WOOHOO GUESS WHO GOT OFF HER ASS AND WROTE ANOTHER DISCUSSION! Well, actually, I sat down at my computer and wrote this because I had definitely been watching the Commonwealth Games for too long because my eyes were starting to glaze over. So… today I’m coming at you guys with a discussion post talking about why we buy books!
So, I wasn’t originally going to write this because what could I possibly have to say? Why do we buy books? Because we want to. Why else?
But, I went shopping yesterday to buy shoelaces of all things and then I found a Book Swap section at one of my local shopping centres (Brookside, for anyone who lives in Brisbane) and it really made me think, why do we buy books? and what makes us spend money on a book?
There were a whole lot of books on the shelves that a few years ago I would’ve picked up without thinking but, yesterday I didn’t pick up. For example, a few years ago, maybe even last year, I would’ve picked up Confessions of A Shopaholic but seeing it for free on a shelf yesterday really made me realise that I would probably never read it.
BOOKS I’VE BOUGHT RECENTLY
BOOKS BOOK BOOK
BOOKS I WANT TO BUY
BOOKS BOOK BOOK
SO, WHY DO WE BUY BOOKS?
I feel like for a lot of people, the main answer is that we just love the feel of holding a book when we read but, why does that matter? I mean, ebooks will take over eventually, right?
So, if we take the enjoyment of reading physical books out of it, why does buying books really matter? Well, I guess, if you’re an author it’s kind of a given that you would love to have your books on your shelves because hey, you worked for that book!
But, if you don’t care about aesthetic or Bookstagram or beautiful shelves then why do we buy books physically? Why don’t we just get the ebook or the audio?
I know I am not a minimalist reader, I own many, manyyy books. and multiple bookshelves and I honestly don’t know why because I also own a Kindle and have an audible subscription. So, what’s the point of me owning all these books, especially if I might just end up giving some of them away in a couple years? I’m not always going to re-read a book so why would I buy it?
WHY I LOVE MY BOOKS
- Home libraries are amazing and really show off what I love. I am almost constantly reading and I run a book blog, I think it’s safe to say that I am a reader.
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- The availability. I won’t buy every book I ever read, but sometimes I just feel like re-reading a book, or even just re-read certain parts of a book.
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- It shows how much I love a book. Yeah, I probably also have it on audio or ebook, but who cares because this is one of my favourite books and now I have every copy and will slowly trick you into reading it.
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- In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the aesthetic of a bookshelf and hey, I actually really enjoy redoing my bookshelves ever a couple of months. My bookshelves look awesome and I’m damn proud of them.
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- I love the library but hey, what’s wrong with having my own private library too?
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DO YOU BUY BOOKS?
ARE YOU A MINIMALIST READER?
FRIDGE ANTS 
I’m not certain ebooks will win. If you look on Instagram and all the bookstagrams it seems they are stimm “in”.
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I do agree that on bookstagram physical books do seem to be very imortant or central to the photos. But, often they will use their kindles or phones to show the covers and to me they look just as good. I don’t forsee kindles taking over in the immediate future, but I do think that eventually kindles will win over because technology does usually win over.
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I tend to read ebooks from my library and if I enjoy them, then I’ll buy a physical copy for myself to annotate and reread. I love having my own little library of books I love.
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I do the same thing. I will usually read a book from the library before I buy it and then I will do the same as you, tab and annotate. I really like this method and it makes me feel a lot more confident about my own personal library/collection.
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Annotating makes it a more personal library
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It definitely does!
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Brookside is pretty far away from me, but that’s so cool! I love buying books and I’m weird but sometimes I just take out my favourite books and admire them and flip through them? It’s just almost comforting knowing you physically own your favourite stories
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Aww, that sucks! You should check it out if you’re in the area though! I went back today and there was a whole bunch of different books that had been sapped over from when I went earlier this week.
I totally get you, don’t worry because I do it too! Sometimes you just feel the need to get back into the world or re-read a scene from your favourite book.
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Really great discussion post! I definitely buy books that I have the intention of rereading, so I have them available for me 💗 I also feel like almost every reader gets some sense of pride from their bookshelf, it’s kind of the heart of my room 💗
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Thank you! I never used to think about that when I would buy books, but I think that shows how I’ve grown as a person and a reader because now I try to only buy books if I think I will re-read them. Haha, I feel the same way! I literally only have my bookshelves, my bed and a desk. My bookshelves are pretty much the only reason my bedroom doesn’t look like a jail cell.
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I didn’t think about it back then, but my book buying habits have changed a bit too! My room is actually pretty nice, but it’s so crammed with bed, desk and bookshelf that there is no room for a second bookshelf 😂
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Haha, my room is the same! I literally cannot fit anything else in my room, it was a stretch to even fit a desk in my room (well, it’s a table but still…).
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Love this Ellyn! I love to buy books for aesthetic reasons too… bookshelves are important! But I agree… I think ebook buying will win on some level as people have less to spend on books. Right now they are pretty comparable cost wise at first but ebook prices drop fast. I don’t think real books will die out totally though. There will always be the haves and have nots. 🤩
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Thank you! Exactly, I’m not trying to shove my love of books down people’s throats or “show off”, I collect my books over a period of YEARS, so I just want to show off my hobbies and what I love. Yeah. I definitely think ebooks will win because it just makes more sense. ❤️❤️
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