The Siren Call of Books #amreading

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I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Wait—I take that back. I do know what’s wrong. I have a horrible weakness I can’t overcome. Several things in life beckon me—clothes, shoes, jewelry, sparkly things, cats, and chips (not necessarily in that order). I love the beach, a good vacation in a relaxing low-key setting, and I love…

Books.

It’s a disease. I know it is. This past weekend DH and I had some errands to run that placed us near the local brick-and-mortar bookstore. If I read a book a day for the next year I still wouldn’t be caught up with my gargantuan TBR, but the siren call reeled me in—books upon books upon books. Keep in mind, I already had my next several reads lined up in a queue on my Kindle, a few of those titles I’ve been anticipating for some time. So what did I do?

This:

books by Brendan Duffy

Did I need to buy these books? Of course not.

Darn if I didn’t get hooked by the titles and the blurbs. Suddenly, both have found their way to the top of my TBR, shuffling my already queued up reads farther back.

Why do we do this? I know I am not the only bibliophile out there. No matter how many books we have, it’s never enough. And no matter how geared up we are for the next read in our queue, it’s easy for something pop out of the blue and take its place. There are days I wish I could do nothing but read. For now, I’ll continue to juggle my reading life with my writing life.

And be sucked in by bookstores and libraries whenever I pass.

Spill your guts. You do the same thing, right? 😀

75 thoughts on “The Siren Call of Books #amreading”

  1. Mae, I’m just the same!! 😀😀 Even as young I decided this is a good addiction and it was impossible to waste money on books…they are a necessity of life! Enjoy your two new purchases … they look sooo inviting and intriguing. Enjoy shuffling your pile of books to be read,you’ll get there (well, that’s what I tell myself!) 📖 😀 📖

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    • I got bitten by the book bug when I was young too, Annika,and it’s never let go! I did start House of Echoes on Saturday night and am 130 pages deep into the story. It’s riveting, so it looks like I made a good choice. It’s just frustrating not having enough hours in in the day to disappear between the pages. And I still have to shuffle that queue on my Kindle, LOL.

      Happy reading!

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  3. These days, and dictated by shelf and house room, I do have a modicum of self control when it comes to grabbing every interesting book that I see! I cannot stop completely though, even though it will take me another lifetime to read them all…

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    • Another lifetime to read them…that’s exactly what it comes down to. I admit I’m still lacking in the self-control department, but I’m going to have to learn. There’s no possible way I can read all of these things! Imagine what we’d do if we could fill an entire room with books 🙂

      Happy reading!

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    • Hi, Priscilla. Thanks for dropping by to share. I absolutely LOVE my local library. And you’re absolutely right that it’s so easy to pick up book after book there. I’ve been in love with libraries ever since I was a kid and my parents took me on weekly visits. 🙂

      Happy Reading!

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  5. I’m like you, my TBR list is at least a mile long (maybe longer). And what did I do? Bought two new books for my Kindle last week. I don’t dare go near a brick and mortar store!

    And the two you bought? I’m having to resist looking them up on Amazon!

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    • I’m already 130 pages deep into the House of Echoes, Joan, and it’s a good one. This is the first time I’ve read this author, but I have a feeling he’s going to be on my radar for the future.

      And when it comes to Kindle books, Amazon makes it so easy to one-click. Enjoy your two new ones–when they surface in your TBR, LOL.

      Happy Reading!

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  6. It’s an addiction that I share, and one day, when I retire, I will spend days and days happily hidden behind the piles of book that have invaded my house, devouring every single one. Happy reading!

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    • I think of those future retirement days too, Erin. How wonderful to be able to spend hour after hour curled up with books. I’m glad I’m not alone in this addiction.

      Thanks for commenting, and Happy Reading!

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    • I think I’ve come to the realization I’ll never get through them all, Sue, but it’s getting harder and harder to choose among my colossal TBR. Then toss in writing, and well…you know the score, LOL!

      Happy Reading!

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  10. That is where it is, Mae. Mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (Excuse the outburst, but you said to spill my guts. sniff) I can’t stop adding to my TBR knowing it will be included in my will. I wish I knew what was wrong. Your post helped knowing there is another out there with a similar problem. Thanks for that.

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    • You did indeed spill your guts, John 🙂 I think our addiction is insurmountable and certainly not curable–the more we read the more we want to read. What’s really scary is that I buy certain titles for my Kindle AND in hardback. I sometimes panic thinking I won’t be able to access my Kindle if the electric grid goes down and I won’t be able to recharge it. The print copy is backup. My husband laughs and tells me if the electric grid goes down, worrying about reading a book will probably be the least of my worries!

      Happy Reading!

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  11. I can see how those two books would be too tempting to pass up. What great, moody covers and titles! I hope they live up to your expectations. It’s so much fun to find a book that hooks you and won’t let you go.

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    • The covers and titles sucked me in the moment I saw them, Judi. Then the blurbs delivered on the promise of a great story. I gobble them up! 🙂

      I’m 130 pages into House of Echoes and it’s excellent. I think I found a new author for my automatic buy list.

      Happy Reading!

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      • I’m going to look up House of Echoes. I need a few more go-to authors. I’m still waiting for a favorite author of mine–Mae Clair–to come out with her next book:) It’s June, right?

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      • That made me grin, Judi 🙂 Yes, June 12th is the release date for Cusp of Night. I hope I have a cover to share soon.Thank you so much for your support!! 🙂

        P.S. Still enjoying House of Echoes but I only got a few chapters read last night. Hoping for more tonight. I can’t figure out what’s going on and that’s always a good sign!

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  15. It used to be a tradition for my family to drive the two hours to the city so we could go to Chapters on a book-buying expedition. They had a Starbucks where you could grab a cup of coffee, and deep, comfortable chairs to curl up in and check out the merchandise. DH had to pull me away, lol.

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  20. I totally do the same thing. Sometimes, I’ll have gotten a freebie from a giveaway, and I’ll be reading it, knowing what book I’m supposed to read next. Then the book I’m reading turns out to be so good that I have to get the next in the series and read that. Then the next one….

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    • I’ve done that too, Lauralynn. I remember two free downloads in particular. One lead me to reading the entire 5 book series back-to-back and the other (currently on book 9) still has me following it. They definitely disrupted my read queue, LOL.

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  22. Maybe not so much…I have favourite antiquarian bookstores I haunt from time to time – I tend to binge, but I collect rather than read. I recently got a complete set of Plutarch’s Lives, but I haven’t touched them yet (I read them as a kid so I know the stories, I guess), there’s about eight volumes of Balzac I’ve hardly touched, and The Letters of Queen Victoria – my wife has read them from cover to cover, but I haven’t. I can’t explain myself, although this much is true – I’d rather browse through a bookstore than any other kind of shop. I’m rambling again, aren’t I? Someone stop me. Nurse? Nurse?

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    • Your ramblings are always entertaining, Frederick 😉

      Okay, I’m impressed. You sound like a serious book collector whereas I tend to gobble up genre fiction. I do enjoy reading nonfiction but I usually limit myself to certain topics or histories, and those books are more of a collection for me. I go through novels like water and still can’t keep up.

      I would love to spend a few hours in an antiquarian bookstore across the pond. We have nothing remotely similar in my area. No wonder you’re a collector!

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      • Oh, I’d love to be a serious book collector if I could afford to! No, I only dabble I’m afraid. I envy you in US for your much more extensive network of libraries – where I live the ‘library’ is a single room in the Town Hall building! And I wish I was a better reader of fiction, too. I’m really very bad at it. I shall try and do better…

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      • I never would have imagined your library was so limited, when yes, ours sprawl all over the place. As for being a reader of fiction, even if you don’t do a lot of it, you certainly have that knack for writing it extremely well. Make sure you keep that up too 🙂

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  23. A fellow chip and cat lover…yes, bookstores call me loudly–libraries, too. Looks like you found some good reads…I look forward to hearing about them:)

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  24. And now you’ve added to my TBR list again… When I was a kid, I always counted my money so I could buy books from the Scholastic book flyers (remember those?). Then I had enough to go to real book stores; ‘course then I had to decide which books I really wanted because hey, limited funds. I could order all the books I wanted through the library, but sometimes they didn’t have the ones I wanted to read 🙂 Spent many years (and dollars) in the SFBC. Now I’m back to getting books through the library again (and yes, I still have a ton of e-books on my list) because a) don’t have to store them when I’m finished (don’t have enough bookshelves anyway 😉 ), and b) if I don’t like a book, I just bring it back 😀

    I still try to steer clear of bookstores because I can get lost in one for hours!

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    • Part of my mission in life is to add to your TBR, Julie 😀

      Oh, how I loved the Scholastic flyers! I always bought books from them. I wonder if they still have them. And I was a member of the SFFBC for many years, as well as the Writer’s Digest BC.

      There were so many bookstores around when I was teenager and in my 20s. I was there every time I had money. Sad that so many have disappeared. I’m thankful there’s still one in my area but I worry about it staying. People just don’t visit like they used to.

      You made excellent reasons for borrowing from your library. I use mine mostly for research, but you’re right that they make book reading so easy!

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  25. Mae, you and I suffer from the same affliction. I’ve read House of Echoes – it was a little slow paced for me. More of a gothic feel, something I don’t mind at all, but didn’t expect from the comp titles.

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    • I LOVE the gothic feel. I only managed a few chapters last night, but I hope to be able to read more tonight. I hope the ending doesn’t disappoint, because I’m really enjoying it.

      As for books and reading—I can’t keep up with you. I think you must devour them, LOL!

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    • Oh, Jan, I’ve done that too and then I feel awful. But like you said, others pop up and demand attention. It’s amazing how vocal books can be when they want to be noticed and read 🙂

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    • Oh, no! Natalie, I didn’t realize you were sick. The flu is so dreadful this year. I’ve had several friends who were down for weeks. I’m glad you’re feeling better now and able to enjoy reading all those books again 🙂

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