel. Probably I finish 1-1.5 a week, depending on length and language. But, then, I'm semi-retired.

 

[Yazata]

Yes, I can't fathom how some people can be online 23 hours a day, have a job, a family, practice Magick, and read books all day every day.
I only read physical books (or sometimes something I find on archive.org) but I think if I had to say it in a number per week it would be 0.01 books that I actually finish.

 

[Taudefindi]

I wish I could read more than 1/week, but due to being busy with rehearsals(and other parts of real life) sometimes I can't even finish the one weekly book.

 

[beardedeldridge]

Yes, I can't fathom how some people can be online 23 hours a day, have a job, a family, practice Magick, and read books all day every day.
I only read physical books (or sometimes something I find on archive.org) but I think if I had to say it in a number per week it would be 0.01 books that I actually finish.

Job and large family - I cheat by doing all reading, 2/3 of magick (rest usually late at night or early morning rituals), and most of my 1-3 online hours a day on company time.

 

[Vandheer]

If I am gonna finish a book, its likely a sci-fi, and if I like it enough it takes 3-4 days.

I rarely ever finish an occult book.

 

[Lurker]

I can't really put a number on it. If I like a book and it's easy to read, then I might finish it in a week or two. But if it gets too dry or wanders too far from my interests and what I thought it would be about, I'm almost certain to put it down for a while.

Post automatically merged: Aug 18, 2024

I typically range anywhere from 3 to 7 books a week, depending on the amount of free time I have and the level of book I'm reading. Obviously, this probably actually averages out to around 1000 to 1500 pages a week, but I wanted to see if anyone else reads around the same amount.

Wow, that's a lot! I typically read 10 pages a day, maybe more if the work really speaks to me.

 

[Xenophon]

Yes, I can't fathom how some people can be online 23 hours a day, have a job, a family, practice Magick, and read books all day every day.
I only read physical books (or sometimes something I find on archive.org) but I think if I had to say it in a number per week it would be 0.01 books that I actually finish.

Before COVID, I commuted a total of about 4 hours a day on bus/subway. That was a big help for reading time, or even writing. Thank the gods for modern metropolises (metropoloi?)...maybe.

 

[Rowena]

Just a lighthearted discussion about reading speeds, and the amount of reading done by fellow occultists. I typically range anywhere from 3 to 7 books a week, depending on the amount of free time I have and the level of book I'm reading. Obviously, this probably actually averages out to around 1000 to 1500 pages a week, but I wanted to see if anyone else reads around the same amount.

I generally start 2-3 occult books a week, but I rarely finish all of them - I am somewhat judgemental, so anything I consider worthless to me after reading for 15 minutes or so will at most be skimmed & then abandoned fairly quickly. When I encounter a lot of these back-to-back I can easily get through 4-6 books in an hour.

On top of that I'll generally being reading other works of non-fiction at the same time. Since some dense academic works take weeks to work through, and other things just an hour or less, it's hard to estimate an average - but maybe 10-20 a month if you include academic papers.

I also read a lot of pulp-fiction (sci-fi, horror, steampunk or fantasy). I can make it through most average novels in an hour - so maybe 12 a week currently, less if there are a lot of long books, many more if they are shorter books.

 

[Accipeveldare]

Probably about 20 per week. (I know, I'm an occult nerd) Most of my books are all on the occult but I also enjoy the Lord of the Rings series occasionally over a beer and a joint of weed.

 

[skyerivers]

Just a lighthearted discussion about reading speeds, and the amount of reading done by fellow occultists. I typically range anywhere from 3 to 7 books a week, depending on the amount of free time I have and the level of book I'm reading. Obviously, this probably actually averages out to around 1000 to 1500 pages a week, but I wanted to see if anyone else reads around the same amount.

I try my best to read at least one or two books a week. I have a busy-ish schedule so I often find that setting aside time for reading can be difficult. I spite of this though, I can steamroll through books when I need to.

 

[AlfrunGrima]

Just one book, reading AND take notes from it... But I have a busy life because of making music>>choir, and more important Baroque Oboe. That last one takes a lot of time, not only from practicing and rehearsals but also understanding historical information and I have make my reeds also. (and we take care of my mother-in-law who is visually disabled since the last period and not so young and healthy anymore)

 

[Sabbatius]

Varies. Average, about two a week. All are based on the spiritual and esoteric. I listen to fiction books while driving.

 

[ngoomie]

I only wish I could finish multiple books a week, I think it often takes me roughly 1-2 weeks to finish one book because of how many other things I have going on, sometimes even 3 weeks but that's pretty rare.

 

[MidnightProphet]

How can you finish seven books a week and retain or implement any part of them?

For what purpose is the reading other than to aggrandize one's self for having read?

The more I read from people here, the clearer it becomes that in 1,000 "occultists," there may be only a handful of true practitioners.

 

[beardedeldridge]

How can you finish seven books a week and retain or implement any part of them?

For what purpose is the reading other than to aggrandize one's self for having read?

The more I read from people here, the clearer it becomes that in 1,000 "occultists," there may be only a handful of true practitioners.

I’m more of a book a week (outside of stuff I get paid to read or a fictional series that just really catches my interest) but at looking at your standard book on magic, as long as it’s a type I’ve actually practiced - there’s only going to be 2-5 bits of new info (or a new way of looking at old info), in a book I consider worth reading, for me (except for a few select exceptions).

So you’re right in the fact that many people get stuck in some form of analysis-paralysis/armchair-practice in trying to take in too much info without really practicing any of it, but it is possible for an experienced individual to quickly read through quite a few books since most of a book isn’t anything groundbreaking.

And for me the purpose is to advance my practice or sometimes to sate my curiosity. I’ve found it easier (since there are only so many hours in a lifetime) to at times stand on the shoulders of others and take advantage of the work they’ve done. But yeah as a practitioner practice > research 99.9% of the time.

-Eld

 

[Butterfly Affect]

0 because I have a bad habit of starting multiple books at the same time, I might have to force myself to finish them.

 

[Promise]

I read maybe 15-20 pages a day, 3-4 times per week. And, I skip around a lot, so anymore I rarely finish a book. I'll skim it very quickly, look at every page for a half second to second, and then go back and read anything that my attention is pulled to. I wish I had time to read more than that.