TBR Shelves

[bookaho!ic]

Hi all

do you count your 'freebies' as part of your tbr. I used to then i went on a huge book buying spree the past months and now my purchased tbr is 426 and my freebie tbr is 589.

i kind of feel i should attempt the freebies shelf however when i have physically paid for 426 books i feel i should read them first.

so conflicted!

[HarryT]

Do whatever you want - there are no "rules" .

[EndlessWaves]

Stop making threads, you've got books to read.

[DiapDealer]

Counting?
There's no counting in reading.
There's no counting in reading!

[issybird]

Freebies, with extremely rare exceptions, don't justify even the expense of a one-click. You've already wasted far too much time and effort on them, and dredging through nearly 600 to find the one or two worth reading is a further colossal waste. Abandon them, move on and don't fall prey to them again.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by issybird

Freebies, with extremely rare exceptions, don't justify even the expense of a one-click. You've already wasted far too much time and effort on them, and dredging through nearly 600 to find the one or two worth reading is a further colossal waste. Abandon them, move on and don't fall prey to them again.

Certainly a valid viewpoint, although I have to confess that I would like to think that at least some of the many FREE books I've uploaded to the MR library have some merit, and are worth reading.

[PurpleStar]

No, I might read freebies and I might not. I haven't actually read a lot of them and end up reading the books I've bought instead, which is probably a good thing. Perhaps I'll get to the freebies eventually. Some actually look good and those series are cheaper alternatives than the expensive best sellers.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Certainly a valid viewpoint, although I have to confess that I would like to think that at least some of the many FREE books I've uploaded to the MR library have some merit, and are worth reading.

I don't count public domain as freebies, even though they're, well, free. When I download a pd book, it's because I actively choose to read it, not because I've been seduced by the price. For "freebie" I tend to read "self-pubbed junk."

I love the classics, finished one pd book on Thursday and immediately started another and I'm concurrently reading the copyright version of a pd classic for the book club this month. I'd pay for public domain if it weren't free, and that's the acid test. Seriously, if you wouldn't pay a few bucks for a freebie, then you shouldn't acquire it for nothing.

[bookaho!ic]

thanks guys

good point why am i on here i have books to read

gonna think of the freebies as back ups just in case i ever read my ever expanding bought tbr

[Jessica Lares]

Like issybird said, get rid of the freebies, at least most of them. The pile will just get bigger and bigger.

Obviously, classics, references, and the like are worth keeping. But always favor the stuff you used your hard earned cash to buy.

And yeah, really consider whether you would have bought a book based on the descriptions to begin with.

[DiapDealer]

There's a difference between grabbing every book you see that's free BECAUSE it's free, and taking advantage of free version of a book you've been wanting to read regardless.

We probably shouldn't assume someone means "relatively obscure piece of garbage" just because they happen to use the term "freebie."

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by issybird

I don't count public domain as freebies, even though they're, well, free. When I download a pd book, it's because I actively choose to read it, not because I've been seduced by the price. For "freebie" I tend to read "self-pubbed junk."

I love the classics, finished one pd book on Thursday and immediately started another and I'm concurrently reading the copyright version of a pd classic for the book club this month. I'd pay for public domain if it weren't free, and that's the acid test. Seriously, if you wouldn't pay a few bucks for a freebie, then you shouldn't acquire it for nothing.

The only free books I have are a few classics which I have either already read or expect to read soon. I figure the public domain books found on Gutenberg or MobileRead are out there and available and when I am ready to sit down and read another, I will download it.

My main source of "free" books is the library, and I have to read those books before the expiration date, so they can't pile up unread.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

There's a difference between grabbing every book you see that's free BECAUSE it's free, and taking advantage of free version of a book you've been wanting to read regardless.

We probably shouldn't assume someone means "relatively obscure piece of garbage" just because they happen to use the term "freebie."

This. Books that I want to read are on my TBR list. Doesn't matter where I got them, how much I paid, or if I even own them.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

We probably shouldn't assume someone means "relatively obscure piece of garbage" just because they happen to use the term "freebie."

Fair enough and that's where I came a cropper in regard to public domain.

And yet, I still think that having downloaded close to 600 free books of whatever ilk bespeaks a certain lack of discrimination even if it's just in regard to the likelihood of ever reading a book. In the meantime, tending freebies takes some time and possibly creates the situation of not being able to see the trees for the forest.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by issybird

And yet, I still think that having downloaded close to 600 free books of whatever ilk bespeaks a certain lack of discrimination even if it's just in regard to the likelihood of ever reading a book.

That's fair.
(Although a similarly high number (426) of purchased, unread TBR books could bespeak the same lack of discrimination, no?)