I have loved reading for a long as I can remember – I don’t ever recall it not being part of my life. When I was really young I loved all things Enid Blyton. The Magic Faraway tree was my absolute favourite, followed by the Famous Five and then the Mystery and Adventure series until I discovered Judy Blume. It was ‘Are you there God? It’s me Margaret’ and was given to me by my sister while I was at my grandparents house. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time it was the first time I realised how amazing books could be. Up to that point I had loved reading but it had never captured me in the way this book had. I was transfixed by it – just so absorbed by the characters and story – it’s a feeling I’ve never forgotten.
My reading tastes have changed over the years. I devoured all of Judy Blume's books, loved Paula Danziger and (embarrassingly) sweet dream romances. Point Horror books were a favourite of mind until I moved on to adult books when I discovered John Saul. And then I found Christopher Pike. Again I had that feeling I found when I first read Judy Blume. This time the book was ‘Remember Me’ and I absolutely loved it!
I have had that feeling over and over again in following years. You never know when it’s going to hit and I wonder if it is the cause of my book buying addiction. Am I trying to find that perfect book in the way a drug user gets his fix? I don’t know. All I do know is I love books. I love everything about them. Finding them, what they look like, the promise of what is inside. The magic they could contain!Which is possibly where my problem lies?
So why do I think my love of books has become an obsession. Well let’s see...
I have a ridiculously high TBR pile yet I still buy more books.
I have acquired 63 books so far this year (and it’s only March!)
I have only read 25 books this year
ER...WTF?
So the question is ... why can’t I STOP BUYING BOOKS?
I wish I could blame this on my blog but in all truth I developed this ‘problem’ years ago. I had a ridiculously high TBR pile before I started I Want To Read That. It’s one of the reasons I started. Perhaps my working in a bookshop and being surrounded by temptation all day is too much to ask? But I even go to bookshops on my day off! And don’t even ask me about charity shops!
So am I alone in this problem? Is there a magic cure or will someone find me buried under my pile of unread books?
