Buying Books

*I had a brilliantly awesome idea for a blog yesterday...and then I forgot it. So I am posting something I wrote awhile ago*

I'm a librarian. I also enjoy being a library patron. I love to just browse around a library and see what they have, see what strikes me. I enjoy checking out books that I've never heard of, books I've read before, books people have recommended to me, books by authors that I already love. However, I also have a terrible addiction...buying books.

This addiction, it is something that I can't stop. I love book sales, used book stores, regular book stores...anywhere I can buy books. I have certain authors that I will buy any of their books I can find. I have a ton of Stephen King books that I've purchased at book sales and used book stores that I've never read. I have every Meg Cabot book I can find. I own quite a few Michael Crichton books, even though I've only ever read one of his books. I have bought books that I read and enjoyed and then have never reread the books. I just really like owning books.

Now, I don't go all out all the time. If I can get the book at a used book store or a book sale, I do that. I love searching through and finding a book for $.50 that I know I will eventually feel like reading. However, if I really want a book and can't find it for cheap, I'll just go buy it new. I try to get cheaper books. If I can get the book for $8 instead of $13, I will be happy. I went to Borders last night and bought four new books. Two I have read before and two I haven't read. I found five more books that I wanted to buy, but decided not to spend the extra $60 to get them...I do have some self-control.

I am not that crazed about buying tv shows or movies. I mean, sure, I have a ton of dvds. But they were all purchased after some thought (or because they were like $5 and therefore worth an impulse purchase). I don't randomly go to the store to just browse through the dvds and see what strikes me, but I will go to a bookstore and browse just to see what I may want to grab.

Addiction. But I feel like it is a good addiction. It is an intellectual addiction. It is an addiction that can benefit other people, as I enjoy letting people borrow my books. My sister, mom, and I are always sending books back and forth to each other...I currently have some of the Sookie Stackhouse books from my mom, not to mention a ton of Cat Who books and the Nancy Martin books. My sister has my copy of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman right now.

I think part of my addiction comes from liking to have a complete series of books. It is driving me crazy right now that I don't have all of the Louise Rennison books. Of the series of ten books, I have numbers 1-4, 7, 8, & 10. Gah! Also, my mom sent me the first two Nancy Martin books, which I read and loved. She also then gave me numbers 6 & 7. I had to go out and buy the missing books so that we would have a full collection.

As far of addictions go, I'd say that a book buying addiction is pretty fabulous. And it doesn't really get in the way of checking things out from the library, as I still do that a bunch. And there are books that I want to read, but have no desire to own. Selective addiction, I have.