March 30, 2010 | By: Tracy

Hi, I'm Tracy . . . And I Have a Problem

I can't make myself stop buying new books!

Once a week I usually take a trip to Barnes & Noble to do some writing in the cafe there. (Okay, so maybe I like to people watch too)  I can't go to Starbucks, because I buy waaaay more mochas when I'm there than the B&N cafe.

Anyway, when I'm done with my writing, I allow myself to buy a book. It's only supposed to be one book. I've made repeated promises to myself that I will only buy one book at a time.

So, I only planned on buying one book today. Richelle Mead's latest release.

But then ... I decided it wouldn't hurt to pick up Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain, because yesterday, agent Jim McCarthy told me to read it. Jim is one of my dream agents, so if he says to jump I ...  consider listening.

Okay, so those two I could understand. Why, did I still continue to browse through the store until I picked up Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers?  That sucker is 700 pages long, too.

My "To Be Read" pile is currently running about two dozen books deep as it is. Not to mention, in my current cycle of writing & revising I'm slowed to only reading about a book a week. Now, I've never been all that great at math, but if I continue to buy 2-3 books a week, when I can only read 1 ... I'll soon be drowning in unread books.

This is why I must not be allowed to buy a Nook. Being able to download books without having to leave my house, could leave me in the poor house!

How often do you all buy books? Or are you more like library people? (Due to my ability to bite off more than I can chew, library return dates and I don't get along well)  And how deep is your reading pile?

4 witty remarks:

JE said...

I'm a library "people" I buy books too, though, if I've found an author I really love. I'm picky, so I search the library, pick up a few things and if I like it, I'll go buy more.

But, I'll go anywhere and "people watch" Love that!!

~JD

Jessica Bell said...

There isn't a library in Athens, so I go beserk in book shops too! hahaha I do exactly the same thing. My unread pile is ... let me have a look ... 18. And I'm a slow reader. It takes me about two weeks to get through a 300 page book. Plus I only read when I go to bed, so it's usually only about 2-3 chapters in a sitting. If I really LOVE a book and can't wait to find out what happens I'll sit down on the sofa on a sunday and plough through it, but that only happens once in a blue moon. So, Tracy, you are not alone!

Tracy said...

Justine - I try to do my people watching on the down low. Folks have a tendency to get real paranoid if they realize they're being stalked. Sometimes that makes it even more fun to watch them!

Jessica - I know what you mean about not having the time to read for long periods uninterrupted. I'm like you, most of my reading happens later at night. I'm usually okay to meander for the first several chapters, but when I get to the last hundred pages or so, I'm usually so hooked that I stay up way past my bedtime to finish it. -- And then if it was really good, I get depressed that it's over.

ModernDayDrifter said...

Oh, I miss the days when I got to read what I actually wanted to read! By May I'll be able to do that again..and believe me, I'm counting the days. I have a problem with buying too many books too. My problem is, I hit up the used book store and spend hours in it. I can relate!

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