Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion
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Article: Is Owning Books as Good as Reading Them?
Well, my book hauling policy has changed a bit through time, though it still relies on a single premise:'I will not read any book of which there is no possibility to attain a beautiful, acid-free paper copy to keep in my library afterwards'.
I remember visiting for the first time a public library when I was a kid. I almost left crying because I could not keep a pictorial book about the baking of a gigantic bread. I had it photocopied inside the library instead...
So I have been going on since... I'm a book reader and a book buyer and haven't ever separated those two roles.
However, a tremendous plot twist has happened since I bought a Kindle: it's so much slower to read the hard copy that I have stopped reading hard copies altogether. Yet, I continue buying them, which adds to my bibliomania. If I buy the hard copy first, I proudly display it in my library and when it comes to the front of the reading list I buy the Kindle edition (unless it costs more than 7 dollars, then I simply read the physical copy I already have). On the other side, If I get the e-book on a discount and I like it, then I'll go to some lengths (including indulging in extravaganza publishers like Easton Press or Folio) to get a nice copy.
I will paraphrase a quote I read somewhere: a library is so much better if its books are not read yet rather than already read. It's like the unexplored jungle, still full of mysteries and wonders to be found.
I love owning books and much prefer it to borrowing books, because sometimes I will take a while to get around to reading them. That, and I also love just sitting and looking at all my books and I really love that my shelves show off my wide range of tastes.
Just thinking about owning the books make me all happy and giddy. But the thought of me going to read them soon makes me all the more happy! I would hate to buy them and then thought about it just to throw it away! That's terrible.
Interesting article; it follows the prevailing theme of this group pretty well. Plus 850 unread books makes me feel quite 'modest'! :-)Kiera wrote: "I love owning books and much prefer it to borrowing books, because sometimes I will take a while to get around to reading them. That, and I also love just sitting and looking at all my books and I ..."
I agree, though I do worry sometimes about what my books might say about me - a narcissistic overreacher perhaps! :-O I've certainly looked at a few books I've purchased and thought I might have been a teeny bit 'ambitious' when I decided to buy them! Very enjoyable to just look at the books on the shelves though, and leaf through some of the ones that have yet to be read.
Remember… the more books you own, and the more bookcases, the less wallpaper you need when you decorate. ;-)
I have often stated that I was a born collector. Even in my early childhood I was thrilled at the sight of anything in multiples. Toy soldiers, car or even farm animals stimulated my sense of well being. The first time I entered a library I thought I had gone to heaven. I started collecting books before I acquired the affinity to actually read them. Once I realized that they were more than just eye candy for my senses, I was hooked. Having a large supply of unread books is a blessing. I really feel that it would be the same as possessing everything you will ever want; where is the joy of living? As with the majority of us our obsession has mutated over the years. I may debate over the purchase of a personal item but will buy a new book without a second thought. Even if the book stays on my library shelf for years, I will never regret the spontaneous acquisition. I see books in any form as treasures and friends. Treasures you hold dear and friends are always there to entertain, support and comfort you. They ask so little of you but give so much.
I might be about 50 books behind you on that Owned but not yet read list, and keep trying (every year, the same New Year's Resolution) to read more, but I keep buying books, both tree-books and e-books.I love living in a house full of books. And I also every once in a while just wander my own library and look at them, handle them, flip through the pages. They're organized, which is what makes me a collector rather than a hoarder, but barring some miracle of medical science I doubt I'll live long enough to read them all, but if that's my only regret when the Grim Reaper comes a'callin', that'll be fine!
My husband would say no. I on the other hand love to buy books even though i have a 4 shelve bookcase full of ones to read. It seems for everyone i take out and read i replace it with two more. I'm addicted. What can i say? I love it!
I don't think owning books is anywhere near as good as reading them, it just takes so much less time.
I believe that owning books is a wonderful thing but it's nothing compared to reading them. On that note these two go hand in hand because reading a book you do not get to keep and treasure and reference whenever doesn't provide the same satisfaction when you're finished with it. The same goes for owning books you never intend to read; They'd be wasted! I like my set up with bookshelves and tables overflowing with books. Some of them I've read and some are still beckoning to be devoured. All is right in the world.
I think it is just as good. I like knowing that I always have something to read, and I don't have to go out and buy or borrow something when I want to read. Plus, there is always an assortment to pick through, that I want to read.
Sometimes I think I have a book- buying disease. I could spend hours Looking for books that I think are gonna be good. I don't know what it is about looking for them that I enjoy so much but I do enjoy the hunt.
This morning I was thinking I was a bit ridiculous having about twenty five books in my to be read shelf and still look at books wherever I go. This article makes me feel a lot better. Yes I will continue and enjoy it.
Well, if you have them and will read them eventually I think its as good. But if you own them and don't entend to read them well, why do you have books ? So if it's only for the looks of you room or wtv I don't think its as good, but if you have them because YOU WANT TO READ THEM well I don't see the diference :P
Owning them is just as good, you'll always have something to read. I don't know how many times I've passed my book shelf and revisited a book I haven't read in awhile, even if it's just to read a favorite passage.
I love what the possibilities are with all of my unread books. I am also famous for the "I haven't read it, but I do own it" statement. But, there are worlds that I haven't had time to enter and I will get there someday. My sister and I joke that our tbr pile is our retirement plan.
Owning books is so important to me. They are my comfort blanket, so much so that they are all kept in my bedroom. :) But honestly I buy the things I really want to take my time reading and I think I will really enjoy, and I borrow from the library things I'm not really sure I'll like or know for sure I will only read once (specifically biographies). There are things I want to keep on my shelf because I want to remember to read them at some point. Of course I keep lists of all the books I want to read, but there's nothing quite like running your finger across a shelf of book spines while you decide what to read next.
I love having books around. I have a room set aside as a library and painting room. It's wonderful to have the afternoon light streaming in, casting a warm glow on my bookshelves and my easel. Sometimes I'll just sit in my big easy chair, with my feet on my oriental rug, looking at all the books.Of course, reading them is great, too. I'm a big rereading, and there's nothing that I hate more than thinking of a book that I want to read, but don't actually own because I had borrowed it from a friend or the library.
A sunlit glow on my bookshelves would terrify me as the spines would all be fading!
My love for books started long before my having time to do any serious reading so , I just purchased everything I could at estate sales and auctions . Now I have a few cottages filled with them and love knowing they are there. I Pick them up at random to read what ever is there. Can read 12 hours everyday now, love it.
Almost never happens to me with books I actually buy. Don't have that much free cash. If I buy a book - it's to read it. But books I get for free - sometimes they never get read.
I admit I am addicted to owning books and trying to read all of them. For most of my life I would read a book and pass it on to friends or family or sell it at a used bookstore but now I have become a book hoarder. No book leaves my house and if it does I better get it back! I love buying books, owning books, looking at my books, reading my books, finding places to keep all my books and now I have been packing the books I've read pending a move in a year or two so I won't lose my mind when the time comes to pack. I have a little over 400 books but when you start packing them you feel like it's 4000. And yes I have already gone through the boxes looking for a particular book. LOL
I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when I am dead. They do not make a casket large enough to hold my 200 pounds along with all my books.
John wrote: "I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when I am dead. They do not make a casket larg..."If you have any real concerns about that - you should outline in your will which books mean something to you and which you would like to be passed on to your descendents and/or friends. The rest, the will should specify, should probably be donated so that others can have a chance to read
John wrote: "I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when I am dead. They do not make a casket larg..."The thought of what would happen has crossed my mind. One of my nephews is an avid reader and there are a few other readers in the family so I guess at some point I will suggest they take what they want, once I'm gone, and donate the rest to the library for one of their book sales. It's almost as bad as to whom do give your cat, dog, or bird when the time comes.
Eric wrote: "John wrote: "I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when I am dead. They do not make ..."I should mention so other will know. A few years ago, I had sold a house where I was keeping a few hundred books which I had purchased at Estate sales and had no intention of ever reading. So I donated them to the local GOODWILL. They were book written in German. Before I had left the back of the drop off area, I saw In my rearview mirror that the person working at drop off area was throwing the books into the trash dumpster. I returned and took them out and ended up giving them to a German American society. it took me several months to find this organization but they were quite happy to get the books. When I complained to the manager of the goodwill store, she told me it was a new employee who had made the mistake?????The books were all over 100 years old and the employee thought , too old to be of any interest to anyone I guess.
Mod
I know what you mean. When I bought my house, I made sure it was large with lots of rooms so I would plenty of space for my 6000+ book library with room to grow. I always dreamed that when I died my house would be donated to the town as the new public library, just like in The Library. I really don't know what will happen to them all, maybe they can be sold in an estate sale and the money given to charity. I certainly will forbid they are just thrown away.
For me, reading is more fun than owning them. I go through buying stages, I'll buy for a while then take a break. I have resolved to let go of books that aren't my favorites. I just don't have the space to keep them. The search for the book is where the fun is for me. I was a bit surprised in doing a challenge of books > 500 pgs, that I already owned 14 that I haven't read.
Indian women are supposed to be fond of buying jewellery but I'm fond about investing in books. I do feel guilty at times for spending so much on books but it's something I can't giveup.
I think they're the prettiest of home decorations and feel invigorated having books around. I don't know that it's more important that reading them, but I do know I'm both a reader and a bibliophile, and while both those feel compatible most of the time, it's almost like a different addiction sometimes in a weird way.
There are books in every room of my house. It is like having hundreds of good friends. I can't wait to retire so I have more time to read them.
I must admit , even though I did start my love of reading at the age of 12, it was not until in my 30s When I moved into an apt with many book cases , that I started to buy them in great numbers. I just needed to fill those shelves. In later years I found that I needed to buy more houses in which to put the books. I do not know who the boss is, me or the books???? OR WHO OWNS WHO???
Owning book is just as great as reading them because you get to see your next adventure every day that makes you want to read them all at once.
Sally wrote: "There are books in every room of my house. It is like having hundreds of good friends. I can't wait to retire so I have more time to read them."Sally...I feel the same way as you do about books and I have them in every room of my apartment and storage space in my garage and I can't wait to retire to more time to read them too.
Purvi wrote: "Indian women are supposed to be fond of buying jewellery but I'm fond about investing in books. I do feel guilty at times for spending so much on books but it's something I can't giveup."Purvi...Don't give up your special time reading your books. They are just as precious as the jewels you have and more. They are a great investment to you.
I own more books than I will likely ever be able to read in my lifetime, partly because I never get rid of any. Even books that I read once but will never read again I keep - they represent part of who I am, and serve as reminders of past interests and phases of life. Many of them I have had for 20-30 years or more, and there is comfort in seeing them in their spots on the shelves year after year. I also learned long ago to absolutely hate that feeling when I want to re-read something and no longer have it! You never know when the mood for a specific title will strike, even after many years...
David wrote: "I own more books than I will likely ever be able to read in my lifetime, partly because I never get rid of any. Even books that I read once but will never read again I keep - they represent part of..."That's exactly how I feel about my books. I got rid of a heap when I was young and stupid and desperate for the tiniest bit of extra cash, and now I completely regret it. I am in the process of purchasing them all back via Amazon Marketplace.
I own more books than I could ever read in a lifetime. This does not deter me from buying more and more books. I love books and I love to be surrounded by books.
I do give away books if they're not favorites once they're read, so I can't say I hang on to every one. I do hang on to a lot of them though, and collect faster than I can read.
Thom wrote: "I have often stated that I was a born collector. Even in my early childhood I was thrilled at the sight of anything in multiples. Toy soldiers, car or even farm animals stimulated my sense of well ..."I feel the same way, I remember from the earliest age see books on my older brother's shelf and just enjoying their sight.
I started collecting even before reading what I had, it has been an obsession of my own since ten years old, and will always be with me. I love just to be surrounded by my books, more than anything else.
Joseph wrote: "John wrote: "I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when I am dead. They do not make ..."At last count which I haven't done for quite sometime my collection was in the 7,000 (don't have the time to post them on Goodreads) area. Years ago when I built my house I had them put many bookcases in my home including my office which is pictured. The builder said to me " I don't believe you have this many books, well after we moved in, I invited him back, and to say the least he was dumbfounded, by the amount of books. I just love to be around them.
Frank wrote: "Joseph wrote: "John wrote: "I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when I am dead. T..."I love that picture Frank! I can't wait til I have that many books :)
Nah. Owning is better than reading. I just like looking at shelves full of books, even tho I have more than 100 I haven't read, yet. :)
Ashley wrote: "Frank wrote: "Joseph wrote: "John wrote: "I am probably a lot older than you , I have over 4,000 books for real and would never think of moving. My worry now is what will happen to the books when..."I also liked your picture . when I get back to the states,i will take a picture of the cottage I have where I had to raise up the roof 12 feet to be able to build more bookcases. My neighbors think me a bit insane to raise roof for such. LOL
I agree with many of you who love being surrounded by your books. As a kid, one of my favorite places was (and still is) the library. I always thought I was never alone nor would be bored if I had books within reach. Now they are a reminder of a time or situation in my life. I've gotten something from each of them. The problem is not the quantity for me, but placement. I just need a bigger house! Problem solved.
I keep hoping I will win the lottery, lol. I have planned it out in my head. A new house built around my dream library. My current library is barely able to hold all my books.
I'm in the same situation and have the same dream to be able to build a house around my barn-size library. Dreams are like your next book....they're always out there adding spice to life.
Lol, yes Thom, that is so true. Loving reading and books makes it easier to dream, at least I think so. We have conditioned our minds to accept that there is so much more out there beyond the confines of our own small corner of the world. Hope all is well in your part of the world today
http://bookriot.com/2014/03/24/owning...
By Rachel
Mar 24, 2014
Confession: I own over 850 books that I haven’t read.
That’s more than double the number of books I own that I HAVE read. I discovered this startling number as I was organizing and cataloguing the books in my apartment in preparation for The Book Jar project. No longer confined to a small jar, the slips of paper with titles and authors quickly spilled over into a small box.
I have more books than I could possibly read in several decades (considering my average pace of 50+ books/year) but I still continue to buy new titles, adding more and more to my never-ending TBR list. Even books that I was completely over the moon for that I picked up during the last three editions of Book Expo have gone unread. In fact, the percentage of books I got at BEA that have been read is…dismally low.
Shouldn’t I get rid of some of these books, these physical reminders that there will never be enough time to read all the things I want to read? I should, I know. But I, at some point, thought that I would like each book enough that I was willing to spend money (or in the case of BEA, physical labor) on it. So presumably I still will, whenever I get around to it.
There are many “big” books in my expanding, unread library – books that had an impact when they were released and continue to have an impact on literary culture and communities. Books like Freedom by Jonathan Frazen, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz languish. And often, so often that I’ve made a joke out of it, I will reply to a query about whether I’ve read this book or that that I “own but haven’t read it.”
But these books – especially those “big” books – I feel in some ways that just having them on my shelves means something, that it’s better than nothing. I feel like I’m doing something with those books, even if that “something” isn’t reading them. I don’t know if that feeling is about supporting the authors either through money or awareness or if its about intellectual acceptance – I know OF a book, I was current enough with the trends to buy it – or if its about none of those things and I truly believe that time will slow and someday, I will get around to reading each and every one of these unread volumes.
If there ever was a moment for me to adjust this mode of thinking, it would’ve been when I packed and unpacked so many unread books in my most recent move or when I spent hours and hours cataloguing books and then cutting strips of paper so I could fish a random slip out of a jar, one at a time. But this particular piece of baggage is not one I seem to be able to unpack (nor can I unhook myself from the compulsion to buy new books). Do I really want to?
Do you?