This week's Weekly Geeks task suggests we talk about your habits, tendencies or obsessions when it comes to hoarding behavior.
- Post a photo (or two or three) of your books to-be-read
- Share your buying or book accumulating habits - how bad of a problem do YOU have?!?!?
- Do you keep all the books you've read, or do you give them away or sell them?
- Can you walk past a bookstore and not go in? If you go in, do you impulsively purchase?
Just recently I created the image above to illustrate the length, height, and breadth of my problem.
In the post where this image made its debut I highlighted the fact not only do I have a problem with the physical books on my shelves but the same kleptomaniacal behaviour is exhibiting itself in the acquisition of audio books and books for the Kindle.
I think my acquisition of books from a variety of sources is prompted by the fact that I belong to so many groups and lists where books are recommended and so I acquire a copy so that I won't forget to read it.
In addition to the books I actually have, there is also the library "wish -list" that I have created to remind me of books that at some stage I have thought it would be good to read.
And finally, books are coming in too from another source. Just recently publicists and authors, about 4 a month, have been contacting me about whether I would be interested in reviewing this or that book. I warn them about my TBR, and the fact that I am in Australia, but still the books arrive.
But I refuse to feel guilty. All that it means is that I have plenty to choose from.
Will Mt. TBR ever disappear? Probably not.
Just recently I took back to the library a heap of books that I had no hope of reading in the immediate future, and the library pile was down to 3, then down to 1.
But then I looked at a CWA International list where I have read 3 of the books, and discovered that the library have the remaining 3. So library books are insidiously worming their way back in the through the door. One came in to help me complete the Scandinavian Challenge.
If you look at my postings for the various challenges I belong to: The Scandinavian Challenge, the 2010 Global Reading Challenge, The Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, the Aussie Author Challenge, as well as the Crime and Mystery Fiction Friend Feed coterie that I am a member of, you will get some idea of what prompts me to acquire books.
Am I a hopeless case? Probably. But I know I'm in good company.
20 comments:
LOL, Kerrie - I TOTALLY relate to this post! Isn't it amazing how the books just keep rolling in the front door? I have at least 320 books...maybe more...I've stopped counting. But, I definitely need more bookshelves to store them!
I know one person who has a rule - 1 book in, means 1 book out. There is absolutely no way I could ever, ever think of following her rule - my tbr books number over 300 too. And her house is sooo neat and tidy as well - all the time - no mountains of books anywhere - just one bookcase!
Are you kidding? Do you know how horrifyingly embarrassing that would be? Let's just say that if my records are accurate I added 1,514 books between Jan 04 and Dec 09 and you know I keep them after reading them so....
em
I've never counted my TBR, but I know it has to number in the hundreds. :)
Oh, you are all making me feel a lot better! I'm not all that fussed about keeping books once I've read them, but getting rid of some I've had for decades is harder.
Em, that's a staggering number of additions, but I guess if I add the books I've reviewed to those in the TBR, for that period of time, that's got to come close to that number - never thought of the stats that way!
Maragaret - I couldn't adhere to that rule either. There would be an awful lot of books sitting in a box just outside the door.
Wow, I'm impressed. So many books TBR, I'd go nuts.
I feel SO much better about my TBR pile now - it seems very modest in comparison! (Though if I kept my wishlist up-to-date I would probably be just as overwhelmed.)
I love your analogy of Mt. TBR. It really does feel like that at times. And 10 books a month! Wow, that's impressive.
I hope you will check out my Weekly Geek post at Restless Reader
Oh tee-hee! Love the mountain analogy. I have so many books on my TBR pile they'll live on long after I've gone.
The hoarding thing: although I have no problem giving books away, there is this series here called Hoarders (on the Arts and Entertainment Network) that got to me so much that I started passing along books at a much higher rate because I felt guilty about all of the books I keep that I know I'll never read again. I was surprised at just how many that amounted to.
I've gotten to the point where I think TBR isn't an adequate term, since it implies I'm actually going to get to those books soon. I've changed it to "interim pending" which I shorten to "IP" When a book is in IP, it has a chance to feed into the TBR which I try to keep at a dozen books. The whole thing, IP + TBR is at about 400. No tapes, CDs, audiobooks, library books - I always drop everything to read a library book so it's being read as soon as it comes through the door - Kindle or other digitized items, just ink-and-paper books. What's frightening is that about four years ago I decided to go ahead and shelve everything, read or not. This means there are hundreds upon hundreds of books shelved (or boxed for lack of shelf space) that are not part of either the IP or the TBR. Yikes! I read about 2 books a week, and have enough on hand to outlast my expected lifespan, yet I continue to buy books...
I love your mountain analogy! that's me, too. I think I have something like 200 on my immediate TBR pile....that number changes as I take books off when I read them, and constantly am buying books to add to it. That doesn't include library books or borrowed books from friends! lol I like your commentator Richard, and his IP books! I'm attempting to shelve all my books I own, so I can keep track and see them all. Mount TBR isn't likely to go down any time soon though. I just need more shelves!
I like that suggestion Nancy of picking out those I suapect I'll never read and passing them on - that might lighten the load a bit
I like Interim Pending Richard, and keeping TBR at 10 - I've tried lining the top shelf up in an prder of priority. I male lists (you can see a short one in the side bar here) to keep myself in order - so I can't just snatch a book at random.
Susan, getting more shelves is a trap - I've done that- got a whole bookcase for TBR only - you just fill it up!
I've still got most of the books I purchased in my lifetime. Space is not a problem and I love being surounded by them so it's all good. On the TBR pile I have around 80 books which for me is around average. The list doean't seem to grow, nor does it reduce. A managable size I would think. Cheers, Julie.
I have winnowed Mount TBR down to about 300 books. I have pledged to buy no more books until I have read and/or donated all of the TBR books. I have not, however, disallowed library books because they (eventually) are returned to the library. This does not even cover the 130 boxes of "keeper" books that my husband and I are currently storing in a storage unit to the tune of $100 a month. My father made the comment, "That's $1,200 a year--do you have any books in there that are worth that much?" Well, not in cash value, no, but in how much it would mean to me if I lost those books, yes.
I know only other "book hoarders" can appreciate that reply!
Kerrie you make me laugh and laugh out loud as well...
I know Mount TBR so well - it is my friend and I cannot see me scaling it's height even in this decade...
I can relate to all your points especially the books that just keep coming through the door dispite the warnings and the library books that I swear I am going to reduce every week...
Happy ready hon and good luck on climbing that mountain...
E.H>
Love the graphic! wow, 1200 books! I really feel better about my 133.
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