Posted on by Britta

When You Spend Most of Your Pay Check on Books…

Okay, so I wouldn’t say most of my pay check…I just like to exaggerate here.

Anywho…

I usually don’t venture into Barnes & Noble without a gift card. Such a trip would be dangerous and books are so expensive these days. I just can’t afford to be spending all of my money on books you know, as much as I’d like to!

Well, it just so happened that I had a few such gift cards in my wallet for what seemed like quite a while, so, on my day off on Tuesday, I decided to make my way into the labyrinth with the intention of only buying a book or two…

Not. So.

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…and I have a book problem.

Needless to say, I spent way more than the money I had on my gift cards (turns out one of them only had $2.00 left on it…whoops!) and I regret nothing. It’s that buy two get one free deal that really got me this time. I just couldn’t resist!

That said, don’t let me into that store for the rest of the summer. I have to save some money, after all…and I can’t bring all these books to Thailand, you know! I have a few months to do A LOT of reading, but there’s a lot more books piled up that I somehow managed to acquire this summer before this Barnes and Noble visit of mine.

Well, I guess there are worse problems I could have…after all, there’s nothing ever wrong with reading a good book.

30 Replies to “When You Spend Most of Your Pay Check on Books…”

  2. Oh, that’s such a relief. I’m glad I’m not the only with a book-purchasing addiction. And I used to order books on Amazon almost every week. And then I was forced to stop. I had $40 and I told myself I wouldn’t spend them. What do I do? I spent it on books. I tried reprogramming myself to actually start using the library. I checked out a book, but it’s not the same. I’m at a point in my life where I just can’t bear to part with books.

    By the way, The Opposite of Loneliness is a good book. Many have criticized the author for being so detached from reality. But I could actually relate to her fiction. Sometimes I tell myself she’s not dead. I’m from New Haven and she went to Yale so maybe we ran into each other more than once, not knowing I would one day be reading her words.

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    1. Yeah, I’ve only recently rediscovered my book buying problem. I’ve been frequenting used book stores lately, which is great, since the books are cheaper. This is the first time I’ve set foot in a Barnes & Noble since January and clearly I bought way too much. I don’t mind going to the library, but I agree, having your own book collection is so much more fun…and meaningful to the book nerd in me.

      I’m really excited to read The Opposite of Loneliness. That’s actually why I ended up doing the buy two get one free deal. I had read an article about the book when it came out, but didn’t think much about it again until I saw it last week on the buy two get one free rack. As someone who just graduated from college, I feel like I’ll be able to resonate with her words a lot. My friend told me she was reading it last week when I bought the book and said she was enjoying it, too. I guess when you’re in college–especially if you live on campus–it’s really easy to become detached from reality. Doesn’t matter if you go to Yale or a small Midwestern liberal arts school like I did. College, in many respects, isn’t reality, and so I don’t think I’ll mind that critique at all.

      Looking forward to reading Still Alice, too. Hell, I’m looking forward to reading all the books I bought last week. I haven’t been this excited about a group of books that I’ve bought together in a long time!

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      1. Let’s just say the people who disliked The Opposite of Loneliness are adults who struggle to understand millennials. My mom thinks I’m detached from reality, and she wants nothing more than to yank me right back. But it’s so easy to dream and fantasize when you’re young. I suppose that’s why I like Marina.

        Ugh, I wish I had a Cloak of Invisibility so I could sneak into Barnes and Noble and take as many books as I want.

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      2. Makes sense, though I guess I’ll have to read it to understand completely what you’re saying. I know a thing or two about millennials, given that I am one, so I can make a guess at some of the reasons this book would upset older generations. My response as a millennial–as cliche as it might sound–you only live once. Why not make it the best?

        Wouldn’t that be just the best, if only a tiny bit immoral? I wish new books weren’t so expensive because they’re so wonderful!

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      4. Ah, it’ll probably be a while before I get to it! I have so many other books stacked up and my adventure across the world starting in September isn’t going to help with lightening that stack!

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  4. Oh, and Still Alice is such a beautiful book! It’s heart-breaking and scary in that you never know when a degenerative disease is going to strike.

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  5. I’m exactly the same! I would rather purchase books over shoes. While shoes start wearing and tearing the more you wear, books age well over time. I mean, who doesn’t find antiquated, yellowing pages somewhat…lovely? 🙂

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    1. I’m not going to lie, a good pair of shoes really gets me excited. I have really weirdly sized feet, though, so it’s hard to fit into shoes at all (I can where children’s shoes, they’re that small and wide). I’d probably be more enthusiastic about shoe buying if I could fit into a nice pair of heels, etc. That said, I haven’t bought shoes in almost a year.

      I’d much rather spend extra money on books, though, that’s for sure. I mean, I could get a really, really nice pair of shoes for the money I spent on these six books–and I think I got more for my money with the books. 🙂

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    1. Ah, the thing is, half the magic of reading a book for me is the actual physical book.

      That said, I’ve been thinking about investing in a Kindle to make reading easier in Thailand. I sure can’t bring all these books with me, but I’m not the type of person who can just quit reading. A Kindle would be really useful in that respect.

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      1. I do love my Kindle. And if you are a “I like physical books” person, the Kindle is ideal for your situation of being away for an extended period of time in a non-English speaking country.

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      2. Agreed. Physical books are preferred for me, but they aren’t exactly ideal for being away in non-English speaking country for an extended period of time. A Kindle would be perfect for traveling, but I don’t necessarily want to use it in daily life.

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  10. Woot woot! No such thing as too many books! 😀 That’s probably how I’d spend my paychecks too, if I were working! 🙂 Happy reading!

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    1. Haha, yes! I haven’t been in six months and I generally try to avoid B&N for this very reason…but the gift cards were so enticing and then I heard from one of my friends who’s really interested in the book industry that B&N isn’t doing too well and then I was like, well I gotta use these up before this place goes out of business for good…whenever that will be (and it will be a sad day, indeed).

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