I HAVE A BOOK BUYING PROBLEM. And a library problem which is probably a bigger problem than the book buying problem at the moment....
Anyway, I've reached the conclusion (it took me long enough) that I need to go on a serious book buying/library book borrowing/ARC requesting ban. I was looking at my TBR bookcase the other day, squinting as I counted all my unread books and then proceeded to be filled with intense anxiety as I acknowledged all the unread books on my shelf. I know this shouldn't bring me anxiety as I've always had a lot of unread books on my shelf so that I never run out of anything to read (that almost-excuse sounded a lot less feeble in my head...moving on) but I'm not going to lie, it does. Especially as I have a lot of unread books on my shelf. A lot. Not twenty books or even fifty books, but quite a few more than that. And that's not counting the ebooks and the ton of library books I currently have out.
So, me being the wise, mature adult I am (HA HA) I decided it was time to take some action and temporarily halt my book buying and library books borrowing and ARC requesting (although to be fair I rarely request books these days. Well done, me). In the past, I would just randomly say BOOK BUYING BAN and pray that it works but it rarely did and now looking back as the wiser, more mature adult I am, I realise that probably wasn't the most effective method. I've devised a new method that should work better than the other one as there is some actual structure and not a random declaration said to my bookshelf at one in the morning (glo up is real). I've created a set of rules as well as a list of logical reasons as to why this book buying ban is Very Much Needed and an Utterly Spectacular Idea that I'll revisit when my resolve weakens (which it will, it so will). SO, LET'S COMMENCE WITH THE TORTURE EXTREMELY HELPFUL PLAN.
1. I have a lot of unread books on my shelf and I really don't need more books quite yet.
Books that were published in the 1800s and books that are published next month are sitting on my shelf. ALL BOOKS THAT I DESPERATELY WANT TO READ BUT HAVEN'T BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TOO BUSY READING LIBRARY BOOKS (I love my library and I love library books, a little too much, which is probably a big contributor to the problem BUT I SHALL TRY TO REMEDY THAT) and I really want to try to read the books I have before I purchase any more books!
2. A lot of unread books that are causing me stress even though they shouldn't...but they are
If I have a smaller TBR pile, I'm 90% certain that I'll feel slightly less stressed. To be less stressed is one of my goals in life. I stress a lot, I consider it one of my finest talents.
3. Borrowing fewer books from the library means I can read all my own books and tab away to my heart's content
I love reading my own books as I can tab, tab, tab away. Cute kissing scene? TAB. A quote that holds all the secrets to the universe? TAB. An appearance of a cute doggo. TAB. You don't believe me?
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING...or in this case, the paperback.
4. I have quite a few unread review copies on my shelf. Not an embarrassingly large amount but still big enough to be a cause of concern. By reducing the library visits and the book buyings I'll not only be decreasing my TBR pile and having more time to read review copies BUT I'll also have more content for my blog. SO! MUCH! WIN!
5. Let's be real, every time I buy a book it goes on my shelf to be read at a later date, which is fine but it would be nice to read a book as soon as I get it and then not feel bad about all the books I've had on my shelf since dinosaurs roamed the earth that I still haven't read. CAN YOU IMAGINE?
I must look at this when I'm about to waver as I MUST BE REMINDED.
Before I get into the rules, I need to ask what is my goal exactly?
Well, the goal is to reduce the number of books I'm buying, borrowing and requesting and in the process read more of my own books so that I can reduce my TBR pile by a considerable amount. Not enough to have no unread books on my shelf (that would probably cause me more anxiety because it would be a nightmare come to life) but enough to not feel bad or stressed about it.
How am I going to do this? Well, this is where the rules come into play.
1. The ban is from today (the 9th of August 2017) until the 31st of December 2017.
I want to try to not buy many more books for the rest of 2017. Hopefully I can enter into the new year with pride and satisfaction at the fact that I can actually possess some kind of self-control. Maybe future Kyra will look back and say
Now, wouldn't that be nice?
2. Only take out one library book a month (and visit the library less frequently)
It hurts to write this sentence but I think for a ban, that's a fair demand to make.
One library book a month is fine and it's definitely manageable to read that and several of my own books!
3. For every five books I've bought and read, I can buy one book
The. Pain. Is. Real. But again, I think that's fair, right? It's rewarding myself for a job well done which I'm sure is essential to keeping me motivated and on the right track, no?
4. Once I've sent in four reviews for each publisher I have a book from (I don't have four books from every publisher I've worked with but for the ones who I have, that rule applies), I may request another (if it's a book I really want) after I've sent in the desired amount of reviews.
I rarely request review copies these days as I want to try to read the review books I currently have so this shouldn't be a problem!
5. Don't request books from Netgalley. Just don't.
Speaks for itself, really. Again, I rarely request books on Netgalley and Edelweiss so I'll definitely cope with this.
6. I can buy a book from a charity store if it's a book I've already read but don't own
As my goal is to reduce the number of unread books on my shelf, I will buy a book I've read that I haven't already got. As a lot of my favourites have been books I've read from the library, I don't actually own a lot of them!
7. If I'm reading one of my own books that are in a series and I haven't got the other book, I'm allowed to purchase the next book in the series provided I read it immediately
Again, I think this is fair! There have been so many times that I've read the first book in a series but I haven't owned the rest so, even though I loved the series, I never ended up finishing it. Which pains me greatly. #bookwormproblems
8. Reduce going into bookstores, charity stores and browsing Amazon
I find the best way to avoid buying books is to just not be in a place where it's tempting to buy any. I've bought so many books in England because the charity stores are incredible and they have wishlist books for only £1.50. I want to try to drastically reduce the amount of times I go into bookstores and charity stores during the ban. It may be my only hope. *looks dramatically off into the distance*
So, this is my official book buying ban post! Do you think my rules are fair? Do you have a large TBR and does it stress you out like it stresses me out?! Have you ever been on a book buying ban and what are your tips to sticking to it? Let's discuss!