Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread - Page 215

BelleZora · 01-06-2015, 12:29 PM

I've unsubscribed from anything that might suggest a book for me to buy. MR no longer informs me when someone posts a freebie or deal on a thread. But ereader.com still tells me when a wish list book is on sale. Today it is The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden which I've wanted to read since it was published, having read and loved The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (recommended by Kumabjorn on MR). It is not available at my library. So I will buy it and start it right away, despite being somehow bogged down in A Woman in White and The Iliad, both of which I like but you know how life gets between us and books sometimes.

I find I am embarrassed to report every book that challenges or overcomes my best intentions, but I suppose that is the way this thread is supposed to work. Embarrassment is often an excellent deterrent. At least I haven't bought anything (even free) mindlessly this week.

So...this is a book I've really wanted to read for many months and so it will not be buried in the TBR pile. It is not available for a loan. It qualifies!

PurpleStar · 01-06-2015, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Sigh. OK, tighten up. Take a deep breath and remember that these were at least minimally within the guidelines. (And like Paul, I'm only going to buy that one book in the February bundle for sure. The others can wait.)

I'm staying away from bundles all together. Just too many books that I'll never read!

And speaking of books I'll never read, I just deleted a whole lot of freebies off my reader. I won't read them. May even delete from my Kobo account. I doubt I'll miss them! I'm going to try not to hoard books this year.

Rev. Bob · 01-06-2015, 03:04 PM

If audio dramas count, the current Humble Bundle just got me in trouble. $15 for a stack of Doctor Who stuff from Big Finish (specifically: all three Dalek War stories, all eight Colin Baker "lost season" stories, and audio versions of the three stage plays) was just too good to pass up.

issybird · 01-06-2015, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelleZora

So...this is a book I've really wanted to read for many months and so it will not be buried in the TBR pile. It is not available for a loan. It qualifies!

Heck, so long as you're starting it right away, it qualifies even if it weren't on sale! At least by my criteria. Had I adhered to this one simple rule, I wouldn't be sitting on hundreds of unread books.

issybird · 01-06-2015, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

And speaking of books I'll never read, I just deleted a whole lot of freebies off my reader. I won't read them. May even delete from my Kobo account. I doubt I'll miss them! I'm going to try not to hoard books this year.

I know it's Paul's thread, Paul's rules, but I found it very helpful to get over freebies. In part because they add to the eclutter and consume time, but also because they feed the hoarding instinct. It's akin to switching to Diet Coke, where studies show it helps not at all in weight loss. And once you get over freebies, it helps develop a jaundiced view of the bargains that cost a buck or two.

I'd say, get rid of them at Kobo. It's a nuisance to have to scroll through them if you're checking your library. I felt liberated when I deleted my Amazon freebies.. But we all have to do what works for our own peculiar psyches.

pdurrant · 01-07-2015, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I know it's Paul's thread, Paul's rules, but I found it very helpful to get over freebies.

You may be right. At least, freebies that you wouldn't have bought anyway, if they were on a good offer.

issybird · 01-07-2015, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

You may be right. At least, freebies that you wouldn't have bought anyway, if they were on a good offer.

That became my litmus test for freebies. Back in the day, when the first book of a backlist series frequently was free as a come-on when the series was digitized, I figured I got lucky. I don't see that often anymore, but I'm not much of a series reader so it may be a case of not noticing.

The main argument for stockpiling freebies, that someday I might be broke, doesn't resonate with me. Not that I might not be broke, but I figure there will always be options (by which I mean the library and public domain, and not the Black Act).

Tarana · 01-07-2015, 01:19 PM

Quote:

I just deleted a whole lot of freebies off my reader. I won't read them. May even delete from my Kobo account. I doubt I'll miss them! I'm going to try not to hoard books this year.

Mine include a lot of backlist or 1st of a series that I haven't yet tried out. So, rather than angst over it, I'm downloading, removing DRM and putting into a Calibre library called Freebees. Then I delete off of my cloud accounts (Kobo, Amazon). I just started Grimnoir Chronicles, a trilogy, so far, one of which was a freebee, so I'm glad I chose that route. Unknown author to me at the time. With Amazon, if you bought it from them and deleted it, they can put it back into your library in the future. With B&N, I just archive stuff I don't want in the main library.

Victoria · 01-07-2015, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Well, after three years of using this thread to identify new series/authors you should buy, I'm glad to see that you're now using it for the intended purpose.

$10/month is a tight book buying budget (IMO), best of luck!

Busted

You've got a fantastic memory!

I have already discovered that $10 is very tight. But it has already helped me put several books on the wishlist, instead of clicking "buy". I was shocked to find out that i'd acquired over 600 books in 2014. Many were free, but most weren't.

I've been rereading this thread and everyone's great strategies. I may need to set the $ limit higher, but if i can shift from multiple impulse buys each week, to just buying books i truely want and will read soon, it will be a huge improvement.

Thanks for the moral support.

issybird · 01-07-2015, 07:34 PM

One week into the year and I'm clean! This means I could buy two books next week, but I won't. I've got four or five top-priority books on my wishlist, but I don't need to read any of them right away. I can wait. I'll see how things play out in the next Kobo contest.

Fbone · 01-07-2015, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

One week into the year and I'm clean! This means I could buy two books next week, but I won't. I've got four or five top-priority books on my wishlist, but I don't need to read any of them right away. I can wait. I'll see how things play out in the next Kobo contest.

Your daily check-in and early interest in the next Kobo contest must mean you're battling temptation. Stay strong!

issybird · 01-07-2015, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

Your daily check-in and early interest in the next Kobo contest must mean you're battling temptation. Stay strong!

Thanks! Yeah, I knew invoking the next Kobo contest was a slippery slope, especially since it doesn't matter how great a discount is if I never get to the book. Time for yet another attitude adjustment!

PurpleStar · 01-07-2015, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

Thanks! Yeah, I knew invoking the next Kobo contest was a slippery slope, especially since it doesn't matter how great a discount is if I never get to the book. Time for yet another attitude adjustment!

Contest shmontest! I'm not doing any contest. They are just enablers. I'm not getting any books so why do I need coupons??

I am now making a pledge to not buy or even borrow from the library anything new until at least April. Just going to read what I have on my reader. There's still about 400 books on there. Surely that's enough!

Also I did delete a lot of freebies from my Kobo account. Feels good!

peachiekene · 01-08-2015, 01:56 AM

No purchases thus far, but I know this will change once the contest hits ---- I have 3 series I am trying to round out that are couponable.

I do read these series, so they will be read - I just don't want to pay full price. I even made a little reference chart about what percentage codes are acceptable based on price.
It did actually help me from going completely overboard in December's contest.

Now I just need to pick a monthly budget...
Debating on $15 or $20 a month. ^^;
Should probably go with the higher so there's less margin for error. :P

I should probably go through my freebies again... I'm pretty good at curbing the ones offered at Kobo and Google (shops of preference), but anything from B&N and amazon is so much work with having to manually go through calibre and then go to the site. I'm just too lazy right now

I've been curbing the ones I pick up - so that's something. ^^;

Rev. Bob · 01-08-2015, 02:33 AM

Well, just to validate the relatively expensive purchase, I've gone ahead and started Revival. I've heard quite good things, which didn't hurt...

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01-06-2015, 12:29 PM	#3211
BelleZora Wizard Posts: 1,442 Karma: 25151986 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Seattle, US Device: Paperwhite 5, Kobo Libra Colour, Pocketbook Verse Pro Color	I've unsubscribed from anything that might suggest a book for me to buy. MR no longer informs me when someone posts a freebie or deal on a thread. But ereader.com still tells me when a wish list book is on sale. Today it is The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden which I've wanted to read since it was published, having read and loved The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (recommended by Kumabjorn on MR). It is not available at my library. So I will buy it and start it right away, despite being somehow bogged down in A Woman in White and The Iliad, both of which I like but you know how life gets between us and books sometimes. I find I am embarrassed to report every book that challenges or overcomes my best intentions, but I suppose that is the way this thread is supposed to work. Embarrassment is often an excellent deterrent. At least I haven't bought anything (even free) mindlessly this week. So...this is a book I've really wanted to read for many months and so it will not be buried in the TBR pile. It is not available for a loan. It qualifies!

01-06-2015, 03:04 PM	#3213
Rev. Bob Wizard Posts: 1,760 Karma: 9918418 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Here on the perimeter, there are no stars Device: Kobo H2O, iPad mini 3, Kindle Touch	If audio dramas count, the current Humble Bundle just got me in trouble. $15 for a stack of Doctor Who stuff from Big Finish (specifically: all three Dalek War stories, all eight Colin Baker "lost season" stories, and audio versions of the three stage plays) was just too good to pass up.

01-07-2015, 07:34 PM	#3220
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,374 Karma: 235205657 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	One week into the year and I'm clean! This means I could buy two books next week, but I won't. I've got four or five top-priority books on my wishlist, but I don't need to read any of them right away. I can wait. I'll see how things play out in the next Kobo contest.

01-08-2015, 01:56 AM	#3224
peachiekene Fanatic Posts: 572 Karma: 1972282 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Hampton Roads, VA, USA Device: kobo aura one, htc 10, kobo glo hd	No purchases thus far, but I know this will change once the contest hits ---- I have 3 series I am trying to round out that are couponable. I do read these series, so they will be read - I just don't want to pay full price. I even made a little reference chart about what percentage codes are acceptable based on price. It did actually help me from going completely overboard in December's contest. Now I just need to pick a monthly budget... Debating on $15 or $20 a month. ^^; Should probably go with the higher so there's less margin for error. :P I should probably go through my freebies again... I'm pretty good at curbing the ones offered at Kobo and Google (shops of preference), but anything from B&N and amazon is so much work with having to manually go through calibre and then go to the site. I'm just too lazy right now I've been curbing the ones I pick up - so that's something. ^^;

01-08-2015, 02:33 AM	#3225
Rev. Bob Wizard Posts: 1,760 Karma: 9918418 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Here on the perimeter, there are no stars Device: Kobo H2O, iPad mini 3, Kindle Touch	Well, just to validate the relatively expensive purchase, I've gone ahead and started Revival. I've heard quite good things, which didn't hurt...

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