Shelf-Discipline: How to Read More Before Your Next Book Spree

Typically I tell myself that for every book I bring into the house, I have to have finished at least two that I already had on hand. That way I don't really have to ban myself from the bookstore, but still manage to make a slight dent in my TBR pile.

Before I let myself go to my favorite book store, I have accumulate at least 2-3 finished books that I can trade in toward 1 new book. It motivates me to finish books in which I have been languishing.

Paul wrote: "I have been on a book-buying hiatus for about 5 years now (yes, my to-read pile really did get that out of control).

New books that I want to read all go on my Amazon wishlist and I strongly encou..."

This is what I am doing. I allow myself $35 a month to buy books and made a wish list on Amazon and told everyone to buy me books off of that.

I'm in three libraries, one for college so I have to read from that one. I don't see any mentions of Net Galley where I get e-ARCs for review. These vanish off the computer after a time so they need to get read. However there is usually a stack of them on the computer awaiting me.

So when do I get time to read my owned TBRs? Not easy, given that I buy for myself and my husband and often want to read his. I try to buy secondhand because that way I get more books for the money. Specially wanted books are bought new. The main rule is not to buy hardbacks unless it's a very old book, and not to buy trade paperbacks very often, because these just occupy too much room on the bookshelves. We recently built two bookcases (flat packs) to move books downstairs. I have not read all of them yet. There are many more upstairs awaiting me as well.

When we are sure we are finished with a book it gets released into the wild for other readers. A college bookshelf or charity shop. Otherwise we would be buried under books by now.

I try to have only books I actually own / have on the computer/ Kindle on my Goodreads To Read list. When I was entering giveaways that was a nuisance as a book I did not have would appear on the list and confuse matters. Now GR has stopped allowing those giveaways so I have been going through excising them.

The book buying hiatus is easy enough if you don't have much money; but that can drive me to the library so off again despite the fact that the books at home are miserable and feel unwanted....

I once went 6 months without buying a book. I read constantly, usually 2 to3 books a week.

So my book habit is hardcore. Part of my success was pride. My friends never thought I could do it. I refused to give them the satisfaction. I also used the money I saved to make a sizable donation to the local food pantry.

Even now I try to cut out book buying in November and December and give that money to Toys for tots.

So try a personal challenge that will boost your good Karma. By the way, I am no goody two shoes. Completely self indulgent, but it did feel good.

Sirreadsalot wrote: ""Can't buy anything when you have no money," says Clay.

------

That's me."

That's me too. Fortunately, I work in a library, so I have access to LOADS of free books. I also have bookcases full of TBRs. I'm motivating myself to work through them because we may have to downsize soon, so I want to have read them before I HAVE to get rid of a lot. I used to buy every book I wanted to read, but lack of money has made me very picky. Now I have to be sure I'm likely to want to re-read a title at least twice before it gets shelf space. If not, then it's the library route every time.

Boradicus wrote: "So... (I notice weird things like this), I just detected an interesting pattern: a number of profiles of the people who have commented on this thread, when I have done a "book comparison" with them..."

There's a bug with the Compare Books feature right now that's causing that.

Boradicus wrote: "So... (I notice weird things like this), I just detected an interesting pattern: a number of profiles of the people who have commented on this thread, when I have done a "book comparison" with them..."

Might be a freak of GR software to show you the books you have in common and had similar views on rather than ones you had dissimilar views on?

I attempted a book-ban the year I went "one-click" crazy buying books & as a result developing a rather extensive tbr shelf. I freaked out & started wondering if I had a "problem". To determine if it was all in my head I tallied up the money I spent on books I never read. It was ultimately easy being all my books are kindle versions purchased on Amazon making accurate numbers easier to add up but tbh it was a time-consuming project. Short answer yes I had a very expensive problem. I went ahead & put myself on a book-ban. Only buying books I was already up to date reading in a series. No new authors, old authors with new to me series, or any combination of the two. I knew I couldn't successfully keep the book-ban for an indefinite time period, it just wasn't realistic. I decided the book-ban would be over & called a success if I gave every book I previously purchased a read. I knew not every book I attempted I'd be able to complete so I had to finish 25-50% of the book before I could DNF it. After many months It worked out. To keep me from being overcome by my one-click buying bad habit going forward. I committed to keeping my tbr shelf under 20 books. All other books I shelve as maybe (& don't buy) or if they're new releases I shelve under the corresponding release date (& don't buy). I also made a concentrated effort to use my Kindle Unlimited service & try a sample prior to buying a book. I should clarify every book shelved on my TBR shelf are purchased & loaded on my kindle.

My Tips:
Be honest with yourself & your personal flaws. Workaround your established flaws to reach your goals successfully. Without those first steps, your setting yourself up for failure as such you're self-sabotaging.
My workaround explained.
Adding up the money I spent on books I hadn't read helped me come to terms with how financially irresponsible I was being. Setting up a plan of action (book-ban) with an end date was imo the difference between my failure &/or success. Lastly, experiencing the frustrating book FOMO personally was responsible for the realization I lack the self-discipline to repeat the process & helped me develop self-regulating.
Hope this helps someone.

Cendaquenta wrote: "Boradicus wrote: "So... (I notice weird things like this), I just detected an interesting pattern: a number of profiles of the people who have commented on this thread, when I have done a "book com..."

That's very interesting, because not ALL profiles compared are showing as either all 5 or all 4 stars: such inconsistencies that are bugs tend to manifest more uniformly.

UPDATE: After a little more investigating, it seems that what *might* be happening with the Compare Books function, is that somehow one of (probably the first match) the book matches is being replicated for all of the books being compared. I did notice that some people also came up with "tbr" for all of the books compared - so this would tend to make sense. Also, I have noticed the same issue with people that I just randomly selected who did not reply to this thread. So, I suppose there is no correlation after all :^).

It’s been (sort of) 5 years that I imposed myself a golden rule: never buy a book unless I have read (or tried to at least) all books that I bought the last time I bought some.
This led me into stooping to buy books unless I really wanted to read them NOW.
No more « let’s buy this I might read it », which was the root of my library’s growth.
It still grows, but I have the illusion of controlling it :)

Emily wrote: "I am currently on a minor book buying ban
I'm moving and I've been slowly weeding out my less liked books along with the books on my TBR that probably won't get read.
Fortunately I am an assistant ..."

I just moved as well and tried to get rid of books...I'm sorry to say I failed miserably...I think I got rid of 7.

I borrow from the library liberally, both e-books and print books, but very seldom buy print books anymore. I moved twice in four years and swore I would never move that many (a couple thousand) books again. I gradually donated several hundred, when I could convince myself I would never read something again. But is it significant that I found this particular blog entry immediately after clicking "buy" on three e-books on Amazon?

Jeanny wrote: "I attempted a book-ban the year I went "one-click" crazy buying books & as a result developing a rather extensive tbr shelf. I freaked out & started wondering if I had a "problem". To determine if ..."

I wholeheartedly agree that it is helpful to take an honest look at the numbers to see what is truly going on. Honestly, when I look at the number of marketing emails that I receive, promoting some sale or other, I need to remind myself that marketers are deliberately attempting to capitalize on consumers' FOMO, and that I don't actually have to buy *anything* on "their" schedule. In fact, that is one of the things that I miss the most about brick-and-mortar bookstores: I could go and browse for books when *I* wanted to. Nowadays, there is this constant barrage of reminders through email, social media, etc, trying to manipulate me into immediately buying everything and anything. It's a bit nauseating, really.

Jeanny wrote: "I attempted a book-ban the year I went "one-click" crazy buying books & as a result developing a rather extensive tbr shelf. I freaked out & started wondering if I had a "problem". To determine if ..."


I guess this is one of the reasons I buy 99% physical books. I would completely lose track of my purchases... seeing them in front of me helps a great deal to know when I can indulge and when I should hold back :)

I like the "read several books before buying a new one"....I need it to me 10 before I even look. I'm going to do it!

Since the start of this year, for every book I read, I put £1 in a jar... So far, I have only just put my 21st £1 coin in the jar! 😜👍

All your comments are so interesting and I completely empathise with everything you say.There is a certain book shop in Dingle in Kerry that I adore because of the owner's brilliant taste in books and sometimes I can be seen actually running past it. 😀

Jessica wrote: "Since the start of this year, for every book I read, I put £1 in a jar... So far, I have only just put my 21st £1 coin in the jar! 😜👍"

I like this!

I'm on a book buying hiatus but I can "cheat" with impunity. I recently hauled a bunch of books off to my local used book shop and wound up with lots of store credit. So technically I'm not "buying" books.

Thank you for this blog^^
Joining a library really helps. so does the idea of taking pictures.

I don't buy as many physical books as I did in the past but eBooks are a temptation. Plus I feel an obligation to keep our wonderful independent bookstore in business. I have given away lots of books in the last few years. There is no reason to keep books I won't read again. At least I don't hang out in bars (I hang out in bookstores instead).

If my physical TBR pile gets too big I don't give up on getting new books entirely. Instead, I concentrate on free or greatly discounted ebooks. Because people can't judge me on my book buying habits if they can't see books piled about my house. To be honest I'll probably die crushed under a toppled pile of books I haven't read yet.

Azure wrote: "If my physical TBR pile gets too big I don't give up on getting new books entirely. Instead, I concentrate on free or greatly discounted ebooks. Because people can't judge me on my book buying habi..."

I probably will die that way also; just hope I’m reading a good book when it happens!🤣

Rachael wrote: "I like Ashley's idea of earning the way out of a book buying ban. And I love using my local library to read more than I have room for on my shelves at home. For me, one of the challenges is that I ..."

I can totally understand this thought. I get most of my reading material from the library and if I like the book enough after reading it, that I want my own copy, then it goes on a special list which I can refer to when I stop at B&N or plan on making an order at Amazon that requires shipping.

I like the idea of reading a certain number of books before buying new ones. I tend to only buy books en masse a few times a year at cons (ArmadilloCon and World Fantasy). But I do hit up Half Price Books somewhat frequently, and try to buy books from my Goodreads Want to Read list only at Half Price as much as possible. Usually this means books sit on my list for sometimes a few years, and I did recently go through and prune the list. I do also try to only buy from HP when they're having a period 20% off sale, or when they send a nice coupon in the mail. They're having such a sale this weekend, and I was surprised to find a new book I want to read, just released this month, and of course I snatched it up.

Mostly I am amused at the hints I see of a to read pile. I have 3 large bookshelves filled with my to be read books. It does help that I ride the bus to work so I can read during my commute, and I try to read a bit every day. But I have a feeling I'll shuffle off this mortal coil with quite a few unread books.

I'm also a frequent user of the library, not only to save money, but also to save space for storing all those books; and, I download the Kindle editions from the library so I always have my latest read with me as I work through my "Want to Read" shelf.

Ok... so I am currently looking at piles of books I need to read at home... I have a 3 paged typed sheet of books I want to buy... my library card is maxed out... and I have a list of want to read books here on Goodreads... I buy books on the internet and have limited it to only being able to buy once my previous order has arrived... being in Australia that means 6 weeks...

But I carry my booklist around... so if I find a book on the list... yep I buy it! I bring a book to work from my collection and read my library ones at home... But to be honest... there are much worse things to be addicted to...

Oh, and did I mention my kindle list is crazy cause I get sent free books from sites as well... and I review them online for the authours after I am done... I removed myself from a book review site to cut down... but it's only helped a little... And the second-hand stores... while they help me save money... they don't reduce my book list at all.

I love nothing more than curling up under a blanket with a good book and my cat... My husband sometimes joins us as well... and don't get me started on his book collection... lol

I'm doing a buying hiatus now because I'm out of money and apparently I can be arrested if I steal books

I feel like I'm the only bibliophile who literally never buys books lol. I always use the library or borrow from friends because: it's free, my shelf is constantly changing and space isn't as much of an issue, and the deadline keeps me even more motivated to keep reading!

smart! I think I’ll create a “piggy bank” like that so I can only spend what I’ve earned via reading my shelves at the monthly library sales. I buy too many there and have a serious surplus going on continually. Thanks!

myriad obsessions wrote: "I feel like I'm the only bibliophile who literally never buys books lol. I always use the library or borrow from friends because: it's free, my shelf is constantly changing and space isn't as much ..."

Almost the same here!! I've worked in the library for over 25 years and read about 150 to 200 books a year. I own about 75 total...and most of those were bought off of the library's used book shelf ($2 for hardcover, $1 for soft cover, 50 cents for kids - so all 7 Harry Potters totaled $3.50!!). Libraries are the way to go to read to your hearts' content without killing your wallet or your back when you move!

Most libraries want to buy books that their patrons want, so if they don't have want you want to read, suggest it to them (or you can use interlibrary loan). Publishers and author generally love libraries - unlike an individual reader, libraries tend to purchase multiple copies and replace them when they wear out (a repeat customer!).

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. If you don't already have one (or more!), head to your nearest local library.

I feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of books I want to read - I have at least 80 physical books waiting to be read on my bookshelf, and hundreds more on my TBR Goodreads shelf.

The problem is, I live 2 mins away from two used book shops, and I just can't stop buying! Then I feel guilty when I take them home just to get added to the existent pile. I'm also a sucker for beautiful book covers, so buy lots purely down to how they look.

People at work have started loaning me books too, and for the most part they look rubbish, but I'm too polite to say so.

Really going to try and avoid bookshops for a while, and will allow people to buy me books as presents only if they're on my TBR shelf - it's a start!

Our local library actually lists how much you have saved year to date at the bottom of your check out receipt.

I recently learned the Japanese word for this: tsundoku. It's the word for when you buy more books than you can actually read.

I just go on buy the book. Once finish the book I go the next book in line.

I think I’m going to implement the idea of reading a certain amount of books and then being able to buy one, but I’m going to read 5 books and THEN buy one, because I have many unread books...

Yeah...I just...don't do book buying bans.

This would be why I have nearly 150 unread books and a few more on the way . And yes, I do use the library, Hoopla and Scribd quite a bit. I just don't see the point of putting myself on a ban as long as I can afford it. I've budgeted for book buying and as long as I can afford it, I'm going to buy books.

I did, for the first time this year, set a goal of reading a certain number of books from my owned book TBR that I owned prior to Jan 1 of this year. The intention was to decrease the amount of unread books I owned, but then I bought more, so it didn't really help.

Often i come across new titles while reading some books, magazines or while listening to celebrity interviews or from movies. I mark those titles as want to read but i know i wont finish those books very soon so i hiatus the purchase of new books while staring at my collection which remains unopened. Its strange that i complete some other books but not those marked.

My ban plans work sometimes but at others they simply don't. There are a couple of years that I managed to do this well and bring down my TBR pile but the very next year I add so much more to it that I've had to start all over.

I own several hundred books that I haven't yet read. (I don't actually know how many I own, but it's a lot.)

To combat this, I started tracking whether or not my "unread" pile was getting bigger or smaller (ie. was I buying more than I was reading?). Every time I buy a book, I add one to the unread pile; every time I read a book, I subtract one. Then I shoot for a downward trend.

I started doing this a couple years ago, and by the start of the year, I was ahead by about 40 books (had read that many more than I'd bought). But I went crazy this summer and bought a ton of books and now I've got about 10 more unread books than I had when I started tracking. :/

Iow, this method has not proven effective.

Love the idea of number 6. Think I might try it as my bookshelves are a bit out of control. I also plan to spend most of next year sticking to Authors I know I love. This year I have tried a bunch of new ones and a bunch of new genres and have had a lot of disappointments in my reading. Apparently I do know what I like. There were a couple of exceptions but mostly books others raved over I just didn't like. It also means that I have fallen behind on the authors I love wasting time on trying new ones which I usually don't. I have also dropped from 3 to 1 book club because I just didn't like the monthly reads which were being picked in the other two that much and felt bad if I didn't read them. So many good books why waste time on bad ones.

I love physical books but I have been reading library ebooks for years now which saved me lots of money. However, it’s done nothing for my to-read list on Goodreads! It’s in the 1000s! And the number goes up just about every week but then I do read a book or two a week so the list would get lower if I didn’t keep adding books to it!! I probably should go thru the list though. I read almost strictly fantasy/ paranormal now, whereas I used to prefer mysteries/courtroom dramas, so I could probably thin my to-read list by deleting the types I’m no longer really into. Sometimes I get a little wordy! Did I answer the question? Lol! I love that I can keep track of the books I’ve read and want to read here! It’s a wonderful service and community that Goodreads offers and I hope it’s always around!

D wrote: "Every time I buy a book, I add one to the unread pile; every time I read a book, I subtract one. Then I shoot for a downward trend."

I tried that a couple of times. But even though I went from reading about 15 books a year to reading 60+ books a year, somehow the TBR pile continued to get bigger instead of smaller.

I needed to downsize my book collection in readiness for downsizing my house, so made the rule that I'd only buy one book if it was very special to every five library books I borrowed. You'd be surprised how many very special books there are out there!
Failed.

But, I still couldn't help myself when it came to going to charity book sale fairs - just to browse you understand. So, to combat whimsical purchases, I never took any cash with me. That was working quite well for a couple of years until the book fairs started using EFTPOS.
Failed.

I'm not usually one to give up, but ...

Miranda wrote: "Move to another country where the books are not in your language also helps ;)

"

Actually, I think that makes it worse, because it forces you to actually buy/order everything you want at full-price (and probably too much, because you wont want to run out of reading stuff that you can't easily replace) because you can't relay on any of the cheaper versions.... no thrift-stores, no borrowing from every friend you have, no free-book-shelfes on the street, and often no or very few books in "your" language at the libraries.

I have an insane amount of ongoing series' so I set myself a challenge where I am only allowed to buy books to complete them. Most of them don't seem to ever be in bookshops I go into it's actually a challenge in itself finding them

Im on a hiatus right now. Crunching down my own book shelves. Have 250+ unread books but its moving forward. Setting a number on how many books to read per year has been a key for me and I now give away almost every book I read (but some I still keep).

Rosa wrote: "Miranda wrote: "Move to another country where the books are not in your language also helps ;)

"

Actually, I think that makes it worse, because it forces you to actually buy/order everything you..."

For me it works, because I own a lot of books I have not read yet. I won't run out anytime soon! I do still order sometimes online (sending it to my mom ;) ) But I know I have to wait a long time before I can actually start reading them. It also pushes me to buy e-books and it makes it easier to walk past the books in the second hand store in my new town.

I have to put on a stop and read my own books, or borrow them from my library. One can ask to buy a new book, but they have very recent books. Than I have a "library system" for my e-books. So, you would say that there is enough. For all these reasons and money, as the tip says, keep an account!