Too Many Books?

Can you really have too many books?

*Stands up* My name is Callum and I’m addicted to buying books.

Okay, on a more serious note, I do have a near compulsion to buy new books even when I have shelves full of perfectly interesting reads still to get to. After having to buy another bookcase to accommodate my growing collection and receiving many more books (and a new kindle) for my birthday recently, the question as to whether you truly can have too many books seemed all the more topical.

Despite a few brief moments of guilt for spending money on books that I technically don’t need yet, I’ve decided once and for all that I shouldn’t beat myself up about it. First of all, there are much worse things in life to be addicted to than books. Reading nourishes the imagination and enriches the mind; it’s never something to be discouraged, which in itself is another good point: I’ve definitely learned this year that the more books I have to get through, the more motivated I feel to keep picking them up. So if anything, I’m merely encouraging myself to make sure I always read a decent amount.

Also, just as a point of personal preference, I don’t like feeling restricted as to what I can read or having a fixed TBR list for each month. Instead, the most exciting thing for me when I finish a book is heading back to my shelves and knowing I have a whole bunch of books from all different genres to choose from, depending on what I happen to be in the mood for at that particular moment. This freedom of choice is something I really value.

So, all in all, I don’t think there is such a thing as too many books. If I was buying them and leaving them to gather dust that would be an issue but in truth, the more I buy, the more I read and though I’m not one for maths, that seems like a pretty positive ratio to me.

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Do you buy lots of books and stockpile them like I do or buy-as-you-read?