Book Larning

When I attended the kick off of The Big Read project last year, one of the questions on their readers' survey was: "How many books did you read last year?" It's a simple enough question, and one that all too many Americans, statistically speaking, would have a difficult time answering greater than zero.

I should have started it earlier, but in the middle of February of this year, I started keeping a list of the books I was reading. Here's my list so far - though I swear I think I've forgotten a couple...

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke [incomplete]
The Mighty and the Almighty by Madeleine Albright
Empire by Orson Scott Card
Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection by Isaac Asimov
Tales of the Black Widowers by Isaac Asimov
Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare by Isaac Asimov [incomplete]
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare (with Asimov guide)
"As You Like It" by William Shakespeare (with Asimov guide)
"Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare (with Asimov guide)
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
Memo to the President Elect by Madeleine Albright
An Isaac Asimov Second Omnibus by Isaac Asimov (including "Pebble in the Sky", "The Stars, Like Dust", and "The Currents of Space")
The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Simple Prosperity by David Wann [in progress]

So here's where it gets difficult to count, difficult to answer the simple question, "How many books have I read?" For example, do I count Jonathan Strange... since I didn't finish it? (Probably not - I wasn't even halfway through when I put it down) Or Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - it's a reference book. I've read in the book, but certainly didn't read it cover to cover. Also, does each Shakespearean play count as a separate "book" for counting purposes? Similarly, in the Asimov Omnibus - that included three separately published novels, each in the 150-250 page range. Was that three books? Or was it once since it was published into one binding?

I guess my best answer to this question is: 13 - 20 in two months.