I'm ratfan and I buy books

[rattfan]

I think the only way for me to control my book-buying is to get myself banned from every bookshop in town, the way junk-food addicts have been known to ask KFC etc to refuse them service!

I wasn't always this addicted, or rather, I was, but money was so low I was used to making do with library books or secondhand copies. Since regular employment, it's been at least one a fortnight, often more! Friends are no help. They put books in your hand, suggest others you might like, particularly friends who own bookshops!

Work has suddenly dropped off, as it tends to do in school holidays. Last week must've been the frantic rush before lawyers and other court workers took time off. I was kicked out of the office yesterday, maybe 40 minutes early, with the doleful news that I could sleep in tomorrow. I had planned to work it, Monday being cancelled for reason of migraine.

Usually I'm pretty good with budgeting but it seems when I'm feeling low, retail therapy in the form of just one or two more books makes me feel better. Until retail guilt sets in! What do people think is a *reasonable* book budget, for someone on an adequate but not-too-wonderful pay packet? Not you, fantastic_planet persons, I know you'd like me to keep right on. And most likely I will. Sigh.

Comments

[ascetic-hedony.livejournal.com]

I have no concept of reasonable - I've been buying books faster than I can read them. I'm not a slow reader.
One a fortnight seems reasonable to me, though I can rarely escape with only one book. I tend to not visit the bookstores and avoid temptation that way, for those times my credit card can't handle the pressure.
I was recently going through receipts, and found I'd spent about $600 on books in the lasttwo months.That's what I can unreasonable and an addiction

[ariaflame.livejournal.com]

Oddly my book buying has slowed down. I'm mostly rereading for comfort. I think the main reason is that due to my overfull bookshelves I don't want to buy a book that I don't know if I'll like. So there's a few authors I'll buy whenever they put out a new book, but others I will wait on library/friends lending me copies. Of course if I then like it then I will look into buying it for myself.

Mostly what I've been getting lately is some graphic novels or ebooks or the odd one bought via the internet because there is no local distributor.

It helps that there aren't that many bookshops near me. The local shops have 2nd hand bookstore but I'm rarely there when it's open.

I don't know if you have difficulty reading books in electronic format but have you looked at the Baen Free Library?

[snakypoet]

My monied days were earlier in life. Know just what you mean; used to have positive orgies of book-buying. Luvverly! Now I make do with library and second-hand most of the time - but it's just as well, as if there were any more books and bookshelves in the house, the foundations would probably crumble.

[satyapriya.livejournal.com]

2 books per month? I am a binge-buyer, reading all rapidly and then feeling slightly ill. A book bulimic. I am no help to you whatsoever.

[ratfan.livejournal.com]

No no, that's what I buy - what I try to keep to. Doesn't include library books and personal borrowings and rereads of own library! It's the "at least" :-)