Cold Turkey

JDK1962 · 10-29-2011, 12:22 PM

Okay, I have to stop this.

I have a wall in my living room that's floor-to-ceiling bookcases, with probably 100 pbooks awaiting a read (and a bunch more that I would happily re-read). The To Be Read folder of my Kindle just passed 325. We won't even discuss my laptop's hard drive.

At an average rate of two books a week, that's at least four years of reading at my fingertips. I've always been a bit of a book hoarder, but the purchase of my Kindle a year ago has made my habit much, much worse. I feel like I'm drowning in books.

I'm JDK1962 and I'm a book hoarder. It's been...umm...17 hours since my last acquisition. Here's what I'm going to do to get better:

-- I will stop cruising my local thrift stores, where I seem to continually find (to my eye) excellent books in pristine condition at ridiculous prices.
-- I will stop visiting my local library's new fiction and non-fiction sections.
-- I will stop downloading ebooks from my local library (or anywhere else).
-- I'll let my spouse use up my credit at my local used book store.
-- I will write down books and authors that appeal, rather than running off to Amazon/my local bookstore/my local library and letting books jump the queue ("...but it's the new Reacher novel from Lee Child! I'll just buzz through that, THEN I'll finish The Sense of an Ending.").
-- On a related note, I'll continue listening to the NYT books podcast and reading the weekly email of featured NYT reviews, but I'll write down rather than purchase what looks/sounds good.
-- To address the backlog more effectively, I will be rigorous about my 50 pages (or 25%) and re-evaluate policy, i.e., if not enjoying a book by a certain point, grant yourself permission to let it go.
-- I will not buy that Kindle DX I've had my eye on that will make reading all my PDFs more practical/enjoyable.

pidgeon92 · 10-29-2011, 01:05 PM

Lightweight.

I have more than 1,000 ebooks waiting to be read.

speakingtohe · 10-29-2011, 01:48 PM

Me too dammit.

Still while books are addictive they don't damage your kidneys, and ebooks do not create an unsighty mess on the bedside table or topple over onto the floor beside the bed

Helen

voracious71 · 10-29-2011, 02:15 PM

I wish they had a "shuffle" feature on ereaders, like on MP3 players.

I would just hit shuffle, and read whatever came up next.

JDK1962 · 10-29-2011, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I have more than 1,000 ebooks waiting to be read.

Well, if I factored in PDFs and other ebooks on that hard drive we weren't going to talk about, I might be able to give you a run for your money. But I will concede your superior hoarding skills.

But there's a conversation there. Why do you think you've acquired that many books? How many do you add a week? How many do you read/discard in a week. Do you anticipate actually reading them all?

The books that I have are not random acquisitions. Each and every one is a book that, at some point, I consciously decided to read. And as I (too rapidly) approach 50, I'm starting to think that if I don't stop acquiring new books, I will shuffle off this mortal coil before I get through my current set of books.

kennyc · 10-29-2011, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Lightweight.

I have more than 1,000 ebooks waiting to be read.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDK1962

Well, if I factored in PDFs.... I might be able to give you a run for your money.

But I will concede your superior hoarding skills.
.....

wvcherrybomb · 10-29-2011, 05:03 PM

I have been able to nearly eliminate my pbook collection over the last couple of years. This is due in part to my move to FL and away from any Ollie's location. I don't know of any bargain book stores in my area and I fully intend to keep it that way. I cannot be trusted in or around book stores and I'm aware so I avoid temptation. I have managed to give away all but the most important pbooks.

That being said, my ebook collection is completely out of control. I hate that Amazon knows me and is always showing me good stuff that I will like. It's pure torture that to even scroll down to read the reviews of a book we must pass the "suggestion line" of books that prey on our personal weaknesses.

At least my ebooks don't take up any space and don't require dusting.

Ravensknight · 10-29-2011, 05:38 PM

my tbr pile stays pretty consistent at around 50-60. Mainly because of the economy. I can't AFFORD more than that...

Quexos · 10-29-2011, 05:44 PM

I have about 100 ebooks to be read and maybe some 40 print books still to read on my shelves. Sadly I don't read as fast or as massively as some of you. So It could be years before I'm done and I'm not even talking about new readings I may acquire in the meantime.

Todd Young · 10-29-2011, 05:56 PM

I exhort each and every one of you to try my elder brother's new reading policy. After years of mild drinking, his memory isn't what it once was. He doesn't like the idea of ebooks (I am thinking of buying him a kindle for Christmas), but what he does have is a large collection of print books.

He has got into the habit of reading these same books over and over again, placing a date last read on the inside cover. He knows he won't be able to remember a book if he read it, say, five years ago, so when he finds one of these on his shelves, he'll choose that book and simply read it again.

His rationale, as he recently explained it to me, was that he knows he likes these books. He chose them. He knows that he enjoyed them, and is now considering buying no new books ever again. "I can just keep reading them over and over," he says. "I have gone through a selection process. I know I like them. Why should I try something new that might not appeal to me?"

JDK1962 · 10-29-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd Young

His rationale, as he recently explained it to me, was that he knows he likes these books. He chose them. He knows that he enjoyed them, and is now considering buying no new books ever again. "I can just keep reading them over and over," he says. "I have gone through a selection process. I know I like them. Why should I try something new that might not appeal to me?"

I already do that to some extent. Some books I just can't get rid of after reading, knowing I'll want to pick them up again. And I do.

But if I hear about, say, a new Michael Ondaatje novel, like The Cat's Table, I'm lost. I enjoyed The English Patient and Anil's Ghost (okay, could have given Divisidero a miss), so there's just no way I could miss out on what could be my new favorite book. So my To Be Read collection tally goes up by one.

Rinse and repeat. Story of my life.

pidgeon92 · 10-29-2011, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDK1962

But there's a conversation there. Why do you think you've acquired that many books? How many do you add a week? How many do you read/discard in a week. Do you anticipate actually reading them all?

Why? It's definitely a collecting thing. And I definitely do more collecting than reading. It's a bad habit for sure. Not only do I have so many books I've purchased, but about half of my reading is ebooks I borrow from the library. I buy maybe 1-5 per week, purchasing them if they are books that were on my wishlist and have become exceedingly cheap (under $3), and I get at least one per week when I get my $5 Amazon Gift Certificate from swagbucks. I pick up the occasional freebie from Amazon, but most of them aren't my cup of tea.

Ultimately, I generally finish 2 or 4 books a week. I'm at 107 for the year right now. This includes audiobooks (and I have a pretty big backlog of those as well). It takes me several weeks to get through an audiobook, as I generally only listen to those while driving.

Will I read them all? Not in this lifetime. Not if I don't stop collecting. I need an intervention.

Apache · 10-29-2011, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

I have been able to nearly eliminate my pbook collection over the last couple of years. This is due in part to my move to FL and away from any Ollie's location. I don't know of any bargain book stores in my area and I fully intend to keep it that way. I cannot be trusted in or around book stores and I'm aware so I avoid temptation. I have managed to give away all but the most important pbooks.

That being said, my ebook collection is completely out of control. I hate that Amazon knows me and is always showing me good stuff that I will like. It's pure torture that to even scroll down to read the reviews of a book we must pass the "suggestion line" of books that prey on our personal weaknesses.

At least my ebooks don't take up any space and don't require dusting.

My wife suggested that I would be able to get rid of my physical library after I got my NC. Blasphemy I told her.
Apache

jersysman · 10-29-2011, 06:46 PM

I think everyone in this thread needs to talk to Pdurrant and get over to the ebook addictive thread!

Please, it's for your own good!!!

J. Strnad · 10-29-2011, 08:17 PM

Most of my print books are in boxes in the attic. At least I can access my ebooks!

10-29-2011, 12:22 PM	#1
JDK1962 Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 2054094 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Boulder, CO Device: Kindle Voyage, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (for PDFs)	Cold Turkey Okay, I have to stop this. I have a wall in my living room that's floor-to-ceiling bookcases, with probably 100 pbooks awaiting a read (and a bunch more that I would happily re-read). The To Be Read folder of my Kindle just passed 325. We won't even discuss my laptop's hard drive. At an average rate of two books a week, that's at least four years of reading at my fingertips. I've always been a bit of a book hoarder, but the purchase of my Kindle a year ago has made my habit much, much worse. I feel like I'm drowning in books. I'm JDK1962 and I'm a book hoarder. It's been...umm...17 hours since my last acquisition. Here's what I'm going to do to get better: -- I will stop cruising my local thrift stores, where I seem to continually find (to my eye) excellent books in pristine condition at ridiculous prices. -- I will stop visiting my local library's new fiction and non-fiction sections. -- I will stop downloading ebooks from my local library (or anywhere else). -- I'll let my spouse use up my credit at my local used book store. -- I will write down books and authors that appeal, rather than running off to Amazon/my local bookstore/my local library and letting books jump the queue ("...but it's the new Reacher novel from Lee Child! I'll just buzz through that, THEN I'll finish The Sense of an Ending."). -- On a related note, I'll continue listening to the NYT books podcast and reading the weekly email of featured NYT reviews, but I'll write down rather than purchase what looks/sounds good. -- To address the backlog more effectively, I will be rigorous about my 50 pages (or 25%) and re-evaluate policy, i.e., if not enjoying a book by a certain point, grant yourself permission to let it go. -- I will not buy that Kindle DX I've had my eye on that will make reading all my PDFs more practical/enjoyable.

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10-29-2011, 01:05 PM	#2
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	Lightweight. I have more than 1,000 ebooks waiting to be read.

10-29-2011, 01:48 PM	#3
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	Me too dammit. Still while books are addictive they don't damage your kidneys, and ebooks do not create an unsighty mess on the bedside table or topple over onto the floor beside the bed Helen

10-29-2011, 02:15 PM	#4
voracious71 Addict Posts: 384 Karma: 1360936 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Quahog, RI Device: Nook, Kindle PW4, Kobo Clara	I wish they had a "shuffle" feature on ereaders, like on MP3 players. I would just hit shuffle, and read whatever came up next.

10-29-2011, 05:03 PM	#7
wvcherrybomb Sharp Shootin' Grandma Posts: 847 Karma: 1123940 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Literati (has been adopted by my daughter)	I have been able to nearly eliminate my pbook collection over the last couple of years. This is due in part to my move to FL and away from any Ollie's location. I don't know of any bargain book stores in my area and I fully intend to keep it that way. I cannot be trusted in or around book stores and I'm aware so I avoid temptation. I have managed to give away all but the most important pbooks. That being said, my ebook collection is completely out of control. I hate that Amazon knows me and is always showing me good stuff that I will like. It's pure torture that to even scroll down to read the reviews of a book we must pass the "suggestion line" of books that prey on our personal weaknesses. At least my ebooks don't take up any space and don't require dusting.

10-29-2011, 05:38 PM	#8
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	my tbr pile stays pretty consistent at around 50-60. Mainly because of the economy. I can't AFFORD more than that...

10-29-2011, 05:44 PM	#9
Quexos Member Retired Posts: 1,999 Karma: 11348924 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Limbo Device: none	I have about 100 ebooks to be read and maybe some 40 print books still to read on my shelves. Sadly I don't read as fast or as massively as some of you. So It could be years before I'm done and I'm not even talking about new readings I may acquire in the meantime.

10-29-2011, 05:56 PM	#10
Todd Young Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 1004164 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 2	I exhort each and every one of you to try my elder brother's new reading policy. After years of mild drinking, his memory isn't what it once was. He doesn't like the idea of ebooks (I am thinking of buying him a kindle for Christmas), but what he does have is a large collection of print books. He has got into the habit of reading these same books over and over again, placing a date last read on the inside cover. He knows he won't be able to remember a book if he read it, say, five years ago, so when he finds one of these on his shelves, he'll choose that book and simply read it again. His rationale, as he recently explained it to me, was that he knows he likes these books. He chose them. He knows that he enjoyed them, and is now considering buying no new books ever again. "I can just keep reading them over and over," he says. "I have gone through a selection process. I know I like them. Why should I try something new that might not appeal to me?"

10-29-2011, 06:46 PM	#14
jersysman Wizard Posts: 1,747 Karma: 3761220 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Device: T1 Red, Kindle Fire, Kindle PW, PW2, Nook HD+, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	I think everyone in this thread needs to talk to Pdurrant and get over to the ebook addictive thread! Please, it's for your own good!!!

10-29-2011, 08:17 PM	#15
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	Most of my print books are in boxes in the attic. At least I can access my ebooks!

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