The joy — and sorrow — of books

Jeff Jacoby wrote a lovely column that I’m sure will resonate with many of you, entitled “A Slow Reader’s Lament.”   In it, he talks about the ineffable joy of owning wonderful books, and the concurrent frustration that comes with lacking the time to read all of them:

But above all there was the delight of anticipation. I snapped up books that intrigued me, that I thought would be good reads, that got great reviews. Alas, I was like a kid whose eyes are too big for his stomach: I kept helping myself to more than I could possibly finish. It didn’t help that the older I got, the less time there was for pleasure reading. Or that my ability to acquire books faster than ever — hello, 1-Click! — didn’t come with the ability to read them any faster.

Ah, if only I could read books as fast as I acquire them! Even half as fast would be a blessing. Even a quarter as fast.

I suspect that Jacoby also struggles, as I do, trying to keep up with the wonderful information available on the internet.  I am a fast reader, but my reach always exceeds my grasp when it comes to reading material, whether internet articles, ebooks, or paper books.

Hat tip:  My friend Greg, at Rhymes with Right