Tsundoku: How to Manage Your Ever-Growing Reading Pile | Chapterly Blog
Tsundoku: How to Manage Your Ever-Growing Reading Pile Quick Answer: Tsundoku is the Japanese word for accumulating books faster than you can read them. It is mostly harmless and often productive — an aspirational, browsable library is a real cognitive resource. The fix is not throwing books away. It is making sure books you have read keep paying rent in your memory through spaced repetition on your highlights, so you stop over-buying to chase ideas you already own. There is a Japanese word for the act of acquiring books and letting them pile up unread: tsundoku. It combines the words for stacking with the word for reading, and it describes something almost every book lover knows intimately. The stack of unread books on your nightstand. The overflowing shelves. The growing list of titles you absolutely must read next. If you feel guilty about your unread book pile, this guide might change your perspective. Tsundoku is more common, more understandable, and potentially more beneficial than you think. Why We Accumulate Books The Aspirational Self When you buy a book, you are making a small investment in a version of yourself that you want to become. The person who understands quantum physics,...