About this episode
How big is that pile of books next to your bed?Tsundoku is a Japanese word for buying books and letting them pile up unread. It’s a familiar habit to book lovers everywhere — that growing stack of books you intend to read but haven’t yet. In this episode of Sketchplanations The Podcast, we explore why we buy books we don’t read, why unread books don’t always feel like a bad thing, and what this habit says about curiosity, identity, and our relationship with reading.In this episode we embrace Tsundoku and our conversation ranges from buying too many books to the joy and guilt of collecting unread books, and how tsundoku can extend to audiobooks, hobbies, and other unread things. If you’ve ever wondered why you buy books faster than you can read them — or felt conflicted about your own unread pile — this episode is for you.Links to items (mainly books) that we discussed:The book that changed Tom's life: Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark WintersThe book from Jono's pile he next wants to start: A few short sentences about writing by Verlyn KlinkenborgRobbie is most looking forward to getting started on: Whatever will be will be by Felix WhiteJono recommends cartoons about books and reading by Tom GauldBig Ideas, Little Pictures is the Sketchplanations book by Jono HeySummary: 00:00 Introduction to Tsundoku: The Act of Collecting Unread Books02:52 Personal Stories and Reflections on Tsundoku05:20 The Broader Implications of Tsundoku07:49 Books as Gifts and Their Value10:03 The Joy and Guilt of Collecting Books17:14 Final Thoughts and Reflections19:34 Conclusion and FarewellAll music on this podcast series is by the very talented Franc Cinelli Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
