So without further ado here is my writers group pal Coleen Kwan!
BOOK BUYING HABITS
When I was growing up books were a luxury in our house. My parents weren’t well off. Neither finished high school, and they had four children to provide for. So there wasn’t much spare cash to splurge on books. (We didn’t have a TV either, just a radio. How did we survive in those days?) I was one of those nerdy kids who couldn’t wait to start school. I learned to read, and then I discovered (via my older brother and sister) the public library, and from then on I became a certified bookworm. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t afford books at home because there in the library were hundreds and hundreds of books all waiting to be borrowed. I couldn’t believe my luck. In my teens I went through a phase where I devoured just about every English historical novel I could find, until I knew all the English monarchs from Edward III to Queen Victoria. (Yes, a complete nerd.)
Childhood habits are hard to break. Even now I only buy books after careful consideration. I’m not one of those lucky people who can snatch up a dozen or so books at a sale without a qualm. Since I live in a small terrace, I don’t have a lot of shelf space, but some books I’d never be able to throw away, like the out-of-print one I found at the back of a second-hand store in New York years and years ago. Now that I have an e-reader I find I’m buying more books. It’s so easy to shop online and prices are generally good. I’ve even bought as many as four books at a time!
My teenage daughter doesn’t share my books-are-precious mentality and buys lots of books willy-nilly (or rather I buy them for her). I think it’s great. To her books are as necessary as food, and that’s how it should be. She’s a hoarder, can’t bear to throw out stuff, and I haven’t yet sold her on the idea of an e-reader. She loves the smell of books, and she rather likes the colourful pattern of their spines when they’re lined up on her shelves.
My debut release is an e-book only, so you can buy it without worrying if you have the shelf space for it!
Amazon, Carina Press, B&N, Amazon UK
Coleen Kwan
www.coleenkwan.com
BIO
Coleen Kwan has been a bookworm all her life. At school English was her favourite subject, but for some reason she decided on a career in IT. After many years of programming, she wondered what else there was in life — and discovered writing. She loves writing contemporary romance, whether it’s sweet or sensual, and has recently discovered a whole new genre in steampunk romance.
So what are your book buying habits?
8 comments:
Hi Colleen,
Isn't it wonderful when you hear about someone who is like you in their reading habits? I cannot go past a book store without going in, its like home to me. I was an reader from a very early age, too. In fact, I could not go to sleep unless I knew there was some sort of book under my pillow and I am still like that now!
Good luck!
Cheers,
Lami
@Lami, thanks for visiting. A book under your pillow is a great start to a good night's rest.
Public libraries are wonderful. I got nostalgic reading your post. I remember my first public library and the card catalogue...somehow electronic is not the same as searching for that cardboard info. Good memories.
@Jenny, I couldn't survive without public libraries!
Coleen- I too loved the library when I was growing up. I would leave with the maximum books I was allowed to borrow and it felt like Christmas reading them one by one.
Nowadays I really love my eReader. When I moved recently I gave hundreds of books to Lifeline because I didn't have any room for them. Of course I have my keeper shelf still :-)
Thanks so much for being my guest this week!
I used to haunt the school library. Like, HAUNT. Ebooks are still a bit of a new thing for me, and trying to find a reading device that suits me is a challenge, but I still really enjoy handling the hardcopy book, and the smell. I don't understand the smell thing, I just dig it.
My reading habits, what a great topic. Do you mind if I steal it. :)
My reading habits.
Purchased three ebooks last week, and bought two hardcopies.
I never pass a bookstore, they are magnets drawing me in. Just love them and always will.
I should also say, that I never thought I'd be an e reader, but now with an ipad, well those novels are just a touch away. I love the convenience of having a new ebook within seconds. :)
@Shannon I really like my Sony ereader, and yes, I know what you mean about the smell of books.
@Suzanne, sounds like you have no problem buying books.
And @Maggie thanks for having me on your blog!
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