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I started the year with a goal: no more buying books until I’d read the ones I already owned.
It sounded simple enough. But around August, I ran out of fiction to read. And once I started buying books again, well… let’s just say I got a little carried away!
Now I need to get back on track, find a better balance of books on my shelves, and be more intentional about what I buy and what I read.
Here’s why I’m revisiting my book-buying ban and what I hope to do differently.
Original Goal: Read the Books I Already Owned
I started the year determined to read the books I already owned. I had a good stack of books beside my bed, right in front of my nightstand. The pile had grown so tall that I could no longer open the drawers!
The funny thing is, every book in that stack was one I’d chosen because I wanted to read. They had all earned their place in the pile.
So, in January, I set out to tackle the stack for two reasons:
- Read the books I already own instead of continuing to add to my TBR (to-be-read) pile.
- Open the drawers on my nightstand again!
I thought it was a reasonable goal. And for the first several months of the year, I was making progress.
What Went Wrong with My Book-Buying Ban?
By August, I’d reached the point where I’d read all the fiction books in my TBR pile. All that remained was nonfiction.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Those nonfiction books are ones I picked and genuinely wanted to read. But I wasn’t in the mood to read nonfiction for the rest of the year without mixing in some fiction.
To alleviate this very serious book lover’s problem, I headed to Goodwill to look for a few fiction books to get me through the rest of the year.
And I got a little carried away.
Once I’d broken my self-imposed book-buying ban, I figured I should really make sure I didn’t run out of reading material again. So I bought more books than I needed.
It’s just hard to pass up a $2 book, especially when it’s one already sitting on my Amazon wishlist of books I want to read!
Before I knew it, I’d gone from working through my TBR pile to adding to it again.
📺 Here’s a look back at my original plan… and how that’s going. 😂
What I Learned About My Reading Habits
I still think my original goal was a good one. I really do want to finish the stack of books I already own (and open those nightstand drawers!).
The problem wasn’t the goal itself. It was that I didn’t set myself up for success from the beginning.
I know I prefer fiction to nonfiction. I also know I’m a mood reader. I don’t always want to read whatever happens to be next in the pile, and I know I’ll be an unhappy reader if I feel forced to read a book simply because it’s there.
I should have taken a closer look at my TBR stack in January to see whether I had enough fiction and nonfiction to last me through the year while still giving myself some variety.
That said, I think my original plan did help me. From January through August, I was much more intentional about reading the books I already owned instead of constantly looking for something new.
I made real progress, and for a while, I could even open those nightstand drawers again!
My New Approach to a Book-Buying Ban
I think shelf-control (er, self-control) is a good thing. Being able to tell myself no is a good thing, even when the thing I’m saying no to is a book.
But I also don’t want to create a TBR pile so large that it will take years to work through and leaves no room for books that catch my interest along the way.
If I had to do my book-buying ban over again, here’s what I’d do differently:
1) Make sure the ratio of books I currently have matches my interests better.
I need to keep a better balance of fiction and nonfiction. Since I read much more fiction, I shouldn’t expect myself to work through a stack that’s mostly nonfiction and be happy about it.
2) Give myself permission to buy a book occasionally.
Rather than making an absolute rule, I’d allow myself to buy one or two books per quarter if needed.
I’m a mood reader, and sometimes I’m just not in the mood for the books I already own. I’d like the freedom to discover a book I’m excited about without feeling like I completely failed at my goal.
3) Be more intentional about buying nonfiction.
I could save nonfiction titles for Libby, my library’s digital lending app, and listen to audiobooks during drive time or when I’m running. That would give me another way to enjoy nonfiction without continually adding physical books to my shelves.
I’d still have nonfiction books I want to own and read in print, but I wouldn’t feel the need to buy every title that interests me.
The goal isn’t to stop buying books forever. It’s to be more intentional about what I buy, make progress on the books I already own, and leave room for the occasional new discovery.
How to Know If You Need to Have a Book-Buying Ban
Wondering whether you might need a book-buying ban of your own? Here are a few signs to look for:
- You can no longer open drawers on your nightstand.
- You have piles of books on every hard surface of your house.
- Your current pile will take you at least three years to work through.
- You start hiding book purchases.
- Your TBR has literal dust on it.
If you checked several of those boxes, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at your book-buying habits.
Final Thoughts on My Book-Buying Ban
I do think it was beneficial for me to set a goal of working through my existing TBR pile. Instead of getting caught up in every shiny new book release, I read several books that had been sitting in the pile for a while.
And for a short time, I could open my nightstand drawers again. That’s progress!
Now I just need to be more mindful of buying books faster than I can possibly read them.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop enjoying the thrill of finding an inexpensive book at Goodwill, especially when it’s one I’ve been wanting to read. But I want to make sure those purchases are intentional rather than just adding to a pile that never seems to get smaller.
Have you ever put yourself on a book-buying ban? Did you stick to it, or did you find yourself bringing home more books before you knew it?
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