Horror Aficionados discussion
Are your books read or unread?
Definitely buy more than I could possibly read in this lifetime lol I have been trying to be better at letting go of books I think I'll never read again, but it's very hard! I think I own roughly 800 books, and of those maybe 300 or so are unread. I feel like every time I finish a book, I reward myself with 5 more haha
I used to do this, but finances, space, and sanity all conspired many years ago to end this bad habit of mine. And I never (then or now) put an unread book on my bookshelves. They have always gone in a separate tbr stack.
I have 3 bookcases full of unread books. I have probably 5 favorite Read books hiding behind the unread books. I donate the books once I have read them but I keep filling the space with new purchases. I am sure some of you are familiar with this, no?
I have a pile of books that I haven't read yet but I always intend to read them at some point! They mostly come from little libraries. I don't really buy a lot of books anymore, mainly just King.
I purged a good amount of my hard copy books awhile back, but still have a bunch, i.e. Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dante's Trilogy, etc, that I hope to read at some point.
I have over 4,000+ in my amazon cloud unread and I will probably have to live to be 200 yrs old to read them all! lol
I used to buy way too many books, but now I just store them in my Goodreads "to read" list and only buy them (or get them from the library) when I am ready to read them.
Marie wrote: "I have over 4,000+ in my amazon cloud unread and I will probably have to live to be 200 yrs old to read them all! lol"Sounds like it! lol
When I worked in a book store I purchased only books I wanted to read and I kept them in a library room my husband built for me. I read and reread everyone of them. Then I started getting kindles, I gave my library of books away to a family member who managed to destroy the entire collection of approx 800 hardbacks and even more paperbacks. Since then I have repurchased every book and hundreds more kept in the kindle ebook cloud. If I stopped today...haha... I might read all of them if I live to be, maybe 200. Okay now back I go to look for new books I might be interested in reading.
Mod
Aren't Kindles just the best?
I can hide so many book purchases that way and no need to find room on a shelf somewhere. ;)
WendyB wrote: "Aren't Kindles just the best? I can hide so many book purchases that way and no need to find room on a shelf somewhere. ;)"
But doesn't that also keep you from knowing how many books are waiting? I want to see them right in front of me on a shelf, personally. Money is fine, but books are the real wealth. And there are just too many problems with e-books. I like a book that feels and smells like a book.
Both have their advantages. My book preferences (hardback or Trade) would literally require a library to store and sadly be unappreciatively disposed of after my parting. Although the convenience of having a library at my fingertips at most times is hard to beat (plus my backpack or attaché case are much lighter)
Mod
I can hide so many book purchases that way and no need to find room on a shelf somewhere. ;)"
But doesn't that also keep you from knowing how many boo..."
Knowing what books I have is what GoodReads is for. It's easy to look through my tbr and search for certain books... ok, ok... maybe not easy, it does take a little time, but I can keep track of all my books here. :)
My preference is always for a paper version of a book but I've found many times my Kindle works well, especially when I'm away from home and need something to read to pass the time.
I use Goodreads the same way you do, Wendy. I rarely add any type of book, be it digital or otherwise, to my library without marking it TBR and TBR I OWN. I could never keep track otherwise. (Though I do think I've missed adding a few used book store hauls here.) I have thousands of unread books on my Kindle and probably at least half that in paper books on my various shelves at home.
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I donated my entire library of books a several years back, and have only recently begun acquiring books again. I have fewer than 100 on my shelves, and nearly half of those are Shakespeare plays. I love owning books but I mostly borrow from the library or download ebooks for now. I'd be broke, and divorced, if I bought all the books I want to read :)
My shelves are mostly unread, at this point. I work at a library, and tended to take any donations that were on my TBR pile for a while when I first started.
Kasia wrote: "Getting books is almost as fun as reading them, the picking and imagining what the pages hide, I never feel bad :)"That's when I get excited about getting them, picking out what to get.
I used to have a room that was floor to ceiling bookshelves and all the books I had read at least once. Then I gave them all to one of my daughters. Now I'm replacing them all on my Kindle e-readers plus picking up new books almost every day. So I might have several hundred books I haven't read yet. But it doesn't stop me from buying more.
I inherited a few slip cased sets of book collections from the 40's-90's, so have thousands of books I will never get rid of because they are beautiful on the shelves. They are classics for the most part, so I've read about 80% of them. I hope to read them all someday.I collect books by a few authors so have all of their first editions and a few special editions of some. Those too, I will never get rid of.
I keep omnibus editions of comics that I love, but not individual issues.
I have a large collection of children's books from when mine were wee and am keeping them in case of grandchildren!
My Nook and assorted other ereaders have a few thousand titles. Most read, but not all.
I also own about 300 audiobooks, but they are all files with the exception of a few on tape I have for collecting purposes, so they don't take any room, much like the ebooks.
I've always had a LOT of books on display in any home we've lived in, but recently moved and bought a bigger house which has allowed me to have two whole rooms devoted to a "library." My husband is working on my shelves and I am really missing my books which will be staying boxed until the shelves are ready.
Mod
That all sounds so amazing but the two rooms of books just blows me away!
I have no doubts you'll have a great time unpacking the boxes and filling the shelves.
I had 3 books I've never read, now 2 since I gave a friend one of them...but it's not because I didn't want to read them. It's because they are in German, and I don't know German... they are:Vollstandige Kirchengeschichte des Nuen Testaments Vol 4 by Johann Lorenz Von Mosheim 1772
Vollstandige Kirchengeschichte des Nuen Testaments Vol 5 by Johann Lorenz Von Mosheim 1773
The one I gave away: Wieland's Werke 1788
Unfortunately, they're not worth any money unless you have a complete set of all 5 volumes from the same year, apparently...But it is still nice to have books that were written before there was a United States....
My shelves have mostly unread books. I’m trying to whittle down the physical books I have by getting rid of them after I read them. Don’t want to burden my children with them after I die! Currently have 1,699. No way will I get through them all! Buying mostly ebooks now (1,088 on my iPad) because they don’t take up shelf space.
Kandice wrote: "I inherited a few slip cased sets of book collections from the 40's-90's, so have thousands of books I will never get rid of because they are beautiful on the shelves. They are classics for the mos..."Two rooms?! That sounds awesome!
I weaned myself off my tsundoku habit after giving away piles of books last time I moved. Had it under control for a few years. Then I bought a Kindle and fell off the wagon, hard.In actuarial terms, I probably have enough years left to clear out my TBR list. However, the damn thing keeps growing, month to month.
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In actuarial te..."
I know what you mean. If I didn't buy even one more book (not going to happen LOL ), I'd have to live to about 105 to read what I currently have.
Or as the author Jeff Strand has said “I know I'll die someday, but I buy books like an immortal.”
Almost all of my books are unread. I only keep my favorite books, I donate the rest. [I even have some of my favorite books in Kindle form.]
Anne (w/ an E) wrote: "Almost all of my books are unread. I only keep my favorite books, I donate the rest. [I even have some of my favorite books in Kindle form.]"Most of my TBR books are ones I don't own yet. The ones I have in my place are unread, or going to be re-read at some point.
Most of my books are read, actually! I definitely have like a mini library in my apartment, and I try to read the ones I already have before buying new ones.The keyword here is TRY ok-if it's like a really weird/niche history book I'll probably grab it immediately.
Most books I own I have read. I really utilize the library though so really the only books I own are my favorite ones.
Most of mine are unread. I'm more of a book collector than a book reader these days lol. It's not by choice, it's one of those ooh I see something I want to read and unless it absolutely blows me away and I have to read it immediately it usually collects dust or digital dust on my kindle.
Justin wrote: "Most of mine are unread. I'm more of a book collector than a book reader these days lol. It's not by choice, it's one of those ooh I see something I want to read and unless it absolutely blows me a..."Sometimes I feel like there are so many good books to read, there isn't enough time in the day to get to them all.
Mod
― Lemony Snicket
So true! Even if I never ever bought another book (not gonna happen LOL) I probably have enough unread books to last me the rest of my life.
I am about half and half. I keep a separate shelf available for books I haven't read yet and slowly work my way through them. I don't usually let them join the main bookshelf until I've read and *enjoyed* the book. Otherwise it goes to a book exchange.
I donated most of my dead tree books when I moved into the little house my gf & I are renting. So I went from mostly unread to mostly read since I saved only my favorites, rare books, etc. I mostly listen to audiobooks now & only buy real books a couple times a year. She is mostly reading ebooks, so she buys even fewer books now. She has probably read & re-read 99% of the books she owns.
I just bought two hardcover books for $5.95 each from a catalog. I don't normally order books from a catalog and I've only ever bought one hardcover prior to these but seeing as they were 2 books I've been wanting to read for a few years and at a good price I couldn't pass them up!The point I'm trying to make is that I will read these and won't let them join my collection of the unread lol
WendyB wrote: "“It is likely I will die next to a pile of things I was meaning to read.”― Lemony Snicket
So true! Even if I never ever bought another book (not gonna happen LOL) I probably have enough unread bo..."
I love that quote!
I think my husband wishes our bookshelves were filled with only our favorite books, but I just can't help myself. I get an author I like and I just need to own everything by them. I also can't seem to let go of books that I think my boys might some day want to read. So yes, I've got a good mixture of tbr-owned, and read-owned.But I would never be able to afford how many books I read, so I rely on the library, libby, kindle, and audible to get me through.
Emilie wrote: "I think my husband wishes our bookshelves were filled with only our favorite books, but I just can't help myself. I get an author I like and I just need to own everything by them. I also can't seem..."I used to do that with certain authors but then I felt I would get burnt out by their books fairly quickly. Now the only one I'll buy books for is King.
I have so many unread books, and I keep getting more. I even have a stack on hold at the library that I am waiting on...I just can't help it I am a book addict. The ones I read and know I won't read again , I donate.
I have a healthy TBR list, if that qualifies. But I'm good at waiting to buy before I’m ready.
I have a very healthy TBR list. I purchase more than I have read for sure! I read books, ebooks, and listen on audible, but I still seem to purchase faster than I read. I guess I feel that if I don’t add it to my TBR list or purchase it, I will forget about it and miss out on a good read.
I buy so many audiobooks, I'm thinking about going back to Audible Gold from Silver.
Mod
Buying books is almost as fun as reading them. It's the anticipation of what waits for us inside the books, I think.
WendyB wrote: "Chris wrote: "I have a very healthy TBR list. I purchase more than I have read for sure! I read books, ebooks, and listen on audible, but I still seem to purchase faster than I read. I guess I feel..."Very true!
From the article:
Tsundoku (積ん読) is a beautiful Japanese word describing the habit of acquiring books but letting them pile up without reading them. I used to feel guilty about this tendency, and would strive to only buy new books once I had finished the ones I owned. However, the concept of the antilibrary has completely changed my mindset when it comes to unread books. Unread books can be as powerful as the ones we have read, if we choose to consider them in the right light.
Most of my books are unread. Once I read a book, I tend to pass it on to someone else. The only read books I keep are books that are special favorites. So my bookshelves are filled with books I want to read. And I will read them all... if I live long enough! I've got quite a few unread books and I'm not done buying them. The fun of a book addition is always being on the lookout for more reading material.
So how about you? Do you tend to buy more than you can read? If I had to guess, most of you are nodding your head yes. :)