Entire Wikipedia digital file
That's what I installed on my old iPod classic, just in case the system collapses.
Entire Archive.org digital file.
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein because there's no fucking way in hell I will ever finish that shit
Probably The Lord of the Rings. I read the entire thing almost ten years ago, and only remember bits and pieces. It's so long that I could definitely read it multiple times and still learn new information every time I read it.
Agreed, but that is three books. If one book was a strict requirement, I would go for silmarillion.
Nonsense, LOTR has been sold as a single volume for a long time now. I have the 50th anniversary edition, which is a single physical book.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; the five-part trilogy if that can count, but even if I was just stuck with the first one it'd be worth it.
I have the "Triology" as an old omnibus that I bought second hand. It's huge and very unpractical to read, but it does have all 5 parts in one book.
I'd take that or Steven Kings The Dark Tower series which I actually have as one long epub file that contains the complete series. That counts as one book too, right?
I just need as much as possible to read.
I'm on book 4 right now and i already have the urge to start over again.
The count of Monte Christo
Long enough that by the time you were finished, you could return to the beginning and not get bored.
Alternatively, since it is so serialized, you could read individual chapters/sections and have a satisfying story conclusion. But nothing compares to the way all of the arcs come together for the final conclusion.
Either the SAS survival handbook because it'd be one of the most useful books to have completely memorized, or maybe the Bible just to dunk on fundamentalists by quoting obscure passages that contradict each other.
Neither sounds super fun, but those are the first that come to mind.
I'd rather die.
I think I'd just be sad if I could only read 1 book forever.
Probably have to go with the suggestion of Wikipedia.
Don't you put that curse on me. I still have books in my to-read pile from five years ago.
That sounds miserable. I read triple digit new books a year and reread a few series at least annually.
triple digit
Uhm, are they very short books? If not, that is very impressive.
Eh, it's a mix. There are shorter, lighter cozy mysteries in there, but my favorite series is Karen Rose, and some of her recent books are stretching to 600 pages. There's a bunch of nonfiction psychology stuff when I can find new ones worth reading as well. (Behave is listed at 790, Thinking Fast and Slow at 499, as my 1A/1B favorites.) A lot is probably closer to 200-300 just by nature of what's available though.
Audiobooks at 2x speed 40 hours of work, plus driving, showers, stuff like yard work and other more physical projects all add up. It's not really an "achievement" as much as it is just valuing that content over music/radio/podcasts, and having a job where not having the stimulation of a book would make my head explode. (I do also have ereaders and use them, but most of the sheer volume is audiobooks.)
Edit: I kind of use goodreads? the goal is nonsense and I am really inconsistent with adding stuff. I try to do it in batches from my 50 apps eventually. It doesn't count any programming books, and I don't track multiple reads (so the several series I read again that I read in previous years don't count). But if you're curious those are the books I read for the first time this year. Availability on Libby or Everand are big factors, because I clearly can't afford to buy that many outright. I like a variety of different (author) voices, so I try to be open minded. I mostly prefer mysteries though.
My scripture. Might as well.
At least someone will read it.
The Martian
The Complete Fuzzy - Never gets old!
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/342040/complete-fuzzy-by-h-beam-piper/
Dictionary, because I have a compulsion to look up any word I don't know when reading and I'll presumably continue reading non-books.
That copy of One Piece that contains all the manga in one piece
https://www.jbe-books.com/products/onepiece-by-ilan-manouach?variant=40286439997463
Infinite Jest because I started it months ago and I’m not even close to a quarter of the way through.
damn footnotes
Three Easy pieces
Letters From a Stoic, by Seneca
Kitchen Confidential. A great look into restaurants.
If I had to pick just one book, it’d be "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. It’s perfect for soft horror fans and really pulls you into its eerie atmosphere every time. Always a great read!
"The Winds of Winter" because that'd mean he fucking finished it.
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Maybe The Shadow Rising or A Memory of Light, but I’d prefer if I could have the whole Wheel of Time series.
Forgot to add the why. Because they are incredible fantasy novels with rich characters, fascinating world building, and a well-defined magic with a system of deference that I really like.
Also, The Expanse is a competitor in my mind. Different stories by miles but similarly worth reading on a loop.
Either full Naruto colored manga Or Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (where my username came from)
I should probably get started actually reading a song of ice and fire.
Is it a physical book? If so, I don't care. I never like reading books (specifically) anyway
Things I'm interested in are almost always on the internet. For example, the OBS Hybrid MP4 article
The 48 Laws of Power from Robert Greene, just to understand how the world runs and why people doing shitty things all the time.
If you suddenly haven only one book to read for the rest of your live, something big has probably happened to humanity and your interest in society would have to be historical not practical.
My first thought was to pick the longest book I know of, which is Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky. I think the PDF version is 2000 pages. Not really sure I want to reread it, though. So maybe the book I've reread the most times, which would be 11/22/63 by Stephen King. What a fantastic book.
That's the longest one you know?
I acknowledge that there are probably many books that are longer than the longest book I know of 😄
Thank you for the link!
I would rather read nothing.
