Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[gabby98]

Man...i miss this place. I been working from home and it's been very busy (i work with online classes). So i haven't been checking in a much, but i may have to start finding time - got lucky & found lots of good stuff today alone. All free so I guess that means I'm being good

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by gabby98

Man...i miss this place. I been working from home and it's been very busy (i work with online classes). So i haven't been checking in a much, but i may have to start finding time - got lucky & found lots of good stuff today alone. All free so I guess that means I'm being good

Are you are going to read them in the near future. Quite a few posters have reported having massive number of freebies adding to their TBRs that they have never gotten around to reading.

[pdurrant]

On the other side from buying, i.e. reading, I've found calibre's "Pick a random book" feature a wonderful way of choosing which out of my 900+ TBR to read next.

I have so many that making a rational choice of which I most want to read next is impossible. By making a random choice I ensure that I'm not neglecting any part of my TBR.

So far, I haven't got a random pick that I didn't want to read. If that did happen, I've have to consider discarding, which would also reduce my TBR.

For those of us with a large TBR, I highly recommend "Pick a random book" for at least some of your next book choices.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I am out of control and need to stop. Back in April I checked Amazon daily deals for the first time in several years. There were three books I wanted to read. I bought them and read them. No problem. But I couldn't stop checking the deals.

Hah. This resonates with me, sadly. It takes very little for me to backslide, even after months of abstemiousness.

Since then I've purchased 50 books and have read 26. I can read the remaining 24...if I stop looking for deals. But browsing is so much fun, especially during this pandemic when staying in is not much fun.

FWIW, can you try to develop the mindset that time spent browsing is time not reading? Yeah, I know, reading time’s not really an issue during a pandemic. How about maintaining a virtual cookie jar of the money not spent on deals resisted? Then you could splurge down the line on something you think is too expensive.

My tastes have changed and many of these books I will never read.

So much this, as they say. I saved a lot of money during the glory days, but I wasted a lot, too. I’ve known for years that I’d be better off going on a full just-in-time purchasing model, but I don’t. However, I am better. I buy fewer books at a higher average price for a lower overall outlay, and I’m trying, without complete success, only to buy books that I’ll read in the near future.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

On the other side from buying, i.e. reading, I've found calibre's "Pick a random book" feature a wonderful way of choosing which out of my 900+ TBR to read next.

I have so many that making a rational choice of which I most want to read next is impossible. By making a random choice I ensure that I'm not neglecting any part of my TBR.

So far, I haven't got a random pick that I didn't want to read. If that did happen, I've have to consider discarding, which would also reduce my TBR.

For those of us with a large TBR, I highly recommend "Pick a random book" for at least some of your next book choices.

I toy with a variation of this. I have about 250 books on my main reader, (I’d like to get that down to 200,) but I also know that I could repopulate my reader with 200 books which are languishing in Calibre and would be just as appealing. So sometimes I think it would be worthwhile to do a grand purge of everything but the most pressing and pick an entirely new slate. After a while, I either stop “seeing” what’s on the Kobo or I’ve rejected a title too often for it to be compelling and a fresh start could be fun. I probably won’t go for the big wipe, but even a partial one could be productive.

The alternative would be to load an entirely different library on my H2O, which is my nightstand reader. However, since I prefer to read on my Aura One when I’m in my armchair, that’s not all that appealing. Still, I could pick it up for something different on occasion. I may play with this idea and see how it goes. I’ve already “rated” by TBR list in terms of appeal and why not load the batch that I’ve identified as highest interest?

[ps67]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

On the other side from buying, i.e. reading, I've found calibre's "Pick a random book" feature a wonderful way of choosing which out of my 900+ TBR to read next.

I have so many that making a rational choice of which I most want to read next is impossible. By making a random choice I ensure that I'm not neglecting any part of my TBR.

So far, I haven't got a random pick that I didn't want to read. If that did happen, I've have to consider discarding, which would also reduce my TBR.

For those of us with a large TBR, I highly recommend "Pick a random book" for at least some of your next book choices.

When I attended the public library in my old town I made something similar: I said a casual number and the librarian, a friend of mine, gave me the book. I found some interesting books with that strange method.

[gabby98]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Are you are going to read them in the near future. Quite a few posters have reported having massive number of freebies adding to their TBRs that they have never gotten around to reading.

Of course....I should

But logging in here makes me more accountable (to me), so here's hoping

[mlewis78]

I have been following this thread since it started. I could always identify with buying more books than I could read, but I somehow stopped buying much while I was unemployed between 2009-11 (did some part-time temp work in 2010-11). I continued with the habit of not buying and was reading from my existing library and borrowing from the NYPL. And yet I just looked at my digital purchases on Amazon and see a number of books from 2010-2014 that I either never read or that would be worthwhile to read again. I feel as if I never have to buy again. I also have a lot of paper books that I've not yet read.

Amazon has dangled some hard-to-resist offers twice of $5 off a book I had on my wishlist and now $5 off any book by that author (Lawrence Wright). I added one to my wishlist. I also collected $3 in digital credits and was able to buy Hilary Mantel's latest for $3 off. Then another book that I wasn't sure I wanted but was on my wishlist went down to $5, so I bought that. I almost always take one of their monthly prime reads that are free that month. I am feeling more free to spend during the pandemic. Anything that makes life easier and more enjoyable is an option to consider, I say.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by issybird

So much this, as they say. I saved a lot of money during the glory days, but I wasted a lot, too. I’ve known for years that I’d be better off going on a full just-in-time purchasing model, but I don’t. However, I am better. I buy fewer books at a higher average price for a lower overall outlay, and I’m trying, without complete success, only to buy books that I’ll read in the near future.

I started off with the just-in-time and then books in series started disappearing from Amazon. Then publishers. For some I can wait, but I'm working harder to complete series before they suddenly disappear. This is primarily British mystery writers. For instance, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I've been reading both Morland and Bill Slider series. No problem with Morland, but all the early Bill Slider books were taken off Amazon US earlier this year. Backlisted? Why would any publisher take off an active series? It's aggravating.

[pdurrant]

I have certainly benefitted greatly from buying bargain books that I will want to read someday, rather than just buying when I want to read at whatever price is currently available.

But with 928 books on my TBR I admit that I overdid it a bit.

[BelleZora]

It has been nine days since I purchased a book. Since then I read four books from my recent TBR and am currently reading one purchased several years ago. This thread is a helpful tool to restore sanity in buying sale books.

[issybird]

I’m here to pat myself on the back, as I resisted the $30 Amazon come-on which expired yesterday. I was mightily tempted and (of course) I had books I could have applied it to, but between the amount of the outlay and the fact that it’s not really as good a deal as the gloss put on it by Amazon*, I was ultimately able to let it run out without acting.

*Although I’ll note that Amazon no longer makes the claim about the size of the savings in percentage terms; I infer from that they were called on a deceptive practice. So in fairness to Amazon, they only refer to the dollar savings now. The (real) percentage terms are still useful in comparing deals, however.

[pdurrant]

I have decided to stop getting my usual SF and Fantasy magazines, i.e. Analog, Asimov's and F&SF. And the Grantville Gazette. It's a combination of events that have made be decide to stop.

I've missed getting an issue each of Analog & Asimov's, and electronic back issues don't seem to be available. My subscription for F&SF is now up for renewal (£29.99 for the year), as is my Grantville Gazette subscription (£27). Money is a bit tighter than usual just now.

And I have a massive backlog of other SF and Fantasy magazines (Interzone, Galaxy, Lightsource, Fantasy Magazine) that are unread.

And the fact that I prefer novel or even series length stories to short stories.

And the fact that I have over 900 books on my TBR.

It's a bit of a wrench from the completist side of me - I have Analog from January 2003, Asimov's from May 2003, F&SF from January 2002, and Grantville Gazettes from 1 to 88. But I don't think I'll actually miss reading them.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I have decided to stop getting my usual SF and Fantasy magazines, i.e. Analog, Asimov's and F&SF. And the Grantville Gazette. It's a combination of events that have made be decide to stop.

Does your library offer digital magazines?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Does your library offer digital magazines?

No idea. Although price is an issue, it's not enough of an issue on its own to stop me getting the magazines. It's the combination of factors.

So even if they were available at the library, I wouldn't get them.