Are You Guilty Of Tsundoku?

Are you a master of tsundoku?

I know I am.

Tsundoku is the Japanese word for the stack of books you’ve purchased but haven’t yet read – it literally means a reading pile.

The word “doku” can be used as a verb to mean “reading” and the “tsun” in “tsundoku” originates in “tsumu” – a word meaning “to pile up”.

The word originated in the late 19th century as a satirical jab at teachers who owned books but didn’t read them.

The tsundoku scale can range from just a few books in a modest little stack to 1000s of books from floor to ceiling.

Some folks might think having a pile of unread books is just a waste but they miss the point. They are a great source of anticipation, comfort and pleasure in the waiting. They enrich our lives.

Owning a stack or stacks of unread books is what it is, there is no cure and there is no habit to kick.

There is just a sweet and quiet satisfaction that this is what you do, it’s all quite normal and you can never have enough unread piles of books.

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