I want to buy books but I can't buy books

[Note: These are affiliate links. No pressure at all to buy from these sources (or to buy books in the first place), but if you do choose to buy through these links, I'll receive a small portion of the sale with no extra cost to you.]

Channels Mentioned:

Books that will not be bought anytime soon if I have any sense at all:
-Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
-The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
-The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis (translated from Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson)
-Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
-A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
-A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence
-Pages & Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
-Wildhood: The Astounding Connections between Human and Animal Adolescents by Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers
-Africa is Not a Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa by Dipo Faloyin
-The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape by James Howard Kunstler
-Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong
-Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
-An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional by Rainesford Stauffer
-Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
-Golem Girl by Riva Lehrer
-Woman Without a Country by Eavan Boland
-Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat
-Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
-Women Talking by Miriam Toews
-Mislaid by Nell Zink
-In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
-Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford

This is not a sponsored video, and unless otherwise stated, I bought these books myself.

00:00 Hewo & A Crisis
00:41 Reasons not to buy all the books
07:42 But I still want all the books
08:36 Okay here are the books that I want to buy but that I won't buy because logic and stuff
21:51 Bai

[kit]

Felt so connected to this as a student in NYC who literally cannot afford to buy books but keeps doing it anyway??!??! I get that same panicky feeling too and will probably come back to this video when I'm feeling it again to know I'm not alone. And yes to the central/eastern Europe version too! Also, the Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas is SO GOOD

[GinaStanyerBooks]

I love Hannah’s channel too. Her no buy/budget year videos were so insightful and thought provoking.
I don’t have any desire to have a zero TBR, but I do understand how physical objects (including books) can really weigh you down emotionally.
I’d encourage you to reconsider buying used books. There are absolutely beautiful editions in lovely condition out there! It’s such a thrilling hunt and you can scratch the itch for cheap.

[TheREADhead]

I absolutely identify with the dilemma of wanting to own all the books but also want to be a minimalist and not own lots of stuff 😭

[SavidgeReads]

I love this idea as a series of videos. I need to hold myself accountable more for buying books. Especially when I’m feeling low or flat. So I empathise, I’m amazed the last year hasn’t bankrupt from books, ha. I’m going to follow your lead and start listing books and then letting them sit with me more. All power to you… especially with all those fabulous bookshops around you. I would fall into Three Lives and/or Strand Books everyday.

[StanGeorgiana]

Please do part 2, my focus for 2022 will be Eastern Europe, so really interested 🤔

[barbaraboethling]

Thanks for your honesty and comments! I've found that I need/want less as I've aged. A dire financial situation also has changed my habits. Now I would probably turn down the opportunity for a bookstore spree. I only buy used through library book sales now. This year I've brought home about 75 books, and spent less than $20. I read from my library, and free ebooks and audio from their online resources. I feel much better now in terms of the environmental impact too. Use your change in circumstances for the better. It's a great opportunity!😊

[cherylclough]

Loved this video-do more! Housekeeping was one of my favorite reads ever.

[tnan]

This was a great discussion. Lots of it is relatable. I also tend to only want books I find good looking but find it does get burdensome with both costs and the weight of it all. Not just bikes is a fascinating YouTube channel I've also been following. Lots of interesting wants in your list. Thanks for sharing! Always love a good book list that is so eclectic that I can go research.

[rogston]

This REALLY resonated with YOU !!! Love your vlogs !! x

[Shellyish]

I adore Hannah Louise I read one of her poems on my channel. Gosh, I had no idea other booktubers watched her. Her channel has been really amazing over the years.

[lyddie]

hard relate to this! i was on a super strict no-buy when i first moved to canada four years ago (as an immigrant with no work permit for four months and lawyers fees, it was tight). i used my library religiously, reading new releases only from the library and picking up lots of books secondhand. i just recently went shopping and bought a lot of books. and about a week later, i was like, why did i do that? when am i going to read them? i am depressed and my word processing ability is SLOW. so they are going to languish on my shelves, which is so sad.

so my aim is to go back onto my shelves and see if i can pick away at my current shelves. i love books and when i read books, it inspires me to buy more (of cOURSE). but in so many cases, i haven't caught up to myself yet. i'm buying That Book Which was Inspired By These Four Other Books, but I've only read 2 of those earlier books???

All this to say, I think a no-buy is in order. TY for the inspiration <3

[curtjarrell]

I concluded a 40 yr. long bookselling career two years ago. Now, on Social Security and with a house overflowing with books I must for sanity's' sake restrict my book purchases. I've grudgingly made peace with it and use a rewards credit card to earn gift cards from Barnes & Noble to add to my meager book buying bankroll. I'm going to read until I die. Keep turning the pages.

[ReadBecca]

This was really thought provoking for me. I absolutely do buy a way too many books, but cheaply second hand, however I tend to do that in rare spurts. I'm not much of a "consumer" in general, so I think library fulfills my consumer emotional rush, as I used to go browse 2-3 times a week pretty regularly. Then everything shut down, including the library, I think I did very much the same thing you talk about with filling and emptying carts, except with overdrive. A couple times a week I would go through new additions, sometimes I would browse the whole catalog in chunks, or work through authors by letters of the alphabet. You've made me realize that was definitely a sort of self soothing activity I was doing.

[tawnyman]

I was in the midst of making a dream Blackwells order that I then emptied before I watched this video. 😂 I have a rule for myself that I can’t buy a book I haven’t read if it’s available either at the physical library or via Libby. Yes to the Central Eastern Europe video - I have a specific wishlist for that, with To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova being at the top of my list.

[beanbagbooks]

For my senior seminar in English lit in college, I had to read Life After Life, and I remember just not being able to believe that something as fun as reading that book could be my homework.

[InfiniteText]

I FELT this video deeply. I love my library and this year has been entirely focused on putting a halt to adding books. Not minimizing yet, just stopping the buying. It was rough. I really like the idea of listing books you'd like to purchase, and just purging it instead...it looked therapeutic. I hope this catches on! Moving....is a pain.

[hannahgreendale]

Would love to see a follow-up video of central/eastern European books! As for me, I made a goal this year to read every book I purchased, and so far, I've done that (though a few books recently ordered from my favorite bookstore have yet to arrive). I hope to continue with this goal in 2022. I've also been buying books only from local shops at full price, which has helped keep the number of books I buy low, thereby making my goal of reading all purchased books for the year far more manageable. As expected, I've found that reading recently purchased books (while I'm still excited about them) is far more enjoyable than reading books that have sat on my shelves for years and no longer call to me as they did when I first purchased them.

[impossibletangerine]

I needed this video!! i cant tell you how much ive been putting things in my cart recently "just for fun" but then a few times i actually ended up purchasing them !! it gives me like a thrill and i get excited to see new things arriving but its definitely a slightly addicting and sinister capitalist obsession. I recently discovered a local second-hand bookstore and have been going there way too often bc my mind says its just a few dollars anyway (like the cost of a cup of coffee) but then.. those purchases add up! also i literally dont have the space anymore! ah, all that to say i relate to this video and its probably something that should be talked about more on booktube/bookstagram! i also feel that those aesthetic set-ups/photos of peoples giant bookshelves filled with colorful books... idk they enable me somehow as if i need a large collection or something? but its not something thats in my budget, nor is it practical!

[Elizabeth-Reads]

I definitely hear you, I've had similar conversations with myself so many times. But...I feel like it's such a justifiable expense. Life can be so hard, and those sparks of excitement, getting a box in the mail, browsing local bookstores, cracking a spine, smelling the new book glue...! Such simple, wholesome pleasures. To survive all the cr** of day to day, people have to find these little ways of treating themselves. Some people spend $4 every day on coffee, you know? And books last. (Not just physically.) Even the long-unread books I've bought are exciting, every time I look at my shelf of TBR's, I feel happy because worlds are waiting.

On top of that, we're supporting authors so they can keep writing treasures, and publishers so they can keep going in this world that's turned away from books. And signaling to publishers that there is still a market for literary fiction so that they don't focus all their effort and money on procuring more Danielle Steeles and James Pattersons.

I'm sorry, I know I'm not helping you! I'm really just talking to myself, to make myself feel better about that TBR shelf and the early Christmas present I currently have en route from Labrynth Books. All this to say, moderation is definitely important, as of course is budget. But when you do indulge, don't feel guilty, just let yourself enjoy. It's a good thing.

[jenniwhatsbookin]

As a grad student who used to live at home with a larger income (that mostly went into savings or was spent on books), this really resonated with me! I will say for me personally, I have been able to rewire my brain somewhat to really get excited about reading the books I already own/tag books on my Libby app instead of buying new ones, simply because the thought of buying a new book means sacrificing some other crucial aspect of my limited budget. I also find that going into my local indie bookstore and just browsing and then leaving also satisfies that craving from time to time. Finally, I wanted to mention that Crooked Hallelujah may be better suited as a library pick anyway, as I found it to be fairly disjointed and didn’t love it for that reason.