It's a process, a long one

Bookshelf Zero will take years for me to realize. At 20 books a year (that would be a net number of books read minus books purchased), it will take me 8 years to finish. Let's face it, as I'm only left with really challenging books, my pace will slow down considerably. This is really more of a lifetime kind of quest.

Finishing either of the lists I mentioned last time, the Modern Library Top 100 or the NPR SciFi/Fantasy list, will also require years of reading. I read 3 Modern Library books last year. I have 59 titles left on that list. Excluding the multi-volume entries, I have 20ish years to go if I'm going to complete that list, at least at last year's pace. The Science Fiction list will take even longer. How much longer? A decade at least. It's taken me 2.5 years to read the Mistborn trilogy. That's just one entry on that mammoth list. How long will it take me to get through some of the huge series?

These are goals that are about the journey. The destination isn't the point. Exploring books that I would never have thought to read is the point. It's nice to see progress, but this is not something that I can rush. I'm looking forward to getting to under 150 books to achieve Bookshelf Zero. I will celebrate the milestones, but I will not simply abandon the ultimate goal because it's taking a long time. I have to be persistent, consistent, and patient. I will get there. It's going to take some time. There is no need to hurry or rush. I just need to stick to the process.

I'm sticking to the process through Mistborn 3. This is easily the best of the Mistborn books. This is mature Sanderson. He was still finding his voice in the first two volumes. He's all there in this one. I'm reading it quickly, but this is not a rush to just have the book finished. I'm desperate to see how it all turns out! I will be there soon. I expect that I will be transfixed with the big conclusion Wednesday night. That's not so good as I get up early to run on Thursday, but whatever. If I do finish on Wednesday, that means I spent two weeks to the day reading the book. That's pretty much what I expected when I started the book.

So it's about finding pleasure and a rewarding experience as I slowly chip away at my piles and piles of books. Enjoy the books I read. Keep my buying under control. Remind myself that this is not a short term endeavor. This is a lifestyle. I make a few pages of progress everyday. Those small steps add up after awhile. The number of books to read will get smaller and smaller every year. Well, assuming I don't go on a huge buying binge anyway.