Weekly Geeks: 2010-22: Hoarding Behaviour, or I Have a Problem

This is my bookcase. As I explained in my previous post, The Book Ban & General Ramblings, I have a problem that is currently in the shape of 415 books yet to be read.

<---These are all the 415 books, all stuffed into this one massive bookcase that is actually bending outwards at the back where they have been stuffed in every which way.

I started trying to organise this bookcase into my TBR shelves and read shelves. Unfortunately nowadays I just shove them wherever they fit – but for the most part the top 3 shelves contain my TBR paperbacks – the forth shelf down contains the majority of my read books and an overflow of my TBR and the bottom shelf contains some books that I have read – hard backs and an overflow of TBR books. Each shelf is 3 layers deep – so you can’t really see those books and loads more stuffed on top.

If you read my previous post you will see exactly what my Problem really is – and that’s a monster of a problem. I have recently been trying to chuck books out – those that I think I’ll never read because I picked them up without really looking and trying to only keep the books I really like and getting rid of them as I read, either to charity or through bookmooch.

What you see is actually the tidied up, cleaned out version. No, you do not want to know what it looked like before. Let’s just say it was a complete mess that was overflowing into piles all over the floor.

However, my book ban has actually been going quite well. I have successfully abstained from books for a whole month. Yes, a month and I have not bought one single book. However, the reason that really held my book ban together was that I was saving up to take my dad out for Father’s Day – and we went out today for sushi and had a deliciously good time. I need to save up to go again – which might be persuasion enough to keep up the ban.

So far so good – I did have a few panics where I rushed to the Book Depository website and my mouse hovered over a few books but I have resisted all urges. I have even walked in a bookshop and walked out again WITHOUT buying anything. Once upon a time I’d never have been able to do that.

I pretty much know what I’ll be reading through July – Harry Potter, so I won’t feel the need to browse and think of all the books my bookcase doesn’t yet contain.

However after July here lies the danger – I want some Japanese books and my library doesn’t have them so alas, I will have to buy them. However that won’t be until much later so I have time  to make some room for them.

So currently, my problem is under control and no longer ruling my life. I do miss it though.