Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[Dazrin]

As we go into the new year and make our New Year's resolutions, I feel some of us need something like this. There's got to be a digital equivalent somewhere.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

As we go into the new year and make our New Year's resolutions, I feel some of us need something like this. There's got to be a digital equivalent somewhere.

I find this close enough:

[pdurrant]

A small amount of slight of hand means my TBR is 10 down on the start of the year. If I can only keep my buying down, I could make good progress next year!

[issybird]

I haven't bought a book since October and since I don't expect I'll buy one today, I'll wrap up the year.

I bought ten books and spent $19 in gift card credit; two books were bought with use-it-or-lose-it Google funny money which I don't count. Lest this sounds like making much ado over nothing much, I'll note that as recently as 2021 I bought 68 books for $226 and last year I bought 38 books for $154, so this is a dramatic change in my habits. My TBR is down 38.

I'd like to do better in terms of reading what I buy; I read four books of the ten, everything I bought through June and only one more. Of the six remaining, three were favorite authors I've not got to yet, so justifable; I have to admit the other three were cases where the sale price created the want. In the grand scheme and given my typical patterns, no big deal but something to be aware of.

My best year ever; my previous best was 2017, when I bought 22 books for $42, so I more than halved both figures. In fact, this year might prove to be unsustainable going forward, but we'll see.

[wandalynn]

Ending the year with 185 owned but unread ebooks and paperbooks. I began with 179 and acquired 24 newbies. Of these owned books I read 18.

Boring numbers:

Spoiler:

Overall, I read 92 books of which 44 were borrowed, 18 were owned, 12 were audiobooks either borrowed or owned, and 18 were advance reader copies.

I'm sticking with my goal of only buying books I plan to read right away, even if they’re not on sale. So far I've not met it but at least it's kept my impulse buying down

01/31 - 183
02/19 - deleted one ebook unable to locate
02/28 - 185
03/31 - 183
04/30 - 183
05/31 - 181
06/30 - 180

[DrNefario]

I fiddled the accounts to end up ahead this year (don't look at that 125-book Battletech bundle I swept under the carpet) but I've become a bit less bothered about it. I have disposable income, and I don't really spend a lot on books compared to my other hobbies.

[DNSB]

Looking at my additions to my calibre library so purchases, dummy entries for loans, etc., I added 986 books to my collection this year. Which is a drop from the previous 3 years. Since I spent some Christmas money on several series and books, I have a 6 item TBR pile heading into 2025. I tried a couple of audiobooks but they are so slooowww and I gave up on trying anymore audiobooks for the next while.

The best book that I read in December was Jack Vance's Demon Princes omnibus. Jack Vance's approach to vocabulary appeals to me and while I can see issues with the books that I didn't see when I read the first books in my teens, I still very much enjoyed re-reading them.

[ownedbycats]

In the last 25 days, I downloaded over 200 fanfics. Oops.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

In the last 25 days, I downloaded over 200 fanfics. Oops.

Oh, dear. Get a Grip or the cats will have to discipline you.

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The best book that I read in December was Jack Vance's Demon Princes omnibus. Jack Vance's approach to vocabulary appeals to me and while I can see issues with the books that I didn't see when I read the first books in my teens, I still very much enjoyed re-reading them.

Pity that this never seems to go on sale. I've got an author watch tag on Jack Vance in eReaderIQ and the only stuff of his that regularly drops are the Dying Earth series.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Oh, dear. Get a Grip or the cats will have to discipline you.

Better idea. Get a dog so you don't have as much time to download so many fanfics because you have to take the dog for walks during the day.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

Pity that this never seems to go on sale. I've got an author watch tag on Jack Vance in eReaderIQ and the only stuff of his that regularly drops are the Dying Earth series.

True. I found the book on Kobo in their Kobo Plus program so it was a must buy.

[issybird]

Bought nothing in January for the third month in a row. I've made something of a fetish of this, to the extent that I'll get an app with some expiring Google Play credit if I can think of one! (Which is what I did in January.) I most likely will buy a book, however, even though it will snap my streak.

[JSWolf]

Last book I bought was in December 2024 and it was a short story in a Chronicals of St Mary's series.

[JSWolf]