Adding books to my TBR feels good, but it doesn’t feel as good when they’re still there two years later wondering if I’ve lost interest. What always shocks me is that it’s the books I want to read the most that I end up putting off for the longest. Why? I’m not too sure, but I think it comes down to the fact that the more I want to like something, the more afraid I am of being left disappointed.
I have too many books. So many that even if I do stop buying books this year, the likelihood of finishing the ones I already have in 2023 is still low. For this reason, I think I’m going to stop buying books, at least until I’ve read all the books that I was (supposedly) excited about. This will be invaluable in my crusade to declutter my shelves, as I can continue to get rid of books once I read them if I decide I have no reason to keep them.
But you may wonder, why bother explicitly banning yourself from buying books? You could just read faster or use library books if you’re worried about space.
Despite books being on the pricey side sometimes, and the fact that I am running low on space for physical books, I cannot help myself from acquiring more, knowing I could never really read more often right now to get through them all. I know I have so much to read at my fingertips and yet I can’t help but look for something new or be tempted to buy it when it isn’t necessary. The Kindle is my biggest issue. Somehow, I have dozens of books on there that I’ve bought after having a mild interest in the author or blurb. I curse myself for thinking I can read faster than I do.
All of this is not to say that I won’t miss buying books, or that I don’t see why some people will always enjoy buying multiple books with the knowledge that they will not get through them as fast as they buy them. You could argue that this kind of behaviour isn’t sustainable, and it’s often perpetuated by popular book lovers online who show off the twenty books they read in a month and leave half of their audience eager to do the same.
However, reading is a personal experience, and if it makes you happy to collect books alongside reading them, nothing should stop you. We should not judge other people too harshly for how they choose to read, nor how much they do or do not read, but support them on their journey wherever we can. Being online also adds pressure to keep up with what is current and popular, which adds a layer of pressure to the experience of reading that some people might succumb to, but again, it’s always best to remember that we can read as much or as little as we like and choose whatever stories we like too.
Finding balance with reading will always be difficult because there are hundreds of thousands of stories that you will come across in your lifetime, but finding the time to read them with all the other commitments you have would be impossible. And to be honest, that’s quite sad, which is why buying a bunch of books just to have them can be so tempting. What if you forget you wanted to read something? What if you can’t find it again?
In conclusion, I think it’s best for me to stop buying books for now, especially if I ever hope to have less than 100 in my possession, waiting to be read. In the spirit of transparency, however, there’s one exception to my ban. I’ve yet to pick up Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (or read Ninth House even though I’ve had it since it was released over three years ago). So, if I enjoy Ninth House once I read it (which I’m hoping I will, I will purchase Hell Bent. But that is all.
Will I be able to buy only one book for the remainder of 2023? We’ll have to wait and see.
Read 'N Riot 