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My New Year's resolution this year was to not buy a new book until after I've read one of the many, many books I already own. Now that we're just past the halfway point, how am I doing? Abysmally. It sounded like such a good idea on paper, but I clearly didn't think it through.
Problem #1: Series books. I read a lot of series books. In fact, I read mostly series books. Since I don't already own every book in every series I read, having this rule was creating huge wait times between reading books in the series I'm following.
Problem #2: BookBub. If you're not familiar with BookBub, it's a free online deal alert service for ebooks. You can opt to receive a daily (or weekly) newsletter with ebook deals for $2.99 or less in the subjects or genres of your choosing (including M/M romance), or you can add books to your account and BookBub will email you if there's a deal on them. This has been both great and terrible for me because this is where I end up buying a lot of my ebooks. Because I am cheap cheap cheap.
Problem #3: Samhain Publishing announced they were going out of business. Samhain is my favorite publisher for M/M romance and I had a lot of things on my To Read list on their slate. Since they didn't announce a conclusive date when they would close up shop (they're "winding down operations"), I went over to their site to grab what I could before things started going out of print, coincidentally on a day when they were having a massive site-wide sale where everything I wanted was under $3.00. (See above re: cheap.) (And argh, I just popped over to their site for two seconds to copy/paste their URL and what was on the front page? A new book in a series I read. I just bought another book. Somebody please stop me.) [ETA: Samhain's URL removed because the site is now closed.]
On the plus side, I've mostly given up TV and fic in favor of reading my books, which was my original goal when I started giving myself annual reading challenges back in 2010. So maybe it'll only take six more years before I manage to start reading my own books instead of buying new ones all the time.
Problem #1: Series books. I read a lot of series books. In fact, I read mostly series books. Since I don't already own every book in every series I read, having this rule was creating huge wait times between reading books in the series I'm following.
Problem #2: BookBub. If you're not familiar with BookBub, it's a free online deal alert service for ebooks. You can opt to receive a daily (or weekly) newsletter with ebook deals for $2.99 or less in the subjects or genres of your choosing (including M/M romance), or you can add books to your account and BookBub will email you if there's a deal on them. This has been both great and terrible for me because this is where I end up buying a lot of my ebooks. Because I am cheap cheap cheap.
Problem #3: Samhain Publishing announced they were going out of business. Samhain is my favorite publisher for M/M romance and I had a lot of things on my To Read list on their slate. Since they didn't announce a conclusive date when they would close up shop (they're "winding down operations"), I went over to their site to grab what I could before things started going out of print, coincidentally on a day when they were having a massive site-wide sale where everything I wanted was under $3.00. (See above re: cheap.) (And argh, I just popped over to their site for two seconds to copy/paste their URL and what was on the front page? A new book in a series I read. I just bought another book. Somebody please stop me.) [ETA: Samhain's URL removed because the site is now closed.]
On the plus side, I've mostly given up TV and fic in favor of reading my books, which was my original goal when I started giving myself annual reading challenges back in 2010. So maybe it'll only take six more years before I manage to start reading my own books instead of buying new ones all the time.
no subject
Date: 2016-07-17 11:06 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2016-07-20 07:19 pm (UTC)From:One of the things I miss most about Chicago is all the public transportation. Not because it's cheaper and easier, but because it was time to READ! I have so little reading time in my life now! With a 45 minute commute one way, I could not only keep up with all my monthly magazines, but I could finish a book in a workweek or less. Now, they just keep piling up, tempting me as I run out the door to a client, or sit down at my computer to do my personal work.
I need the proverbial desert island for six months or so, as long as my entire book collection comes with me!
no subject
Date: 2016-07-20 09:51 pm (UTC)From:I just have to be careful to make sure that the book I'm reading with my eyeballs at lunch and in the evening isn't too similar to the audiobook I'm listening to lest I get the plots confused. Right now I'm reading a contemporary paranormal book about paramedics that treat supernatural beings and listening to an English historical mystery. Yes, audiobooks in the car now let me read 2 books at once. If I'm lucky, I can download an audiobook of one of the print books I own and have it read to me. It saves a lot of time.
no subject
Date: 2016-07-23 08:39 am (UTC)From: