Today I thought I would have a little fun and do another book tag. This time it’s the book-buying habits book tag. It was originally created by Megan Olivier who has since taken the video down, but I was tagged by my best friend Ely over at Earl Grey Books. 

This was a really interesting tag to do. I had to think about a lot of things while doing this post and I really liked it. Okay, enough of this let’s get into the tag. 

1) Where do you buy your books from?

For the most part, I buy my books from my bookstore. I work at QBD and have for nearly 5 years now. And for the past 8 months, I have managed my own store. It’s not often that I do buy from other places, but when I do it is either Off The Book Pages – which is an Australian indie bookstore or Amplify Bookstore – which specialises in books from POC. The only time that I really buy off Amazon is for my ebooks as well as books that I cannot get anywhere else. 

2) Do you ever pre-order books, and if so do you do this in-store or online?

Again mostly through my store. It’s super easy for me to preorder books. And if we are already getting the book in, I just buy it when it arrives. While in lockdowns I have used other places, but I honestly haven’t done it much. 

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

3) On average, how many books do you buy a month?

This is a really hard question because it honestly changes so much. Sometimes I can buy maybe 5-6 books a month, and then there are other times where it’s 20+. It changes for many different reasons, while in lockdown I have been buying less. But as you’ve seen with my hauls, the last few months I have bought quite a few. 

4) Do you use your local library?

I do, I do. Not as much as I use to, especially while in high school. But I still do use it from time to time. I don’t always borrow physical books, but I borrow ebooks quite a lot. 

5) If so, how many books can you/do you borrow at a time?

It’s quite a lot. I can’t remember exactly what the number is. I try not to borrow a lot at the one time though. I am a mood reader and I never really know what I want to read and when. So I try and only borrow when I want to read something at that moment. 

6) What is your opinion on library books?

I love them. I love libraries. As a teen, I used them all the time. From my school library to my local library as well as the library bus. I didn’t have a job then and my parents couldn’t keep up with my reading habits, so it was super easy to go to the library and check out books. 

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

7) How do you feel about charity shop/second-hand books?

Again I love going to op shops/charity shops. It’s a great way for me to get books that I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about. Or expand my romance collection. I love browsing them and finding some new reads or books that I’ve had my eye on for a while. While I do love my books to be in pretty good condition, I don’t mind buying them second hand.

I have also bought a fair few of my romances second hand and from places like Facebook marketplaces and buy/swap groups. Indie romance books can be expensive and it’s a great way to find some gems. 

8) Do you keep your read and TBR pile together/on the same shelf or not?

No, I actually don’t. I use it, but last year I had to get some more bookcases and I decided to separate them. I now have my tbr on the shelves in my room, while all my other books are outside in our lounge room upstairs. It’s a great way for me to keep track of what I haven’t read as well, it’s easy to access. 

9) Do you plan to read all of the books that you own?

Yes, that is the plan! Will it happen? Maybe. When will it happen? I have no idea. I have bought a lot of books over the past 10 years especially, so my collection has been building for some time now. I don’t always get to the books on my tbr in a timely manner. 

Photo by Olga Tutunaru on Unsplash

10) What do you do with books that you own that you feel you will never read/felt you did not enjoy?

I do a few different things. Firstly, I see if my younger sister or cousins wants them. Then I try to either sell them or donate them to op shops or schools. I try and not to keep the books the books that I didn’t like or I now know I won’t read. 

11) Have you ever donated books?

I obviously answered that above, but yes I donate a lot of my books. Espeically if they are older young adult books and people have them. So donating to charities or schools is where I go. 

12) Have you ever been on a book buying ban?

I have tried. But I never really succeed. It’s hard honestly. I feel that If I didn’t work in a bookstore it would be much easier, but I honestly can’t keep to it. 

13) Do you feel that you buy too many books?

No. The answer is simple. No one should ever feel bad that they are buying ‘too many books.’ Not only am I supporting my work, but author and the publishing industry. 

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

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And there we go that is this book done! I had a lot of fun answering these questions. What are your book buying habits like? Do you have any that is the same as mine? Let’s Chat! I am tagging anyone that wants to do this book tag.