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Original poster

A year of no book buying. Anyone care to join me?

378 replies

Parisbanana · 18/12/2016 20:24

I've had a dummy run, starting at the beginning of the school year in September, just so it didn't seem too daunting! But so far I'm embracing it. I buy a lot of books generally and just thought we'd got so many in the house. I do read the vast majority of what I buy, but I do have books I haven't read, and my husband and teenage kids have some great books I would love to read.
So over the past 3 months I have definitely decreased my bedside pile. I am currently reading A Christmas Carol which dh reads every December but I never have. It's quite a joy to browse our book cases and spot things I haven't read and think this is the year I'll get round to it! Or to reread old favourites.
And I've just been made redundant so tightening the book buying belt is even more important.

Anyone fancy giving it a go?

OP posts:
Izzy24 · 27/03/2017 20:44

Mine are in a pile, dotted around and on my bedside chest Blush!

Matilda2013 · 28/03/2017 16:59

Most of mine are on my kindle as I can't resist 99p books. The TBR paper books are on my bookshelf

mmack · 30/03/2017 23:24

I'm starting to struggle a bit with the no book buying. I am down to 19 tbrs but 5 of them are books I bought in 2017. 3 are books I really wanted and 2 were impulse buys. I plan to buy no books at all in April.

Matilda2013 · 31/03/2017 10:20

I had a not so good March but only got four books for £4 so not too bad! Back onto it in April and I have some books from my wishlist reserved in the library Smile

YoungYolandaYorgensen39 · 02/04/2017 23:34

I'm doing terribly at reducing the number of books in the house. I'm resisting buying, but keep bringing them home from the library. I need to read the books I already bloody own!

I bagged up a carrier bag of paperbacks I decided I would never read and took them to the charity shop which made a teeny tiny difference I suppose. Now I just have to avoid going in and buying them back.

brickinitIam · 02/04/2017 23:41

Has anybody borrowed ebooks from their local library?

My library offers this service but I have yet to try it.
How to you 'give an e back' after 21 days? Confused

brickinitIam · 02/04/2017 23:51

Should read how do you return an ebook.
Does it disappear from your kindle when the time is up?

Organisedchaosalways · 03/04/2017 19:31

You can always try the free books on Google play or Kindle

YoungYolandaYorgensen39 · 03/04/2017 21:11

Yes, brick, they disappear when the loan period ends.

FiveShelties · 05/04/2017 10:11

Still no book buying, wandered into a bookshop over the week-end and managed (just) to come out without buying.

I am using the OverDrive at my Library a lot - not a million books, but lots of new issues and best sellers on there. It is so easy to use and I just keep adding books to my wishlist. I am never going to get through the Mount ToBeRead at this rate.

mmack · 05/04/2017 23:31

I'm just finishing Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd and it's easily been the most enjoyable book of the year for me. I also read the very interesting I Married A Communist by Philip Roth and the very boring Daisy Miller by Henry James. Next up is The Cyber Effect by Mary Aiken.

southeastdweller · 18/04/2017 20:46

How's everyone doing? I've read 19 books so far this year but only five were from my original tbr pile, the rest were library books and some new ones I've bought over the past few months Blush. May do a charity shop purge this week of the books in my pile I doubt I'll read or lost interest in.

Matilda2013 · 18/04/2017 22:01

I'm on 22 books. Six library books and the rest from my TBR pile. I did accidentally buy four kindle books for £1 each in March but I'm back on it now Smile hopefully get somewhere this year!

mmack · 18/04/2017 23:50

I'm getting through my tbrs but I did buy two more books in April. It's awfully hard to resist the lure of bookshops. I have about 12 or 13 left to read but a couple of them are doorstops.

LaceandChintz · 29/04/2017 21:44

OP here (with yet another name change, sorry 😁)
Still haven't bought any books but am still being very slow getting through the tbr pile! Am currently reading the 158 pound marriage by John Irving. Not his best imo but have persevered and am nearly finished.
I just started a new job and I have to walk through a large underpass enroute that has lots of little shops in it. There is the most fabulous 2nd hand bookshop down there. I only had time to peruse the window but when this ban is over I'll have to go back and have a proper look

Matilda2013 · 04/05/2017 17:53

I'm 26 books down this year but I seem to have forgotten that the purpose in not buying was to reduce my TBR pile.. I just keep reserving my wish list books in the library and getting them for free Blush

However I'm hopefully keeping the library in business!

Matilda2013 · 09/05/2017 15:02

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Turning-Point-Freya-North-ebook/dp/B00QPQNYFG?_bbid=6734629&_bbtype=email&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Free Freya North kindle book. Read this last year and enjoyed it

mmack · 09/05/2017 17:48

I have 11 books left to read. I bought 2 new and 1 second-hand book in the last fortnight or so and I borrowed the new Donal Ryan one. If I had actually stuck with the no book buying part of this challenge I would be finished.

anonymice · 16/05/2017 11:40

hello everyone again. I fell off this thread but not the no book buying wagon. I have only bought 2 books this year for me. So grateful for the encouragement as I have read lots of things I would not normally. I was getting into a rut I think.

Matilda2013 · 05/07/2017 12:20

So how is everyone doing? I haven't bought anywhere near as many books as I normally would have but I have been requesting my whole wish list from the library which means my own TBR pile that I was supposed to work on hasn't improved much!

Did buy The Handmaid's Tale though as I was desperate to read it and my library didn't have it!

ChessieFL · 07/07/2017 19:57

I haven't managed to stick to my resolution not to buy any books, but I have spent much less than I normally would and am slowly making my way through the TBR pile!!

Matilda2013 · 07/07/2017 20:22

I gathered up my TBR physical books from the library and books I own and got this. I haven't spent as much money as normal by requesting books through my library. But I really should work on my TBR pile Blush

A year of no book buying. Anyone care to join me?
ChessieFL · 08/07/2017 09:58

Mine is about 5 or 6 times the size of yours - and that's not including the ones on my kindle! Blush

Matilda2013 · 08/07/2017 10:25

Obviously this doesn't include my kindle Grin I have no idea how many is on that!

SeveredPixieBits · 18/09/2017 22:39

How is everyone doing? I fell off the thread for ages but have stuck to the "no book buying" resolution like glue. September and I haven't bought a single book this year! My TBR pile is much smaller, although I have developed a new guilty pleasure and I have been borrowing Outlander books from the library monthly Blush
Currently reading Down and Out in Paris and London to feel slightly more literary Wink

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