KOMET’s Comments (group member since Jul 18, 2012)

KOMET’s comments from the Book Buying Addicts Anonymous group.

I'm now reading ---

1) You'll Be Okay: My Life with Jack Kerouac by Edie Kerouac-Parker

(memoir)

2) Gore Vidal: History of the National Security State by Real Network



3) The Other Language by Francesca Marciano (a collection of short stories)

Besides my solid oak bookcase, I house the bulk of my books (mostly paperback, which is very convenient for those of us who live in apartments) in a couple of closet spaces (where some are on shelves and the others are in book bags).

I also have books (organized strictly along the lines of non-fiction, fiction, author, and genre) in book bags near my computer, my bed, and the TV. What's more: for reasons of space and practicality, once I finish reading books I have no desire to re-read and retain, I gather them together and place them in bags, which I take to a used bookstore here that happily accepts books in good condition. (I think for those of us who have reached "a certain age," it becomes clear that eventually, one's library will have to be kept within bounds.)

Where I live, there are 2 major bookstores, where I like to browse, attend book readings, and buy books in stock that appeal to me (for a variety of reasons).

But, should the books I seek be unavailable at both venues, I'll opt for online buying via Amazon (inclusive of amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk) and/or The Book Depository (based in the UK).

We had 2 BORDERS bookstores here --- the downtown store in particular, I loved. I was a customer there from the late 1990s til it closed 3 years ago. During lunch hour, it was always FULL and, unlike B&N, it had a much easier, more coherent layout which made it child's play to find just about any book. BORDERS also offered a better venue for visiting authors to give their readings. (I was once fortunate enough to see Margaret Atwood in person.)

Granted BORDERS did not have a discount club as good as B&N (I have my membership - smile). But for a time, BORDERS would offer 10 to 15% discounts from Thursdays to Sundays.

I still grieve over the closing of BORDERS. Hope B&N doesn't meet a similar fate.

Sadly, where I live we have only one retail bookstore (a Barnes & Noble), in addition to an independent bookstore uptown. I frequent both bookstores whenever I can -- and I scan the various online booksellers (in the U.S. and abroad).

Among the paperbacks I love simply because of their texture and layout are those published by Penguin Books. One of the greatest joys I've experienced is in browsing shelves in a bookstore and feasting my eyes (and fingers) on the paperbacks.

This is an interesting question as I am now in the process of organizing the books in my apartment, as well as the ones I have in storage. For starters, I place the non-fiction books in one group and the fiction books in another. Then I further organize my books according to author, series, and subject matter.

Eventually, I intend to create an EXCEL spreadsheet listing all my books (fiction and non-fiction; old textbooks and study guides --- of which I have few from my college and graduate school days --- have their 'quiet corner' in my oak bookcase).

Over the past year, I've set myself the general rule of reading 50 pages a day from any book I pick up to read.

As someone who reads several books on the go (e.g. from 3-5 or 6 books concurrently), I had lapsed into the habit of reading, say, 5 to 10 pp. from a book, and putting it aside a few weeks later when I began reading another book that piqued my interest. I hated that, felt like I was spinning my wheels with a book and not getting any closer to the finish. Now, with 'the 50 page a day rule', I feel like I'm making real progress with a book.

YES, ABSOLUTELY. HERE I REAFFIRM THAT I LOVE PAPERBACK BOOKS.

I'll be buying some more paperbacks from the downtown B&N bookstore next week.

From the time I began regularly buying my own books (late 1970s/early 1980s), I've always veered toward paperbacks. I LOVE THEM. The cover art, texture, written endorsements, preface, content, etc. --- all of these factors help shape my book choices.

Though retail bookstores in the U.S. are now fewer in number (in comparison to the 1980s and 1990s), I love frequenting them (and independent bookstores) in search of the paperbacks that interest me.

In answer to your question: YES, VERY MUCH SO. I've been a bookbuyer since my teens. I love the look and feel of a paperback book. And though I have a Kindle (given to me as a Christmas present), I very much prefer the book in physical form.

Next Monday, I'll be on a book-buying spree at the downtown B&N bookstore. My list is complete.