As of this moment I have 28 books in my TBR pile. Some old, some new, some YA, some adult, some nonfiction. A bit of everything, to be honest, including a celebrity memoir. Here's the breakdown of how I got these books...
All of the books I've won, got for review, or traded are YA. But as for the others...
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| The breakdown of books I still have on my shelves from ALA... these are books that are coming out in the next couple of months, which is why I haven't read them yet. |
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| Here are the books I got as gifts. |
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| These are books I bought new that I haven't read yet. |
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| ...and books I bought used. |
SO YEAH. I'm not sure how representative this is of my TBR pile most of the time, but I guess I do have a few things to say about my book buying/getting practices.
- I love buying books. Love love love. Whenever I have money to spend it goes towards either books or music. Or french fries, if we're being honest over here. But because I don't often (ever?) have much money to spend, I end up being really strange in my book buying habits. Like, I have no problem buying some random book that looks good at Barnes & Noble, but it's also possible for me to agonize for weeks over the decision to buy a certain book, especially if it's just out and in hardcover. I do feel bad about not buying more new books because this is an industry I really want to support in any way that I can (and, um, you know, I love owning the books), but then when I buy them I feel guilty for not saving my money. So it's a choice between which I'd like to feel guilty over most of the time.
- I'm definitely thinking that when I get a steady job I will be putting a small amount of money towards books and nothing else.
- Since I don't have much money, I use GR Bookswap or trade with other bloggers whenever I can.
- I don't use the library much; I go through spells where I do, but eventually it always ends up with me owing them like thirty dollars and at that point it would have just been cheaper for me to buy the books in the first place. I'm horrible.
- I feel like I have a higher-than-normal number of grown up books on this list (grown up being mainstream and literary), but I'm pretty sure it's because one day I went into the used bookstore and ended up coming out with a whole stack of mainstream and literary books, which is not normal for me. (Although, I don't know, I do seem to have a lot of Jodi Picoult on the shelves.)
So, how do you get your books?
Looks like you've got quite a mixed selection. I like that myself, because I can choose a book that I feel like at that moment. I have something for every mood.
ReplyDeleteI've got 55 books in my TBR, it has grown from 15 at the beginning of the month. I know! But this should be it for a while. Hmm.
I get books from the library, buy very little, from publishers, from bookmooch (a bookswap site), I borrow from friends, and had a real-life bookswap recently with lots of books and people.
Like you, I think I should buy more books but I get so many books in other ways, that it just doesn't happen. Only if I really want a book and don't want to wait. But that's not very often.
Ugh your post is better than mine was.
ReplyDeleteThis was fascinating. thanks for sharing. I love geeking out about statistics and such, especially when it has to do with books and reading.
leeswammes
ReplyDeleteUnless they're from some sort of conference (like ALA), I think having 55 books in my pile would be a bit much for me. I'm just now realizing how many I have to read right now. The Jodi Picoult novels in particular will probably take me quite a while to get to just because those are SO emotionally devastating and reading one literally steals 2 or 3 days out of my life. (But... I love them.)
And I'm really wanting to buy more books because I always have ones I want... right now it's just a money thing.
Clementine Bojangles
Ha, thanks! I love doing pie charts -- they're so much fun! I have a bigger variety of books than I thought.
Oh GIRL. My TBR list is out of control. Like, seriously. Someone please explain to me why I have like...50 books on my TBR and I had the gall to go to the library and get two OTHER books (besides my obligatory book club book) to check out? (Happyface and Swim the Fly, thankyouverymuch)
ReplyDeleteI have several different groups of books. I have 3 or 4 ARCs that have been sent to me from blogger friends or that I've won in a Goodreads contest. I have impulsively bought books based on glowing reviews from people I trust. I have a whole shelf of books that have been borrowed from my friends IRL. Then I have a shelf of books that I got for my birthday/Christmas/Valentine's that I haven't gotten to yet.
Reeeediculous.