Me and Books (A History)

I know I am always interested in what formats people buy books (paperback, hardcover, digitial, etc) and why. I also find it interesting to learn what folks do with books after they are done reading them. This post will mostly apply to those of you who buy books, instead of getting them from a library. Nothing wrong with the library, of course..just saying this post is about buying and collecting books. Here is my journey of my book buying life...

While I was always a reader, I found the fantasy genre in 8th grade (which would have been 1982 or 1983 I believe). If I remember correctly, The Iron Tower Trilogy by Dennis McKiernan was my first purchase. Followed by Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. Next I checked out Sword of Shannara from my local library. At this point I was hooked on fantasy books. But, being in 8th grade and living with a single parent, there was very little money for books. So, I bought books when I could, and tried to stick with used books. Once I got to high school and got a job, I spent most of my money on books or cassettes. This meant driving to a mall and shopping at B. Dalton or Waldenbooks. I pretty much kept every book I bought, but only bought books when I was about to finish the current book I was reading. There was no to-read pile at this point. Same for my college years.

Fast forward to having a job and making real money after college. While I still kept all my books, I did not buy stuff in advance. Mostly, I still bought when I needed a new book. About 9 years ago, something switched and I decided to start buying books I knew I would eventually read, even if it would be awhile. I would say I had a to-read pile of around 20-50 books for quite awhile. Then, for some reason, I decided to become a collector. This meant buying books I had lost over the years, or pretty much buying ANY fantasy book I thought I might eventually read. I picked these up at regular book stores, used book stores, and outlet mall book stores (half-price books). This is how my to-read pile got out of control, and is probably somewhere around 250 books or more. Which brings me to present day.

I am really running out of room to store all these books. I have them piled on the floor in front of the bookshelves, on top of the bookshelves, stacked 2-3 rows deep on each shelf, etc. And I have come to the realization I can no longer continue to collect books that I will no longer read. Is it just me, or is it really hard to get rid of a book? I really struggle with it. I think that at some point, maybe even 20 years from now, I might be in the mood for the book and will want to read it. So I end up hanging on to books that there is a 99% chance I won't read ever again. Plus books I have bought I started, didnt like, and put back in the to-read pile for later. But something has to give. I simply can't continue to buy books, unless I get rid of some old ones to free up space. I need to make the difficult to decision to start pruning my book piles, to get rid of those books I know I will never read. I can't continue to hold onto books just so I can say I have a large collection.

Now, part of my problem is for books I like, I buy the hardcover AND paperback. I want the hardcover for durability (and the acid free paper), and the paperback for portability. The hardbacks I buy thinking long-term...these are books I want to last 25 years from now, for reading when I am retired. That probably sounds silly, but thats me. Besides pruning my books, I need to stop buying 2 physical copies of every book I really like. If I am running out of space, I really don't need to store 2 copies of most of my books.

This brings me to ebooks. I bought a Sony Reader last year, and liked it. But, I didnt like the fact that I still needed a book light to read in bed, or other low light situations. A couple of months later (last summer), I bought an ipod Touch. Once the app store opened, several ereaders were available. Sure, the screen is much smaller, but now I have a backlit display for night reading. The Sony Reader gathered dust, and last month I bought a new iPhone 3GS.

Here is what I have realized about me and ebooks over the past year. Despite many attempts, I don't like reading an ENTIRE book digitally. I just don't get "into" the book as much if I am swiping the screen instead of turning the pages. Being a technology geek, that surprises me. But like many have said, there is something about holding a physical book that improves my reading experience. However, it is nice to have a digital edition to read while standing in line at the store, waiting at the dr office, etc. So, what I envision my future book buying to include is: I will continue to buy hardcovers when available. Instead of later buying the mmpb, though, I will most likely buy a digital version instead. This still means 2 purchases, but only 1 copy that needs to be stored on a bookshelf. The other copy is a digital copy that will go where I go (via my iPhone). Now if a company would be brave enough to try some sort of book bundling...like buy the hardcover for 25 bucks, or the hardcover and digital edition for 30, or something similar...

So, that is pretty much my personal history with book buying and collecting. I'm sure it was a bit long and boring, but i thought maybe one person out there might find this kinda thing as interesting as I do :)

On a side note, because of my inability to read entire ebooks, my promise to read more small press books hit a snag. I had hoped to read those books digitally, but its not working. I'll have to email those of you who sent me ebooks to ask for a physical copy instead, if one exists. I would still like to read more small press, but I can't do it after all, if your only copy is a digital version.