Sunday 20 January 2013

conversations with my various book selves

       Well, that didn't go well.  Or, it went really well.  It depends if you talk to my budget-conscious side, or my bookaholic side.  Budget side said, let's not buy books until April 1, along doing with C.B James' Double Dog Dare Challenge that says read only my own books until the same date, that I am trying for the first time this year.  Bookaholic me went into Chapters with  a gift certificate received at Christmas, and what did I seriously think the outcome of that was going to be?***Edited to add:  This is how it really happened:  I went into Chapters without the gift card , just to have a tea and browse.  I saw the book.  I left the store because I really didn't plan on  spending any money on books until April.  I kept thinking about the book, and that's when I knew I was going to come back with the gift card.  I went back the next day.  My book self seldom speaks, but when she does, it's like a commandment.*****
I  bought a brand-new book:      

A Year of Writing Dangerously, by Barbara Abercrombie.  Because, Day one opened with "when I'm stuck and scared to death of writing the first line"......and continues with: "Writing holds the possibility that I won't have anything to say, not another word. That perhaps my imagination has dried up and my brain is empty."  That pretty much describes me for the past 6 months, I hadn't been able to write anything but some poetry.  I then realized that I had been resisting one of my characters in the short story I was writing, and that had dammed up all my writing.  This not to put my poetry writing down, it's that writing stories comes harder for me, and I have a lot of anxiety about my writing.  The writer me said one word, 'yes.'

The budget me decided that since it was a gift-card, I wasn't spending any 'money', so it was allowed.

Outcome: my challenge self was really, really happy to see that The Double Dog Dare challenge did not say that I couldn't buy any books, it just said that I promised to only read books that I had on my shelves as of Jan 1/13, or had ordered already.  *whew*!  I would hate to fail a challenge less than two weeks into it!  The hard thing is, how difficult it is for me to not buy books. Period.  I'm definitely a book junkie.

So, having succumbed once, the lure of the second-hand bookstore was pretty well a done deal when I said I would meet my husband there one day  last week when I had two appointments ,so I was off work, and needed to use some time waiting for his lunch hour.  I didn't succumb badly, I tried to make it books I really wanted to read sometime soon.  Don't you like how I can rationalize any book buying? I must be the champion at it.   I came home with the following books, saying to my challenge self that I wouldn't read any until April 1.

The Moche Warrier -Lyn Hamilton
Now May You Weep - Deborah Crombie
Probability Moon - Nancy Kress
The Journals of Susanna Moodie (poems) - Margaret Atwood
Silas Marner - George Eliot
Galileo's Daughter - Dava Sobel

The best?  They were on super sale, so I got the lot for $5.00  And some good book finds!   The Atwood poems, The Journals of Susanna Moodie are hard to find - Amazon doesn't list any for sale at this time.  And a lovely copy of Silas Marner that I have wanted to read  since seeing the movie last year (a rental from the library).

Outcome:  
bookaholic me: 7 all together,   contented
budget me: 2 (Chapters card, book sale)
challenge me: still in the challenge! win
writer me: joyous and writing again

2 weeks into the new year: Jan 15, was when I bought the books at the sale.   *sigh*  exactly how long can I go without buying books? 

So how are you doing with buying books, my Gentle Readers, in this new year?  and do you have conversations with your various selves when staring at books longingly on the shelf?


10 comments:

chrisa511 said...

I LOVE this post Susan :D You had me with a huge grin on my face the whole time because we're such kindred spirits. I will always find a way to justify buying new books…and yeah…20 days into the new year and I've probably already brought 20 books into the house :p

Alex in Leeds said...

Seems like you managed to strike a fair balance between all the selves (and the secondhand books were a steal at that price). :)

raidergirl3 said...

Niiice loophole spotting there!

I am unofficially partaking in the Double Dog Dare challenge, and have just picked up my second last library request from before Christmas. I also picked a super long book (Duma Key) so I don't have any feeling of great success in reading my own books yet - but look out February!

Galileo's Daughter (and anything by Sobel) is good. A little dry in parts, but the overall info is excellent.

Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) said...

I'm super weak about buying books. I bought a bunch a couple weeks ago, and might go book shopping again this weekend. I'm super weak!

Debi said...

Well, I'd say averaging all your sides out, the outcome was really a big fat win!!! And the whole post made me giggle, so you're sharing joy as well. See, even more win! :D

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Susan said...

Chris: thanks! I'm so glad I made you feel we are such kindred spirits, I feel the same way :-)

I love that you have brought so many books into your house, you know I do! lol I feel much better now. We can both be book junkies :-)

Alex in Leeds: Hi! Thanks for leaving a comment! I'll come find you.

It was kind of a bargaining with my selves, you are right, though I didn't start out on any of my trips to book places with bargaining in mind! lol And the secondhand books were a steal so irresistible. My husband is glad I don't buy shoes, that I'm a bookaholic instead. So he wasn't too upset that I broke (sort of) my vow not to buy books until April.....

raidergirl3: Loophole spotting - I do like that!!! lol

Thanks for the Sobel tips, I realized after that I really want the Longitude book, though I am anxious to read Galileo's Daughter too.

I know what you mean, I've been reading really well up until this past week, and then stalled. At least you have a big book as an excuse to not have whittled down the big pile yet. It's a fun dare, isn't it?

Kim: I know, I read your post and was so happy that you had bought some too so recently! lol I really do want to read what I do own, this winter, so I don't feel the need to buy alot. Not yet, anyway....

Debi: I agree, a big fat win in the plus column for more books! I'm glad I made you and Chris laugh. I had fun writing this post, laughing at myself and my book weakness, as Kim called it. I wonder if I should be thrilled it took me only 9 days to find a new book I had to have, to start the new year!! lol

Anonymous: thank you for the comment.

Eva said...

Loved this post, it made me smile! :)

I'm not actually a big book buyer, but I have little self control at the library. I also find it difficult to resist popping into Goodwill & inevitably I find something in a lovely, high quality fabric and colour that suits me that I just have to bring home, despite having a wardrobe that fills all my needs. So we all have our weaknesses!

Cath said...

Oh, I'm doing really badly at not buying books. LOL. I'm guessing at least six have come into the house since the New Year... sci fi, a travel book, a biography, an Angela Thirkell that cost me far too much, and two more sci fi books on the way. I'm completely hopeless. And we won't even mention the library...

Susan said...

Eva: Thank you so much! I'm happy you enjoyed it so much. I wonder if this is like the conversation you have with your book selves at the library? I know what you mean, I can always find far too many books at the library that I want to read! I am awed by how many you get to read from there.

Ooh, when Goodwill is good, it can be awesome ! I've found some interesting things there, one of a kind, which I love, and rich fabric which is lovely to look at.

Cath: LOL! though, given the snowy and cold and wet winter you've had, if books cheer you up, that's good :-) You do have to post about your finds at the library, you always find the most interesting (ie tempting) books there, like Eva does. I'm compiling a list for April when I can request new ones when the dare is over! lol