Books Are Fun
Posted by Tess on 13 Sep 2007 | Tagged as: Chit Chat, Books
Hi! I’m Tess Harrison, and I write sensual romantic suspense for Cobblestone Press. Today is my first day in the HEA Café. I’m really excited to be here. So excited, in fact, I tried to decide for several days what in the world I would blog about for my first post. I tossed several topics around, but nothing seemed to really stick until yesterday. I ordered a few books (part of a birthday present) and was inspired.
The order process wasn’t as inspiring as the process I went through to finally, and kind of painfully, narrow down my book selection to three books. And well, since books are the reason we’re all here, I knew I had the right topic.
My adventure first began when I saw a referral to a book on craft, How to Write Killer Fiction. I instinctively knew I had to have this book. I couldn’t wait to purchase it. It’s been awhile since I bought a book on the writing craft. However, I didn’t purchase it right away. I decided to hold back for a little while. Several weeks passed and I still wanted the book. By then, I told myself to hold out for my birthday and then treat myself. Who could argue with that, right? This is when the adventure started to take off.
While I waited for the big day to arrive, I started to see more and more reviews for other books. Books that intrigued me with their mysterious, dark and twisted plots. So I did what any self respecting lover of books would do, I went out to Amazon and started researching them. This prompted me to find more books that drew me in. With each new click of the mouse, I added more books to my Amazon cart.
When my birthday finally arrived, I went to purchase my book on craft and found a cart of fifteen books. I knew I couldn’t purchase all fifteen books at once. My husband would kill me. So I had to start weeding through the selection. I sat and stared at the screen asking the books to make the decision for me, because I wanted (and still do) them all. The books really were no help, because each one appealed to me on a different level. Finally, I moved the first book out my cart and into my ‘save for later’ wish list. In that instant, the pain began.
Slowly, I whittled my cart down. A week and half later, I purchased my first three books. And that craft book was not in the first round. My mood has shifted since I came upon that first book. Even though I still want the craft book, when it came down to the wire and time to place my order, I wanted research books and pleasure books more.
Books are so much fun. Each book I looked at promised me something new. Something exciting and different. That’s why I love reading and writing. It gives me the chance to live in a different era, in a different world, a new adventure… I could go on but I think you know what I mean. It’s for these very reasons it was also so painful to have to say no to those other books.
The books that made the first purchase round was a book on private investigating, a book about how to stop a stalker and a dark, twisted paranormal. I can’t wait. Funny how my mindset shifted pretty drastically. The first books I added a few weeks ago were the craft book I mentioned, a book on serial rapists and a book about the criminal mind. Of course, I still want them all and will eventually purchase each of the books left in my wish list.
So, what about you? Have you ordered any books recently? How do you decide which books to purchase first?
Unfortunately, I am an impulse shopper…and I don’t stop myself if I have 15 books in the cart. Sigh. And now that I live in a real city with actual bookstores, I’m even more dangerous.
I’ve recently picked up Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other and Jennifer Weiner’s Goodnight Nobody. Oh, and 7 other books, but we won’t mention those since they’re hidden away to look like a “new” purchase a few weeks from now…
September 13th, 2007 at 9:09 amExcellent choices, Mel. I’ve been an impulse buyer before. But I’m more a gradual purchaser. I’ll buy a few and then go back and buy a few more. Then buy a few more. That way my husband doesn’t see the hit all at once. I love spending time in the bookstores. But I’m much more dangerous when I’m online shopping.
September 13th, 2007 at 12:07 pmTess, I feel your pain …
Online shopping is bad, somehow it doesn’t feel like spending real money to me - at least until the Visa bill comes in.
My wish list goes on forever, and I can generally wait and get the books in order. But there are authors I really must have NOW -like a new J R Ward, Linda Howard or J D Robb.
I’m also a sucker for books like “I can make you thin” or “lose 20lbs in 10 days” - got to have those immediately
September 13th, 2007 at 12:18 pmTricia, I think you’re right on the money (No pun intended) with the online shopping. It doesn’t feel like I’m spending real money. I couldn’t help but LOL at the lose 20lbs in 10 days. I just bought a magazine with big bold writing on the cover about dropping pounds fast. That was the only reason I bought the magazine, too.
September 13th, 2007 at 4:00 pmSadly, I have no self control whatsoever when I walk into a bookstore, either literally or figuratively. I try to contain myself, really I do, but then I see a pretty cover, or a name I recognize, and I have to have it. I refuse to tell my DH about your self restraint, Tess, because he would never believe someone could do that. “Whittle down the cart”?? That’s a phrase I don’t use, and the poor Visa bill is evidence to that. And as much as I love buying new books, I LOVE browsing the pre-loved books in my MIL’s store. Man, the gems you can find there. . . .sigh. . . .
And now I have you to blame, Tess, because I’m going straight from her to Chapters.ca, and then maybe Amazon. You never know what you might find. . . .
September 13th, 2007 at 7:23 pmI try to restrain myself but I don’t have much luck. Just bought Iris Johansen’s Killer Dreams - can’t wait to read it! I found one way to fund my habit - my Discover card’s cash back. I can get a gift card for Borders with the cashback option, so I charge everything on Discover, pay it off when the bill comes a three or four times a year get a gift card to the book store. It helps!
September 14th, 2007 at 6:13 amI am a terrible book buyer-I buy them all the time and hide them all over my house! But I mainly by fiction, I’ve never found how-to books on writing much help apart from a few classics like Bird By Bird and Stephen King!
September 14th, 2007 at 10:41 amGo ahead and blame me, Laura. I don’t mind. Really, my dh wouldn’t mind the $ amount I spend on books or music. But we’re taking a trip in one week (YAY!!) so I had to be careful with the spending.
Kim, that’s an awesome way to have your purchases pay for your book habit. I love it. You know I just thought of this. If I gave up my morning cup of coffee and put that in a book fund, I could buy more. I’m going to have to investigate this.
Hey, Kate, I really don’t hide any of my purchases. I just tell my dh how much I love him and he looks at me and asks how much it’s going to cost him this time. I’m actually looking forward to these how to’s. I have two stories in the works that will really be benefited from these.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:16 am