The moment I came across this tag I knew I wanted to do it haha. My book buying habits have somewhat changed over the years but let’s take a look at them now. This tag was created by a booktuber named Megan Olivier but the video and channel have gone private. I found the tag over at Zezee with books. Let’s jump in!
WHERE DO YOU BUY YOUR BOOKS?
I buy my books at different places. Online I buy them at Amazon and Bol because they usually have the best prices and I get gift cards every now and then. I also buy books in bookstores, preferably my local bookshop, Van Atten. Two other favorites are Paagman and Donner here in the Netherlands. Whenever I’m on a trip I love to buy books, whenever I’m in America I go to Barnes & Nobles and in London I always go to Waterstones. It’s also really nice to get some books at second hand stores. But I get them wherever to be honest haha.
DO YOU EVER PREORDER BOOKS AND IF SO, DO YOU DO THIS IN STORE OR ONLINE?
I do, every now and then. Not that often though. Basically I only preorder books whenever there’s a special edition for a book I really want. This year I only preordered three books; Rule of Wolves through Illumicrate so it would match my King of Scars, Blessed Monsters from Owlcrate although I’m not completely sure why anymore haha, and Empire of the Vampire because it was a beautiful special edition from Waterstones!
ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY BOOKS DO YOU BUY A MONTH?
I used to buy a lot of books every month but lately I try to restrain myself a lot more. It differs per month but on average this year I bought 3,75 books per month! I’d say that is pretty decent so I hope I can stay the course for the rest of the year haha.
DO YOU USE YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY?
I used to get so many books from my local library when I was younger! Basically I would get the maximum amount every time haha. But since I started reading English books the library didn’t have that many books I was interested in anymore. My local library is quite small and while there is some inter-library loaning system, or so I believe, the catalogue just doesn’t contain my kind of books.
IF SO – HOW MANY BOOKS CAN YOU/DO YOU BORROW AT A TIME?
When I still borrowed from the library, I believe I could take up to 7 book at a time. And I would definitely get 7 every time haha. In the summer you could also take them with you longer so it would be easier to bring them on your vacation.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON LIBRARY BOOKS?
I love libraries! It’s a perfect way to read more books and still get a little money to the author. Unfortunately it’s harder if you read mostly English and you don’t live in an English speaking country. But overall I do think libraries are great <3.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHARITY SHOPS/SECOND-HAND BOOKS?
Love them! I got quite a couple of books second hand myself. Some of them at charities shops and others I bought from readers, mostly through Facebook. I think this is a great way to get books at a nice price and to get rid of some books you didn’t like or won’t be reading.
DO YOU KEEP YOUR READ AND TBR PILE TOGETHER/ON THE SAME BOOKSHELF OR NOT?
I do! At the moment my shelves are color coordinated and everything is mixed. Since I don’t live in the same house as my shelves I do have a TBR cart with me. I have a ton of books on there, and they are all books I still need to read.
DO YOU PLAN TO READ ALL THE BOOKS YOU OWN?
I definitely plan to, but will I? Probably not haha. I keep buying more and more books and it doesn’t look like my TBR is shrinking, it just keeps on growing haha. So it doesn’t seem likely that I will actually read all of them….
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH BOOKS YOU OWN THAT YOU FEEL YOU’LL NEVER READ/FELT YOU DIDN’T ENJOY?
This actually ties in with the answer to the question below. It’s really hard to admit that I will never read some of the books I own but at some point I have to be honest with myself haha.
HAVE YOU EVER DONATED BOOKS?
I have! A couple of times actually. I looked critically at my shelves and all the books I didn’t want to read anymore of didn’t really like and would never reread again I gave to a local charity shop. A couple of times I also put a book in a free mini library in my neighbourhood!
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A BOOK-BUYING BAN?
I tried to… Failed miserably haha. At the start of the year I tried to save up book buying money by setting aside a little amount every time I finished one of my own books. However, I totally forgot about that plan and just did whatever I wanted haha. By now I should just except this doesn’t work for me and I should try to minimise the amount of books I do buy.
DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU BUY TOO MANY BOOKS?
Probably haha! But they also bring me a lot of joy and for now I can afford it. So by the time I can’t anymore, I have a ton of books to read ;).
And that was the book buying habits tag! Its was a bit longer than I thought but I had fun answering all the questions. What do you think of my habits haha?
Great answers! If you’re ever in Amsterdam, you might like The Book Exchange. It’s a second hand bookstore and the basement is filled with fantasy and scifi. And it’s all English!
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Haha I love this tag! My library is really good so it is a shame to hear you don’t get much from yours! It definitely helps me to spend less on books. I have tried banning myself so many times but it feels like if I go a month without buying even one book that I am going to break!
I love the library here, we have such a great interlibrary loan and so many ebooks, too, so I can usually find what I want at the library, as long as I can wait for it. It’s been a real bonus, especially in the pandemic when ebooks were basically my main entertainment.
I love this tag! Maybe I’ll do it too!
I love my local library and sadly it’s not open for browsing yet.
I enjoy borrowing ebooks on my Kindle from the library!