Why Do We Buy Books?

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!

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So, I wasn’t originally going toΒ write this because what could I possibly have to say? Why do we buy books? Because we want to. Why else?

But, I wentΒ shoppingΒ yesterday to buy shoelaces of all thingsΒ andΒ then I found a Book SwapΒ sectionΒ at one of my local shopping centres (Brookside, for anyone who lives in Brisbane) and it really made me think, why doΒ we buy books? and what makes us spend money on a book?

Image result for Brookside book swap

There were a whole lot of books on the shelves that a few years ago I would’ve picked upΒ withoutΒ thinking but, yesterdayΒ I didn’t pick up. ForΒ example, a few years ago, maybe even last year, I would’ve picked upΒ Confessions of A Shopaholic but seeing itΒ for free on a shelf yesterday really made me realise thatΒ I would probably never read it.

BOOKS I’VE BOUGHT RECENTLY

BOOKS BOOK BOOKNevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #1)Β  Β CellΒ  Β The First Fifteen Lives of Harry AugustΒ  Β Elementals: Ice Wolves

BOOKS I WANT TO BUY

Β BOOKS BOOK BOOKPeople Like UsΒ  Β The Seven Husbands of Evelyn HugoΒ  Β The HobbitΒ  Β Night Film

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SO, WHY DO WE BUY BOOKS?

I feel like for a lot of people, the main answer isΒ 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 ofΒ reading physical books out of it, why doesΒ buying books really matter? Well, I guess, if you’reΒ an author it’s kind of a given that you wouldΒ love to haveΒ your books on yourΒ shelves because hey, you worked for that book!

But, if you don’t care about aesthetic orΒ Bookstagram orΒ beautiful shelves then why do we buy books physically? Why don’t we just get theΒ ebook orΒ the audio?

I know I amΒ not a minimalist reader, I own many, manyyy books. andΒ multipleΒ bookshelvesΒ andΒ I honestly don’t know whyΒ 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 onΒ audio orΒ ebook, but who cares becauseΒ this is one of my favourite books and now I have every copy and will slowlyΒ trick you into reading it.

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  • In my opinion, there isΒ nothing wrong with theΒ aesthetic of a bookshelf and hey, I actually really enjoyΒ redoing myΒ bookshelves ever a couple of months. My bookshelves lookΒ 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 ANTSΒ goodreadsiconinstagramiconpinteresticontumblricontwittericon

buy-me-a-coffee

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17 thoughts on “Why Do We Buy Books?

    1. 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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  1. 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.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 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.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. 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

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 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.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Really great discussion post! I definitely buy books that I have the intention of rereading, so I have them available for me πŸ’— I also feel like almost every reader gets some sense of pride from their bookshelf, it’s kind of the heart of my room πŸ’—

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 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.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. 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. 🀩

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 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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