I have numerous books in my infamous yellow plastic box, courtesy Target $6.99. They contain books I’ve accumulated through the years, all romance, of course. They’re books I’ve been meaning to read but haven’t gotten even close to picking up. Instead of reading them, I keep on buying. I’m addicted to going to used book stores, roaming the Romance section and buying one book after the other. I won’t even look at the back blurb anymore; I’ll just buy it based on the cover. The hotter the couple, the faster I pull money out of my wallet. It’s an illness. I even shop for books at…gulp…Walmart, a store I despise but cannot hide from, especially when new books come in at the end of each month. Why pay full price at Borders or Barnes and Noble when I can get them at least 20% off at Walmart? If that’s not sick, I don’t know what is. I MUST BE STOPPED!
I’ll buy and sometimes won’t even read the books. I’ll just add to the box. It’s gotten so bad I’ve had to buy a few more boxes, still slightly empty but getting there (oh, and they’re light blue now).
I cannot be the only horder of books around here. What’s your advice? What are your stories? I have no clue what to do. Nothing can stop me from buying and roaming the stores like a mad woman. Not even the fact that I’ve been pinching pennies in order to pay for a trip to Germany in September. Heck, you’d think that would do it. Wrong!
The infamous yellow box is staring at me right now; it could very well be a living entity. It torments me and wants me to fill it a little bit more. I watch it watching me, there all smug, sitting by my bed. It wants more romances I’ll probably never read, more pretty covers, more Fabio!
Help, please! My name is Daniela L and I’m a romance bookaholic.
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Daniela’s love for books began as a child in her native San Francisco, where she lived a block away from her local library. The love (some call it OBSESSION) followed her to college where she studied English and History and soon developed a passion for Britain’s Victorian and Regency periods. She loves Jane Austen and considers Austen’s lesser known PERSUASION one of the greatest romances of all time. Daniela reads any chance she gets; her favorite romance authors are Lisa Kleypas (she claims to be her #1 fan), Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, Julie Anne Long and Candace Hern.
Hi my name is Patty L. and I am a romance bookaholic.
I also spend money that I shouldn’t on books that I may never read and that taunt me from a shelf that I have designated strickly for them. I can’t help myself romance novels call to me no matter where I am in a store. LOL
BTW so happy to hear that I am not the only Walmart hater. I only go if it is absolutely necessary (i.e. have to take my mom). I would much rather be at Target. LOL
I buy a book with every intention of reading it. Well life gets in the way, or I’m still reading something else or two, so it my pile grows. Then in a few months or a year, I’ll sort through it, and find all these surprises I’ve forgotten about. I don’t have any advice, because I do the samething you do. I like the idea of a yellow crate from Target. That would ease my husbands furstration over my addiction.
Hi, my name is Valarie and I am a romance bookaholic.
I however know where my addiction stems from, and while I am not over it (I will never be cured), I am getting better at reading the books I buy as soon as I buy them.
Mine stems from a bad past relationship where I wasn’t allowed to buy books or read books (I know, I know, stupid of me), and once that relationship was over I started hoarding books for years afterward.
I have started reading some of those older books and now I can’t believe that it took me so long to read them. Of course I now have so many books that not only will I not get all of them read, I also will not stop buying the new books that come out which just makes my TBR pile even larger. How’s that for a bookaholic?
I have about 5 years worth of books and continue to buy more. I think there is this old hunter/gatherer instinct deep in our brains that wakes up and tells us “take it now or it won’t be there later!”.
Wow, Valarie, that is amazingly horrible and sad!
I have about 30 TBR books right now. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I get through one of them–its’ like I’m still in school, finishing an assignment. Right now, our budget is squeezed so tight there’s no room for more purchases, so I’m concentrating on the TBRs. But normally, to put the pressure on, I’ll post them on paperback swap and when one gets requested, I’ve got 5 days to get it done or lose it forever.
Ditto, here! I make myself check the shelves once a month & recycle to the library all those “I know you’ll love this one(s)” from friends who’ve recommended them to me. I figure if I haven’t read it in 3 years, it’s not going to be read–LOL. Like you, hate Walmart–dirty, filled with people who never want to help you, &, at the closest one to me, all the books are “en Espanol”. If you’re looking towards not buying, that helps.
Hi, my name is Diane and I am a bookaholic-notice I don’t limit myself to romance. I just bought another bookcase to keep my keepers in. Hubby said “You need another bookcase?”
My problem is is that I like a variety of books-romance-historical & contempory, Sci Fi, mysteries and fantasy. I never know what I will be in the mood to read so I have to keep them all around. Results in many bags of books. Those new grocery bags work great.;)
I have this problem and though people joke about it, seriously, it is a problem. I feel a bit like a gambler, because I “hunt” for cheap used books and every time I score big, it reinforces the desire to keep hunting. And then I hoard the books and they pile up to frightening degrees.
I suggest looking at what you wrote and trying to make some changes based on that. You don’t read the backs — I used to just grab any romance, and I picked up a lot of stuff with plots and themes that I actually hate. For me, it’s easier to not bring the book home in the first place than to get rid of it once it’s here. So now I read the backs and I only get it if it actually sounds appealing.
Maybe make a goal about only being able to bring books into the house if you get rid of some. Forget about how much money they cost you. Look at them, decide if you’re realistically going to ever want to read them and if they answer is no, get rid of them. You *will* be able to find them again if you need to.
I couldn’t help but notice the pic that went along with this blog entry. I LOVE all of Jane Austen’s work and the movies are my faves! I have to say if you like Jane Austen movies two movies that I have fallen in love with are The Ideal Husband and Lost in Austen. While not Jane Austen’s work they are the next best things! LMK what you think of them.
You guys think you have problems–I’ve worked for the last 14 years in a large format book store! AND I love all the different genres. All year long I take note of books that look good, and when there are specials I buy them all. I can count about 50 books per shelf (I stack them) so I must have about 400 unreads. I only keep a shelf or two of keepers (Georgette Heyer, PG Wodehouse) — only authors I will for sure reread. Otherwise I give everything else away once read.
(I haven’t told you about the non-fiction books…)
So really… don’t feel bad… there’s always someone worse.
(I have a friend who’s in the 1000s, though I think she’s been culling lately.)
uh, I’ll buy anything with a red serge Mountie on the cover. It’s a bad joke that I share with a friend.
OMG, everytime I get a chance to read your blog it freaks me out how similar we are. I am a romance bookaholic. If you were to come to my house there are romance novels(and others) in every room. I have one of those trusty yellow boxes filled with books in my living room, there is also a bag(a 30 gallon trash bag) in there filled with books. In my bedroom there are two shelves under my televison that has double rows of books, and my dresser has books all over it. My washroom has a couple of bags/boxes of books in there also.
Walmart is my favorite place to buy, but if I can’t find them there I also am a member of bookclubs like Doubleday and the like.
All of the books that I just mentioned have not even been read yet, I keep planning to but I just haven’t. Don’t get me wrong, I read everyday, but it’s mainly the books that I get at my local library.
I wonder if I really have a problem:)
I rent books online, I check them out at the library, and I buy them at Walmart or other retailers.
Someone please STOP me, lol.