# sometimes it's all too much



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

No, not life. . . . .books.

Today I decided to take inventory of my library, both physical and e- and. . .frankly. . . .I'm a bit overwhelmed.

I have about 20 pages of books/magazines/newspapers on my Kindle, plus another 6 of samples. I'm in the midst of reading 2 books, plus I try to get to the newspaper daily, and I have at least 3 issues of Ellery Queen I haven't even looked at. Then there's the not-Kindle reading I have in the house: 2 1/2 issues of Readers' Digest (someone started sending us this when we bought something else), the latest Issue of the Atlantic, and many, many. . . . MANY. . . paper books that I'd bought before I got my Kindle. That's not even counting the "100 Great Books" volumes which I need to organize on my shelves rather than stacking on the floor. (My brother and I were discussing over Easter how we grew up in a house where there were books in every room of the house. . . .and we realized we're both carrying on that tradition. . . .)

Sometimes I just really like having all that reading material available. . . kinda feel like the Burgess Meredith character in that Twilight Zone episode _before _he broke his glasses. And others, like today, I wonder if I'll ever get to it all! I become paralyzed and can't even start!

Am I weird?  (Be kind!)

Ann


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Am I weird?  (Be kind!)


Nope. Or else I am, too (which is certainly possible; don't look at the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies thread if you don't want confirmation of that  )


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

I loved that episode! 

Melissa


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I just looked around the house, I have 100 feet of bookshelves full of books. Not terribly impressive, I know, but add to that the two pick up loads of books I recently took to the library for them to resell. Then there's the four thousand comic books that I get out and read often.
I only have 17 pages of books on my Klassic Kindle, with two of them being samples. Oh forgot the five different magazines I subscribe to, fishing, home improvement, backpacking and kayaking. So, no, you don't sound weird, any more than I am. Of course, if you talk to my wife or coworkers, they tend to tell a different story.


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## cat616 (Nov 4, 2008)

I am thinking you are very much like the rest of us on this Board.  After all, we are Readers.

I am not overwhelmed by it all though.  I just think of the reading material hoarding as insurance against a rainy day with nothing to do.  The fact that I always have something to do regardless of the weather is irrelevant.

However.... the magazine purchases ARE an addiction I am working very hard at taming!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

If you are weird, then you're in the right place.  I predict pages and pages of posts, all of us explaining pretty much the same scenerio.  I have Civil War magazines loaned to me by one of the guys at my club in my vehicle, and also a magazine concerning gospel singing groups that travel on the east coast.  I had been taking these to restaurants to read pre-K.  
I have a small book shelf in each of my two bedrooms and one on the landing at the top of the stairs.  I have two bags of books in my vehicle to donate.  I have a pile of books my girlfriend gave me to read.  I have a Longaberger basket in my living room full of magazines.  Doesn't sound like a lot, but my apartment isn't huge and I know I will never ever be able to get to all of it.  
Oh yeah, 28 pages on my K.
deb


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## mwb (Dec 5, 2008)

I hear you so well. Shelving with books and DVDs everywhere. Piles of books on the floor.

To be read, listened to and watched piles that scare me with their size!

In the never ending battle against stuff I lose again and again.

Perhaps it is time to give it all up and be a nomad?


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

Ann, I feel your pain. Sometimes when I finish a book it's late and I am just too tired to pick out which of my HUGE collection of unread books to read next!! I'll tell you when I feel overwhelmed like that, I just read a sample or three. That way, I don't have to choose which book (yet) and I get to make a dent in my samples list.

The only time I feel truly overwhelmed is when I realize that I may die before I get to read all the wonderful books out there!

Here's to hoping we all live long, long lives. 

EllenR


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

EllenR said:


> Ann, I feel your pain. Sometimes when I finish a book it's late and I am just too tired to pick out which of my HUGE collection of unread books to read next!! I'll tell you when I feel overwhelmed like that, I just read a sample or three. That way, I don't have to choose which book (yet) and I get to make a dent in my samples list.


Me, too.


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## birdlady (Mar 31, 2009)

Same here.  I have subscribed to two magazines that I have not even opened up, pre-K days.  Now all I want to do is read my Kindle when I have a spare moment.  I have not even looked at my Readers Digest or hardly looked at my paper.  I also download books from audible.com and I get the New York Times for free from them.  I do listen to the New York Times on my Kindle if I download it before I go to work.  I too have so many books and so little time.  I do love the fact that I no longer have to try to shove those books into my purse any longer.  I still have way too much to read and not nearly enough time, but I do not ever want to be without something to read.  If I go to a restaurant and have ordered I feel naked without my reading materials with me.  What is wrong with us umm.......


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Sorry Ann - you are definitely NOT weird!  Not according to the rules for being a kindleboarder mod    If I was not scaling down and had not when we moved here I would be right along with you.  My ILs have books and papers and magazines all over the house and they have a BIG house!  I am so glad we are in Mexico because it will not be our responsibility, not mine anyway   when "the time comes".  Just glad we have the KB to keep us all weirdly sane muhahahahahahahahaha


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Just think, if we were all rich, instead of weird we could be eccentric.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

I've imagined how less cluttered our home would be if not for all the books. Hubby and I have tons of text books in addition to my fun-reading collection, and there would be even more if not for two recent moves! Last weekend, I filled three large shopping bags with books for library donation that I have finally given up on ever reading, or have decided I will never read again nor recommend/lend to anybody. I probably should've filled more bags, but it's _hard_ to give up these books! 

I shudder to think how many more books I'd have if not for LyBerry and the library! 

N


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

Yeah, we had several book giveaways with boxes and boxes of books until we got our K1s. Since then, I don't think we've bought any dead tree books but some "how-to" books that weren't available on Kindle (and that had illustrations and photos that really wouldn't look very good on the Kindle). I love "real" books, but having a huge library available at my fingertips in one little electronic box is definitely a huge step against "book clutter"!


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## AppleHeart (Apr 10, 2009)

Nope, not weird at all. I'm happy to be with you all.

I love to read so when I arrived here in '75, I joined The Literary Guild, DoubleDay Club and Mystery Guild so I was ordering a lot of books every month. Then I decided I wanted the leather-bound classics for my 'future' library.

When I moved to Texas from NJ in 1985, I sold and left and gave everything to friends but kept the books. Spent a lot of moulah to move boxes and boxes of books. Well, everything in Texas was indeed BIG so I was able to unpack most of the book boxes and had 6 tall bookshelves for my favorite books -- the ones that I like to re-read. Others have comfort food, I have my comfort books!

Opportunity knocked in 1989 - and I returned to NJ. I asked my future employers to pay my moving expenses -- the way I looked at it, if they want me bad enough, they'll give me what I asked for. We negotiated and agreed on everything so once again, I sold and gave away everything but my boxes of books and this time, a piano. The movers were grumbling that it was easier to move furnitures etc.. than boxes, lots and lots of HEAVY boxes! Made me feel bad but WTH?!?

Once in NJ, I rented a storage unit for the boxes of books cuz the place I was renting was small. Yet, I continued buying books, started stamps/coins collecting, buying VHS tapes of movies, now DVDs and audiobooks - cassette/CDs, not to mention music tapes (45/LP records reel to reel, 8-track, cassettes, CDs, <-- yep, I still have the respective players!). It got to the point that I was once again running out of space so I had to rent a second storage unit. I hope I don't have to move again!!!

With the Kindle, I won't have to rent a 3rd unit, thank the good Lord! <vbg>

What can I say, as addiction goes, it's better than doing drugs, gambling etc... Heh!

ebc


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

intinst said:


> Just think, if we were all rich, instead of weird we could be eccentric.


 One of the unanticipated side effects of being Officially Old {with 75 coming up fast} is that I can be regarded as eccentric instead of just weird!

Anyway, I went to a restaurant last night with a group of four other people and because I walk with a cane, I quickly got offered a seat during the 20 minute wait. All around me, people were muttering and complaining, but *I* whipped out Serenity and had a nice little read!

patrisha


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## RangerXenos (Mar 18, 2009)

mwb said:


> I hear you so well. Shelving with books and DVDs everywhere. Piles of books on the floor.
> 
> To be read, listened to and watched piles that scare me with their size!
> 
> ...


Gee, I don't feel so bad now! I thought we were the only ones who had piles of books, boxes of books, shelves of books, etc. everywhere!

If we ever have to move we are in deep trouble...


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## cheshirenc (Dec 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> . . . kinda feel like the Burgess Meredith character in that Twilight Zone episode . . .


LOL! I named my kindle after that episode.


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## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

I give away boxes of books to the library and the thrift stores and I still can't seem to empty my shelves. We moved a few years ago and then returned to our home and our movers couldn't believe the number of boxes of books we took with us. I still remember when one of my daughters returned from her first babysitting job. I asked her how she liked babysitting and all she could say was, "Mom, they didn't have one single book in their house. It was like their home was naked." Hopefully when I get my Kindle I will finally be able to free up some shelf space.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Oh definitely, sometimes it's all too much. When I was writing and submitting short stories, I subscribed to a lot of newsletters and magazines for writing tips and to see what was being published. I wound up with stacks and stacks of magazines and I couldn't keep up. I eventually cancelled most of my subscriptions and focussed on reading what I'd bought. After all, I'd paid for them and I do enjoy reading short stories and poetry, so I starting read a little every day. I'm now down to one little stack of a monthly magazine, and one large stack of literary magazines.

I was buying a lot of books for awhile, but I've cut down on my book buying, though never completely! Still my TBR pile is huge.


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## purdueav8r (Feb 7, 2009)

Weird, Ann?  Lord no.  Here, at least, I think you're among others with the same exact affliction that you have.  I've found myself with a Hompage of 30 pages of books and growing.  I keep finding tons of wonderful freebies and intriguing bargains.  I do feel overwhelmed, but at the same time am seemingly incapable of passing up bargains.  Lol.  At this rate, I will be accruing books at 100 times the speed at which I am able to read them.

I never had this problem when I had to buy DTB's.  I suppose that's because so much of what I've gotten has been public domain freebies, other freebies, and bargains & I'm able to acquire so many more books than I was able to in paper format.  And since I don't have to provide physical space to those acquisitions, it makes it that much easier to download and 1-Click.  Altogether I've probably spent, conservatively estimating, $40.00 or so on Kindle books, with one purchase alone being a 3-volume bundle at $18+.  I'm finding so much free & cheap that I just keep acquiring, and acquiring, and acquiring.  

I have my DTB library stored in various places due to living in an apartment.  Half of it is in my mom's attic back home in Indianapolis, and half is in my storage unit here in Ohio.  A very small portion resides in a small bookcase in my den/computer room.  I purposefully weaned down my paperback collection & sold off my "junk reads" to Half Price Books to reduce clutter.  I still have maybe half a dozen DTB's that I haven't read, but haven't touched paper books except for textbooks since April 24th.  Lol. 

My paper library doesn't overwhelm me, particularly since I've made a point of only keeping well loved books, plus it's not all here with me.  Everything in it's already been read.  My Kindle library, however, is a different story.  I hope I someday have time to get through everything I've downloaded.  I'll be just as happy if I continue to have the problem of never being able to figure out what wonderful book out of my dragon's hoard I want to delve into next.  

I said on the day that I got my Kindle that I felt like someone had plucked me up & plopped me down inside of the world's largest library & said to me, "You live here now!"  It's awesome.  And overwhelming too.  But still awesome.


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

If you are weird Ann, then so am I! 

I have way too many books and samples downloaded and would have to do nothing but read 24/7 to ever get them all read! BUT, for some reason, I keep downloading more and more!!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Patrisha, I agree.  With age, we can call ourselves eccentric.  

I still have about 1500 DTB's, but am slowly whittling that down.  I've given away thousands of books in the last 10 years.  At least I don't double and triple stack them on the shelves anymore, and I only have a few tucked in my closets.  

I've only got about 15 pages of books on Little Gertie, but some of them are compilations (Dickens, Shakespeare, Holmes, etc.) and bundled trilogies.  I've managed to keep the samples to a minimum.  

Books are a necessity, right?


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Neekeebee said:


> I've imagined how less cluttered our home would be if not for all the books.


UGH...YES!!!!!

I love DTBs. I really really do. It's obvious when you walk in our house that you're dealing with two book lovers. But they're just plain out of control at this point. I'm a re-reader, which just makes the whole thing worse. I can't get rid of a book, because I'd just end up buying it again the next time I want to read it. (Library books are not an option, trust me--they'd never get returned, I've tried it.) Thousands of books stacked on every shelving unit, in every room....

There were lots of reasons for going Kindle, but the most appealing is the idea of being able to get rid of some of these DTBs that are lying around getting dustier by the second. Of course, I just have to replicate them onto the K2.....


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Yes, we're cutting down on our books too.  Slowly.

But books are a necessity.

Betsy


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## sigrosenblum (Dec 22, 2008)

Desiderius Erasmus: "When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes."

Sig 
http://sigrosenblum.7p.com/


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I always thought I would be The Crazy Cat Lady, but maybe I'm The Crazy Book Lady. I do have books on cats, so maybe I'm the Crazy Cat Book Lady. Technically, I've only got one cat now and she hates me and has some sort of Freudian issue where I do believe she wants to kill me and marry my husband. 

Anyhow, yeah, lots of books and buried under a pile of To Be Reads.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

meljackson said:


> I loved that episode!
> 
> Melissa


Oh, man -- saw that for the first time when I was a kid, and wept -- hard. I couldn't imagine a world so cruel where someone wouldn't be able to read. I had a lot to learn.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> Technically, I've only got one cat now and she hates me and has some sort of Freudian issue where I do believe she wants to kill me and marry my husband.


LOL!

Betsy


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> Technically, I've only got one cat now and she hates me and has some sort of Freudian issue where I do believe she wants to kill me and marry my husband.


LOL--Versus my youngest, who hates my husband & wants to marry me. Or something. She's perfectly content to ignore me for hours, but the minute he shows up, she's underfoot/in my face/on my head/trying to eat him.....  This cat is pure evil, just like every other black & white tuxedo cat I've known.

She's starting to eye the Kindle funny too. Every time I try to read in bed now, she's marking the corners with her chin, trying to get between me & the screen, and attempting to nibble on the edges of the Oberon. She's especially fascinated with the charm hanging from the bungee. Purring at the top of her lungs the whole time. I don't dare leave the K2 where she can get at it at this point, she'll either steal it or destroy it.

Thankfully, she's only taken out a couple of books, fewer than the dogs, actually. But it's always a little funny to pick up a book I haven't looked at in a while & find tooth marks on one corner where she's claimed it as her own.

Criminy--if I get rid of all these DTBs, what do I do with all the bookshelves? I won't know what to do with all the space I'd reclaim--I could literally get away with half the size of the house I currently have. And without bookshelves, the cats will have nowhere to sit!

I'd better rethink this.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Have no fear. I have 4,100 selections on my Kindle 1, a library of Chinese texts and monographs in a room devolted solely to that, a full length 4 deep shelf with nothing but play scripts, libretti and historical monographs and the complete works of Stephen King, Pearl S. Buck, C.S. Lewis, all the LOTR Tolkien editions, his other works, monographs and elvish language books and print outs - yet another section with Native American books, Poetry and, in a Public Storage rental, incunabula (a 3rd edition gold gilt Dickens, and a 4th edition Thackaray among them). BUT as overwhelming as it appears to be, I now have a small inventory of my own books (11 to date) sheepishing peeking out staking out own real estate both on the shelf and on the Kindle. 

It is a great comfort for me each night as I close my eyes that all the great minds are no further than a click or furrow from my pillow. They whisper to me and ginger-coat my dreams. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

edwpat said:


> It is a great comfort for me each night as I close my eyes that all the great minds are no further than a click or furrow from my pillow. They whisper to me and ginger-coat my dreams.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


What a happy thought!

N


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thank you Neekeebee:

Perhaps I'll become an author. he he. Lingering thoughts that excite the mind and the heart, is my mission in life.

Ed Patterson


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