This is a post inspired by the fact I continually end up making myself feel bad about the number of books I bought for various reasons and I am fed up of doing that. It’s alright if I’m feeling guilty because I’ve bought something and I told myself I couldn’t have it (I’m trying to learn restraint here) but when I am treating myself to something I am fed up of other people and their voices creeping into my head and making me feel bad. Let me enjoy this one thing! I rarely buy clothes and I don’t go out on crazy nights out every week I just buy books. It’s my one indulgence and I am fed up with people trying to make me feel bad about it and I am sure other book lovers out there feel the same way.
We are continually talking about book buying bans and reading old books and our towering TBR piles and I am fed up of us feeling guilty. I think Cait summed it up best when she talked about it being okay to have a towering TBR pile (go read her post, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself fellow book addicts) and mine is probably going to end up repeating the same thing and if it does throw something at me because, ugh, try and be original Becky!
There Are Worse Things You Could be Addicted To
Look, it’s true. You could be a drug addict. Or be like that woman from Confessions of a Shopaholic who had to freeze her cards so she couldn’t buy anything else and got herself into a serious shopping debt. I mean, it would take thousands of books to get you into that kind of debt so it’s really quite a cheap thing to be addicted to buying, right?
Other People Don’t Have To Apologise For Their Hobbies So Why Should We?
How often do you hear football fans apologising for their love of the game? How often do you see anyone apologising for the fact they are really passionate about something? Why on earth should we allow others to make us feel guilty about our hobby? Is it because it’s a solitary pursuit so it gets judged more harshly? I just don’t understand why I need to justify my book spending when I know for a fact a lot of hobbies are way more costly than mine? Basically, embrace your damn hobby and tell everyone where they can shove the next book you buy if they keep on at you.
Having A Lot Of Options Of What To Read Next Is Good (Even If Sometimes You Spend A Day Trying To Decide What To Read Next)
I am always glad I have so many books to read because I almost always have a book to suit my mood. Sure, it’s not always easy to pinpoint what that mood is but I always have something to read. My options are endless and it’s great. It’s not like I've just got the few books I got out of the library to read and those are my only options, I just have to turn and look at my shelves and see I have books from at least 10 different genres to pick from.I mean, t does mean sometimes my library books don't get read, but that is a minor issue we will not address here.
It’s Okay To Want To Cut Back On Your Spending And Acquisitions But Stop Apologising For Doing What You Love.
I know I have a book buying issue and I need to cut back but it’s hard to not to have about a 100 new books you want to buy at any one time when you are continually being exposed to new books on the internet. I don’t think I go a day without finding another book I want to read because I’ve stumbled across it on someone’s blog. I don’t think it’s an issue that I am still buying books, though. I just think I need to employ a bit of restraint and not buy five books in one go. I won’t keeping apologising when I do get something new.
Basically, what I am saying people is that it isn't the end of the world that we like to read and why should we keep restraining ourselves and feeling guilty over our book purchases because other people say so? This post is completely inspired by a judgemental comment from my stepdad and this is me telling him to swivel in a really eloquent way. But it's true, also. It's something I need to remember more because I am fed up of feeling guilty because of what other people think. Now, if I feel like it's an issue. If I see I am spending too much money and need to save or if I find I am buying way too many books I never plan to read then I can address the problem, but until then screw everybody.
Do you have someone who makes you feel guilty about getting new books? Do you ever find yourself feeling guilty about how many unread books you have or are you some inhuman monster who reads everything they buy and waits before getting something new (no judgement I just can’t understand that level of self-control)? Have you realised you make excuses for new book purchases and it’s really unnecessary? If so people you need to join me in stopping the guilt and owning your books, screw everyone else.
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