Last week The Popcast did an episode on “The NOs of Books” and asked for listeners to submit their NOs.
One person’s submitted no was “no to buying books you haven’t read.” I was listening and thinking “yes, yes, yes!” The hosts took it the funny route, saying this person must be stealing books, if they aren’t buying them (maybe they mentioned the library? I can’t recall.)
But I immediately got what this person was saying! I don’t want to buy a book if I haven’t read it. I want to borrow it first, see if it’s something I would read again, then buy a copy, ideally, digitally.
I am just not in to collecting books! I love seeing other people’s book aesthetics, but it’s not happening here. Ha, here are the few I have on the shelf, and the rest are in a drawer. A DRAWER!
This looks horrible!
Before we moved to this house (7 years ago!) we had five bookcases and the shelves were full of books and games. We packed up all the books and games to move and never brought the books back to the house! They’re still in storage at the warehouse! I can think of a few I want to keep, but the rest I’d like to donate. (I am slowly donating the games we don’t play to).
So those shelves are in our office full of office junk. Not a great look, and books would look better, but really, I’d like to have none of that clutter in the office. (I type, as I look at all the clutter on my desk and around the floor of my desk. Sigh. I am a work in progress.)
All this to say, I get what this person was saying! And I also get why people love buying books! Just not me. They take up too much space, and I am constantly trying to purge things.
(Also, I love receiving books as gifts! Just know I may donate or give it to a friend after I read it if I don’t think I will again!)
Sooo get you on liking the aesthetics of all the books but the space they take up is not my jam and I don’t do well with having too many things in my space that I don’t use often. I go back and forth on e-books and physical books b/c I really do enjoy holding a book, turning the page and the smell.
I am glad you get me! Do you use the library, then?
That is a good way to say it – I don’t want things in my space I don’t use often. That is me right now. So many things.
I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THIS OPINION.
Hehehe – I loooove the aesthetic of books and love having lots of bookshelves in my home. It just makes me happy! And I derive a lot of joy out of buying books. But I’m the only one in my book club that buys books – everyone else uses the library or just listens to audiobooks. So I am totally the outlier.
But I totally understand why people don’t want to buy books they haven’t read or stuff that just takes up space.
Hee hee! I thought you may! And love that we can talk about it! When you share the aesthetics of your books it brings ME joy so thank you for sharing that! I truly love how you display them, especially color coordinated. That is interesting now many others from the club do not buy them! Is it for similar reasons to me or something else?