Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is about our top book-related problems.
I could probably just go with two:
1) Too many books.
2) Not enough time.
Beyond that, I don’t really tend to think of books as problems… but here are some of the things related to my reading habits that can get a bit annoying:
3) I’ve never managed to figure out how to make money from my bookish habits… which means I need a day job to support my reading. Sigh.
4) I think I’ve figured out that being a bookworm is not hereditary. My daughter is an avid, voracious reader. My son will only pick up a book if there’s some sort of threat or bribery involved.
5) I suck at short stories. Even when they’re by a favorite author, my attention wanders and all I can think about is how much longer it’ll take before I can go back to reading a novel.
6) I try to be tolerant, but I must admit that I’m occasionally a book snob. I’m guilty of making snarky comments about other people’s book tastes behind their backs. I’m trying to break myself of this obnoxious habit, though, since I firmly believe that ANY reading is better than NO reading.
7) No matter how many bookshelves I build, I never have enough. I’m constantly hunting for shelf space.
8) Even though I’m a big believer in supporting independent booksellers, the sad truth is that I still take advantage of low prices from online sellers when I’m buying new releases, and shop local mostly for used books and gift items.
9) One of the downsides of reading as much as I do (which is probably not at all unusual among book bloggers) is that the details don’t stick for very long. Ask me about a book I read last week? I can tell you all about it. Ask me about a book I read six months ago? Well… not so much.
10) I’ve gotten super stingy about lending books. I tend not to let my books out of my house anymore. I get really picky about the condition of my books, and I’ve had one too many loaned books come back with rips or stains, or even with corners chewed off by a friend’s cat. (A very cute kitty, so I couldn’t get too mad. She — my friend, not the cat — offered to replace the book, but I declined. Nice offer, though.) And I’m sure I’m not alone in lending out books and never getting them back. So, unless you’re among my select few trusted book people, don’t even ask!
Writing this post makes me realize that it’s about time for me to bring back my Bookish Confessions feature! I’ll have to work on a post or two in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile… I’d love to know what your book-related problems are. Do we have any in common? Please share your links!
If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!
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Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!
Oh yes yes I completely understand about the details escaping! I’M GLAD I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE. I review everything I read just for the pure need to try and remember them. Gah! The struggle is real. *nods*
Here’s my TTT!
I’m so glad I’m not alone! And I also go back to my old reviews to try to remember what I’ve already read, especially when I’m about to read a sequel (which is yet another reason that sequels and series drive me crazy.) I feel like sequels should come with a “previously in…” synopsis of the prior book, like they do for TV shows. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Brilliant list, as always! I definitely take advantage of online booksellers. I try to support shops when I can as well, I just can’t resist some cheap prices! I try not to feel too guilty about it…
My home library would be SO much smaller if I didn’t bargain hunt! The issue on my mind more right now because one of our best local bookshops (specializing in sci-fi/fantasy) is going out of business, and it’s such a big loss for the community. The location isn’t somewhere I can get to easily so I only shop there a couple of times a year, and now I wish I’d gone out of my way more to support them. Not that my purchases would make a difference, but still…
Oh I really wish there was a job where I could get paid for reading. That would be amazing!
Wouldn’t that be great? Especially if I could do it at home, in sweats, in my big comfy chair. 🙂
#4 Funnily my both parents and grandparents are voracious readers! So I’m not sure about that haha maybe it’s not dominate gene? XD #6 I try my best to avoid this and I think you try your best too, I think there’s just small snob living inside if every reader. My TTThttp://readandsurvive.com/2015/02/17/top-ten-tuesday-ten-book-related-problems-i-have/
Hehe, so the reading gene is recessive? That could explain a lot! It is hard to not be snobbish about books, isn’t it? Thanks for your comments!
😀 Maybe it is recessive 😀 my brother doesn’t read much either..hmmm or maybe it’s just mostly females. Very hard 😀
I really like short stories and novellas BUT I do find that I spend a lot of time thinking about how much longer until I am finished with it. Weird, as they are so short!
I can do novellas, since I usually tackle them as stand-alones on my e-reader. But just last year I got a book of fairy tales that I was so excited about — and then had a really miserable time getting through, even though the stories were really good.
All ten are so good i don’t know if i need to even write my own. This is my favorite list so I’ve been looking for an excuse to host it too.
You should give it a whirl! The host site has a list of upcoming topics, so you can pick and choose the ones that appeal to you. 🙂
Will do!
Great list! I definitely agree-there’s not enough time. I used to always lend out books, but I’ve recently decided not to anymore because I usually don’t get them back! It’s horrible. I also run out of book space. Thanks for sharing!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
The worst is a coworker I lent a book to last year — and when I asked her about it a couple of months later, she didn’t think she’d ever borrowed it for me. For the sake of peace, I dropped the subject and got myself a new copy, but that really turned me off from lending books!
Maybe you can market the idea of “will read books for cash (food?)”. (I make no guarantees on the success of this idea though.)
Ah, I know the non-reading boyish early days. Video games were (and still are) my ways to relax haha but maybe you could get him started with reading comics. You could also segue into reading comics/manga through watching shows/movies to pique interest! At least, that’s how I started reading them.
Cheers,
Joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts.
Ha ha, I can see me sitting on the sidewalk holding a big cardboard sign with that message! Nice to hear from someone who remembers being a non-reading boy! He has gotten more interested in comics lately and will read those without too much prodding, so I’m hoping that’ll eventually move him toward (gasp) actual books! Meanwhile, it’s hard for anything to compete with the allure of video games, that’s for sure.
I’m not a fan of lending books because there have been a few I never got back 😦
Me too. And for some, I’ve ended up buying replacements, but I always resent it. 🙂
The last one on your list made me smile as I really relate to that. I’m SO fussy about my books. I have a friend who I dread letting near books, the first thing she does is bend the covers right back until you can almost hear the spine cracking. My poor books! It’s horrible to witness 😀
Your point about short stories is another one that rings true for me. I don’t know why but I can’t seem to get into them in the way I do with a good, chunky novel, although I did enjoy Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress, but that’s been the exception so far.
The short story thing is something I’ve mostly accepted about myself, although every once in a while I’ll try again, but it just never works out. Even when I love the author, it’s an uphill battle!