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To Be Read... Someday

I know that I am not alone when it comes to having an excessive TBR pile.

I know that I have the ability to read all of the books that I own.

But what is with this NEED to purchase new books even when I still have unread books at home?



Over the years, I have amassed quite the collection of books that have stood out to me or books that I have been excited to purchase and even books that I bought solely because I did not want to forget about them - even if I knew I was not going to get to them any time soon. Some of the books on my TBR shelves have followed me through multiple moves and, while I have unhauled a very select few, I cannot seem to part with the majority of them.


I feel that the moment I no longer have them, is the moment I will be in the perfect mood to read them. Even though there are many books that I am sure I would not buy now due to changes in my general reading tastes but I inherently know that I wanted to read this book enough to purchase it, so I should do Past Me a favour and read it. Right?


These are just a few of the thoughts that run through my head when I look at my stacks of unread books.


It is not lost on me that I am contributing to a materialistic society and it is not something I am necessarily proud of, but I cannot help but long for the time when I can have a library in my home that is wall-to-wall books. There is something about owning a book and being able to see it every day, to remember reading it for the first time, to be able to re-read it whenever you want and hopefully be able to share the joy of reading with my (future) children. The simple purchase of a physical book is something that brings me so much happiness when I think of all of these things… and yet, I feel guilty for not utilizing my local library, I feel guilty spending the money, I feel guilty for the pride I have in my collection.


Many times, I have told myself that I will only purchase a new book if/when I read a certain number of books I already own. But then a new release comes out. Books aren’t going anywhere, bookstores are not as “at risk” as people announced a few years ago, physical books are not being discontinued, Goodreads exists (albeit flawed) to track books - and yet I still rush to buy an anticipated new release within the week.


Consumerism in the book community is a very real and very prominent thing. As I have gotten older (not that I'm old!), this topic has interested me more and more and it is something that I would like to explore in a bit more depth - given the opportunity.


This does naturally entice me to ask about your TBR - and I guess your books in general. Do you have a physical TBR? How do you keep track of it? Do you regularly unhaul books as your tastes change? Is this something you have even thought about? I am very curious to know how others feel about their collection and bookish habits as a whole.


At the end of the day, I think I will continue to add to my stacks of books but I will forever be at war with myself. Forever weighing my choices. That being said, I think I will also try to make a more conscious effort to read the books that I already own and to not get caught up in the ‘newness’ of a book unless it is one that I have been desperately waiting for. Hopefully this will be a good exercise for me in 2020 and something I can stick to.

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