Book meme - W - Worst Bookish Habit

[byslantedlight]

miwahni gave me W next - Worst Bookish Habit!

Hmmmn... probably buying them... Here, for instance, are three of my current waiting-to-be-read piles - and it should probably be borne in mind that I consider most of my books to be in storage, and my room to be relatively bare... As I was saying to caffyolay just yesterday, I buy books and then they languish... but I will get around to reading them - I will! I should use the library much more - but I do the same thing with libraries too, I borrow books in a fit of enthusiasm, and then they languish until their due dates - often the final I've-renewed-them-as-often-as-I-can due date, too - come around... It's not that I don't want to read them (or any book), I just have to be in the right mood for the right book at the right time...

Probably the book habit that people would think is much worse, though, is something I've always done with paperbacks - only my own, and only ordinary paperbacks... I bookmark them by turning the corners... *g* I just really don't have a problem with it, with ordinary everyday-read books, and I always treat them well other than that - I don't do tatty uncared for books. But I do turn over the corners, if there's nothing else around to use as a bookmark...

What about you? Bad habits with books...?

Comments

[etain-antrim.livejournal.com]

I see your puny stack of unreads and raise it. I'm try to work down our shelf of shame (now shelves of shame) but it would help if I quit buying more. I don't know, that's asking a lot...

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

I love the term 'shelves of shame'! I have many...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Heee - shelves at high noon! Many of my shelves of shame (ha!) are now boxes of shame in my storage unit, so I do have more than this... I've been trying to be good since I got back from Aus five months ago, but... they build up so quickly! *sighs* It is asking alot of us to say stop buying though... I mean, having the books just that bit closer to us is half the joy... *g*

[ali15son.livejournal.com]

That was one of my bad habits , turning the page and using it as a bookmark until I forced myself (AND IT WANT THAT HARD BELIEVE ME) to buy a bookmark off eBay printed with lovely bodie pictures , so now it's a pleasure bookmarking my books xx

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I have bookmarks too, but actually I suppose I should have listed this as another Worst Bookish Habit - I'll start a book, and put a bookmark in my place, but if it hasn't grabbed me properly straight away, then it also languishes on my shelf... So sometimes I just don't have any bookmarks left... *g*

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

I'm exactly the same with library books... they languish as much as my own. As you said, sometimes up to the end of the three renewals. *g* Sometimes even the books I've paid 50p to reserve go back unread because I was all enthusiastic when I reserved them but something happened in the meantime and I've no idea what... That really is a bad bookish habit! I look upon it as my donation to the upkeep of Devon libraries. *cough*

I wouldn't worry about turning the corners down, I always used to do it. Not so much now since I somehow ended up with a huge collection of bookmarks. LOL!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh wow - I thought the three-renewals was just me, and I felt so ashamed! And yes about even books that you once reserved!

I have a huge collection of bookmarks now too - a few independent ones, but many many from bookdepository. I must admit that's one of their lovelier habits, and I do wish they'd not been taken over by Amazon... My trouble is that actually I forgot to list a third Worst Bookish Habit - I start a great many of the books from my Shelves of Shame too, put a bookmark in, and then... if they've just not grabbed me enough, then they also languish - and I'm short of bookmarks again. On the bright side, when I regain a bookmark it's often because I've picked up one of the books and finished it, which is far better... *g*

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Nooooo, not just you. *g* Atleast the money's going to a good cause. At least I hope it is.

I love those little Book Depository bookmarks.

Funnily enough that's one thing I don't tend to do. If it doesn't grab me it goes back on the shelf, unbookmarked, and often doesn't surface again for years!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm just about to return half a dozen books for the last time, only two of which I even picked up to try reading... it's just wrong! I will be better at my next library, I will...

I love the Book Depository bookmarks too. If there's one thing guaranteed to catch my attention... *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Your pictures look a lot like my night stand. But not only do I have a small shelf on it filled with books, but I've also added a modular shelf next to it that holds a few dozen more. I do manage to grab one from time to time, but, yes, they do tend to languish.

But I'm much better with library books. I suppose it's because I know I only have a limited time to read them, I do read them. Another reason why I have—mostly—stopped buying books.

You turn the corner on pages?!! Bad person, bad, bad person. *g* You need to keep a stack of bookmarks next to the books. I keep about half a dozen in my nightstand drawer just for that reason. I never know when I might actually grab one of those languishing books, as I did recently because none of the books I'd put on hold had come in from the library (and don't think I don't have a long list for that!)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I should so be better with library books, because as you say, there's only limited time to read them, but... I'm not sure what happens!

I must also admit to keeping many many bookmarks by my shelf too - and to my third Worst Bookish Habit. See, I'll very often start a book, not be immediately grabbed, and, um...bookmark it. So my Shelves of Shame actually bristle with bookmarks, and I end up still folding down corners. But never of books with any heft, or of quality paper, or that aren't mine, or anything. Just the everyday-have-fun-reading-me kind... *g*

Rather relieved to hear that I'm not the only person who lets books languish... *g*

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Impressive heaps of books to be read you've got there *g* And yes, I do exactly the same with turning down the corners - never on borrowed books, or books that are 'posh', but paperbacks are made to be lived in and with, and treated with less dignity. I scribble and doodle and make notes in margins too :D

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Well, I do have many many more to be read, but they're in my storage unit. This is just the build-up over the last five months... *g*

paperbacks are made to be lived in and with
Yes! They're the kind of comfy home with a big cushion-y sofa, and all the things that you're doing scattered about, aren't they! They're not showhome kind of books... *g* Although, to be honest, I draw the line at writing notes in them - cos next time I might have different notes in my head, only the notes would already be there taking up space, so I couldn't... and it wouldn't... and... so no. Just the corners for me. *vbg*

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I totally understand the languishing waiting-to-be-read pile! Mine doesn't seem to get any smaller.

I think my worst bookish habit is not being able to part with them. I have sporadic cleanouts of my shelves, but lately the cleaned-out books just get moved downstairs into storage. Over the years I've parted with a lot of books that I've ended up re-buying so I've stopped getting rid of all but the most unloved ones.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, I never even thought of not being able to part with books as a Worst Bookish Habit, but of course you're right - it really is, when you just don't have room for them... I managed to charity-shop some when I went to Australia, but a tiny tiny fraction, only ones I realised I had no interest in re-reading ever again, and doubted I ever would... And I've gotten better at letting them go more quickly, if I really wasn't keen on them, or couldn't get more than a few pages/chapters in and then stopped forever, but... yeah. I'm still working on that habit too - working out how to afford a place of my own with more space for books... *g*