Comments on: Art Garfunkel the bookworm?

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:48:07 +0000

Did he ever forget to pay the library for any late fees that he might have accumilated?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:16:22 +0000

I love Art Garfunkel. I also love to reaad and love meeting other people who read. My questions is, why do we have to have a competition about who reads more and argue the definition of a “voracious reader”? I never write down what I’ve read. It’s great that people do. What a fun list to go back and look at! But let’s just enjoy the fact that there are other similar minded people out there, famous or not, who delight in the written word.

By: Ann Daley

Ann Daley — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:32:10 +0000

25 books average each year? I’m not that impressed. I realize he’s busy, but I can easily read 35 to 40 books a year (and in 1968 through about the 1980’s I was reading 1 or 2 books a week).
I am impressed by his literary discrimination. And his thoroughness in documenting the books he’s read!

By: George Nathan

George Nathan — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:41:44 +0000

I guess the point about Garfunkel was worth mentioning because he’s famous. However, 28 is not a large number of books to read in a year—it is just a little more than two a month, which scarcely qualifies one as a voracious reader.

By: Sillstaw

Sillstaw — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 02:51:57 +0000

David: Yeah, I guess you’re right. I guess the real question is how he got through it; from what I’ve heard, it’s a rambling, pointless read.

By: Peter Petrunich

Peter Petrunich — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:19:55 +0000

What is #949?

By: Peter J. Petrunich

Peter J. Petrunich — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:24:01 +0000

Big deal! I’ve been doing the same thing is August of 1985 and my books per year average (31.6) is greater than Art’s (25.7) and I have to work for a living. I think that there are probably plenty of people out there that keep such a list and that read way more than I do. Why is it that just because someone is a celebrity that what they do or say gets treated so frequently as if it is soooo original and imaginative (and by a publication such as Mental Floss no less!)? Nothing against Artie. I think that he is fantastic in concert and I have bookmarked his website to consult his reading sellections for material. – pjp

By: Rich G.

Rich G. — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:31:12 +0000

In 1988 I read an article that said that the average U.S. citizen read 1,000 books in their lifetime. I sat and thought, “I’ve read more than that.”

Since then I have kept track of all the books I have read since 1988. I have a list of books that I know I’ve read before 1988, but it is not 100% complete (I estimate it to be 60%).

In all I’ve read almost 4000 (my goal is 10,000 books before I die).

I also try and read 1 short story and 1 poem each day.

By: Jill

Jill — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:58:08 +0000

Just to let you know that I actually watched two episodes of the blind interior decorator. In both cases, which is why I watched the second one, the redo turned out really lovely. The clients seemed genuninely thrilled.

By: David

David — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:52:12 +0000

Yeah, it’s pretty amazing Sillstaw. Though I’m not sure why being Jewish would prevent someone from reading Hitler’s biography. On the contrary, no?