I always have a few novels on the go at the same time. As I finish each one I put it on the 'read' pile and pick another complementary book from my bookshelf whose last rereading I can't recall. This way I work my way through all the books I own before starting again a year or more later. No need to buy any more books ever...

I have a different strategy that I've greatly perfected over the years. I buy a book whenever one piques my interest. I squeeze it in on the bookshelf somewhere. Life happens and I forget all about it.

A few years later, when I look for a new book to read, I find all sorts of books that I don't remember ever buying. I pull one out, start reading a few pages.

Life happens. At some point my wife dissolves the ever-growing stack of half-started books on my nightstand and puts them all back on the shelf.

And so the cycle begins anew.