Weres Wanna Know: Do You Stockpile Books?

Weres Wanna Know is a new discussion feature where we share a topic that's been on our minds and invite you to share your thoughts as well.

 

One thing I have noticed since joining the book community is how obsessed most people tend to be with their unread books a.k.a. TBR piles. I had never really thought about it before. Of course I have unread books on my shelves. I mean, who doesn't? My personal library is one of the things I'm the most proud of. But I admit that I think about those unread books a lot more now. Heck, I'm specifically participating in a couple reading challenges this year that will help me manage Mount ToBeRead.

But I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm not at all ashamed that I currently have 234 unread books on my shelves and lord knows how many unread ebooks on my Kindle. Honestly, I'm kind of happy to have lots of unread books. In fact, I kind of make sure I have a surplus of unread books. So today I want to ask...

Do You Stockpile Books?

Stockpiling books has become so much easier with the advent of ereaders and ebooks, but I've always stockpiled books. My TBR is my safety net and I'm grateful for it. Although, I will be the first to admit that I have a one-click Kindle deal buying problem. I like to buy ebooks on sale when they're cheap. I've mostly gone digital with my stockpiling because I don't have to worry about ebooks taking up a lot of space. You're probably thinking "Why do you stockpile books while trying to manage your TBR pile, Rose Red? You're being contradictory.". I know I am. Honestly, I wouldn't want to get too many more books on my TBR than what I have now but I like having them. There's lots of reasons why I still stockpile books when I have such a bulky TBR, but in the end it boils down to just two.

The first is that I'm a huge mood reader and I currently live in a library district that has a collection dictated by a community that has radically different reading tastes than I do. I've seriously never seen such small fantasy and romance sections. When I get in the mood for paranormal romance or any genre, I can easily read thirty books in said genre before my mood changes so I try to make sure I have enough books stockpiled so I won't feel like I need to buy anything. I do tend to reread favorites when I get in these moods but I've gone through binges before where I don't want to read what I already own so I buy what I want. Those times can really hurt the pocketbook. *Looks accusingly at her Nalini Singh collection* So I take advantage of Kindle deals and used bookstores to stockpile paranormal romance, urban fantasy, steampunk, and fantasy books.

The other reason is because I know times are going to come in the future where I'm not going to have as much disposable income as I do now and won't be able to buy books like I do now. I know going to the library is always an option. The thing is I've lived in areas that have excellent libraries and I've lived in areas with terrible libraries. I guess I just want to make sure that I have plenty of books in the genres I want to read handy whatever my circumstances become. Not having anything I feel like reading is a nightmare scenario for me because reading is how I deal with my stress and anxiety. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and a little crazy but I feel better having my moderately large TBR pile, even when I'm trying to manage it. I'm interested to know your opinions on this topic. So...

Do you stockpile books? Why or why not? Let's discuss!

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