It’s bibliophilia rehab time again.
Fine, we’re a bibliophiliac. We lust after books. We cannot restrain ourselves from acquiring new ones (and no restraints in the form of spawn to feed, clothe, and send to expensive schools). Part of this is because we grew up in the age before import liberalization, when new titles were not as easy to come by and you had to grab them the minute they appeared on the bookstore shelf or they would disappear forever. Most of it is probably because we like books better than people.
This is not a print vs. e-books issue. If we use an e-reader our book acquisition mania will just grow exponentially. At least with printed books we have space constraints (Where did the floor go?) to stop us.
Periodically our backlog becomes alarming and we must admit that we’ll never get to read the books we already have if we keep bringing in new ones. Some bibliophiliacs just cut down on their sleeping time, but without our 9 hours a day we go insane. We have to declare a moratorium on new acquisitions until our backlog goes down to a rational level. No new books until every volume in our bedside shelf has been read. (Note: This shelf was acquired round Xmas. It was empty.)
The moratorium begins now. As soon as we pick up Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, which we reserved at National Bookstore. No, as soon as the copy of Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (the British writer, not the star of Cleopatra) that Chus ordered for us. And then no new titles until this shelf-load has been dispatched. True, we’re not likely to read The Anatomy of Melancholy in one go—we’ll be noshing on it for years. But all the others must be finished.
If you see us lurking in a bookstore with a guilty expression, shake your head in a disapproving manner.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
January 22nd, 2014 at 08:20
“If we use an e-reader our book acquisition mania will just grow exponentially. At least with printed books we have space constraints (Where did the floor go?) to stop us.” >> So true!
Jessica, I remember you giving away Chang-Rae Lee books before. Where did you get your copies? :D I read Kindle samples of his books and like the way he writes. Would’ve bought the Kindle editions, but I think his work should be best read in print format. Thanks!
January 22nd, 2014 at 17:23
ruth: We just came from NBS Rockwell. They have The Surrendered in stock, and the Penguin Drop Caps edition of Native Speaker. We recommend starting with Native Speaker.
January 22nd, 2014 at 21:57
Thanks, Jessica! Will drop by next week after sweldo. Thanks!
January 23rd, 2014 at 06:26
Bibliophiliac reporting for duty. Backlog is at 6 as of this writing. I try to avoid routes that would put me within spitting distance of a bookstore. Last Christmas though, I got several bookstore GCs as gifts. When in comes to stemming my addiction, my friends are utterly useless.
January 24th, 2014 at 00:57
Hoarding books can be beneficial in the long run. I keep buying books but not all of them are engaging at the time of purchase. Before I go to the bookstore or check out the internet, I scavenge from my reading backlog. For instance, Nabokov’s Lolita. At the time of purchase, 2006, I wasn’t intellectually prepared to read it, but it turned out to be one of my most delightful reads of 2013.
I also realised that buying books you truly want to read reduces the backlog. AbeBooks (website) offers the solution. As much as possible, I stay away from bookstores because there I end up buying alternatives or time-fillers which are often sub-par.
*switch*
Aaaaaaaa! You have a copy of Polsky’s I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon)!!! Where did you get that, Ms. JZ? The collectivist in me wants one!
January 24th, 2014 at 16:01
On the subject of bibliophilia: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2014/01/aggravated-bibliophilism-lost-book.html