Oh well. Ned, after I hit send on the eaten post, it dawned on me that libraries are actually dangerous creatures. They open you to new authors.
And if that new author becomes a must-read author, then you run the risk of spending bunches and bunches getting a new author’s backlist. ;) That’s how I discovered Nora Roberts. Honest Illusions-my reading habits have never been the same since discovering NR.

Interlibrary loan is your drug. The librarian is your dealer. The library is your corner.

I mean, how freaking long do you really need to keep your books!!!!

Huh… forever?

Shiloh,

But…ah…what if I get rid of something crucial? I’ve purged before. Then realized I just couldn’t let go of that Linda Howard book, or that NR book, or that Lavryle Spencer, or that Jude Deveraux, or that LKH, or that Laura Ingalls Wilder, or that Mercedes Lackey. But I’d already given it away. So what’s a girl to do but buy it again?

(I should just nod to pretty much everything Shiloh says) And what happens when you purge one of those out-of-print-impossible-to-find-except-on-eBay-for-a-ridiculous-amount-of-money -but-I-have-to-get-it-back-books, huh?

So all this noise about book budgets and book purging is “all hat and no cattle.”

The change we seek has always required great struggle and great sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of home we want and how hard we’re willing to work for it.

So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. Change will take time. There will be setbacks and false starts and sometimes we’ll make mistakes.

And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words — yes, we can.

I think the best way is to rationalize like DS. There are so many worse ways we could be spending our money. But the real problem is the storage. I mean, how freaking long do you really need to keep your books!!!! Maybe one should count the different type of book cases one owns. If you have a mish mash of more than 4 then it is time at the very least to purge some of your books!

But…ah…what if I get rid of something crucial? I’ve purged before. Then realized I just couldn’t let go of that Linda Howard book, or that NR book, or that Lavryle Spencer, or that Jude Deveraux, or that LKH, or that Laura Ingalls Wilder, or that Mercedes Lackey. But I’d already given it away. So what’s a girl to do but buy it again?

:OP The DH finally gave up asking me to control my book habit.

I still think the budget thing is the best but I know of voracious readers where that could not possibly work.

That B word is a naughty, ugly word and not the kind that gives a vicarious thrill. ;)

Hmmmmm. The web vs. books. Man, that’s a hard decision. But I think the books win.

:D

:OP

Oh well. Ned, after I hit send on the eaten post, it dawned on me that libraries are actually dangerous creatures. They open you to new authors.
And if that new author becomes a must-read author, then you run the risk of spending bunches and bunches getting a new author’s backlist. ;) That’s how I discovered Nora Roberts. Honest Illusions-my reading habits have never been the same since discovering NR.

Bookswaps/used bookstores that allow you to trade books (or anything else) for book credit is saving me money right now. It doesn’t work well on new releases all the time, but it does save me money in the long run and I don’t feel as much guilt spending money. Usually I use that to get the wholes in my collection of series or OOP books. Also, it is a great way of getting rid of books I never intend to reread or just don’t like. I need the bookshelf space for my other books obviously!

The only way I can avoid buying a book is to avoid bookstores when I know I am on a tight budget. It means that the library gets me instead. I also have to avoid the internet as any mention of said books get me all torn up about going anyway. *sigh*

Husband and I agree that when he buys a game, DVD, or computer related equipment, I get books. It saves on the whole husband getting mad at me routine.

You’re asking the wrong crowd, Ned. We’re all foxes being asked for suggestions on how to protect the henhouse in this case.

Thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning!

Ah, the budget, great idea Jackie. I wonder why that was not on the list? I had to develop a book budget for Jane but for some mysterious reason it never seems to be effective for more than a month or so. Any advice is welcome.

You’re asking the wrong crowd, Ned. We’re all foxes being asked for suggestions on how to protect the henhouse in this case.

Buying books is my one vice, and it’s cheaper than smoking, drinking, buying shoes, whatever. I think my husband gets off cheap, really. Despite the 13 bookcases…

And I need all new releases right now. I am terrible about waiting.