Overwhelming is the key word. A few weeks ago before I went to RT in New Orleans, I decided to cull my (overwhelming) TBR book pile. I have three boxes to give to the library and a few boxes I can use for giveaways. I felt accomplished, organized and But then I attended RT and oops, not only did I fill up a small suitcase and a carry on with even *more* books, but my friend is actually shipping home a box to me. (Ugh, what have I done?)
So this year at BEA, I have a few strategies that I will keep in mind:
- Be picky! I have to be very interested in a book or it won't come home with me. No matter how pretty the cover, no matter how many "extra" are on the table, no matter how many other bloggers are gushing over it.
- No sequels! Let's face it, if I haven't read the first book, by the time I do, the second one will be out in finished form. I have to be honest with myself and realize that I don't always read what's hot and popular at the time. I sometimes wait so long that it could be months or even a year or two before I'll read a book I own.
- No repeats! Yes, Jonathan Maberry is signing Rot and Ruin. But I have a copy. Okay maybe it is dogeared from excessive reading, and a nice pristine copy would be nice, but I don't need it!
- I will not get books for others! I know, it's very thoughtful that I pick up a car book for my husband or a craft book for my sister, or how to do Yoga while walking your dog for my distant cousin Martha. However, my husband only reads car magazines. My sister is trying to clean our her house. And the book that I got for my cousin, or co-worker, or friend? I keep forgetting to give it to the person I got it for in the first place, it collects dust, takes up space and more than likely I end up donating it or using it for a giveaway.
- Save Space! I went over the author list online (yes all 10 pages) and looked up their books on Amazon to see if I would be interested. If it turned out to be something I liked, but is fairly inexpensive on Kindle, I didn't add it to my schedule. Yes, I know part of the point is free books, but what good are they if I can't ever get around to reading them? This way, they don't take up any valuable bookshelf space and I'm still supporting the author.
- Remember the library/bookstore! Yes, I still go to the library and I love it. I will tell myself (as I have done in the past) that I could get any book I want there once it's published. And it's free! If I have to own a copy I can always buy one.
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