Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[PurpleStar]

Originally Posted by Tarana

Purplestar, sometimes you just need a break from a genre. Keep the ones you have for now and just don't buy anymore unless you pick it up again. Except for Jim Butcher, I don't buy paranormal any longer. I don't think I've bought a romance book since 2014 for the same reason.

Yeah, I’ll keep them of course, but I just like light reading these days. Not sure I’ll get into the big fat fantasies or hard sci fi again.

[DrNefario]

I'm not going to make myself read something I don't want to read, just because I paid money for it in 2011. It might add a bit of weight to the scales, but I'm still reading for enjoyment, and recognise that I own quite a lot of books I'm probably not that interested in any more, or was never that interested in, in the case of some freebies.

My collection is pretty uneven. SF & F are my weaknesses, where I am most likely to buy a book I don't need and maybe can't even read for a couple of years, until I've read its antecedents.

I've been tracking "conversion rate" this year, which is how many of my acquisitions I've actually started reading. It's running at about 30% overall, but for non-fiction it is 100%. This tells me I should probably be more relaxed about picking up non-fiction books and less willing to pick up SF and fantasy, but I doubt it will work that way.

I set myself an exercise, recently, to go through my TBR and pick out 50 books I definitely wanted to read and could read right now (ie. no deeper series books) in each of the following categories: SF, Fantasy, Crime, Other fiction and Non-fiction. Sadly, I was able to fill all 5 lists of 50 fairly easily.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I set myself an exercise, recently, to go through my TBR and pick out 50 books I definitely wanted to read and could read right now (ie. no deeper series books) in each of the following categories: SF, Fantasy, Crime, Other fiction and Non-fiction. Sadly, I was able to fill all 5 lists of 50 fairly easily.

I think this is what the trendy younguns would write on little slips of paper, drop them into a jar, take lots of photos and maybe (occasionally) actually use it to pick a book to read.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Tarana

Libraries are wonderful things but they often don't have a book that I want available when I want it. Mine carries very little science fiction or fantasy. Even less in Ebooks or audio.

Mine is the same, but they do respond to requests! Okay the timing issue can't be helped. They do take their sweet time.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

Mine is the same, but they do respond to requests! Okay the timing issue can't be helped. They do take their sweet time.

But, they diss you on ebooks and audiobooks (not eligible for interlibrary loan). Moving on, I have managed not to buy anything despite getting reminders about sales, although I did use a credit from Kobo to get the next book in the series I've been reading. The price had dropped finally too, so I have a little left over for something else later on.

[HLS]

I am dedicated to several authors that I am trying to read all their books so I do not see the purchases are a waste. I do not see classics as a waste for well they are classics. I been good at not downloading freebies I will never read. I managed to delete ones I know I will never read. I am trying to get more into short stories collections so I can read a story here and there instead of being intimidated by a large size book and never touching it

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

I am dedicated to several authors that I am trying to read all their books so I do not see the purchases are a waste. I do not see classics as a waste for well they are classics. I been good at not downloading freebies I will never read. I managed to delete ones I know I will never read. I am trying to get more into short stories collections so I can read a story here and there instead of being intimidated by a large size book and never touching it

Short story anthologies tend to go pretty cheap much of the time too. I can recommend some good ones if you're interested.

[HLS]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

Short story anthologies tend to go pretty cheap much of the time too. I can recommend some good ones if you're interested.

sure. I like horror, scifi, strange stuff, mysteries. The oddest I read so far is "Fungi" collection of short Fungi related stories one is how sentient Fungi take over earth lol

[issybird]

After no purchases in October, I did some backsliding in November, spending $14 on six books. To an extent, it couldn't be helped; I had "use it or lose it" funny money about to expire and I count those purchases as books bought but not money spent. I also bought a wishlist book that went on sale for $2. But the bulk of my expenditure was on two books and given how much I've already got to read it's hard to justify. The plus side of this month is that I'm currently reading two of my November purchases, one funny money and the other the priciest, and to the extent that I read books I buy right away I give myself a partial pass.

Alas, I've already far outstripped last year in regard to both number of books purchased and cash outlay. However, and not to congratulate myself unduly, I'm still way ahead of the bender years.

[Tarana]

I bought 16 audio/ebooks this month due to sales, and have read/listened to two of them already. Four completed a series, two were new-to-me authors, and two were favorite books that I could get at a discount. One was bought only because Jeremy Irons narrates it (very price reduced). I took a lot out of my cart, so only feel guilty about the new authors.

Yep, I already know my TBR is going to be higher than it was on Jan 1. Sigh. There is only 1 sale left this year that will test my mettle (the annual Audible half price sale), so hopefully i can keep the temptations in check.

[PurpleStar]

5 books purchased last month, one I probably shouldn't have got. Not too bad. This month with the 12 days of Christmas sale at Kobo probably coming up will be hard to resist. Though I should remember I haven't read much of what I bought from last year's sale. I will of course buy the Star Trek sales. Am reading one of those series now so those are ok to buy especially at 99 cents each to rebuild my collection of Star Trek books.

[DrNefario]

No purchases in November for me, which I've already failed to match in December. Pesky expiring credit.

In fact, November was my best month of the year, finishing with two fewer books than I started. And four of the six free books I did acquire were out-of-copyright works I probably didn't need to download now, so it could have been better.

[pdurrant]

November was a bad month. Fifteen books bought, and I think I should have resisted three of them at least. Possibly eleven of them. Only eleven books read.

Let's see what December brings.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Pesky expiring credit.

Indeed.

In fact, November was my best month of the year, finishing with two fewer books than I started. And four of the six free books I did acquire were out-of-copyright works I probably didn't need to download now, so it could have been better.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

November was a bad month. Fifteen books bought, and I think I should have resisted three of them at least. Possibly eleven of them. Only eleven books read.

These posts make me realize that while I keep track of YTD reduction, I don't think to check monthly results. So I looked and even with my November splurge, I held steady with my TBR.

[Fbone]

Nothing purchased in November. I'm still recovering from September's drubbing.