Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?
It's like a rhetorical set of questions; the answers are a given, but I must own up to them, and confess, with a twinge of guilt. Guilt, not because I buy too many books, but because I don't peruse them fast enough. I try... I really do, but I only read for about two hours a day, which isn't much at all, considering the number of books I want to read is inversely proportional to the time I have to read them.
So yes, I purchase books compulsively, and I call it an addiction, so I concede: I am a glutton! I comfort myself (and my parents) by saying, it could be worse: I could be splurging on cocaine. In a bookstore, some books just sit on a shelf, seducing me: Buy me, and I will make you very happy. And weak that I am, I succumb to this, and please both, the book and my library. As a certain Oscar Wilde once said: I can resist anything but temptation.
On the flip side, my wallet isn't too happy, and my 'TBR' list silently judges me, as I add another name on. Ironically (or typically) enough, these 'seductive' books rarely exist on my TBR list prior to entering the shop. For example, Zusak's The Book Thief just lay there, and I swear, I half-imagined it doing a little jig singing, come to me (and for the record, that's not the only book that's flirted with me like that!).
So, the number of books on my TBR list rapidly increase, and I just stare at it, swaying from feeling overwhelmed to feeling happy. Odds are, if I possess the book, I'll get 'round to reading it - eventually. Guess that means I'm not a controlled buyer. I always have about ten books on my shelf, just waiting to be picked up one fine morning (I'm one of those people who only reads one book at a time). Lately though, I'm trying to be sensible, as I order books on my TBR list on Amazon, just because it's more affordable. Of course, it has to be about four books, to qualify for super-saver free delivery!
However, I love entering bookstores, and just being surrounded by so many books. It's like my personal heaven... and of course, if I enter a bookstore, it's wrong to leave without buying at least one book (in my case, it's normally three-four).
In my defense, I blame my mum, who used to buy me multiple books every time we went down to the local bookstore; and, allowed me to take out six books from the library in one go. I'm just so accustomed to always having a book at hand... talk about being a spoilt brat!
So, how about you - do you just indulge yourself when it comes to books, like some people do with clothes and shoes (or ice-cream and chocolates!), or are you more controlled? Any other addictions you care to share?
Oh, and Happy Thursday everyone! :)