So at the beginning of 2010, I kind of made a resolution that I would read more books off of my shelves than the ones at the library. And for the most part, I have done really good at sticking to that. But here recently, I have been wanting to read books that are new releases. And I absolutely refuse to buy hardback books since I can devour a book in a few days’ time, wasting the money that I shelled out for the book. So I went to the library on Saturday (my husband was out of town and was not there to keep me from going to the library, haha!). I came home with two books. The first one I finished within 24 hours of going to the library, the second one I am reading right now. But here’s the deal: I have close to probably 300 books on my bookshelves to be read! So why do I continually feel the need to go to the library? I guess it’s the fact that there are books out there that I don’t have and yet I want to read them. But I’ll never be able to own every book that I ever want to read – that would be unrealistic. But as I read the posts in my Google Reader and follow people’s blogs to other new blogs that I have yet to discover, I find more and more books that look intriguing. It’s like an unending circle. I don’t get a lot of books for review, and to be honest, I don’t really want to anymore. So most of my new release have to come from the library. But however you look at it, it still comes back to the fact that I have so many books on my personal shelves unread, I have absolutely no business setting foot inside a library. As I was perusing the Mailbox Monday posts yesterday, I realized how pitiful my post probably looked to others: sure, I had probably more books than most normal people get in 4 weeks’ time, but none of them were new. They weren’t shiny new review books, ARCs, or new releases pre-ordered from various sites. They were books from PBS and Powell’s that have been out quite a few years that will probably sit on my shelves for ages anyway. It’s like a vicious circle for me: get new-to-me books off of PBS, Powell’s or from my grandmother, for them to sit on my shelves while library book after library book is put ahead of them. Why do I do it to myself? I will probably never change my ways, I already have 6 other books on hold at the library that I for sure want to read as soon as they become available for me. But it still makes me scratch my head in amazement that I can have so many books on my shelves and still go to the library!
Why Do I Even Go to the Library?
Tales of a Book Addict 
I find that I have a subtle comfort in owning the books, it makes me happy that I can read them at any time. I know I can’t own every books I want, but I can keep dreaming. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the books I want to read, and I wonder if I will read them all in my lifetime. Probably not because I keep adding new books daily to my wishlist. I don’t have the library problem, because in my area the books are mostly French, and I only read in English. One problem less….
Oh I find a great comfort in owning my books as well. I’m constantly taking inventory, re-arranging, you get the idea. Sometimes I wish that I didn’t have such a great library near me because it would cut down on my urge to go visit! Before I moved two years ago to our current location, the library near me was horrible and I never went, but the library in our town now is wonderful and gets all kinds of new releases all the time, making me want to go to it. I guess it would be terribly hard to own every book I ever wanted, but a girl can dream, right 🙂
Oh! Gosh! I’m so with you on this! BUT .. what I’VE decided to do when I run across those books that simply “call” out to me when I’m going around looking at other people’s blogs is to put them on my GoodReads wishlist and then, when someone has one available, I can get it with only shipping .. that helps ease the guilt. LOL!