I just can't borrow books

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I do like owning the books. My favorite "reading habit" is to buy a book and hoard it for a while. In the past this meant having a stack of the "can't wait to read" books. It was usually 3 to 5 high. And I just LOVED having it there because I knew every single book in that stack was going to be special. I'd read other books for a few weeks before dipping into the special pile.

I still do the same thing although some of the books are now on the Kindle. It's not quite the same because I don't get to peek at the covers like I do with the "stack."

I don't mind borrowing from the library, but I feel a bit forced to read them because of the due date. Since I don't have the money to buy every single book I want, I do use the library quite extensively. But if I had my druthers, I'd have my hoard stack. Waiting. With The Most Excellent Selection.

I am a smidge like that. I generally will not read books by my favorite authors back to back, because I do not want to run out. ( a lot of my favorite authors are deceased nfortunately)

I do not have to own them though. I can wait for them from the library or buy them when I want them. If they are going to take a long time fromthe library, then I can say that the library is hoarding them for me and if I want a book enough to reserve it you can be sure I will have read it within a day or two of receiving it

With me it is the thrill or comfort or overall enjoyment I experience and I am pretty sure ownership has nothing to do with it. But I have known people who would stroke or pat or gaze admiringly at a book they bought for days or weeks before even opening it, and I had a friend who would borrow the book from the library to read rather than actually get finger prints on her copy, and woe to those who dare to touch her books. Not a collector thing I don't think, just she loved the look of an unopened (virgin) book

Helen

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I very rarely ever re-read anything, so see no need to own copies. The overwhelming amount of my reading is library books.

Me too. I have to be careful, because if I don't mark the book read, I might re-read it without remembering what I read before.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

With me it is the thrill or comfort or overall enjoyment I experience and I am pretty sure ownership has nothing to do with it. But I have known people who would stroke or pat or gaze admiringly at a book they bought for days or weeks before even opening it, and I had a friend who would borrow the book from the library to read rather than actually get finger prints on her copy, and woe to those who dare to touch her books. Not a collector thing I don't think, just she loved the look of an unopened (virgin) book

If I'd behave like that, I'd seriously worry about my own sanity I think...

[Catlady]

I want to keep a book in the same way that I want to keep a souvenir of a trip or a photograph of a special event. It's a reminder of an experience.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I use library borrowing as a gateway drug to buying.

I've been burned many a time by a book that looked "good" to me in a book store and then ick, couldn't stand it. I don't like to throw my money at gambling experiments. I just don't have that kind of dough for a "maybe I will like it". On the plus side, there are people who now own my discards, because I can hand a print book to "just anyone" without needing authorization from a third party, so that money is not entirely wasted.

So I "date" the books via the library, and then if I wanna "marry" them, make a beeline to the bookstore. I want my buys to be genuine, and to reflect what I really like.

I definitely use the library as a "testing field."

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I use library borrowing as a gateway drug to buying.

I've been burned many a time by a book that looked "good" to me in a book store and then ick, couldn't stand it.

Same here. I read a lot of library books. If I like a title enough, I'd buy it. Saves me dough on titles where I can't even stand finishing the first chapter. Pretty guilt-free, too. If I buy a book, I usually feel obligated to finish reading it just because I paid for it. If I borrow, if I can't stand the book, I'd just return it to the library right away and borrow something else and with ebooks, the entire process takes just a couple of minutes and you don't even need to find parking space.

[Tarana]

I was definitely a library reader. Favorites I would purchase so I could reread in the future (which I did).

However, that changed with ebooks. My library doesn't get many ebooks or audiobooks in science fiction or fantasy. So, I find that I tend to purchase these items. They do get a lot of use since I share my library with family members.

[NickyWithNook]

I don't like owning a lot of things that take up physical space because there is only so much space to go around. So I do like borrowing things, especially books, as I don't like to re-read them anyway.

[Antoinekamel]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I want to keep a book in the same way that I want to keep a souvenir of a trip or a photograph of a special event. It's a reminder of an experience.

I find books, photos and souvernis so limited and boring and cluttering that, instead of these forms of concretized memories, I resort only to my mind to have the full colour and complete memories, imagination included.

[Katsunami]

Your mind is far from complete and unfailing. That's the reason why people take pictures and want souvenirs.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Antoinekamel

I find books, photos and souvernis so limited and boring and cluttering that, instead of these forms of concretized memories, I resort only to my mind to have the full colour and complete memories, imagination included.

So you keep all the boring clutter in your head instead of having a photo album?

Sorry, I don't have an eidetic memory.

[pagansoul]

Originally Posted by Antoinekamel

I find books, photos and souvernis so limited and boring and cluttering that, instead of these forms of concretized memories, I resort only to my mind to have the full colour and complete memories, imagination included.

My memory is very bad. I have photo collections both in my Mac and in albums. I try to trash the bad pictures like I try to trash the bad books but I still have a lot of stuff. I'm not in league of horders but I worry about it. I just have too much stuff. The creation of ebooks and for that matter CDs and DVDs was a god-send for me. Do you have any idea how much space music albums take up, VHS, hard cover books and magazines? When I was young I just about spent all my free time in the library, I had no money. Now as a working adult I lost that 'thrifty' mindset. I buy everything. Back in the olden days, 45 years ago, not many people had books, maybe a set of Encyclopedia, a cookbook, bible, some kid's books and maybe Reader's Digest and that was it. I still walk into peoples homes and see no books, only a People magazine or TV Guide. As soon as I started working I started buying music, books, and cloths.

[Anabana]

I'm a diehard re-reader and own several thousand books. If it's a book by a favorite author, I want to own it. If I'm interested but not familiar with the author, then I try to borrow it from the library. If I like it well enough to want to re-read, I buy it. I'm fortunate that two of my local library systems (city & county) have good ebook collections. I also have a card with Free Library of Philadelphia. I'm not in PA, but the card is free to active military and (for me) to seniors.
Life is Good!

[bookaho!ic]

despite having over 800 ebooks on my reader and about 100 paperbacks i am constantly borrowing from the library and i buy ebooks only if they are on a good deal and even then only if they are from an author i follow

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Same here. I read a lot of library books. If I like a title enough, I'd buy it. Saves me dough on titles where I can't even stand finishing the first chapter. Pretty guilt-free, too. If I buy a book, I usually feel obligated to finish reading it just because I paid for it. If I borrow, if I can't stand the book, I'd just return it to the library right away and borrow something else and with ebooks, the entire process takes just a couple of minutes and you don't even need to find parking space.

I take full advantage of Overdrive Library and Kindle Lending.