So you guys. Since early 2012 I’ve been working on this post I wanted to do about the differences between myself as a reader before I was a blogger and after I became a blogger because my habits have changed SO MUCH. I kept putting it off because of wedding plans. I wanted to make this cute graphic that was a list but, when I finally started to work on it this year, it was just looking TOO crowded with about 30 different things and overwhelming and not AT ALL what I had in mind. Then I decided…why not make it a series? The more I thought about it — it would lend to a better discussion if I just give you one at a time. I’m kind of glad my original idea didn’t work out because I’m liking this better. Check the end of the post for previous Before & After’s.
I kid you not…I had ONE tiny bookshelf that had three shelves on it and all my books fit. I bought books sometimes but I bought them at a much slower pace and always seemed to get rid of ones that weren’t favorites very easily. I didn’t have this compulsion to buy a ton of books. I’d browse and pick one that I PRAYED would not be a waste of money or went in specifically looking for a book I was recommended. I used the library a lot (still do) so I wouldn’t have to feel bad if I hated a book.
Now I have four bookshelves, books in the trunk of my car, books stacked in closets, books in boxes and books still at my parent’s house overtaking the built-in bookshelves. Straight up, I’m a book hoarder now. My poor husband swears one day he will wake up suffocated by books (ok I kid..it’s not THAT bad). I do pass a TON of things on but the fact of the matter is that I buy books at an alarming rate. For every ONE that I read and pass along (or keep if I will reread/it is a fave) I’ll buy ten times that. My shelves overwhelm me because I know I’ll never realistically be able to read all of the books I own — especially when you factor in all the new releases I’ll buy. It’s frightening and depressing that I won’t be able to read ALL OF THE BOOKS. I don’t know why I BUY so many. One of my bookish resolutions this year was to cull my books and get rid of stuff I know I won’t read or ones I’ve read but won’t reread. I’ve started but I’ve got a long way to go.
Let’s Talk: If you are a blogger — have the amount of books you own just exploded now that you are a blogger? If you aren’t a blogger — what are your book buying habits? Do you find yourself buying more because you read book blogs? For everyone — Does anyone else have too many books that you don’t even have any more shelf space? Are you a hoarder or do you get rid of books easily? Does anyone else get overwhelmed about the fact that they will never be able to read all the books they own or am I the only crazy? lol I’d love to know all about your book buying habits!
Previous Before & After’s:
The Time In Between Two Books – 2/27
Being Up On New Releases — 3/6
Kelsey @ The Lost Book Reports says
YES! for my birthday a year and almost a half ago, my husband bought me 3 bookscases. I am almost out of space! And these are just for my read books! I have books lying all over my home that are tbr’s. My rate of buying books, has definitely increased. Mainly, cause I feel I can justify the purchase because it is for “work” purposes.
Jamie says
Haha I love what we justify our purchases with! Oh bookworms! When I just bought two shelves recently I thought it was going to make such a difference (and I mean it did) but I STILL had books in non-shelf places. Yay for husbands that will buy us more shelves though! haha
Jillian says
I read a lot I keep a book on Me at all times either an ebook on my nook or a real book. I didnt buy as many books for te same reason as you. Lately I’ve come to find the world of book blogging and especially after finding Epic Reads and now I’m buying more books. I want to keep them! I won a signed copy of Boundless so of course I have to buy the first two! everybody’s saying how awesome mila 2.0 is…I gotta have it the day it comes out! I don’t know where to put them all either! But now I’m sucked into the world of book logging and I love it! I started my own and I’m slowing getting the hang of WordPress and posting all the time.
Jamie says
YES I struggle with having to get all the books in a series too! Def easy to make the number of books bought go up with all the series out there! And welcome to blogging! May your shelves ever overfloweth…which they will 😛
DannyBookworm says
I not only read so much more now, but I also have sooo many more books! And.. also here you can find books anywhere, I wish my husband would finally build me my own library for all the books.
Jamie says
RIGHT? I keep telling Will that when we eventually buy a house…I BETTER HAVE A LIBRARY! lol
Steph Su says
I went through that phase where I bought ten times as many books as I’d read. Now, however, I’m back to being really cautious about which books I buy and pick up. I have no compunctions about dropping a book I don’t like, and there are soooo many books out there that I don’t feel the need to waste my time on those that don’t interest me, regardless of how others receive them. I’m glad I’ve been able to keep my reading in control in *that* regard… though I still don’t have enough bookshelves for all the remaining books that I DO have!
Jamie says
I definitely will say that NOW as compared to a year ago I definitely have been picky about what I buy. I wonder if it was due partly saving for the wedding. I know that now I’m not buying much because I don’t have a job buuuuut I’m definitely finding, in general, I’ve found more control than when I was a newer blogger. My first year of blogging (2010) I really think I felt like I had to “make up” for all the books I didn’t have because all of my books were adult books and I was discovering alll of these YA books so I think I went CRAZY.
Chantelle says
You know how Belle discovers the Beast’s library in Beauty and the Beast – yeah I want one of those libraries. I don’t buy a lot of physical versions of books unless they are by a favourite author, or ones I have borrowed and re-borrowed from the library because I really only have the space in my bedroom and the biggest of my two book shelves is almost entirely books. In total about 3 and 2/3 of the 5 shelves are entirely books. Then there are a few things that aren’t books, but I have nowhere else to put them. Mind you when I am able to move out, both my bookshelves (which are 7ft tall, one is 4ft wide, the other is 3ft wide and filled with stuffed animals and knick-nacks) will be filled with books in a very short time. It’s really only ‘I don’t have space for these’ that stops me. If all the books on my e-reader were physical versions, I’d have long run out of room for all of the books. Which is one reason why I brought an e-reader in the first place. Also I still give the library a good work out every so often. I really need to go through and get rid of some of the ones I haven’t read and have been sitting on the shelf for ages, but I feel slightly guilty about that. And mean.
Jamie says
I want one of those libraries, too!
I also think the lack of space in my apartment really stops me from being even worse. When I was still living at home I definitely had more space so I was like WELL I’ll find a place. haha. I am not a HUGE e-book buyer so I didn’t even THINK about that in terms of book buying. Oh MAN. That really is the nice thing about them though if you are running low on space. I mainly just use it for NetGalley and really good deals haha.
ALSO totally with you on the guilt towards unread books.
Grace Lo says
OMG, so true. I mean, I’ve always had a lot of books, even before I was a book blogger, but 99% of the books I read are from the library, and that 1% I own is always something in the “read” pile. Now, I don’t borrow books as much, and while I don’t buy books at an alarming rate, it’s around ten times more than my book-buying speed from before blogging. And I have an entire shelf devoted to “to-read” books. Quite a difference between the “before” and “after”.
Jamie says
I think I’m using the library a decent amount still but I find myself feeling SO guilty because I’m like WHY do I need to borrow books when I have so many unread ones here?! My “to-read” books FAR outnumber my “Read” books which is sad but I also justify it that I do get rid of books and pass them on if I’m not going to re-read them or they were a fave…so I feel a LITTLE better about that stat. haha
Dragana @ Bookworm Dreams says
Nope blogging didn’t increase my book hoarding habits. My bookshelf is currently half-full, but it takes one whole wall of my living room and those are only books that I bought since I married and some favorite books. I have 5 times that many books at my parents house. I really should transfer them but then I would not have any place for new books. o:)
I had two big jumps in the number of books I bought monthly. First was when I got a job and finally had my own money to spend on books. And second was when I bought an eReader. If you think I have too much paper books, you should see the number of ebooks I have.
I always keep saying that I will pile up all paper books I read and don’t want to re-read and give them to friends or donate to library, but it’s so hard saying good buy to my lovelies… 🙁
Jamie says
I said this in another comment but I didn’t even FACTOR ebooks into this as I’m not a HUGE ebook buyer but omg yes I bet that really has changed people’s book buying habits. So easy to hit BUY and the prices are often better!
Ashley says
I, too, have to buy ALL THE BOOKS. And culling? Next to impossible. I have to be in the proper mood because WHAT IF I READ IT ONE DAY. Such a problem to have.
Jamie says
I’m the same way with clothes too. WHAT IF I DECIDE I LIKE IT AGAIN/WHAT IF IT FITS AGAIN/WHAT IF IF COMES IN STYLE AGAIN??! lol
Avanti says
My book buying habits haven’t changed for me. I’m still in college and don’t currently have a job so I don’t have money to buy every book I want. I get most of the books I read from the libraries or NetGalley. I kid you not, my bookshelf at school is tiny & I only have about 25 physical books that I haven’t read yet. Now my kindle is another story. While I’m not able to afford one $18 book I get several free ones and have about 800 books on there. Most haven’t been read yet
Jamie says
Ah yes…being a college student I had about ten books with me. I don’t know HOW I would have been a book blogger in college! You guys amaze me! Oh the Kindle…so dangerous with all of those free books and enticing deals!
Sana @ artsy musings of a bibliophile says
Ha! I never get rid of books easily, it’s just not possible. Also, I like collecting them. However, it isn’t much of a difference now. Except the transition from physical books to eBooks and now hardbacks. I had more than 150 physical books before I was blogger and now I have around 250 (I guess). I always used to buy paperbacks though so I’ve just recently started buying hardbacks and I like them! However, I am also of the view that I should buy eBooks first and then buy the physical copies of books I really, really like. Let’s see if I can manage that!
Jamie says
It’s SO hard to get rid of books. I agonize over it lol.
I haven’t gotten sucked into the ebook world yet. WE WILL SEE. I like that rule there..buy it there first and if I reallyyy want a copy then buy it!
Tanya Patrice says
I read a lot more now that I blog about books, but I get the majority from the library. I don’t spend a lot of money on books because I don’t have the space, and my husband would not be as understanding about the pile up as yours is 🙂
Jamie says
I think I’ve been getting mine under control more than when I was a newer blogger but I still just can’t resist!! I think moving into a small apartment since getting married has really helped me because I KNOW I have no space. But Will is very understanding…maybe I should ease up on the shoes taking over our closet 😛
Laurie C says
I definitely agree with this! I used to use the library almost completely, buying probably fewer than 10 books a year for myself (we’re not counting gifts here). But with review copies piling up, the audiobooks I can’t get through the library, and all the books I decide I need to buy to support the authors and the publishing industry, I’ve taken over entire bookcases and shelves for myself at home.
Jamie says
It’s crazy how fast the books pile up! And honestly I also FEEL compelled to do my part and buy books to support the industry too! I think I’m learning to have a much better balance between buying and the library now. I mean RIGHT NOW I have no job so I’ve really curbed the book buying…reserving it for author signings and such.
Leela says
I love this idea very much 🙂
Before I was a blogger I bought books, as you said, very slowly. I think I’ve bought 15 books or so in my whole life until April 2011 when I entered in the Book Community. In these two years I’ve bought 80 books! :O At first, I bought books slowly, but now I’m buying books every month. I try to slow down a bit, but I CAN’T . So many good books out there :'(
E.J. Stevens says
When I started blogging (and still accepted books for review) my house filled with books. It looked like a total book explosion. My TBR pile is still a towering monstrosity due to book buying binges and a busy writing schedule, but at least I can find my way to my book cases without climbing over stacks of books.
Great blog series. 🙂
xx,
E.J. Stevens
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) says
This one actually wasn’t really a change for me. I’ve always collected books like they were going out of style. I have more, but only because that’s how my collecting goes. Haha. Actually, book blogging is making me realize I can’t keep everything, and, though it initially increased the rate of gain, is now slowing it down.
Maggie says
I know I’m probably the odd one out, but I have zero desire to own books. I grew up in a house surrounded by books, I sell books for a living, but I read mainly from the library and on ebooks. I have started going back at the end of the year and buying my favorite books so I have copies of them, but even that I feel little motivation to really do.
Maybe I’ll change once I own a house and I’m settled down, but for now I never know where I’m going to be and the thought of moving lots of books and finding room for them in a NYC apartment isn’t something I want to worry about.
Tammy says
I have to say my experience is the opposite, LOL! Let me explain. Before I started blogging I had been an avid reader and book collector for over 20 years, and so I was already living with floor to ceiling book shelves and piles of books on the floor. As blogging got busier and busier, the books I was reading started shifting from store bought books to e books from Edelweiss and Netgalley. I still buy books and receive some of my review books in the mail, but it’s slowed down quite a bit.
Emily says
I am not a blogger, nor will I ever be. That hasn’t stopped me from aggregating a house full of books. I noticed that my rate of book buying increased significantly when I moved to a town with a great independent bookstore. Before, sometimes it was harder to get ahold of particular books I was interested in. Now, I can walk down the street and find all sorts of books that I HAVE TO HAVE.
At the moment I have filled up all my shelf space, and I live in an apartment with baseboard heating, so there are no more spots to put bookshelves flush against the wall. I find it impossible to get rid of a book once I’ve bought it, unless it was a really, really trashy read. I justify this by acting as sort of a lending library to friends and family.
Kristilyn (Winter Distractions) says
Oh my gosh, YES! I have pictures of my room when I lived at home and I had very few books. NOW I have 5 bookcases and am constantly getting new books. I weed through them once in a while and usually donate the ones that I didn’t like, but still. I have definitely turned into a book monster now that I’m a blogger. The sad thing is that I work in a library and can get FREE books, but while I take advantage of that, I still buy way more than I should. They just look so pretty on my shelves!
Ashling says
Your house sounds just like mine! There are books everywhere, in almost every room, in the cars (I sometimes bring some to my office too). All of our bookshelves are overcrowded with two rows of books on each shelf, one in front of the other, and books lying in the spaces above them. My room is the worst though because I won’t stop buying books so they’re in my wardrobe and dressers and under the bed and in the TV stand. Some are just piled on the floor. I think we have more books in our house than our local library.
But the biggest problem is that on top of constantly buying books, I won’t give any away either (unless it was awful and I hated it). I feel like I’m dumping a friend when I give a book away, and whenever my mom tries to donate my old children’s books, I practically have a breakdown because they were so important to my childhood and I want to pass them on to my kids someday.
And this all started before I was a blogger. I’ve been buying books like crazy since I got my first job as a babysitter. But I do think it’s become worse since I started blogging… if that’s possible. It might be because I started blogging at about the same time that I got hired for a full-time job and had a better paycheck than I got working part-time at the food store. And another big part of it is probably that as a blogger, I started reading other people’s blogs and discovered even more books that way.
So that’s me – a compulsive book-buyer. I’ve gotten a little better recently and am now actually using the library, but that’s due more to a lack of funds and a fed-up parent (my mom has declared that if I’m planning on coming back from BEA with more books, I either need to get rid of a bunch of the books I already have or move out, lol).
kelley says
Hi all – new to this blog – and not a blogger, but read constantly and LOVE this blog! I personally had so many shelves of books it took over our entire office – but then i switched to an E Reader and then most recently to Audible. Audible has become my secret obsession – i can listen and store and not see all the money i’ve spent or books lying around. Since i started in November i’ve listened to 50 books, at least 2 per week — helps wiht my morning and afternoon commutes. Now, i still read (not everything comes in audible version) so i use a kindle. I still miss the feeling of a book in my hand, but this way i can have more books and less complaints from my husband for the mess of books in the house.
I still have my classics though – I went through the Twlight phase and read every book multiple times so i still have those prominently on my shelves in paper form ( I even made a trip to Forks so i feel it’s justified i keep them). And then a few Nicholas Sparks timeless romances..
I always tell my husband it could be worse – and after 10 years, i think he has accepted that i’m a book junkie and that won’t change.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Andrea @Cozy Up With A Good Read says
Yes! This is definitely me… I bought a lot of books but I knew I would be reading them soon when I bought them (and I actually bought a lot more classics) before I was a blogger. Now I know about new releases and need to have them. I preorder books and I actually make my boyfriend take me to a bookstore when I know there is a book there that I want. My boyfriend tells me the house is going to buckle under the weight of books I have (and it’s not near as many as I could have). I definitely have more books that I have bought and haven’t had the time to read.
Alexa Y. says
This always comes into my mind when I’m fixing up my bookshelves (and since I’m a touch OCD, I do that fairly often). I used to be that person who had to finish the books I’d bought before I’d get to buy a new one. Since I was a fast reader, that didn’t mean that I bought any less books – but it did mean I was never overwhelmed with books that I hadn’t read yet.
Obviously, that situation has DEFINITELY changed for me, especially as I started blogging. I’ve learned how to pre-order all these amazing books before they release, I buy books because my friends’ reviews convince me I MUST have them to read and I generally am oblivious to the growing stacks of unread books all over the place. I buy ALL the books. In total, I have about 6 bookcases in my childhood home’s library, 3 shelves in my childhood bedroom (where all my favorites get stored!) and 4 shelves in my room now (1 for favorites, 1 for ARCs and 2 for the books I’ve bought but remain unread). It surprises me to know that I have about 40 or so books in my apartment that I HAVEN’T yet read… and they’re usually ones that I was very excited about!
Thankfully, I have gotten into the habit of culling my shelves quite frequently. Even if I haven’t read a book, I stop and consider it every three months or so. Do I really want to read this book? Will I be reading it within the year? Is it a book that sounds like I would really like it or love it? There are a few other questions I ask myself, but these are the ones that pop to mind at the moment. If I answer no, I then put the book in my cull pile, which often gets sold at used bookstores, donated to the library or sent to friends who have wanted to read the book.
I’m determined to whittle down my collection of unread books this year. I’m doing very well, which makes me happy, and I hope that it keeps up as the year progresses. I’m kind of planning a return to the days where I only bought books every so often and ONLY after I had finished the books I have. Here’s to hoping you are able to cull your books too!
Kristen says
I’ve been at blogging for about 3 months and the books have exploded–all bookcases full, books on the counters, books by the bed. And I’ve spent A LOT of $ but I can’t stop because this great community has so many recommendations! I must read them ALL!
Brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide says
OH MY GOSH. Let me just say that there’s a REASON my blog is called The Book Addict’s Guide. It started out with mysteries and then I just bought and bought and turned it into a blog because with that many reviews, I needed to share them! So I’d say my terrible buying habits started before my blog but the blog SURELY didn’t help it hahaha.
Great post!
Tabitha @ Tabitha's Book Blog says
I’m such a hoarder it’s not even funny, but I have been getting better. Well actually… not that much better. When I know there’s a book that I’m not going to re-read or just one I didn’t enjoy – I trade it on YA Book Exchange. It’s a way to stop buying books, while still getting new ones…. OKAY. It’s a way to justify my hoarding habit… I swear I haven’t always been this bad – one day (probably after I started blogging) it just started.
Another problem I have is stocking up my Kindle like crazy….
Courtney @ Courtney Reads A Lot says
I completely understand. It’s gotten to the point where I’m running out of room for books and need a third bookshelf. And they’re doubled up on my two bookshelves already! So now I try to think really hard about whether or not I think I’m REALLY going to like the book I want to buy. If I’m unsure, I wait for it to come to my library. That’s mostly working out for me 😛
Britney says
YES! OMG YES! Just in my bedroom I have three overflowing bookcases and then I have one at the top of the landing upstairs and then another one in my living room. And they are all so full that I have tons scattered around in different places. AND I KEEP. BUYING. MORE. I really need to find a 12 step program to get me off my book addiction but then I know I would have withdrawals. I’ve been trying to read books I have owned and haven’t read for awhile (which is the whole point of my What Should I Read Next? videos I’m doing) but I always find more books to add to my piles. It doesn’t help that I work in a library so I’m always bringing home more books from work. Ahh, the life of a bibliophile.
And I think you might be right about the books I buy/receive blowing up after I became a book blogger. I’ve always had TONS of books (usually two large bookcases full) but now my house doesn’t look like it belongs to a reader but more of a book hoarder.
Caitlin @ The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger says
I can totally relate to this post! Before I was a book blogger I had one tiny bookshelf from ikea by my night side table. I did read a lot before I was a blogger, but did not in any way buy as many books as I do now since I started my blog last year! It’s gotten so out of control, my parents decided to convert one of the unused bedrooms in my house into a library! Half of its mine and half of its my mother’s, but in another few months, I’ll be invading her territory for sure!
A majority of the books in my library I have read, and for the most part I love a lot of them! I think it will be really hard for me to give away any of them. However, my TBR shelf (my overflowing TBR shelf I should say) has grown to a scary large pile that I’m worried i’ll never be able to get through! Books are always being released (in addition, I have review books I need to read each month), so whenever I get through a chunk of my TBR pile, new releases fill it up again and I’m pack to where I started! It’s a vicious cycle, lol!
Jen @ YA Romantics says
I think I am more disciplined about weeding out my books since I started blogging. I’m now more picky about which books go on my keeper shelf, and I just love to share non-keeper books with friends and other bloggers. So weirdly, it has been the opposite of what you’d think!
You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics
Rachel says
I actually don’t really own a more significant amount of books now than before I was probably a blogger. This might sound strange, but I actually bought more books before I was blogging than I do now. When I was younger, I would spend ALL my money on books. Now I get a large majority of books from the library because I prefer to spend my money on other things. I also have a nook, so most of the books I do buy go on there, meaning they’re not really taking up any space.
Melissa @ Writer Grrl Reads says
I totally hear you on this! I’m terrible for buying books and not reading them…mainly becausevI always read my library books first, and I’m seriously addicted to combing through the New Titles section of the library’s catalogue. In a way, I’m kind of glad that my blog is small and hasn’t attracted the attention of any publishers, because if I had to add ARCs on top of that reading load, I’d probably explode with all of the “Oh my god, I’ll never read all of these books!!!” feelings.
Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit says
I look at my shelves and I feel overwhelmed. I cull and then take back. And I give away, but then I decide to swap. Too many books. I’m drowning.
I wasn’t like this before I was a blogger – I had a lot, but not as many as I have now, and I used the library a lot more than I do now.
ebooks have been a big help on the culling. It’s not as fun as owning the real book, but at least I know now that if I have to have the physical book, I can go out and buy it later. eARCs are especially good, because if I don’t love the book, I feel pretty good about getting rid of the e-version.
Stormy says
I acquire books at about the same rate before I started blogging & now, 3-ish months in, but I tend to buy newer releases now. Before I starting reading blogs or blogging myself, I didn’t know release dates, so I would just pick up any book in the store that appealed to me. I still do that to some extent, but since release dates for certain books get IMPRINTED in my brain it seems, I get really excited when I see them on the shelves & they’re typically the first books I go for.
I’m graduating from college in May and moving. . . somewhere, depending on jobs & such, and the BIGGEST concern I have about moving anywhere is moving my books. Seriously. It’s a problem. I have no idea how I’m going to move them all!
Candice @ The Grown-Up YA says
Haha… I look at my books and think “OMG I have so many!” but then I see other bloggers talk about their shelves, stacks, etc and I don’t feel quite as bad. 🙂
I don’t know if my buying rate has gone up since I’ve been a blogger BECAUSE I’ve been a blogger or because since I’ve been a blogger I’ve discovered two extremely good used bookstores. I don’t really buy tons of books from bookstores like Barnes and Noble or Books a Million. I don’t order things a lot from Amazon… That being said, I think if I had a larger disposable income, I would TOTALLY buy more books! Perhaps not having that is helpful? 🙂
You know though… if Will is scared he’ll be smothered by books, I’ll gladly help take some off your hands. 😉
Leeanna @ Leeanna.me says
This is such a great series. I’ve been meaning to drop by and comment, but I keep getting too busy with other things 🙁
Anywho, to answer this week’s, I’ve been buying books since I was young. The only thing book blogging has changed is that now I get some ARCs. My dad actually built me a library; I have over a thousand books. I sort of stocked up when Borders and Waldenbooks went out of stock. I work right now at a library, so I’m always borrowing books from there too, so my TBR pile is simply out of control!
Ironically, since I’ve been blogging, I’ve been buying less books. Partly because of ARCs and trying to play catch up, and partly because I have a ton of books to read and I keep borrowing from the library. I also try not to buy hardcover, since I don’t like them, which keeps me from buying most new releases.
Paola @ A Novel Idea says
Last year I made the switch to 100% digital when it comes to purchasing books… because I’m running out of space! I’ve always maintained a personal policy of only buying books that I’ve read before and already know I love, everything else I try to get through my local library or only purchase if on sale. I think if I didn’t have these rules to follow, my book collection would be inching me out of house and home, space-wise and money-wise! I think reviewing books has definitely increased the number of books littered around my house. Your husband isn’t the only one who has nightmares about being suffocated by them… mine says the same thing! (Like anyone asked him!)
Anyway, I don’t regret switching to digital purchases and I don’t end up missing the feel of a real book because I still get hardbacks/paperbacks from the library; I just don’t let myself buy physical books to own anymore because I already have 3 bookshelves overrun.
Sara says
I have bought a ton more since blogging. My fiancée complains about my books but I have enough space to display them soni tell myself it’s ok to own this many 🙂
Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook says
I’ve been a librarian for five years now, and an avid library user before that, so I never bought tons of books. But when I started blogging a year ago, I started picking up books more and more, and now I have a ridiculous amount of books.
Janita (Book, Interrupted) says
I kind of have an overlap. Before I was a university student, I went to the library about once a week. When I went to university, there was no library nearby that I wouldn’t have to commute to, which was a bummer. I couldn’t really afford to get a book and then have to schedule time to bring it back when it was due because I wouldn’t know what my workload would be like. So whenever I was at the mall, I’d buy three or four books from Chapters, set them aside, but never have time to read them. I’m still backed up in books from last year that I bought but never got to, so my method of trying to tackle them all is through blogging.
Jackie says
My book buying habits haven’t changed since becoming a book blogger. I’ve just always bought a lot of books. I mean, not in excess, but still I buy quite a few. And…I’ve never owned a bookshelf. I buy plastic crates that stack, and I shove my books in there! They’re probably not the most attractive crates, but they’re inexpensive and I can stack them in different designs. I guess that’s pretty neat 🙂 I do dream oh having some nice wooden book shelves on day. Oh! Or maybe book shelves that are built into the wall. That would be neat.
Liz says
I buy books so much more often now that I blog. It’s crazy. I’m crazy. I’ve accepted it. As a direct result, I’m seriously short on shelf space. My boxes of books kind of double as furniture.
However, now that I realize how precious my shelf real estate is, I’ve become much more finnicky about what I will and won’t keep. I don’t see the point of keeping stuff I didn’t enjoy and won’t read again. I actually no longer keep any ARCs unless they are signed or have a cover that I like better than the finished copy–making that arbitrary decision has helped keep my shelves just a little clearer, which is useful.
Kara @ Great Imaginations says
I read this out loud to my husband because I think we can both relate to this I have books in my trunk right now. The dining room is a mess full of books because this is where I keep my books I haven’t read yet. And that shelf is OUT of control. And I just bought 5 books yesterday at Books A Million.
Before I was a blogger, I rarely bought books. I belonged to one of those online book clubs and I usually only bought bestsellers. I like NEVER read YA. So I’ve changed a lot. For the better, I think.
The best part about being a blogger? I feel smarter and more educated than I used to. My vocabulary is larger. I know I’ve gone off on a tangent, and yeah, I may have become a book hoarder, but it all balances out, I think. Ha!
Molli says
Ummm I have bought SO MANY books in the last two years! My bookshelf is literally overflowing – I have a stack of books on top of it, every row is double/triple stacked. A stack on my dresser, a stack on top my standing jewelry box. It’s out of control!
But you know, it’s always good to know it’s not just me! 😉
Lily says
My bookshelf is so crammed right now absoluetly NOTHING fits, I have books like ALL over my room, like you can’t even step foot into that place without knocking over a stack of books! I was just like you before, using the library almost always (I still do make regular trips) but now it’s like I have a compulsion TO BUY BOOKS LIKE EVERYDAY…
Judith says
I was just thinking about this the other day! Before I was a blogger I had books, sure. My favorite series (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games). Some chicklits I read when I was younger. Lots and lots of children’s books – I believe around 200 – but I didn’t actually read those anymore, obviously. I also didn’t know when books were going to be released (like you said in your other Before/After post 😉 and didn’t know which or ANYTHING else. So I stuck to the library. And then last year I suddenly decided I wanted a library of my own, soon followed by my decision to start a book blog. And now my bookshelves are slowly going crazy. Books come in every week and my family is all like, ANOTHER PACKAGE? Well… yeah? *shrugs* I buy a lot more books now. I’m still hoping to have that library one day.
Amanda @ Late Nights with Good Books says
I consider myself to be pretty good about not buying too many books and using the library a lot, but over the past few months that I started blogging, my piles have definitely been growing. I still only have one bookshelf (with 5 shelves on it), but I now have a ton of old books in boxes in my basement and am having to seek nooks and crannies to put more books. I probably bought more books over the past few months than I have in total for the past four or five years. But I love it! And I haven’t reached the point where I own an unfeasible amount to read. Thank goodness for my Kindle (that’s where my book buying is really starting to get a little crazy).
I hope you’re able to keep up with your resolution to cull books and keep using the library and all. Though I totally understand you – buying books and having pretty copies of books you love is a great feeling. Just not so great perhaps when they’re all over the place.
Karen says
I literally never buy books unless they are in my top 5 of the moment. I read way to many books to be able to support that kind of habit financially since I`m still trying to pay for university. I use the library religiously and it completely works for me. If there`s a super long line up for some books, I just push it to the back of my mind and read all the other books that are arriving for me to read. Simple solution!
Lucybird says
I started buying more books when I started joining the internet bookworld (I visited forums before I started my blog), but blogging just made it worse, and now I get request books too. Before I joined the forum I very rarely had a TBR pile of more than 3, at the moment it’s at about 45- and that’s still pretty small for a blogger!
Kimberley says
I am not a book blogger, yet I have heaps of books. I worry too that I will never read all of the books that I own! I have books that I got given as Christmas gifts about 4 years ago, I had to have them at the time but I have never even opened them! I must get on that! I try to only keep books I love and am likely to re-read in the future, I try to give them away but at the moment most of my collection is unread!
Sarah (saz101) says
Oh, man, Jamie, YES.
The back seat of my car is covered with books. My bed side table, the side table in the loungeroom. I have two HUGE bookcases CRAMMED with books, more piling up in a third shelf in another room, and a couple of dozen hidden in my closet. That’s not to mention the books on my Kindle, the ones on loan to my mum and colleage and… yeah. I was you, before. I have a problem 😛
Jasmine Rose says
Before I started blogging I had ONE shelf with some random books from my childhood and now I’m in constant need of new bookshelves 😛
Kaley @ Books Etc says
Somehow I missed this post when it went up! (Either that or I had the memory of a goldfish that day.) My book real estate has changed but perhaps not quite as dramatically as some book bloggers. I used to work at a book store while I was in university. Discount + seeing new books + not having time to read the books = a lot of books I still haven’t had time to read. I’ve gotten much better at not buying every book I want (lack of time and funds both contribute to that) but now I have oodles for review and ones that were gifted. It’s ridiculous and I also have panicked moments when I think about not having enough time to read them all. Oh, and my boyfriend also tells me that the books are going to take over our house and that I have a serious problem 🙂
Kelly @ Belle of the Literati says
I used to RARELY buy books….rare. Now I can’t get enough. I love how pretty they are sitting on my shelf and knowing they’re mine haha. I now have 2 book shelves…and they go 2 deep…oops
Alicia says
I simply can’t get rid of my books! Before I was a blogger (3 months ago) I had two shelves and only one had books on it, but now my shelf is getting crammed and I’ve had to start using the other one. But even that isn’t enough! I’ve been getting ARCs in the mail and books from the library and they are just laying around because I don’t want to devote a few hours to rearranging my shelves, but I’ll have to do it sometime (: