Book Obsession

[berenger]

I have an obsession with buying books. I buy several a week and sped lots of money. I get one and sometimes read it but then i want another one. I think i get a buzz from buying and anticipating but then i need the buzz again.

i do read a lot, sometimes 3 or up to 4 hours a day so i do read aswell.

Financially my bank balance is pretty stable and i have money saved but i would have more if i didn't waste so much on books.

I have tried limiting myself ad some weeks i can but others i can't have the discipline to do it. I am most disciplined when i see my bank balance drop a bit and then i stabalise it.

I have piles of books ad space is also a problem.

I just get comfort and relief from them but i also worry i am obsessed or its some sort of compulsion ?

[Lily-Bee]

Would it be an idea to get an eareder then you can download looooooads of books for free?? I can help you wit that if you don't know how.

Lily

[berenger]

Thanks lily thats really kind of you to offer,

I don't want to seem awkward by i got a kindle e reader from amazon and didn't like it, i'm afraid i love traditional books, the feel, the covers,etc.

[Benway]

Hi berenger,

It's a great hobby to keep up, and it's to be admired as it keeps your imagination working and is such a great distraction.

However I have in the past spent a tad too much on amazon, it's so easy to be impulsive about it at the time.

I think Lily's suggestion is a good one,- you can get lots of books in .pdf format.

I was going to suggest the library or buying them in a shop that will buy them back at a bit of a loss to you- don't know if you have those facilities where you are, hope you do.

[Lily-Bee]

I like the feel too....

You can look into what badkitteh said; library, second hand books etc Ebay has cheap ones, just look around a bit....

[Kitsune]

Library and second hand books is a good idea. Depending on where you live you good look into local charity type places which may do a free book thing. There's a shop I once went to in Wales called Healthy Planet (website is healthyplanet.org) which saves old books from landfills and you can go in and just take any three you want, they also accept donations.

Perhaps you good look into local book swapping?

[berenger]

there's a book i want thats at a local library, about 2 miles away ( a quick car journey) or i could buy it somewhere about ten miles awy, which would involve a train journey and mean i would have to miss groups i do where i see my friends. I can order the book from amazon and have it come thursday so if i got the library one i could read that tomorrow before it came on thursday.

The trouble is i like to own the book rather than borrow from library. This is stupid, and i need to think sensibly. what difference should it make if its from the library or not - especially when the alternative is spending more money and time away from friends ?.

Why is my mind so silly ?, how do i change my thinking ?

[mr potato]

Burn your favorite 5 books.

then scatter the ashes in your garden.

see how you feel after that.

[E.Cross]

I too buy too many books. Whenever I feel too emotional. I buy a book. However, I read a book every day or two so my purchases never go to waste. I have a library in my apartment with around 900-1000 books :/

[Lily-Bee]

You don't change your thinking, you allow it to be there but you act on what matters most to you.

I think you want to spend less money, soooo borrow a book, accept youll not like not having it, your mind will try to come up with reasons why you should buy, youll feel deprived allow those feelings and thoughts but act in line with what you personally regard as most important.

Maybe you need to write down the pro's and con's of buying books. Then you know what (in the long term) matters most to you.And can decide to if you want to act on that despite uncomfy feelings it might cause. Of course you can also decide to leave as is this is entirely your choice.

But an informed choice is always a better one so I advise you examine this for yourself.

[lonelyheartemma]

I completely agree about having the books, I've never used an ereader or anything like that but part of the reading experience is holding the book in my hands and turning the pages to see what happens next. And library books just aren't the same. I kept a book for about a year once! Though lots of libraries have a shelf where they are selling old library stock cheaply, that's always worth a look.

I use ebay a lot, you can get lots of books really cheaply and some of them are in really good condition so they still have the feel of a 'new' book.

Also I get books free from the hospital. In the blood test place there are a couple of shelves of books, you can take one away with you and replace it with one of yours you didn't enjoy.

[Data]

I think there are worse things to be obsessed with than books . I find reading enjoyable and relaxing. If you have too many books, sell them or give them to a charity shop.