Is it still hoarding if it’s electronic?

Smashwords is having its annual July summer/winter sale. In years past, I would go out every few days during the month, click on the filter for those with 100%-off coupons, and do a general browse for new additions before narrowing down to authors or topics that I liked. I didn’t load up my shopping cart every single visit; sometimes just browsing was entertaining enough. But by the end of the month, I’d have at least a dozen more books downloaded to my tablet.

I used to add the titles immediately to my Goodreads Want-to-read list, but now I don’t. I have so many in there already that I’ve had to organize a bit and tag those I want to read in a given year. I’m not saying that I have too many in my list, but I confess that I’ll sometimes read a review by a friend – or someone that I’m following – and decide to add the book to my queue, only to find that it was already in there. Is the list no longer meaningful if I can’t remember every item I’ve added? Or does that matter?

I used to worry about this. Three years ago, I wrote a post about coming to terms with having 100 books in my want-to-read list. Now I have over five times that, and that’s not including some that I’ve picked up during unexpected sales. But I don’t worry about how many are in the list now. Isn’t its function to remind us of books that seem interesting so that we don’t have to memorize them all?

And if having lists of possibilities is not a problem, why do I have a growing hesitation about adding actual books to my virtual library, especially if free or discounted? After all, I wouldn’t be able to afford them all at regular price, and the local public library’s limited funding leads it to concentrate on works for children and book clubs. Those on my list are often not available there.

Nor does having too many ebook files lead to the same tussling between wishes and practicalities that having too many physical books does. They don’t take up limited space in my house nor would they create dilemmas for my heirs when I’ve passed on.

Even so, I do find that I’m buying fewer books at drastically reduced prices than I used to, even though I’m reading just as much overall. I’m spending more time reading through online samples and previews rather than downloading them to sift through later.

Sales and freebies are helpful for trying out new authors, styles, or genres, and there is something very satisfying about getting something good at an even better price. I’m sure that there’s some psychology involved. Why else would I be very pleased to get 20% off a book by an author I like at any other month except July, but tend not to even look at books listed with a mere 25, 50, or 75% off coupon during the Smashwords sale?

I have three different devices that I can read books on, if I count my mobile phone. Depending upon the apps on each, and whether I sync them across other devices, I have anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred books available and ready to be read at any given point. I browse through them as I would my physical bookshelves when I’m in the mood to read … something … but not quite sure what. I also find it comforting to have a lot of options in case I have to wait for an appointment or when meeting someone who is late. It’s not so bad if there’s something good to read to pass the time away if I’ve suddenly finished a book.

But still, to collect too many – or even to have a sense that there is such a thing as too many – is perhaps not so good. Maybe having too many of anything lessens the value of the individual items. And solely chasing sales or bargains could be problematic in itself, especially if it drives down the ability of authors to get fairly compensated for their work and talents, or spins public libraries into a downward spiral of decreased funding because of fewer patrons, and fewer patrons because of decreased funding to broaden reading choices.

And finally, there is a concern of hoarding. I don't mean in the necessary sense like a squirrel preparing for winter, but more of piling up large numbers of items that are not needed or even thought about individually.

So, does that mean that I don’t browse through July sales or respond to a notice that a book in my reading queue is on sale? Well no, of course not. But I think I will be more deliberate in general about acquisition. I’ll continue to do more preview reading, and to use Smashwords in general as a place to discover ideas and insights that aren’t available elsewhere.

Overall, I’ll put a priority on what’s in the to-be-read list already and browse through it occasionally to remind myself about the very interesting books patiently waiting their turn. I’ll try to remember to check the library more often since its collection is available to more than just me and seems just the opposite of an individual’s hidden hoard.

As for my favorite authors, I’ll check to see that I’ve paid the full and fair price for at least one of their books, even if the others are loans, discounts, or freebies. Then I'll send my worries out to play, and settle down to browse in my miniature device library.