Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[lol.systema]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

That is the failing of most of us in this thread. I'm trying to work my TBR down to a more sensible level of between three to six months reading material (for me that's 50 to 100 books). But I think it will be a long time before I get there.

I normally don't concentrate on budget that much due to the fact that books are hella cheap (specially them discount days.. holy ships do they go low). I actually thought you just purchased books, read them, and kept purchasing.

I guess WE ALL have it worse than addicts.

I mean hell, our case is that of junkies that buy loads of hits and needles and they buy so much they don't get to use it all. On top of it they keep purchasing so they have a room full of hits yet no time to use it all at once.

Jesus, just by thinking that I feel the "nopes" get all over me.
Not gonna buy another book until I've read the ones I have /:

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by lol.systema

I normally don't concentrate on budget that much due to the fact that books are hella cheap (specially them discount days.. holy ships do they go low). I actually thought you just purchased books, read them, and kept purchasing.

I guess WE ALL have it worse than addicts.

I mean hell, our case is that of junkies that buy loads of hits and needles and they buy so much they don't get to use it all. On top of it they keep purchasing so they have a room full of hits yet no time to use it all at once.

Jesus, just by thinking that I feel the "nopes" get all over me.
Not gonna buy another book until I've read the ones I have /:

To be honest, I've gotten over that fear of not being to able to read everything, especailly if the books are free, cheap, or very large.

For example, I've bought a lot of Delphi Classics, that come in at only $3 (and often I bought them at a 25-50% discount!), and contain ALL (or most) of an authors work, they are well laid out, and are very often nicely illustrated. It beats having to look up a nice version of a certain classic; I also dumped a site that had thousands of well laid out classics online. When Kobo has large discounts, I go on buying binges, buying books for €1 or less. (Mostly, I get the well-known, mainstream books from today's authors.)

I see it as stocking up my very own library. I assume (and hope) that there will be some way to read EPUB's in the next 50 years, either natively or by converting them, so I'll see what I read and what I don't.

Still, I'm contemplating to quit or at least slow down buying as soon as I hit 1,000 books (counting the Delphi Classics as one book each) in my library, because at my current pace, that will be about 20 years of reading material for me.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Still, I'm contemplating to quit or at least slow down buying as soon as I hit 1,000 books (counting the Delphi Classics as one book each) in my library, because at my current pace, that will be about 20 years of reading material for me.

The thought I try to hold is that I need to limit new purchases to books of high interest. I don't always succeed, however, as I'm too prone to fall for a bargain.

At first, my Calibre library was custom tagged as either on my devices or read. Then I had to break it down to: on my devices, next up, and read. That evolved into: on device, A-list, B-list, read. My litmus test for purchases should be: "At least as good as what's already on my readers." Certainly I shouldn't be buying anything else that goes straight to the B-list!

[Tarana]

I see it as stocking up my very own library. I assume (and hope) that there will be some way to read EPUB's in the next 50 years, either natively or by converting them, so I'll see what I read and what I don't.

Still, you are spending money now that you don't need to spend. I know that there were books I liked 20 years ago that I don't like as much today. Your tastes can change over just 4 years (as many who have gone to college can attest). My Mom has read horror stories her whole life and lost interest in the them about 10 years ago (she's 80 now). I would never have guessed that she would like Song of Ice and Fire, yet she's on the 5th book right now and bugging me as to when book 6 will come out. Ok.. well, watching Game of Thrones does that to people.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Tarana

Still, you are spending money now that you don't need to spend.

I don't know about this. At this point in time, I do want all Forgotten Realms books. (And if possible, all Oberon, and Greyhawk, Dragonlance, etc... as well.) There are hundreds. If I can get them with a multi-use 80% coupon, who am I to not do that?

If I want to read those books, I have them; and there's a very big chance I want to read them. Almost each book I have makes an equal chance of being read. Actually, sometimes I use the Random Book feature of Calibre, and just read what it assigns me. (Obviously, if it assigns a book in the middle of a series, I start with the first one instead.)

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

If you're tempted by a book, why not post in this thread? Perhaps someone will persuade you against it, or perhaps you'll feel better knowing that others agree it's too good a bargain to miss.

I was going to post the temptation I'm struggling to resist. It was one of the books I most loved as a youngster, was digitized a couple of years ago, but has only just now gone down in price to $3.49. But I think that the likely outcome of posting details in this thread is that I'll trigger the same temptation in others already tempted enough on a daily basis and I may just succumb anyway.

It's maybe worth $3.49 just to stop thinking about this book with such yearning. Yes, I checked my library and it is not available. Oh dear.

There is a plus side to a ridiculously long TBR list. There are days when I feel too tired or lazy to walk the daily 3-7 miles. All I need for motivation is to remember all the books I want to live long enough to read. I lace up those boots and hit the trail.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I was going to post the temptation I'm struggling to resist. It was one of the books I most loved as a youngster, was digitized a couple of years ago, but has only just now gone down in price to $3.49. But I think that the likely outcome of posting details in this thread is that I'll trigger the same temptation in others already tempted enough on a daily basis and I may just succumb anyway.

I must know! Pretty please?

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by issybird

I must know! Pretty please?

Be strong, Issybird. You don't really need to know.

Spoiler:

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I was going to post the temptation I'm struggling to resist. It was one of the books I most loved as a youngster, was digitized a couple of years ago, but has only just now gone down in price to $3.49.

Now that's an interesting case. It's clearly a favourite author, and it's not really adding to your TBR list, but to a TBRR list. And in some ways, I suspect you just want the comfort of knowing that you have a copy should you wish to re-read.

If you have book budget left for this month, it wouldn't be against the rules to get it. Although check whether it's available at a similar price and couponable at Kobo.

You just need to consider whether you'd rather spend that portion of your book budget on a book new to you instead.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

Be strong, Issybird. You don't really need to know.

Spoiler:

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor.

LOL! Now that was an eye-popping read when I was a girl! I can resist this one; no harm done. Thanks for indulging my 'satiable curiosity.

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And in some ways, I suspect you just want the comfort of knowing that you have a copy should you wish to re-read.

You are exactly right. I have several books that had a profound effect upon me growing up. Some I've re-read, some I just like having close. I bought the book.

Originally Posted by issybird

LOL! Now that was an eye-popping read when I was a girl!

Yes, I most miss reading with wide-eyed shock. This book was also where I got the idea that the world was not filled with sweet, honest, ethical people like my parents, so caution would be a good quality to develop. I became so enchanted with 1660's London that I went on to read Defoe and Pepys. Forever Amber gave me the ability to read Pepys between the lines.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

You are exactly right. I have several books that had a profound effect upon me growing up. Some I've re-read, some I just like having close. I bought the book.

Oh, yes. I do this too. I finally just moved several off my readers, since the odds of my reading one of them right-this-minute! are low, but they're in Calibre if I need them.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Oh, yes. I do this too. I finally just moved several off my readers, since the odds of my reading one of them right-this-minute! are low, but they're in Calibre if I need them.

Isn't it a comfort and joy to have Calibre to keep them all in? Knowing they're there, and available whenever I feel like wrapping up in an old favourite.

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Isn't it a comfort and joy to have Calibre to keep them all in? Knowing they're there, and available whenever I feel like wrapping up in an old favourite.

Without Calibre I wouldn't even be tempted to buy many ebooks. All the books I bought from Fictionwise and BoB are still mine and available. I'm not worried buying books from Sony or B&N.

[Tarana]

Belle, I feel the same way about the audiobooks. I make sure that I remove DRM on anything that I want to listen to again just-in-case. I found out about BoB closing up only about 6 days in advance. I had only just purchased several Kevin J Anderson audiobooks from them. The WMAs were harder to convert, but I have them.