Challenges and Updates

I have joined two more challenges.  This brings me up to 5 and I'm starting to get nervous.  I haven't even read one book yet this year and tomorrow will be a post on the last book I read in 2010.  Luckily, the challenges all seem to work together.  You can track my progress here.

New are the Library Challenge and the 100+ Challenge.

I feel a little guilty about joining the Library Challenge, because I take a LOT of books out of the library.  I buy a lot too, but I tend to read the library books first because they have a due date.  It might be more of a challenge for me to read the books that have been on my shelf for over a year.  Maybe I'll host that here next year.  But I love my library and I'm looking forward to this challenge even if I'm not doing anything different but tracking how I'm getting books.

Thinking about how many library books I read made me start thinking about why I buy books at all when I have access to them and they are free.  Besides the fact that I love physical books as much as I love reading (and I love my kindle because it is a library that fits in my purse).

These are the reasons why I buy books:

1. I'm in a book store and the cover and/or title blows me away.  Usually I'm in the book store because someone gave me a gift card, but I'll buy even if I'm spending cash.  This is how I first picked up The Gallagher Girls series.  Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy was an outstanding cover and a clever title.  I was hooked and immediately bought the first book: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You.  Since my mom was with me, she bought me the second one.  I'm a huge Ally Carter fan now.

2. Someone blogs about a book, I check it out on Amazon.  If the cover is amazing I can't resist that one-click button.  Mostly this happens with books where an ARC is reviewed.  That's how I pick up most of my online purchases: Matched, The Duff, and probably half my 2010 orders.

3. I'm addicted to a series and I have to have the book the day it comes out.  Example: City of Fallen Angels.  Can. Not. Wait.

4. The book is amazing.  This one is the one that gets me in trouble.  If a book is amazing, I buy it.  Then I tell people about it.  Then I lend them my copy so that they have to read it because it is that good.  Then they don't return it.  Then I buy it again.  Or I move across the country and it's cheaper and easier to buy new copies of Harry Potter.

I request books at the library when:

1. Someone blogs about a book that's out, I check it out on Amazon and it is either ridiculously expensive or doesn't have a waiting list at the library.

2. Amazon keeps telling me I'll like a book and I'm not sure I trust their automated system.

And this doesn't even take into consideration why I buy e-books as opposed to a physical book at the bookstore or the library.  Maybe another day.  Happy reading!