The Psychology Behind Buying Books We Don't Read

In this video, I explore why we buy more books than we'll ever read. I talk about concepts like the anti-library, tsundoku, bibliomania, and more.

If you're a bookworm, book collector or just have some interesting book buying habits, then this one is for you!

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Hey, I’m Gina 👋 If you like video commentary on books, you're in the right place!

I post videos on the world of books and reading. Including deep dives into reading psychology, and fun facts you probably didn't know.

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//YOUTUBERS IN THIS VIDEO
@ReadByAndy
@PaigingThrough
@emmiereads

[GinaLuciaReads]

Do you buy more books than you’ll ever read? If so, are you happy with that, or do you think it needs to change?

[honestrox]

The majority of my library is made out of books I haven't read and I love it! I'm excited at the books waiting for me :)

[sestito]

To me my book collection is like a wine cellar. That way I get to choose the right book for the right time. 😊

[GhostRider-xipb]

The day I realized I might have a problem was when I bought a copy of Ulysses and about a week later I was looking through my collection and found out I already had an unread copy of the book.

[Oraanu]

1.) They serve a double function as knick knacks
2.) It takes 1 second to put a book on a shelf, while it could take days to actually read it
3.) Buying a new book satisfies our natural consumerism urges and desire to collect/hoard
4.) Not all books are actually worth reading
5.) They can instill a sense nostalgia and comfort in an age where many things have become digital

[sunilKumar-sypm]

I have two reasons:
1. I feel it like a food that is never going to rot. So I will taste few pages and if I don't like it, I will leave it for the future, when i maybe in the mood.

2. Earlier I was not able to buy books because i could not afford. Now I am buying as I have my own money. Which I can invest or waste. I can take risk of buying unknown books too. This makes me happy, like yes I have made it in my life.

[myguitardidyermom]

I just like having books. A filled bookcase is pleasing to me on a deep-down level. Always having at least one book on hand that i havent read yet is very useful as well

[merissamakesstuff]

Having mostly unread books on my shelf gets me to read more. I'm homebound, and my library doesn’t mail books, so I buy them. And if my shelves are full of read books, I get discouraged. But unread, I feel empowered and less homebound, because they feel like portals to new worlds. As a homebound person, this makes me feel included in the world and helps A LOT with loneliness!

[geeceesteiner]

It's a mixed affair for me. I live in a 1-bedroom apartment and I own 4, 000 books. I bought a lot of books for reading later -- like when I retired. I'm now retired, but I'm not the same person I was when I first bought many of these books. I, like you, often feel incredibly burdened by books I haven't read, but I make an attempt to read them and succeed -- but not consistently. Because I choose to read a previously unread book and find I don't like it or am bored by it, I either buy a new one or go to the library to find a more satisfying reading experience. I have culled my books over the years but I can't seem to bring the number below 4, 000.

[Ferry]

I have been on the biggest book-buying spree of my life for the past couple of months. Part of the reason is i didnt have the income to buy many of them some years ago. i feel like i'm catching up with things i had been curious about for a long time. And knowing i have something exciting and new to read every day for months ahead is quite comforting. It's also been an oportunity to sell other books i wasnt attached to anymore, reorganise my space... quite the transformative experience. Gotta take a break from buying and just keep reading for some months now!

[agathachristie]

And here I am wanting to have my own library. I think am more of a collector. The new worlds to explore excites me, the fact that I can get books now that I couldn't before excites me even more, being able to share that with others in the future - courtesy of my future library - thrills me, so yeah, am off to a good start. There's so much out there in the world of books 😊

[MindsettoMastery]

I didn't realise that so many people have books they haven't yet read. how interesting. thanks for sharing your perspective on it!

[lisasnider]

I feel so called out 😅. But actually, I've realized that my piles of books, are something that bring me joy and that's okay.

[Rosannatxt]

"They will sit there and judge me" .... I this 😳

[kensilverstone]

You are out book browsing and you see a book on a topic you really wants to know about, so you buy it. Because book browsing is such an entertaining and enjoyable thing to do you continue adding books. How many you can read depends on what's going on in your life.

[ahmadtajy]

I buy more books than I can read because many of the books I'm interested in might only show up once in many years on the used market here. And I do intend on reading them. I read every minute I have the chance to. But those minutes are sometimes just too difficult to come by

[SomeNativeOfficial]

“Have you read all those books? And I say no… who wants a library of books they’ve already read?” - The Twilight Zone

[bvsjgqg]

I am so happy to learn that I am not alone!!! That this is so common that there’s actually a word for it! I don’t even know how many books I have. I have even taken pristine condition books off the shelf and donated them, just to make room for the pile of newer books I’ve acquired. Thankfully I am fast approaching retirement, and looking forward to tackling my library. The key is to reduce distractions and retrain my mind to focus. Multitasking trains your brain to constantly switch up, so that even when there’s no reason to, your brain just wants to. IMHO, it causes adult onset ADD.

[simtill]

I got rid of most of my books and happily visit my well stocked local library.

[GLOWwithTrinh]

Thank you so much for this Gina! Sometimes I buy some books that I think are interesting and never really read or just some pages, having books that you never read before will definitely make you excited when you see them! You are eager to learn about it and what's on those pages! A tsundoku for sure! ❤️