Tsundoku and the Sidereal Day

My hobby isn't just reading, it’s also buying books, including the ones I will probably never finish.

And no, I don't buy them because I don't know that a true sidereal day, the time it takes the Earth to complete one full rotation, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds. It is not because I don't understand that there is a limit to how much I can cram into that precise turn, with my already packed routine of sleeping, eating, walking, working, travelling, and a million other things.

I buy them because I refuse to let that logical limitation stop me. Why should it stand in the way of a book I really need, leaving it to just sit there on a store shelf? Why should I limit myself to these boundaries? If there is a book, and it looks fascinating, it belongs on my shelf at home, not where it is standing right now. Its time to be read will come.

Moreover, the Japanese language actually has a specific word for this: “Tsundoku”. Even Google Scholar returns hundreds of results for the term, proving it's practically a researched phenomenon!

I love the ritual: the smell of fresh paper, turning the pages, and the thrill of picking out my next read... and the next, and the next.

My absolute favourite place in the world is Blackwell’s in Oxford. It’s like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, small from the outside, but boundless inside. Floors go up and down, and just when you think you’ve reached the end, you discover another hidden labyrinth of shelves.

Established on Broad Street in 1879, the same year Edison created the lightbulb, Blackwell’s has grown from a single room into a beloved global haven for book lovers and Tsundoku excusers. Over nearly 150 years, the iconic flagship store "..has grown; sideways, upwards and, most notably, underground", and into the legendary Norrington Room, which once held the Guinness World Record.

The heart of it for me is their café. It has an incredible view of the Sheldonian Theatre and the History of Science Museum, but the real magic is the vibrant academic atmosphere. I love sitting there, flipping through pages, and taking in the energy around me. You see everyone: students, professors, locals, tourists. Some are typing, some reading, some gazing out at the Sheldonian. 

When the café closes, you can migrate to the floor above. It’s usually incredibly quiet there in the Art books section, making it a true hidden sanctuary. There’s a very cosy sofa with a lemon pattern, which is the perfect spot to hide from the rain. The book “Your Brain on Art” worked perfectly with that lemon sofa 🍋

That lingering guilt of "how many books is too many?" completely vanished during my time in Oxford. Everyone there is exactly the same, constantly buying books and dragging them home. Perhaps this is why I love the intersection of books and technology. With AI, we build massive neural networks containing vast libraries of unread data, holding an almost infinite potential for creativity. My physical Tsundoku is no different. It’s my own physical algorithm, a curated network of ideas sitting on my shelves. I may not have processed every word yet, but the potential energy of that knowledge changes how I think every single day.

I’ll never forget one day at the Oxford train station. My suitcase was heavy because I had gone on a book-buying trip to celebrate finishing my business school studies (after all, I needed something to do next!). As I took the lift to the platform, I ran into a very gentle gentleman who looked exactly like a book lover. Of course, we struck up some small talk. I’ve bought so many books again... I’m not dragging this suitcase up and down the stairs." He laughed, "I do the exact same thing! I keep buying them and dragging them home, to the point where my wife has officially put a ban on new books." 

This was such a nice piece of small talk, and it perfectly sums up my experience there. I met so many people who do the exact same thing, where they spend hours inside Blackwell’s and bring heaps of books home. 

So, here is my Tsundoku. I love flipping through them depending on my mood, because Tsundoku is my lovely hobby, and because I refuse to put my brain into the boundaries of a sidereal day.

This time, Gemini proofread my post.