Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

OTOH, the reason for being very good most of the time is to be able to take advantage of the special offers when they come up.

It's not the money, though, which is why my actions are illogical. Ebooks are a cheap indulgence and I shouldn't be such ripe prey for every special offer that comes along. My problem is that I love a bargain, but a bargain that'll never be read is no bargain. And I won't read a book just because I've bought it, either. The money's gone; it has to be the book that appeals to me most, now.

The issue for me is that the eclutter bothers me, just the idea of it. With a continuing influx and hundreds of unread books, I am never going to get to the bottom of the pile, so my goal is to eliminate buying more books which are going to languish forever. I've already got plenty of 'em. I need to buy only books that are at least as appealing as roughly the top hundred or so I already own, bargains be damned.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

I need to buy only books that are at least as appealing as roughly the top hundred or so I already own, bargains be damned.

That's a very good point that I shall try to bear in mind.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by issybird

I need to buy only books that are at least as appealing as roughly the top hundred or so I already own, bargains be damned.

How do you know that before you have read them, though? If I bought every book that I find appealing based on genre, synopsis, author, reviews or recommendations, I'd go broke in no time.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Mivo

How do you know that before you have read them, though? If I bought every book that I find appealing based on genre, synopsis, author, reviews or recommendations, I'd go broke in no time.

I couldn't rank them, of course, and different books appeal to different moods, but I think it's easy to make gross distinctions. Even just using the factors you cited, I can't imagine that every book scores equally highly in all respects. Generally speaking, I know what I like. Occasionally I get it wrong, but a priori I could quickly separate my TBR into three or four categories based on my interest and expected enjoyment. Some books would be marginal, that's always the case, but the bottom line is that I can tell which books I'm interested in getting to soon and which are likely to hang around for a while.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by issybird

I couldn't rank them, of course, and different books appeal to different moods, but I think it's easy to make gross distinctions. Even just using the factors you cited, I can't imagine that every book scores equally highly in all respects.

I've made a bunch of not-so-optimal estimates lately when it came to books I thought would be really exciting, and then turned out not to be my bowl of letter soup. But I think, at least for me, the only way to prevent that is to stick to the same authors, which I more and more feel is limiting. I've been trying out new (to me) authors, which comes at a "risk", because I want more exposure to different styles (and stories).

Actually, I think my *real* problem is that I have a hard time to put away a book that I don't enjoy. With novels, I always feel that I "have" to finish them, even if they are not enjoyable. It's very rare that I don't finish a book.

How do you folks handle this?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Mivo

Actually, I think my *real* problem is that I have a hard time to put away a book that I don't enjoy. With novels, I always feel that I "have" to finish them, even if they are not enjoyable. It's very rare that I don't finish a book.

How do you folks handle this?

I'm trying hard to abandon books if I give them a good try and they're just not working for me. It's easier after the first one or two.

I have far too many books I'll really enjoy on my TBR list to waste my limited reading time on something I'm not enjoying.

[Katsunami]

You're reading 160-200 books a year, and you call that "limited reading time" ?

As Schwarzenegger said to Predator: "What the hell are you?"

I want to be a word-munching monster too!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

You're reading 160-200 books a year, and you call that "limited reading time" ?

As Schwarzenegger said to Predator: "What the hell are you?"

I want to be a word-munching monster too!

It's still limited! No more than three to four hours a day!

(I don't watch much TV. Probably no more than an hour a day, on average.)

[Katsunami]

I wish I had 3-4 hours a day to spend on reading...

Maybe, if this job application works, I will have, because of a monstrous commute time.

[Tarana]

With novels, I always feel that I "have" to finish them, even if they are not enjoyable. It's very rare that I don't finish a book.

I have the very same problem. I'm getting better at abandoning books I'm not enjoying. I give it a break of a couple of weeks and then try again. If still a no go, then I abandon it. Even if it is a popular book, doesn't mean that you are going to enjoy it.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I wish I had 3-4 hours a day to spend on reading...

Maybe, if this job application works, I will have, because of a monstrous commute time.

Yes, the hour+ each way on public transport does help.

[Tarana]

I certainly don't miss those long commutes. I didn't mind back and forth on public transport, because I was always reading, but when I had to switch to a 1 hour each way and drive, it was mind numbing. At that time, there still weren't a lot of audiobooks through my library and I wasn't willing to pay $40-60 for abridged audiobooks.

[CRussel]

For years I had a 1 hour commute. I used the original Books on Tape which allowed you to _borrow_ a book on tape cassettes. But once they got bought out, the lending aspect of their business went away, and I stopped being a customer. But by then, Audible started carrying more and more unabridged books, and their prices were quite reasonable, IF you were willing to commit to membership. Basically less than $15 per book at the most expensive. And then, of course, I started commuting to my home office and I ended up with way more audio books than I have time to read.

Now I have to come to this thread every day to remind me that I really, really, don't need to buy any more books "on spec". Really. I have >1800 books in Calibre, and I doubt more than about 40% have actually been read.

[Yapyap]

I can fortunately work from home these days - otherwise I'd have two hours a day of wasted commuting time, as I cannot read on the bus at all (I get terrible carsickness and although buses are better, I still cannot read on one; even trains are iffy although better, but trains are something I only ever use when travelling abroad).

And audiobooks are completely useless for me. I have trouble focusing on recordings of people speaking even when I can also watch them at the same time, but just listening is ... I had trouble with radio back when radio was still a thing people listened to (I suppose car people maybe still do? I don't really know!), I had enormous trouble with lectures at university, and I certainly cannot listen to audiobooks, audioplays etc.

Anyway, three days into February and I already succumbed twice yesterday - two books that were both on sale ($1.99 each) but both were of the "hmm, never heard of this but sounds potentially interesting" variety instead of wishlist books.

Ah well. I have four preordered books on the way in February, so that still leaves me with up to four slots for impulse buys and wishlist deals. And I stayed on the straight and narrow in January, with ten books bought (none of them above $2.99 at that).

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

Anyway, three days into February and I already succumbed twice yesterday - two books that were both on sale ($1.99 each) but both were of the "hmm, never heard of this but sounds potentially interesting" variety instead of wishlist books.

Those are the dangerous ones. You need to ask yourself "do these sound more interesting that the books I've already bought and are waiting to be read?"

I fell for one of these in January (Life after Life). It was a mistake.