I can’t stop buying books!

[cantstopbuyingbooks]

Help!

I picked up a huge stack in Asda for my holiday, which I then started to read.

Then I got some more on Amazon, which I’ve broken into.

Then I got even more in Asda today! I just can’t help myself! I’ve read five in five days!

My name is TwinklySquid and I too have a problem with buying too many books 🙈.

What I’ve done is:
-Sell read books on Vinted. Price them at £1, upload a bunch and they go quickly.
-Use the library. I’ve got into the digital books the library offer too!
-Turn to drink as it’s a cheaper addiction.

Well at least you are reading them as quickly ad you read them, my buying books hobby and reading books hobby are not at the same pace! 🫣😂 Vinted is good for second hand or around here Tesco have second hand books on way out 50p each and money goes to charity…..also good way of getting rid of old ones if you don’t want to keep/reread.

I might do Vinted!

Oh I love them! Not even necessarily to read, I just like having them!

Stop. Nobody asked for elitist recommendations.

Historical fiction isn't all crap.

Georgette Heyer - what a hoot
Mary Renauld - proper storytelling and literary with it
Recently I read a Lady's Maid by Margaret Forster - what a super book!

I buy off ebay. By far the cheapest

She's read five books in five days, so she's not over-buying or over-consuming. She's just an avid reader.

Get over yourself, eh?

Of course it is.

Kindle?

Our local Tesco has a free book library. You offload your own books there and take someone else's. Some books I won't part with, but I still leave plenty there.

Yeah calling it crap might be a little harsh, but it’s just not my cup of tea at all! Although I have just ordered Emily Wilson’s translation of the odyssey, so I might appease those who dislike contemporary fiction

I am with you OP. I tend to do book swap at work as we all like the same type of books.

do you have any particular authors you prefer and recommendations

Owning lots of books is a good thing. Why is it that other collections aren't criticised, for example when a man collects trainers, or when a woman collects art? Buying books supports a wonderful creative industry. It celebrates knowledge. It creates a legacy to pass onto others. It takes up far less space than clothes, and kitchen items, and unused gadgets. And it's even more important now that AI companies are buying up rare books in their thousands, scanning them and destroying them.

My advice = don't look at books on vinted 🤣🤣🤣

Need to be able to ban books from my search

If you're reading them then what's the problem? There are much worse things to spend money on.

There is a lot of drivel in Asda though, why not make a trip to a nice book shop or even your local library?

She'd still have to buy the books for it, and they're frequently no cheaper than buying hard copies.

There are subscription services where you get a certain number of books you can 'borrow' for Kindles, but you're only allowed a few at a time and they're pretty limited in terms of authors and genres. You can also get some classics for free but they're often really badly produced/transcribed.

I love my Kindle but it doesn't save me any money.

I like drivel sometimes!

I am lucky to live in a part of England that seems to offer the same standard of libraries as you get in Ireland and no word of a lie, it's my happy place. To the point that my mental health took such a hit for a year in Lockdown when they closed.

I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who lives in a place with a less than adequate library.

There is a lot of drivel in Asda though

Christ, what is it with Mumsnet and the chronic inability of posters to JUST LET PEOPLE ENJOY THINGS?

But then how would those posters get their kicks out of feeling superior?!

@cantstopbuyingbooks what a delightful problem to have.
I use my local mobile library and they order in any book I want including the new ones and I never have to wait long. Plus it's zero reservation fee (unlike the main library which charges £1 per book reservation)
It's been a game changer for me and I feel part of the book community in our local area and the librarian is fab. (South East England if you're wondering)

So do I! I also like people being able to read threads too and see you have already answered about the library 😂🤔

I love reading too but try to get at the library and secondhand. Booktok etc have made reading into an overconsumption trend

It's hardly like Asda wrote them is it??

They do sell actual authors! I hate snobbery about things like books, music etc - it's just entertainment!