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The "I-Must-Not-Buy-Any-More-Books" Thread
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Lori
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Feb 14, 2009 03:00PM
I'm having a hard time deciding that I really do not need to upgrade my version of The Fountainhead to the larger copy because I hate those mass market editions that are so small (and inconvenient for the really thick books)
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I haven't bought anything in weeks, but I have like 6 books from the library. This is not helping me reduce my piles at home.
I had the hardest time not buying The Fountainhead yesterday. But when I saw my Borders coupon of the week would have only given me 20% off, I decided to pass. If it had been 30%, I probably would have bought it.
Becky wrote: Yeah, but you see there are some people (not me!) who uh, encourage people to buy books. I think they're just trying to test the others...Don't listen to her! She is eeeeevil. I should know, I've been helping her behind the scenes.
I went into a bookstore today, positively full of books on my to-read list....and I left without purchasing a single thing. Woot!
Vicki wrote: "I have been clean for three weeks :) "Good for you! Stay strong! You still have to figure out how many unread books you own, otherwise you won't have the number in your head to help prevent more book-buying...
Fiona wrote: "I have the number and it hasn't always helped."you hush!
Becky wrote: "Vicki wrote: "I have been clean for three weeks :) "Good for you! Stay strong! You still have to figure out how many unread books you own, otherwise you won't have the number in your head to he..."
I know, but it scares me. The lack of space has been an incentive so far, but I do have to count and perhaps list.
So is Becky the ONLY one who has NOT purchased a book since January 1St?
She may be. She's everyone hero right now. Becky! Becky! Becky!!!!
*blush* Oh, let me just straigten my halo... It was a bit too tight, so I just hung it from this handy horn protruding from my head. ;)I've been good so far, but I'm telling you, I REALLY want "A Thousand Splendid Suns"!
Congrats Becky- almost two months in!! What willpower:)
Thank you! It's really hard, especially since the new Sookie Stackhouse book is coming out in May and I will have to avoid all conversations about the new book in the group, and here, and EVERYWHERE! :*(
Angela wrote: "So is Becky the ONLY one who has NOT purchased a book since January 1St? "No. I haven't bought a book since December 15th. Being poor really strengthens your will power :0)
I have also resisted yarn (another weakness) but I have bought clothes which is unusual for me.
I go to the library. I do not count that as cheating. I am trying to read all my books that I own before I buy anymore, but if I see a new book I want, I just get it from the library. But I have been waiting forever for thr 2nd Sookie book and it is lost at the library!! So I WILL buy it if I have to! lol
So, has anyone else heard of this? Many of us learn to love books, or have nurtured such a love since childhood, but bibliomania goes beyond mere fondness for the written word. An obsessive compulsive disorder, bibliomania refers to a patient's need to collect and hoard books to the point that it jeopardizes his social relationships and sometimes even his physical health.
Step1: Tour the patient's home. A person who suffers from bibliomania will have stacks upon stacks of books all over the house, usually overflowing from bookshelves and often occupying seating space. Books might be stored in inconvenient and strange places, such as inside the oven or even the bathtub.
Step2: Talk to the patient about books. Many people with bibliomania will have difficulty discussing anything non-literary in nature. They might change the subject to books when such a transition isn't obvious, and may grow anxious if they aren't allowed to talk about books for a long period of time.
Step3: Watch how the patient acts in a bookstore. A sufferer of bibliomania will not browse like a normal shopper, reading the blurbs and titles with scrutiny. Instead, she will arbitrarily throws books in her basket without even looking at the titles, and won't care about the subject matter or genre.
Step4: Pay attention to the patient's social relationships. Does he break off engagements to spend time with his books? Does he insist upon shopping only in bookstores? Does he grow anxious and irritable when denied the right to spend time with books?
Step5: Monitor the patient's health. Most people with bibliomania will sacrifice their health and personal hygiene because of their compulsion to purchase and hoard books. She might not take a shower for days or may miss doctor's appointments. Additionally, a bibliomania sufferer's anxiety levels will increase over time, and may result in high blood pressure or panic attacks.
I found this by accident yesterday (though in the words of Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, "There Are No Accidents") and realized it is me to a t. All of it.
I know I have been kind of glib in here, and not really as invested in this as I should be, but I am hereby recognizing my addiction for what it is, and making the pledge anew...
"I promise to abstain from purchasing new books until my to-be-read pile is looking more respectable and I must read the books I already own!"
All 2000-2500 of them.
THIS IS DAY ONE
I definitely fit a few of those categories. Luckily, my to-read pile isn't 2000 books long, but I do need to work on my to-read pile. There are some books here that I probably won't like when I read them, but someone else might. I can pass them along and let someone else feel the joy I've felt by finding a book they love. Every week I clean up the pile of books on the floor next to my bed and within a day or two, it's back. I cleaned before I left for the weekend, and it's currently 8 books tall and it's only Tuesday.I'm with you Ichaerus. Day one for real.
I want to know what book store has baskets. Obviously I am shopping in the wrong one, because mine expects you to CARRY all you want.(Hahahaha!)
Hey I tell myself that everyweek and y et I am drawn too used book stores and sales and I always find something at least I dont buy new --I got 3 books for$1 on saturday.
Number 5 takes it too far for me to qualify. I can't see sacrificing my health and hygiene for books.
Jackie wrote: "Number 5 takes it too far for me to qualify. I can't see sacrificing my health and hygiene for books."It's pretty scary when you are like me and realize that is exactly what you have done. I ate maybe one meal a day for the past several months, bathed a bare minimum (believe me, I know how gross that is, but i just thought it was time i could be reading), neglected my work to sit at my desk and read. It just went on and on and on. Hopefully, though, i'm now on the way to changing all that.
Well the first step is recognizing and admitting that you have a problem. If you are serious about fixing it you need to find the root cause of it and figure out why you're doing it in the first place. It seems like you should talk to a professional though, because it's beyond a hoarding problem.
Oh definitely. I'm doing the research into that myself right now.
I have a lot of books as well, but I am sooo busy. The key word here is "buy" I wont be buying any, but I will be getting them. This weekend I hope to have two New York Times best seller signed books in my possession. There is a new store that opened up in Southern California call Books for a $1. Yeap all the books they have are only $1. They are doing so much business they just opened a second store in Carson.
What she's not telling you, is that the "fold" can be as contricting as a boa's embrace;)
I was GOING to buy Bones of Faerie for my book club, but I just put a hold for it at the library.I'm. Making. Progress.
*gasps*
:D Except the copy they have isn't very pretty...
The library one is the movie verision...I think.
Oh I forgot but:I promise to abstain from purchasing new books until my to-be-read pile is looking more respectable and I must read the books I already own!
Ichaerus wrote: "So, has anyone else heard of this? Many of us learn to love books, or have nurtured such a love since childhood, but bibliomania goes beyond mere fondness for the written word. An obsessive co..."
I am so glad that in the end I can't agree with step 3 and 5 for myself!!!:-)
I just put all of my owned to-reads at the front of my to-read list. So, right after I finish The Sweet Far Thing, I'll start Speak.
Wow... I fit at least 3 of those categories. (I also want to know where the bookstore carts are.)I (used to) have stacks of books everywhere, but since I got another bookcase and reorganized, that's gotten a lot better.
I'm a total hermit. I've lately been going to the gym with a friend, but I prefer to stay home and read to going to clubs or bars. I will go out occasionally if my conditions are suitably met: Low-key bar or restaurant, a minimum of people- NO HUGE CROWDS, discussion possible (no music so loud you have to shout into a megaphone to be heard, in other words).
I also steer the discussion to books when at all possible. Although I think that could be because I read during 90% of my free time and have little else to talk about. Cause and effect, you know. ;)
Welcome Ichaerus... I hope you do well. You can do it!
Jeane wrote: "Ichaerus wrote: "So, has anyone else heard of this? Many of us learn to love books, or have nurtured such a love since childhood, but bibliomania goes beyond mere fondness for the written word..."
Hmm, I do number 2 but none of the others.
M.g. wrote: "I have a lot of books as well, but I am sooo busy. The key word here is "buy" I wont be buying any, but I will be getting them. This weekend I hope to have two New York Times best seller signed boo..."M.G. - Where is that store? I'm in Southern California and this could be big trouble for me! I love cheap books :)
So Ummm I started counting my unread books.. I am up to 131 and that was just the books that were accessible. I have one shelf double stacked. I am sure I am over 200, without counting my education books. I am definitely on board with the book ban.
*glues Tweety's feet to mine* There! Now we're stuck together! ;D
OMG... my mother in law was cleaning out her attic and produced a box of books... my books... that I had asked her to hang on to until we had moved (8 years ago)... *blushing* I had completely forgotten about it! Of course obsessive that I am, I put all the unread ones in that box... now I'm really not going to buy any more books for another 15 years!!
Edit: I've got about 50 unread ones now!
Edit: I've got about 50 unread ones now!
THIS IS DAY TWOAnd I'm still going strong. =-)
Let's see how I am in a week, huh?
ok Ichaerus... don't forget the bibliomaniacs serenety prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept (and read) the books I have, the courage to enter a bookshop without buying another book, and the wisdom to know the difference between a good book and a bad one!
hahahahahahaha...thanks. I'll remember that. =-)
Today I received my last shipment of books from Amazon, my last purchases for a long, long time. I'm torn between hurrying and opening the box or waiting and savoring the moment.
oooo...what did you get? I want to live vicariously!
Allison, I bought Franny and Zooey, Witch of Portobello, Dharma Bums, and the Journals of Arthur Schlesinger from 1952-2000 (which was quite a bit off the cover price).
Dharma Bums is by Kerouac. I think it's supposed to be less drug induced wandering than On the Road (at least in the writing style). And the journals were just published recently. Schlesinger was part of the Kennedy administration and was a Washington insider for a long time afterward, so it should be pretty interesting.
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