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Books in a Lifetime Calculator
Roughly how many books are still ahead of you? Enter your age and the books you read in a year. The answer is usually more than you’d think, and fewer than every book you’d like to read, which is a good reason to choose them well.
Books ahead of you
– books
Enter your age and the books you read a year. You’ll see roughly how many books are ahead of you, and what a little more reading time would add.
Every book from here is a bonus.
You’re at or past the age in “Reading until”. Raise it to count the books ahead; it’s only an assumption.
A shelf waiting to be filled.
Books ahead of you
Plenty, and not endless. Make them count: the books you choose next are most of the reading life you have left to shape.
Your shelf aheadAt your pace
- per book, on average
- every ten years
- at 300 pages a book
This uses a number you guessed. ReadList counts the books you actually finish, and its Up Next queue keeps the next few you’ve chosen in order.
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How it works
How the books are counted
Take the years between your age and the age you’re reading until, then multiply by the books you read a year. That’s all: a rough count, rounded to the nearest book, that assumes your reading year stays about the same.
Books ahead=(reading until − your age)×books a year
(85 − 35)=50 years×12 books a year=600 books
What a few more minutes add
Extra minutes become pages at 40 pages an hour, a typical pace for a novel, and pages become books at 300 pages each. Fifteen minutes a day is about 10 pages, which adds up to roughly a dozen books a year.
15 min a day×40 pages an hour=10 pages a day≈3,650 pages a year
3,650 pages a year÷300 pages a book≈12.2 books a year×50 years≈+608 books
Making them count
- Keep a short list of the books you most want to read, and pick the next one from it rather than from whatever’s nearest.
- Let yourself stop a book that isn’t working. A few chapters is a fair trial; the hours are better spent elsewhere.
- Mix it up: a long novel, then something short; a classic, then something new. Variety keeps reading a pleasure.
- Reread the ones that changed you. A reread counts, and it’s rarely the same book twice.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many books can a person read in a lifetime?
It depends far more on habit than on talent. Reading a book a month from 20 to 85 comes to 780 books; two a month, about 1,560. Most people land somewhere between a few hundred and a couple of thousand.
Why does it assume reading until 85?
It’s a round, neutral number to start from, not a prediction. Plenty of people read well into their nineties. Change it to any age you like and the count updates.
Is it too late to start reading more?
No. At 60, a book a month still means around 300 books by 85. Even ten extra minutes a day adds several books a year.
Should I try to read as many books as possible?
Not unless you enjoy it that way. The number is a reason to choose well, not a target. One book you love is worth more than three you rushed through.
How does ReadList help?
It counts the books you finish, shows them in your Year in review, and keeps an Up Next queue of the books you’ve chosen to read next. A reading goal is optional: books a year or hours a week.