Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Do you have reading indulgences? For example, do you buy hardcover books of a certain author? Do you pay for subscriptions for print or audiobooks? Do you have accessories like a reading pillow, book light, etc.? Or a special beverage or treat you like while reading? Or even blocking out time in your busy day for reading?

Um, yes - a few. :) I am a huge, huge, huge Stephen King fan, so my living room has three bookshelves with books and memorabilia related to Stephen King. Spirit Halloween is my friend. LOL

I listen to audiobooks ALL THE TIME. We have a two book a month subscription to Audible. I have a love/hate relationship with it because Amazon is a horrible company, and I am so far in now that I have literally hundreds of books, so.....

I work four jobs, so my "me time" is Saturday mornings. I sit out on my back porch with my breakfast and (depending on the time of year) my blankets, and I read. It is lovely. My baby Sulu (Dachshund/Jack Russell Terrier mix) would always come out and curl up on my feet. <3 He passed away in April, and I miss him so much. :( I usually make a pot of tea to enjoy while I am out there. My daughter's orange menace cat has broken two of my tea kettles recently, so I have to get a cat proof one!

I am also addicted to Audible even though it is part of the Evil Empire. They just have so much more and are so much easier to search and access than other platforms. And I am a dinosaur who downloads books to my computer and puts them on an iPod nano. It is literally under 2 inches square, so much more portable than a bulky phone. Most services want you to stream, I assume eventually Audible will too, since that way they can track your activity. I have the 12 credits at once plan because there are no so many sales and I have so much backlog that I just need enough for new books that I am sure I want.

I don't care about hardback vs paperback. I generally prefer paper to ebook but if it's cheap or if I 'm traveling, ebooks are great. I rarely keep books after I read them. I rarely buy brand new hardcovers, I'll wait till they are secondhand or available at the library. Even paperbacks can now be $20. And I will never buy what I call a "2-hour book" - something short with lots of white space. I could almost stand in the bookstore and read it!

I often drink tea while reading and I am choosy about that. Instead of buying teabags at the grocery store, I get specific flavors of loose tea from companies in St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York.

I sometimes buy bookmarks as souvenirs but then I think they are "too nice" to use, so I just use cheap giveaways from the library or elsewhere.

Misty wrote: "Um, yes - a few. :) I am a huge, huge, huge Stephen King fan, so my living room has three bookshelves with books and memorabilia related to Stephen King. Spirit Halloween is my friend. LOL

I liste..."

Four jobs! I'm amazed you can read at all. I assume for some of them or while driving there you at least can listen to books. Sorry to hear fo the loss of your reading companion, Sulu!

The local $1 bookshop. I may leave with 20 books. I can pick up shorter books since they are only a dollar, or hoard books by a recevtjy discovered author I like.
Bookmarks. I buy cute ones.
I read pretty much anywhere anytime but still block out time before bed
Usually I make tea but it’s not required. But I generally associate books, tea, and my cats

Now that I'm retired, I have a couple of hours most afternoons sitting on my bed reading. My other indulgence is picking up books at my local learning centre's swap shelf, or buying them from charity shops - I currently have 243 physical books on my shelves that I haven't read yet - eek! It is nice to have lots of choice to fit in with challenges...

Robin P wrote: "Four jobs! I'm amazed you can read at all. I assume for some of them or while driving there you at least can listen to books. Sorry to hear fo the loss of your reading companion, Sulu!"

Thanks. He was the best boy. I miss him like crazy. 3

I always listen during my driving time. One of my jobs has often has "busy work," so I listen while I am doing that. I am also a substitute teacher, so I will often listen during off periods.

Pretty much no to these questions. I'm trying to not acquire more books (failing miserably) and rarely buy new books, but I do indulge myself in buying books from my library. So many of their books are like brand new. I feel like even if I don't read them, I want them on my bookshelf and it's a donation to my library. In fact, they are having a Like-new and holiday themed book sale at the main library this Saturday. I'm so tempted to go!

I do like nice bookmarks, rather than using receipts or other books or whatever is closest to me. I went to an arts and crafts fair last month in Lexington KY and found a vendor with the most beautiful artwork with birds and flowers. I bought 3 bookmarks. That was a HARD decision! I loved them all.

Pam wrote: "Pretty much no to these questions. I'm trying to not acquire more books (failing miserably) and rarely buy new books, but I do indulge myself in buying books from my library. So many of their books..."

I mostly read library books. I collect bookmarks

Lately, I've been buying or asking for book-themed clothes and accessories. I've got some t-shirts, tote bags, a tin sign, and I always like nice bookmarks. I mostly use my library, but I do still have hundreds of books on shelves or in storage. Someday, I want more shelves so I can see all my books.

Misty wrote: "Um, yes - a few. :) I am a huge, huge, huge Stephen King fan, so my living room has three bookshelves with books and memorabilia related to Stephen King. Spirit Halloween is my friend. LOL

I liste..."

I'm so sorry to hear about Sulu (great name). I hope when the time is right you find another little reading companion.

I buy more books than I should, but almost always paperbacks from Half Price Books (where I also sell the ones I'm finished with) or another second-hand store. I recently found a great new local indie bookstore and I did buy a couple of new hardback books there to help support them. I use the library when I can. No audiobooks or ebooks (except when an ebook is the only option, which occasionally happens). Most of the bookmarks I use were made for me in school by my son a quarter century ago. 😮

I have bought myself over the years a T-shirt that says "I interrupted my audiobook for this", a long-sleeved shirt that says "I have too many books - said nobody, ever", and a hoodie that just has books all over it.

There are two series that I will immediately grab, Kendra Donovan mysteries by Julie McElwain and the A Stitch in Time series by Kelley Armstrong. Both involve time travel or, more specifically, time slipagpe. I do pay for an Audible membership since I listen to audiobooks as I walk or drive around town. One of my reading pleasures is to sit in my recliner with a cup of tea on the side table. Heavenly! I, too, collect bookmarks and I try to match one to the theme or genre of the book I'm reading.

If you'd asked me this question thirty years ago, I would have said my reading indulgence was owning way too many books. But! My second oldest is multiply-disabled and obsessed with print, to the point that when he was young he would pull books off the shelf, scatter them everywhere, or take them to his room and slowly destroy them.

So now I only have a limited amount of print books (mostly old favorites) hiding in my bedroom, and my reading indulgences are all ebook related - I have a Kindle Unlimited membership, and I have three local library cards (one of which I pay a yearly fee for as I don't live there - OKC metro library). I also have more than one ereader which seems very indulgent, lol.

Hmm... I would say I don't have any reading indulgences... except I walk down to my local library branch during my lunch break 1-2 times a month to either pick up or return books. And when I do, I always get myself a poke bowl from the restaurant down the street for my lunch. So I guess that!

Dixie wrote: "I'm so sorry to hear about Sulu (great name). I hope when the time is right you find another little reading companion."

Thank you. <3 He was pretty special.

I love indulgences! But it's hard to find them. Between 2016 and 2022 I moved every year, so I have slowly been getting rid of physical books. Plus, now that I have to wear reading glasses to read paper books, I rarely read them (I love my paperwhite where I can even sit in the dark and read). And I normally do library books. So as much as I want to buy books, there's no reason.
All this being said, I still buy bookmarks!