The side-effects of the book diet
Apr. 14th, 2009 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenayLast night I finished the book I was reading (Cast in Courtlight by Michelle Sagara, enjoyed it muchly thank you) and therefore needed a new book to read.
Now, when I went on this book diet it was largely because I needed to curb the number of books entering my house. 23 in three months? Not good. The side-effect of this is that I unconciously decided that I should not do any re-reads until the book diet is over and that promise to myself has become stronger as the weeks go by.
If I'm not re-reading, then the logical thing is to use this time to get a handle on the to be read pile of doom. No library, only unread books from my personal stash. Thus my dilemma last night.
I think that I know why I buy stuff. I wandered along the shelves picking things up and thinking about them and putting them down because none of them really called to me at that moment. A couple of books did appeal, but they were second books in the series and I need to re-read the first ones to remind myself of what's happening. Thus they were disqualified. I wasn't in the mood for Martha Wells (sorry) or Laurie Lee or Trudi Canavan.
Eventually I identified what I did want to read: Temeraire! But that would be a re-read. Drat. And then Patrick O'Brien caught my eye. He's one of the reasons that I tried the Naomi Novik books in the first place, it's got the needed action and adventure with a hint of epicness but not world-ending epicness. No dragons, but big sailing ships are almost as good and I am rather fond of Aubrey and Maturin.
I'm now a thid of the way through Desolation Island and I've finally got some clues about why I buy so many books. Hoorah for me!
Now, when I went on this book diet it was largely because I needed to curb the number of books entering my house. 23 in three months? Not good. The side-effect of this is that I unconciously decided that I should not do any re-reads until the book diet is over and that promise to myself has become stronger as the weeks go by.
If I'm not re-reading, then the logical thing is to use this time to get a handle on the to be read pile of doom. No library, only unread books from my personal stash. Thus my dilemma last night.
I think that I know why I buy stuff. I wandered along the shelves picking things up and thinking about them and putting them down because none of them really called to me at that moment. A couple of books did appeal, but they were second books in the series and I need to re-read the first ones to remind myself of what's happening. Thus they were disqualified. I wasn't in the mood for Martha Wells (sorry) or Laurie Lee or Trudi Canavan.
Eventually I identified what I did want to read: Temeraire! But that would be a re-read. Drat. And then Patrick O'Brien caught my eye. He's one of the reasons that I tried the Naomi Novik books in the first place, it's got the needed action and adventure with a hint of epicness but not world-ending epicness. No dragons, but big sailing ships are almost as good and I am rather fond of Aubrey and Maturin.
I'm now a thid of the way through Desolation Island and I've finally got some clues about why I buy so many books. Hoorah for me!
