The Joys of Rereading, Or Why I Only Buy Books I Know I'll Read Again

I LOVE buying books. I love the feeling of finding the perfect one (or twelve), carrying it up to the register. I especially love it when the cashier makes comments or asks questions about the book(s) I'm about to purchase. I love carrying it home and cracking it open, or putting it on one of my many, many shelves for later. I also love the feeling of supporting the authors and artists who have contributed this lovely little piece of perfection to the world. I absolutely ADORE buying books.

But, alas, times are tough. My own personal budget has certainly felt the squeeze during this past year, and I have to admit I've bought far fewer books so far this year than in years past. I have a friend who buys books all the time - she recently confessed to me that she doesn't even own a public library card (!). But as much as I love buying books, I'm a library girl through and through. This most likely stems from my desire to be a librarian one day, but I also look at the library as an invaluable resource. I can, at any given time, get my hands on any book that I could possibly want, usually with no more than a days' wait (and patience is a virtue, after all). Then, when I've read a library book that I've loved, I simply add it to my ever-growing list of books to buy, and I feel quite happy with myself.

That's not to say that I never just take the plunge and buy something from the bookshop straightaway. Certainly when Sharon Creech, Kate DiCamillo, or Esme Codell have something new to offer, I'm at my local bookstore on release day, happy to snatch up whatever hits the shelf that day. And heaven knows I certainly didn't wait on a library list when Deathly Hallows arrived in 2007, or when Rick Riordan's final Percy Jackson title came out last spring. But, like I said, I'm a library girl through and through, and for the most part, I don't mind the wait.

As I'm preparing to move next week, and every single book I own is currently boxed away in preparation, I did sneak out to the bookshop for a few (okay, fine. Five.) titles last night to get me through the weekend. And I am happy to report that only two of the five have I ever read before. It is a nice feeling to purchase a book you've never read, something about the anticipation of the moment when you first turn back the cover to adventures yet undiscovered. But at the same time, I am looking forward to checking out the public library in my new neighborhood next week.

So yes, I love buying books. And I do manage to get book buying into my budget. But I feel the best when I purchase a book that I know I'll read again, or at the very least, my children will have the opportunity to read someday. I love living in a house surrounded my shelves and shelves full of books, and I really don't mind if they have that little library barcode on their spines.