I love books
I love new books, used books, book recommendations, book clubs, and mostly owning books! This last fact is the main reason that books could be the death of me. Books stores are an instant magnet to me. If I walk past one, I HAVE to enter. Before I know it I have spent hours combing the shelves only to walk out with 5 new books in my bag.
Sometimes I think I am the only person with this book addiction, but from what I hear, I am in good company. Actually I can vouch for this special kind of addiction to be in the genes. My daughter has it too! She has it even worse than me. She probably has a collection of 200 books that fill the shelves in her room.
I’m not discriminating when it comes to where I get my fix. Amazon, Ebay, local small book stores (my favorite!), used book stores, even Goodwill and St. Vinnie’s are all among my suppliers. Just entering a bookstore calms me. I love the smell and since I am very much a touchy feely person, the feel of a book in my hand is like a yet-to-bloom rose. A thing of beauty..
Sorry… I can get quite carried away when I talk about one of my favorite subjects. I love how you can travel to far away places in a book. Got a problem or need some advice? A book can help and will be filled with all the answers you need.
Onto why my life hangs in the balance because of my book addiction. While I didn’t consider it much at the time, buying books costs money. It can cost LOTS of money. Money that I no longer have to spend on such frivolous things. Lets face it, since losing my long time job last year, combined with no longer earning what I did at my new job, I am forced to give up my book buying addiction. If not I might face my sudden demise from my sweet and wonderful main keeper of the finances in my house AKA the hubby!!
Not that I am completely oblivious to my addiction, I know that I have to cut down. Honestly that is okay. In my new living life simply attitude I don’t want anymore to dust than I already have in my house. In fact just last week I went through my book stash and paired down. I only have left the books that are my guides to life. Those and all my books having anything to do with Paris. Do not even think about touching those!
My new favorite place to feed my book addiction
The best thing is, is that I reunited with a new supplier of my addiction. The LIBRARY!! Yes, that old favorite the library has become my new best friend. Plus in the age of the internet I can go online and put holds on books I really want to read. Best thing is that it costs me zippo (unless I forget to turn them in or renew in time and get a fine!). I love the library! We have a fabulous one in my little town and it’s hooked up to a bunch of libraries in the county which means I can get almost any book I want! Win-win.
It’s not always instant gratification since I may have to wait a bit till I get that bestseller, but since there is no more impulse buying in my house, this is good practice. Also, the instant I open the door to my library I am overcome with the book smells. Only a book lover can fully appreciate that smell.
I was just at the library last night and I spend an hour and a half looking through the shelves. I ended up leaving with 3 books and 2 seasons of Call The Midwife on DVD! Score! Side note…I also love movies and can get that fix at the library too.
I can say with certainty that I will not ever not buy another book again. Some books you just have to have. Those that you open up time and time again. Books that you highlight certain passages or adhere flags in the pages you want to come back to. The best thing that comes with a library card is that you can read a book first and if it’s one that you can’t live without, you can always buy it. Extra credit if you find it at a used book store or St. Vinnie’s.
Just remember, the library is not just for kids and story-time. It’s a place for the budget conscience book addict to go and get her fix and keep herself and the family financier happy. Definitely win-win!!
If you have not used you local library lately, go check it out! They need our support and even better it’s a meeting place for those of us that love books.
Do you use the library to feed a book addiction?
xxoo
Lori
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Lori is a 50-something Wife to a fabulous non-traveling Husband and Mom to an independent college age Daughter from small town Wisconsin. At the age of 48 she took her dream trip to Paris on a tour, but as a solo traveler. It took being thousands of miles from home for Lori to discover herself. Although Paris is her #1 destination, she loves to explore her home state of Wisconsin and anywhere else her travels take her. Her mission is to inspire women to conquer their fears and follow their dreams through travel. She also loves to write about her book addiction and all the challenges and joys of midlife.
Excellent post! As a fellow book addict I can absolutely relate 🙂 Not a bad addiction at all! I need to have a trip to my local library soon to stock up
Hello fellow book addict Roslyn! I’d say there are many of us out there. Absolutely the best addiction to have
Fellow book addict here. I switched to Kindle which helped make space in my apartment but fed the addiction in a different way….too easy to just click and buy and download! Oh the struggle is real!
It is very real! I can relate to the ease of the Kindle. I love the one click feature! Plus I love finding book deals. $1.99 books are the best! Not too hard on the pocketbook!
I am such a cheapskate and can’t bring myself to spend all my hard earned savings on books. The library is my best friend. They order books in for me and I still get to hold the real paper books in my hand – my kindle just doesn’t feel the same! I love wandering the aisles looking to discover new authors or finding an old unread one from a favourite that someone has donated.
Totally agree! Sometimes if there is a book on Amazon that I can get for a couple of bucks I will download it. But it just does not compare to that feeling of a book in your hand!
Coming over from Andrea’s share on Facebook and I absolutely agree with the addiction part. Oh if only I had more hours in my day! i volunteer at our little library at our community club house which I think is pretty amazing for a gated community to have and also frequent our local library. I can’t get enough books–have always been that way and will probably never stop. Glad to “meet” you and will be adding your blog to my reading list!
Thank you so much Beth Ann! I feel like I have found my tribe!! My Daughter worked for a year at our library until she went off to College this past fall. It was the perfect place for her and I loved to visit her there! I am so happy to now be a part of your group!
I am a fellow book addict! I can’t help myself. I buy them, too. I’ve started trying to use the library for ebooks, but I’m too addicted to simply cut myself off. But I SO hear you. This is a fun piece – I’ll be sharing it w. my FB group of readers. Let me know if you’d like to join us in there. I’d love to have you!
Thank you for sharing this post! I know I cannot cut myself off completely from buying them. There is just something about looking at all those colorful covers on the bookshelf that gets me! A million times yes I would love to join your group!