Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion
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Just wondering, what do you do with your books after you read them?
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Caitlin
(last edited Mar 08, 2011 12:57PM)
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Mar 04, 2011 07:49PM
They sit on my shelves until I feel like rereading them or they just sit there if I don't.
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Those are the main selling points for me too. Maybe one day Santa will bring me one ... or .. I could just borrow my son's for a while, to see how it feels. Thanks Jeff.Jeff wrote: "I just joined goodreads today and have been lurking about some of the boards so I have been reading this one. I've got to tell you--I thought I was really serious about books. But you folks are har..."
I used to keep all of my books too! They seemed like old friends! But then it became too much to handle and I opened a used book shop. I had over 5,000 books with no duplicates or at least not until I started buying boxes & rooms full of books to increase what I had at the shop. Eventually I got out of that to go back to college.So now I keep them for a while (down to about 40 now) and then pass them on to someone who wants to read them or donate them to the Library or charity books sales and yard sales.
I now have the new Kindle which I am loving! Now I can keep all of them if I want to! HeHe! ;)
I tend like long books. I have over 384 books on my nook which i can fit in my pocket. the bigger books get heavy after a while. when i'm working on rewrites i can out at the beach and edit. not mention not having to carry the 4 or 5 books that i am reading. my regular books are all on industrial kitchen shelves in my library.
Catherine wrote: "I have a strange fascination with keeping every book I buy... They are all on a shelf. Of course, loaning them out has narrowed the collection down quite a bit."I am like you. I keep every single book. I would go crazy if one book were to go missing from my collections. No book swaps, no loaning out, nothing. All within my presence. lol. (I hope that is not to crazy) I even have 2 copies of my favorites that I am actually trying to come to terms to swap out..
Jennifer wrote: "I can't part with my books, I never know what will happen to them if I do. It's hard to know if someone will have the same respect for them as I did. But also, I like to have the past books on han..."
I enjoyed this comment. Me to! Ok so your addiction might be just as bad as mine
I love that idea. To be surrounded by books for a job would be cool. For several years I worked in an elementary library and loved it. Maybe one day that is what I'll do. Thanks for a great idea.Debbie wrote: "Those are the main selling points for me too. Maybe one day Santa will bring me one ... or .. I could just borrow my son's for a while, to see how it feels. Thanks Jeff.
Jeff wrote: "I just joine..."
Thanks for all that information. You answered several concerns that I have. You're comment about staring at a screen all day is one of my major ones. I work on a computer at work most of the day and I'm on at home with online college courses in the evening so getting away from a screen helps me return to real life some days. Another concern is that if I invest in a Kindle or Nook or other tablet I want to be able to read any book that interests me. If I can't then why bother. With this being such new technology that is not all worked out yet among bookstores, publishers and authors. To me it would be like having a phone service and not being able to call a friend, business or relative that uses a different service just because it is a different service. I love the idea of being able to carry it around in my purse though since a lot of the books I read are pretty thick. All of these tips are great. They are helping me organize the pros and cons in this decision. Thanks to everyone
Sandy If it's shiny and new I want it wrote: "I was a die hard, hold it in my hands reader also and never thought I could give it up. I must say that I absolutely love my Kindle. When I did the research, people would say "oh I read more and fa..."
I agree. Bookstores, the big one anyway, seem to be concerned. It's just like email and 'snail mail'. So many people use email instead of writing a letter that stamps keep having to go up to cover the loss of revenue. The cost of moving the mail does not go down just because fewer people mail letters but the revenue does. I would hate to see bookstores go away. If I did get one of the tablets I would still want to read real books too.
Jennifer wrote: "Debbie wrote: "How do you like the Kindle? I've thought about one and my son thinks I need one but I REALLY like the look, feel, smell, and sight of a real book. Opening it up, turning the pages, a..."
I love books and bookstores, however, I do believe that at some point in the future, most books will be in electronic form (ducking to avoid getting beaten around and about the face). In many ways it's a good thing. Imagine the trees it could save. Also, think about all of those textbooks that can easily be carried on an electronc device. One of the newer concerns in pediatrics is back pain, because kids have to carry so many books (at least here they are not allowed to have the rolling bookbags). And college textbooks, my nursing books were huge. I know the University of Alabama (Roll Tide) require that some majors purchase electronic and smart devices because the professors notes can be downloaded to them. I spent a ton of money at Kinkos copying mine. They are already starting to experiment with college textbooks. The downside is, if anyone has seen Eli with Denzel Washington, that post war world where there are no books and some guy has to quote the Bible so it can be written again. Definitely not a world I would want to live in. *Clarification*
The screen on the Kindle is not like looking at a computer screen it's very book like. However, the screen on the iPad is like looking at a computer screen and that is why it gets low ratings for use as a reader. Plus, from what I understand, you can't read it well outside because of the glare. With that in mind, if you are thinking of an e-reader and you want to get a "feel" for what it is like, DO NOT TEST THE iPad SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF USING IT AS A READER. It is pretty cool for other things, but it will turn you off readers (it has cool reader features, but not to be solely used as a reader).And of course, just by looking at my name, you know I want an Ipad so bad. I have taken it out of the Apple cart at least 3 times under threat of a verbal thrashing from my DH (he has also banned me from QVC, ebay, and all late night infomercials-I really thought I would use that rotozip-sigh)
You are right, in the future I think the written page will be scarce. That's another argument for keeping all my books. (I can stack them next to my 8tracks and my vinyls at the bottom of the closet.)My son's Kindle is more comfortable to read than my computer screen but I still cannot get every book I want on it. I guess it's too early to want my cake and eat it too. Thanks for the input. Btw, I like the iPad a lot too and not just for reading. Sandy If it's shiny and new I want it wrote: "I love books and bookstores, however, I do believe that at some point in the future, most books will be in electronic form (ducking to avoid getting beaten around and about the face). In many ways ..."
I love, love, love my books. I can't part with them. I still have books from the time I was in the elementary!
When I finish reading a book where it goes depends. Most go on one of the bookshelves. I keep them organized by how well I like them, author, place in a series or special meaning (like books that were gifts from my husband or kids). Books that I didn't like as well go into storage containers (usually labeled). Most of my books I re-read multiple times.
Oh you guys, the idea of all books disappearing and going electronic makes me very, very angry and sad. I know it will save trees and space, but I just LOVE holding the actual book in my hands. I like looking at the cover, feeling the pages, and just being able to browse at a bookstore. And some of the old, vintage books have a certain charm to them. I have a lot of books. Well over 2000. I have little space and I just keep acquiring more. If I enjoy something, I want to keep it and own it. I have a collector's mentality. So naturally, I keep most of what I read. I have two overflowing bookshelves in my room that look like they are gonna bust any second. I have books in my closet and in other various areas of storage. I worry about being able to keep them someday if my collection keeps growing at the rate it is.
If I cannot finish a book or a book that doesn't appeal to me somehow comes into my possession, I will take it to a used bookstore for trade in value. Or I'll find some way to get rid of it.
McKenzie, you're a girl after my own heart. I hate the idea of books going away and have about 1500 here at my house and more at my mother's. Are you near an Ikea? They sell these gorgeous and very tall bookshelves with glass doors. That's what I'm doing for now. When I move to New York after graduation, I'm just going to set up books as furniture all over the apartment and hope my boyfriend doesn't notice ;)
I work in a library so I don't often purchase books. When I do it's usually a keeper! If I decide I don't want them anymore, I donate them to our library's booksale
If they were good, I keep rereading them until they fall apart. Several of my most loved thrillers must have been read at least 13 times.
Hi all.....I am new to this group and have the same addiction that you all have!!!I will repeat something that another member said....books are like old friends. It is hard to give them away and I don't, unless it is a book that I didn't like and they go to the local library. We turned one of our rooms into a library and built floor to ceiling bookshelves on all walls, so I am surrounded by my friends. But I still go through the shelves periodically and donate the "clunkers". Hopefully, some other reader will enjoy them.
Many of the books I purchase are worth reading again and after reading them, I stack them on the shelf for a rainy day. Others I'll pass along to friends or drop off at the library. Many go on the shelf next to the row of apartment-complex mailboxes for whoever wants them. I once dropped off a large bag of books at the same bookstore where I purchased many of my trade books on sale for $1.00 each.
Sandy If it's shiny and new I want it wrote: "And this, my dear friends, is the reason my husband decided I needed a Kindle. Books on the shelves, books under the bed, books I don't like in an airtight bin in the creepy attic-like storage spac..."That's why I love my Kindle!
I keep all of my comics as I don't usually buy comics I'm unsure of..I'll just wait for a trade format to be released.Otherwise books...I sell some on eBay or I'll give them away for a school fair.
Then alot of my books are stored in boxes...I kinda hate storing them in boxes because it means I usually forget I own them and then I think it's semi useless owning them :/ Kinda torn about that at the moment actually.
I keep nearly every book I read. The only books I have listed here on goodreads are books I actually own. I know I have read so many more. I love walking into the extra room in our house and seeing several bookshelves stuffed full of books and no matter what mood strikes me, I have an appropriate book!I got a nook last year and it has been a saving grace because I am quickly running out of room. Now I have over 100 books on my nook alone. I do still love the smell and feel and the overall experience of a book and continue to buy them. I prefer to have my absolute favorites in paper format so I know it wont ever get lost in cyberspace or a comupter glitch.
I have to keep all my books. The only exception were some child books that I just knew I would never read again, and didn't want to keep for emotional value. Mostly silly teen romances. Other than that, I can't part with my books >.< My room looks like a library.
After I'm done reading them, I keep them on my shelves either at home or at my office. When I run out of room for more, I try to pick out the ones that I like the least and that I'll probably never want to re-read and I give them away. However, if it is a classic or a book I love, forget it, there's no way I'm parting with it.
I let my 2 friends read them but after that they just sit in the book shelf!
When I'm finished with a book I give it away to someone I think will enjoy it as much as I did so I'll have someone to talk about it with, except I keep most religious books for future and further reference. I seldom re-read a book, it has to be absolutely spectacular for me read again, or if I've read it years before my reading groups read it I'll breeze through something again to be currant and able to participate in the discussion knowledgeably.
I am SOOO jealous for all the swapping sites etc you guys have available!!We don't have much of that here, and the nearest decent used bookstore is 1 hour away - and they are quite expensive.
I very very rarely read books more than once, but I like to own them, look at them etc. If I finish a book that's not my thing, and I don't collect the author, I often give them to my friends/relatives.
I don't think I'll ever get an e-book reader, but I think they're great for students and nonfiction, as you can just update lawbooks and such, instead of reprinting them.
The books on my shelves are mostly waiting to be read. I also buy books at thrift stores and the library used book sales that I know I'll use as birthday and Christmas gifts and they'll sometimes sit on my shelves till I give them away.I'm Danish but I don't know more about my heritage than my great-grandmother came to Utah when she was in her early teens, I don't even know where in Denmark she came from. I had to see where you from from that didn't have book exchanges, which I'm sorry for you for that. Maybe you should start one on a small scale. Or there's a web-site that guides you through leaving books in random places and then following where they go with a bar code you print and paste in the book. But sadly I can't remember what it's called, maybe someone reading this will?
I used to keep everything. In many cases, I still will. I do reread and I have 3 kids and they read some of my books too. I definetly keep anything from a series or a favorite author. However, with shelf space limited I have started listed books on paperbackswap. Anything I'm quite sure I won't reread, kids won't like or duplicates all go on PBS. Most of my books I havn't read which is why they're on my shelves. I get 99% of them used from thrift shops, garage sales, or the annual friends of the library sale.
aaahhhh yes!!! thanks. Though I haven't used it I think its a great idea.
There are plenty of books I wish I'd kept over the years but moving and storage demands you rid yourself of some and sadly hind-sight is sometimes so evil. Yay Amazon for those times lol.
McKenzie wrote: "Oh you guys, the idea of all books disappearing and going electronic makes me very, very angry and sad. I know it will save trees and space, but I just LOVE holding the actual book in my hands. I l..."
:Have you tried Paperbackswap.com? It's one of the best organized places to trade books..simple to use and a place to get rid of the ones you don't want for ones that you do want..I love it.Just started using it in August '10 and have traded well over a 100 books and saved close to $500 in buying used books..I must have about 1500 books or more stashed in every room except the bathrooms! I've looked at other sites but this one is the best I've tried and I now use it exclusively..To start you can post 10 books and get an immediate credit to order two books..since there are over 5 million..well..there has to be at least several you'd covet..
I bought a Kobo last summer and have not used it once! I agree with most of you, I loooooove the feeling of a book in my hand. I love placing the bookmark in the book to judge how far I've gotten and love the small details like font type, page thickness, page colour....*sigh* However, i also think that electronic books bring so much more to the reading world! I had a discussion once with the author Alice Kuipers about electronic books and she told me in addition to it being much less costly for the publishers to produce, more money for advertising and more opportunities for new authors, as a mother of a baby, it was so much easier for her to catch up on her reading! I say, as long as the industry handles it better than the music industry has, we will all be eased into it smoothly and effortlessly. Books will always exist regardless. There will always be book collectors and who wants to read a children's book on an electronic reader???
My friends who have Kindles and Nooks love them, and for all the right reasons, they miss books just as much for all the right reasons. I can't afford electronic anything, I use the library more than I don't. I say do what you love and works best for you.
I used to keep all of my books, but i started to have a space problem a few years ago... I had books all over the house, so i began to give those i had read to the church or to friends i knew would like them... but i still have books everywhere. It's difficult to give them to other person, because i never know if i want to read them again... I know that's adiction!
Luiza, just remember we all have addictions, every single person who breaths air has some sort of addiction, if your (and mine) is stacking books all over our homes knowing we won't live long enough to read them but never giving up hope, well I think that's an addiction I can live with. Look at it that way.
Usually stare at them lovingly lol. I keep the ones I love and with sniffles try to sell the ones I feel I don't need to keep.
I'm a re reader so I keep my books..all of them also if i borrow a book and i really like it i tend to go out to buy it haha :D
my house is slowly being over run by books not looking forward to the day i have to move :D haha
my house is slowly being over run by books not looking forward to the day i have to move :D haha
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my house is slowly being over run by books not looking forward to the..."
Melanie, you sound like you could be me! I'm the same way, a chronic rereader who often borrows first and then goes out to buy for my own library if I like it. If I do ever move, I'm going to need a separate truck just for my books! :-)
If I am in love with the books, I keep them. If its something I dislike a lot I seel it on eBay or give them to someone I know will enjoy them.
Sandy wrote: "I give some books to my kids, use paperbackswap.com alot and book crossing for fun."Me too!!! I cannot give them up, but it is very frustrating when people don't return books that I want to re-read! I just had to re-buy The Ender series, because the last person I lent them to didn't return them and I wanted to do a youtube review on them. I just finished the video for Ender's game. If any of you guys like Sci-fi and haven't read The Ender series, you should check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiPRiE...
I keep my books. Pretty much all of them, unless I really didn't like it or it is a particularly boring textbook. (I remember recently getting rid of my BASIC programming book from 1987). I'm not really sure why as I cannot imagine anyone else will want them all. Still. We have books in every single room of our house except the bathroom: "A room without books is a body without soul." (Cicero)
Michele wrote: "I keep my books. Pretty much all of them, unless I really didn't like it or it is a particularly boring textbook. (I remember recently getting rid of my BASIC programming book from 1987). I'm not..."Ha, ha I actually have books in BOTH of my bathrooms!! The only room that is truly safe is the attic! (They would molder from the heat and humidity!
Cicero was absolutely correct!
:) I'm impressed!Our bathrooms are pretty small (hardly room for a towel!)...and...as a school librarian I've given too many lessons on why the books shouldn't go into their bathrooms. But, I've also asked them not to eat their snack while reading the lib books and that doesn't stop me with my own books!
We might, however, have books in the attic, if you count my kids' old board books! Even my kids don't want to get rid of their books! I'm not really sure that is a good habit to be encouraging, but I can't make them toss their books if I cannot do it.
Books tell your visitors about your personality. There is nothing wrong with keeping them. I always get scared when I go into homes without books. Seriously. I didn't know there was such a thing until about five years ago. It was SOOOO weird!!!Of course there is such a thing as TOO many books and I surpassed that point about three years ago. My husband Graduates in December and he keeps teasing that I need to start packing now. LOL He also said that he will not load them himself, because he doesn't want a herniated disc. I think he is subtly trying to hint that we need to get rid of some.... hmmm... NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!
Our last move was 8 years ago and we had to hire someone to move us, partly because we had killed our friends in the past moving our books. I really have no idea how many we have. Maybe I should set the kids to counting them. I've tried writing them down, or videotaping them and I even bought scanning software, but I've only even gotten a few shelves done. Have you even seen any of those decorating shows where they talk about clearing the books off the bookshelves so the room looks better? Drives me batty. The books ARE our decoration.
I really keep all mine but after awhile if I know I'm not going to read some over again, I'll give them away. I have enough books to possibly have my own library...
I usually keep mine. I would say that I always keep the good ones and sell the old ones in a yard sale, but I rarely read a book that I don't like. However, I have read two books that I hated and I did sell those :) Don't read The Blind Side or The Light Ages. They are not worth the money.
