Comments on: The old ‘it’s not you it’s me’ book

By: Dear Author.Com | Kink by Saskia Walker and Sasha White

Dear Author.Com | Kink by Saskia Walker and Sasha White — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:19:58 +0000

[...] What? Usually this is about the time that said groupie gets killed and a police investigation starts up. One problem I have is that in erotic romances, I can’t suspend all my disbelief for the sake of the sex. So, I guess it’s a INYIM grade. (It’s Not You It’s Me – tm Kristie J). I got to a point in the book where Kelly seeks out Tommy’s contact details by jumping in a cab with the rock star. Here is where I gave up because I just could not imagine a rock star not being surrounded by paparazzi and fans such that someone could just hop into his cab. DNF. [...]

By: Robin

Robin — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 04:37:47 +0000

I cannot get rid of books, even the ones I dislike. Sometimes I come around to books that I couldn’t initially get through, and sometimes I just keep struggling, but not matter what, there’s a sacredness about books, per se, to me that keeps me from getting rid of them.

But I totally relate to your experience, Kristie, of returning to a book after a false start and finding yourself completely enthralled. And who ever knows when that moment will be. So I’m an unapologetic advocate of keeping books, but I’ll happily donate just about anything else to make more room for them!

By: Kristie(J)

Kristie(J) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:40:30 +0000

Lori: I thought of donating some of the books I didn’t want anymore to a library once and asked about it. They were less than thrilled with me wanting to donate romance books and I thought – “Humph! See if I donate to you guys then if you don’t want my treasures!” – well they weren’t my ‘treasures’ since I was turning them in – but still – they lost a good supplier in me I tell you. Not a frequent one and not a big one as I tend to hang onto many books, but a supplier just the same

By: Kristie(J)

Kristie(J) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:29:41 +0000

KeVin: Now that’s funny – buying back your own books! And that’s a good theory you pulled out of the hat! It’s a better way to judge whether or not to keep it or trade it in – if it haunts you and you need to go back on the book journey. I like that.

By: KeVin Killiany

KeVin Killiany — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:20:18 +0000

Kristie — One of the great things about being a regular at Pat’s Paperback Exchange is IF — and this has happened twice that I can now remember (Kiln People and Motherless Brooklyn) — I find myself thinking a lot about a novel I traded in after 60 pages and wondering how it turned out, I can always pick up a used copy at half the cover price. And — since my account is almost always on the plus side — I don’t have to actually hand Pat any cash to do it. On both the occasions cited the novels proved to be well worth the investment. My theory — made up right here as I type — is if a novel haunts you, it’s worth going back and finishing. (Mind you, I have to struggle to remember most of the novels I trade in. At least once a month I stand reading a back blurb and considering, only to open the front cover and see my mark and realize it’s one I traded in.)(That’s why I use a mark.)

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 05:41:09 +0000

Great post, Kristie – one we can all relate to! Me, I’ve learned to be ruthless. I donate my INYIM books and all my non-keepers that my friends don’t want to my infamous awful library. I haven’t figured out quite what they do with them yet, because I’ve never seen any of the books I donate actually on the shelf either in the UBS or in the library proper, but I’m hopeful that my thrice a year trips will make someone else’s INYIM pile a bit more manageable

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:27:51 +0000

I go through this and it seems it’s been worse lately. There was a time I seemed to finish every book that landed in my hot little hands no matter how bad, but now if I feel like I have to make myself gets back to it away it goes. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve taken to the library to put in the collection thinking I can always check them out later and then have major regrets the day we put them out! I frequently have this thought at least once a day at work: “Hey there’s one I brought in. Sure would like to read it, but I have too many at home. Oh, but what if someone else checks it out and never brings it back?” and so on. Yeah, I need intervention.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:18:45 +0000

My INYIM books were purged about 3 years ago now but I do tend to keep them for all the reason you mentioned. I only deal with them if I do and purge and be honest with myself. Heck, I’ve purged books that I never even cracked the cover on – if it was in the TBR pile for more than 5 years (some were from 12 years before that) they had to go.

I love Kalen’s Feng Shui advice. Problem is, most of the stuff I could live without belongs to hubby and *him* I can’t live without

Oh, I also know I will never get rid of Gabaldon or Harris or Dunnett until I give each of them a solid try. By this I mean read the first book. If I’m not hooked after that then I will probably purge them. Until then, they stay.

CindyS

By: Kristie(J)

Kristie(J) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:18:23 +0000

Kevin (and not Mr. Killiany *g*) sometimes it’s a bit of a fine line between it being me or the book itself that’s at fault. But in those cases, I usually give the book the benefit of the doubt. There was another one I just recently read – A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade. I started it a couple of months ago with every intention of reading it. I only got a few pages in and it withered and died on my reading branch so I put it down and moved on. I couldn’t give up on it though since others had read and raved about it. I picked it up again the other day and started reading it again. It turned out to be one of the best books from 2006 that I’ve read. That’s why I can’t turn them in. What if – a couple of months or even years down the road -I pick it up and it turns out to be one of the best reads evah. I have another one – Tatianna and Alexander – that I’ve had for over a year now. I’ve started reading it a couple of times and haven’t been able to get into it. But after having read and been mesmerized by The Bronze Horseman – I don’t dare not keep it. Heart of the West and The Passions of Emma are another couple that I haven’t been able to get into but I know I will love – given the right mood.

By: KeVin Killiany

KeVin Killiany — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 03:29:42 +0000

It never occurred to me that it might be me and not the book. If it hasn’t grabbed me in the first sixty pages or so, it’s in the bag waiting for my next trip to Pat’s Paperback Exchange.