Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[Yapyap]

Damn it, I've had another impulse buy.

It's not quite mid-month yet and I've bought seven books for myself already, with an eighth one pre-ordered. And to add insult to injury, I've read fewer books than I've bought this month.

I just hope the other half of the month will go better.

[cadele]

Bless me @pdurrant for I have sinned...and I sinned big .

I was so good in January and spent less than $37 of my $40 book budget. But, after all that kerfuffle about Adobe Digital Editions 3, I went a little crazy (okay, a lot crazy) and it will now be about 4 months before I am back in balance

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by cadele

Bless me @pdurrant for I have sinned...and I sinned big .

I was so good in January and spent less than $37 of my $40 book budget. But, after all that kerfuffle about Adobe Digital Editions 3, I went a little crazy (okay, a lot crazy) and it will now be about 4 months before I am back in balance

Goodness me! I hope they were all at a good discount and authors you like!

My downfall, as you know, was a really good offer in January. I'm almost back in balance now, but with planned purchases for March, I won't actually be back in budget until April.

But no purchases yet this month!

[cadele]

Congratulations on being so strong this month!

My outrageous purchases were all good bargains and have been on my wishlist for ages. They are the completion of a series I have longed for and as they were geo restricted I had to take a little holiday to secure them, cough.

I thought better to get them and de-infest while I still had the chance than kicking myself later over the missed opportunity.

If books suddenly become non-Alfable then it will be a while before I buy traditionally published titles no matter how much I want them.

[pdurrant]

That seems a reasonble decision. You'll need to excercise great restraint over the next few months, though, as will I.

[xg4bx]

I spent another $40 or so yesterday on 6 or 7 books. *facepalm* It doesn't help that literally everything I read these days is part of a series.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

It doesn't help that literally everything I read these days is part of a series.

It does seem that 'genre' fiction has moved from short stories in the 30s-60s through novels in the 70s-80s, to nothing being worth publishing unless it's a series.

Sometimes a single novel is enough.

Although I must admit I like a series, so long as each part of the series is also complete in itself.

[pdurrant]

I've just spent some money, but technically I'm not spending it until June/July. Lightspeed Magazine are running a kickstarter campaign for a special issue of their SF magazine consisting entirely of women authors and editor. One of the rewards included all their back issues, and a five year subscription, at a significant discount, and all multiformat DRM-free.

I've spent my fictionwise buywise refund on it. I'll be accounting for it as issues come in over the next five years, as I do for all my subscriptions.

But it is a very good deal.

[Katsunami]

Delphi Classics had some promo codes again, so I've added a few classics:

Complete Works of Aeschylus.epub
Complete Works of Sophocles.epub
Complete Works of Euripides.epub
Complete Works of Charles Reade.epub
Complete Works of H. Rider Haggard.epub
Complete Works of James Fenimore Cooper.epub

All for the grand total of about €8. I don't know how far I'll get with the Greeks, but hey... at $1.99, and 30% off, that stuff's almost free.

Among others, I also have the Aristotle collection. (And obviously, Homer.)

Maybe I should get Plato as well, but to be honest, I I have a feeling I wouldn't like that kind of writing. It seems Plato, Aristophanes and Xenophon "rehash" Socrates in different ways, without not too much of their own input, where Aristotle puts forth many of his own idea's. (Or at least, that is what many people on the internet seem to think.)

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Maybe I should get Plato as well, but to be honest, I I have a feeling I wouldn't that kind of writing. It seems Plato, Aristophanes and Xenophon "rehash" Socrates in different ways, without not too much of their own input

As I understood it, Socrates didn't leave any written work, as he didn't beleive written knowledge was valid. So the only way we know any of his ideas is from the writings of his followers, notable Plato.

But I haven't read Plato's works myself, either.

[Katsunami]

I'm not much of a philosopher. The Greek works I got are mainly about the myths, legends and Gods, and now, the tragedies. The only one with regard to science and philosophy I have is Aristotle.

--------

LIKE.

Damnation. My keyboard needs to be replaced. It seems to be skipping entire words lately... Or maybe it's a Firefox problem.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

But it is a very good deal.

The lament of all of us in this thread. Having looked over the numbers again, if I don't buy any books except those already planned, I should be back inside my budget on 1st August, 2014.

This isn't going as well as I'd hoped. If a good enough bargain comes along, I just go for it. I am, at least, resisting individual purchases.

OTOH, getting the entire back catalogue (48 issues, 10 of which I already own) and a five-year subscription (60 issues) to a good SF/Fantasy magazine for $1.34 per issue (instead of the normal subscription price of $2.99 per issue) is a very good deal indeed.

I think I shall try to read each new issue as it comes out, along with one back issue each month. That way I'll eventually catch up with the back catalogue (in 2018 or so.), before my subscription runs out.

The back catalogue, when I get hold of it, will bring my TBR back up to the 800 mark. But not over! So from a TBR point of view, I'm doing OK. Granted, a great number of those taken off the TBR were short stories.

So many good books to read! What a great "problem" to have!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

OTOH, getting the entire back catalogue (48 issues, 10 of which I already own) and a five-year subscription (60 issues) to a good SF/Fantasy magazine for $1.34 per issue (instead of the normal subscription price of $2.99 per issue) is a very good deal indeed.

I've revisited this, as I found that you can change your kickstarter choice up until the closing time.

The $40 level gets me everything the $145 level got me, except for an extra four years of subscription. Since the normal yearly subscription is $36, that's not a great discount for those four years - only 27%.

I've decided that's not good enough. Which means I've switched to the $40 level, bringing my February spend under $40 again, and meaning that with anticipated purchases, I'll be back inside my budget two month earlier than anticipated, and even in May I'll only be $1.01 over!

Hooray!

[BelleZora]

This is the first year I've tracked my spending. It is more difficult than expected to stay within a $40 monthly budget. In January I spent $52, but may make it up this month (if I don't spend over $5 more.) Six of the books I've read in 2014 came from the public library or Amazon Prime's lending library. I already own almost 800 books on my TBR list. Oh well, I enjoy feeling rich in books. As hobbies (or addictions) go, this is not an especially expensive (or destructive) one.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I already own almost 800 books on my TBR list. Oh well, I enjoy feeling rich in books. As hobbies (or addictions) go, this is not an especially expensive (or destructive) one.

That's pretty much how I see it. I'm happily making progress in chopping down the Ent graveyard; I'm on book seven of my 15-physical-book goal now, plus I've finished two new graphic novels and may plow through a third over the weekend. After I finish those 15, I think I'll set my sights on another stack that's got some Niven in it...