Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread - Page 373

bookaho!ic · 07-04-2021, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I have always lived in or near medium to large cities. So there were plenty of bookstores around. Including lots of second-hand ones. But finding a book I wanted to read but hadn't read before was always a struggle, with hours spent looking though bookshop shelves.

And then ebooks started to appear, and I found Baen Books' webscriptions (in 2002) and Fictionwise (in 2003). But it wasn't rally until DRM was broken in 2008 that I went wild, and started buying more than I could read.

yep will always have more books than i can ever read

leebase · 07-16-2021, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now that's no longer the case. We no longer need to pounce on every book that looks interesting.

Facebook and Amazon have my reading likes down pat. I get targeted ads with books I'd love to read....even though I have more than 100 of the same type of book purchased and unread

And lots of "$1 for this boxed set" - who can resist? Well, I've been doing better.

BUT THEN - I went and bought a Kindle eInk device and now I have 4 months free Kindle Unlimited.

UNLIMITED! I definitely will not be keeping the subscription going. I simply have too many books already that I haven't read. Then there are the ongoing book series by my favorite authors. Have to get those

DuskyRose · 07-30-2021, 10:57 PM

I have to admit that I've been on a huge splurge this winter, but I wasn't feeling well and was reading more than usual, and just got tired of waiting for some on my 'have to read' listed books to go on sale. I have waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than I could ever read in my lifetime. I've been collecting ebooks since before they were a thing, (bought some of my first pre-kindle ebooks from an author's web site) then added reading fanfic on top of that... it does add up over the decades.

I grew up mostly without books, in a family of proud non-readers. Lived in remote areas with little fantasy or scifi interest, so not may used ones to choose from. Lived in Japan for three years, and survived on base library books after mine arrived all covered in mold.

And then realized after my grandparents were moved into ever-smaller houses over the years that taking a ton of physical books with me into a tiny house or nursing home wasn't going to be in the cards.

So, I keep grabbing ebook freebies, adding to my "Have to Read" series when a sale hits, keep grabbing fanfic because I can, and my kids have standing instructions that when/if hubby and I ever hit that nursing home I'll be a good girl and behave as long as they manage my ebooks for me and keep me supplied with ebook readers. I'm not quite 60 yet, so they have some time before they have to worry about that.

I'm just lucky they're all techies, and can do that for me. They know books are my comfort food.

(As well as keep me hooked up to a good gaming system. Gotta keep up with Assassin's Creed to stay mentally alert. My son got his gamer genes from me.)

Tarana · 08-01-2021, 12:30 PM

I overdid the budget in July, so trying VERY HARD not to buy anything in August. It's amazing how $1-2 books mount up. All stuff I will read, but yeah, it's a bit much.

astrangerhere · 08-01-2021, 12:45 PM

Let me just tell y'all - buying a new house curbs EVERY BIT of that indulgent overspending.

I'm over here calculating paint and furniture costs, no spending money on books. I have gone shopping on Standard Ebook's site a few times though.

poohbear_nc · 08-01-2021, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Let me just tell y'all - buying a new house curbs EVERY BIT of that indulgent overspending.

I'm over here calculating paint and furniture costs, no spending money on books. I have gone shopping on Standard Ebook's site a few times though.

Standard Ebooks and the MR Library will tide you over.

And don't forget Delphi Classics.

pdurrant · 08-01-2021, 04:26 PM

I may actually be getting the hang of this after ten years (yes, this thread is 10 years old!!).

I only bought 68 books last year (2020), I've bought 40 so far this year, which means I expect to buy about the same this year in total.

That compares to 166 in 2019, 194 in 2018, etc, etc.

I'm not sure what's worked. I think a combination of all the rules we've come up with over the years.

I hope that others manage to meet their buying goals in less than 10 years.

DrNefario · 08-01-2021, 05:43 PM

In my case, I think what has worked is mainly having such a colossal backlog that I can pretty much find any kind of book I want in my existing collection.

Also my challenges don't involve pursuing new books as much as they used to. If I want to keep up with the Hugo and BSFA winners, then I might need one or two new books a year, but it's nothing compared to the dozens I bought when I was originally trying to complete the lists.

tempest@de · 08-02-2021, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Let me just tell y'all - buying a new house curbs EVERY BIT of that indulgent overspending.

I'm over here calculating paint and furniture costs, no spending money on books. I have gone shopping on Standard Ebook's site a few times though.

look at it this way, you will also have less time to read while dealing with the house related stuff, especially if you are doing something to the house, just the planning and research of things to buy will consume more time that you thought possible.

I bought a fixer upper house in 2016 and almost all of my free time during the 3 years after that where spent dealing with the house, my reading in that 3 years was cut in half, I still have unread books bought around that time, mainly because what looked good then now just doesn’t has the same appeal. Now I only buy what I want to read right now that is not available on the subscription platforms that I use or if is something from a must buy author.

issybird · 08-02-2021, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tempest@de

because what looked good then now just doesn’t has the same appeal.

Oh, yes. Too many bargains aren’t bargains in the long run. And reading something just because you paid money for it is a foolish use of precious reading time. Even wishlists go stale over time - either the books will never be cheap enough to buy or you never wanted to read them enough. Or both.

Quote:

Now I only buy what I want to read right now

I’ve known for years that this would be my most cost-effective buying strategy. It still hasn’t cured me of buying in advance, although I’m much better than I used to be.

CAFlanny · 08-02-2021, 12:49 PM

I currently have over 200 books to be read that I bought, along with hundreds of freebies that I may or may not get to. I also have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. I have been good about adding books to eReaderIQ instead of buying.

Part of my problem is that I moved a couple months ago from a city with a great library to one that does not have much digitally. I guess I might have to stop being an ereading snob and borrow the DTB.

LDB · 08-02-2021, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAFlanny

I currently have over 200 books to be read that I bought, along with hundreds of freebies that I may or may not get to. I also have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. I have been good about adding books to eReaderIQ instead of buying.

Part of my problem is that I moved a couple months ago from a city with a great library to one that does not have much digitally. I guess I might have to stop being an ereading snob and borrow the DTB.

Amateur.

I got my original Kindle just a few months after they came out. I've gotten a few thousand freebies, well, because free. I think you'll have better luck getting through yours than I will have with mine.

pdurrant · 08-03-2021, 02:06 AM

Some in this thread have decided that freebies are a waste of time, and only get freebies that they would have bought at $0.99/£0.99.

Only 236 of my 825 TBR are freebies.

LDB · 08-03-2021, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Some in this thread have decided that freebies are a waste of time, and only get freebies that they would have bought at $0.99/£0.99.

Only 236 of my 825 TBR are freebies.

Certainly not a bad system. I get them based on "if I didn't have a book available to me and found this one would I read it at least until a better book came along".

Tarana · 08-03-2021, 11:34 AM

I've reduced my freebee acquisitions primarily to curated freebees (Amazon First, World Book Day, TOR), author freebees and authors I already read. So the number of unknowns is pretty small, but the blurb fits my interest. Freebees are great if you are reading good books but a lot of them have only been so-so. Once in a while you'll get a star (like The Martian by Andy Weir which was even better after a professional publisher got hold of it). But I'd rather not waste my time too much on so-so books.

07-30-2021, 10:57 PM	#5583
DuskyRose Guru Posts: 754 Karma: 9209502 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Virginia Device: Boox Note Air3, Palma, K-Scribe, Eclipsa 2e, & Libra 2, Ipads	I have to admit that I've been on a huge splurge this winter, but I wasn't feeling well and was reading more than usual, and just got tired of waiting for some on my 'have to read' listed books to go on sale. I have waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than I could ever read in my lifetime. I've been collecting ebooks since before they were a thing, (bought some of my first pre-kindle ebooks from an author's web site) then added reading fanfic on top of that... it does add up over the decades. I grew up mostly without books, in a family of proud non-readers. Lived in remote areas with little fantasy or scifi interest, so not may used ones to choose from. Lived in Japan for three years, and survived on base library books after mine arrived all covered in mold. And then realized after my grandparents were moved into ever-smaller houses over the years that taking a ton of physical books with me into a tiny house or nursing home wasn't going to be in the cards. So, I keep grabbing ebook freebies, adding to my "Have to Read" series when a sale hits, keep grabbing fanfic because I can, and my kids have standing instructions that when/if hubby and I ever hit that nursing home I'll be a good girl and behave as long as they manage my ebooks for me and keep me supplied with ebook readers. I'm not quite 60 yet, so they have some time before they have to worry about that. I'm just lucky they're all techies, and can do that for me. They know books are my comfort food. (As well as keep me hooked up to a good gaming system. Gotta keep up with Assassin's Creed to stay mentally alert. My son got his gamer genes from me.) Last edited by DuskyRose; 07-31-2021 at 10:03 AM.

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08-01-2021, 12:30 PM	#5584
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,046 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I overdid the budget in July, so trying VERY HARD not to buy anything in August. It's amazing how $1-2 books mount up. All stuff I will read, but yeah, it's a bit much.

08-01-2021, 12:45 PM	#5585
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,755 Karma: 68428716 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	Let me just tell y'all - buying a new house curbs EVERY BIT of that indulgent overspending. I'm over here calculating paint and furniture costs, no spending money on books. I have gone shopping on Standard Ebook's site a few times though.

08-01-2021, 04:26 PM	#5587
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,129 Karma: 315558334 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	I may actually be getting the hang of this after ten years (yes, this thread is 10 years old!!). I only bought 68 books last year (2020), I've bought 40 so far this year, which means I expect to buy about the same this year in total. That compares to 166 in 2019, 194 in 2018, etc, etc. I'm not sure what's worked. I think a combination of all the rules we've come up with over the years. I hope that others manage to meet their buying goals in less than 10 years.

08-01-2021, 05:43 PM	#5588
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,214 Karma: 12029046 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	In my case, I think what has worked is mainly having such a colossal backlog that I can pretty much find any kind of book I want in my existing collection. Also my challenges don't involve pursuing new books as much as they used to. If I want to keep up with the Hugo and BSFA winners, then I might need one or two new books a year, but it's nothing compared to the dozens I bought when I was originally trying to complete the lists.

08-02-2021, 12:49 PM	#5591
CAFlanny Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 2850802 Join Date: May 2021 Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Bigme B751C, Kobo Libra H2O	I currently have over 200 books to be read that I bought, along with hundreds of freebies that I may or may not get to. I also have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. I have been good about adding books to eReaderIQ instead of buying. Part of my problem is that I moved a couple months ago from a city with a great library to one that does not have much digitally. I guess I might have to stop being an ereading snob and borrow the DTB.

08-03-2021, 02:06 AM	#5593
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,129 Karma: 315558334 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Some in this thread have decided that freebies are a waste of time, and only get freebies that they would have bought at $0.99/£0.99. Only 236 of my 825 TBR are freebies.

08-03-2021, 11:34 AM	#5595
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,046 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I've reduced my freebee acquisitions primarily to curated freebees (Amazon First, World Book Day, TOR), author freebees and authors I already read. So the number of unknowns is pretty small, but the blurb fits my interest. Freebees are great if you are reading good books but a lot of them have only been so-so. Once in a while you'll get a star (like The Martian by Andy Weir which was even better after a professional publisher got hold of it). But I'd rather not waste my time too much on so-so books.