TGIF is hosted by Ginger at GReads! Not only is she the coolest blogger around, but she's also the creative mastermind behind this meme in which we share some bookish thoughts and musings to celebrate the end of the work week. And she made that adorable graphic, which I think is just splendid.
This week, the lovely Ginger asks:
Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore?
The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?
If you guys know anything about me at all, it’s that I’m a nerd. And for this nerd, organization makes me almost as happy as devouring books. So naturally, I could not resist geeking out just a tad for this week’s TGIF question.
Looking at the last 50 or so books, here’s the breakdown...
So as you can see, I’m pretty balanced with my variety. While I am a very lucky ducky getting books from publishers and authors for review, I am equally lucky having amazing bookish friends who lend or gift me books too. IT IS THE BEST. I, of course, do my best to return the favor.
I also do my part to utilize the library, as I think libraries are the bomb diggity.* I’ve even gotten better about keeping books too long and getting fines. Nothing shames me more than a library fine. Sad, but true. I am prone to keeping a book WAY too long.
And, of course, I buy books. I’m getting better about buying them for my Kindle so they don’t take up precious space in the house. However, there are some books that I want to have a paper version of so that I can lend it out to friends.
What about you? Do you buy or borrow books? Do you prefer one over the other? Do you show your library any love? I'd love to know AND I'd love if you linked it up over at GReads!
*Oh that’s right. I used the phrase bomb diggity. You’re welcome, 1995.
Gosh I really need to use my library more. Look how well-rounded you are! I love your pie chart btw :)
ReplyDeleteVery slick...(and nerdy--I love that--I used to be a math teacher, so I hits the spot for me.) I think buying books so you can loan them out is great! I'm just not a proponent of having boxes and boxes of books sitting around that no one is going to read.
ReplyDeleteMy library pie portion would be SO BIG. Love that you made a pie chart. So very nerdy. <3
ReplyDeleteI may need to create a spreadsheet and run an analysis of where my books came from and the percentage that were bought or borrowed. Ha, I'm such a nerd about those things too! I try to get most of my from the library so I don't go completely broke feeding my book habit, but I recently discovered a used bookstore that has great buys, so that's been my latest place for book procurement!
ReplyDeleteOk, you could be the first person to list your reason for buying physical books as so you can loan them out to friends. Very sweet ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, amazed and slightly jealous of your lucky ducky books received by so many publishers! Congrats
I LOVE YOUR PIE CHART. It is THE most awesome thing ever! The nerd in me is grinning from ear to ear right now.
ReplyDeleteI admire the fact that you're so balanced when it comes to your book sources. If I check on mine, most of the books I read are what I bought myself. Hopefully this year, that changes as I start borrowing more from my library!
I use my library A LOT. I checked my stats from 2011, and 63% of my books, 113 total, were from the library. (That's not counting the books I borrow for nannying.) In general I try to avoid spending money on books, simply because I don't have any to spend:P
ReplyDeleteYour pie chart is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI kind of want one for my own, and then... I think, nah, too much effort.
Based on my rough guestimation, I'd say 90% of my books come from the library, or were free ARCs from publishers. I probably spend about $500 a year on books, and I donate them to the library.
But! I'm a librarian, so I'm at the library nearly every day - definitely makes it much easier to bring them back on time... even if it does put me in contact with more tempting books than I could ever hope to read in a lifetime.
good for you for donating your books to the library! i support it.
DeleteYAY source variety! And library love! (Also I want a pie chart too because they are so cool)
ReplyDeleteCool post!
ReplyDeleteI avoid libraries:
A) because they're hard to get to.
B) because just like you I am prone to accumulating library fines, which is v. embarrassing.
By the way, I 'dig' your use of the phrase 'bomb diggity'. :D
Thank you, everyone, for loving my pie chart.
ReplyDeleteNERDS RULE.
Your pie chart is the freaking BOMB! It's always nice to see a fellow library goer :] I love that everything is about equal too.Oftentimes I see it more like 98% publishers and 2% purchases but there are SO many other sources out there!
ReplyDelete...
Woops. Looks like I just got on my soapbox for a minute there. I'm done now :P
HUZZAH, library! I try to use mine as much as I can. It's smallish, though, and so they don't always get things, or it takes them a little while to come in, so then I have to decide which books to buy or which ones to wait for. But I love my library. I'm there ALL THE TIME. Holla!
ReplyDeleteAlso, when you said "bomb diggity" it reminded me of that song, No Diggity? Do you remember that or am I just heinously old? That song was my JAM for most of freshman year of HS.
What a great post! Happy to see another person who takes advantage of the library (hey, I'm biased.... I'm a librarian). Ok... and I totally love that you said bomb diggity. :)
ReplyDelete