Book Hoarding 101

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I have a confession to make. I am a book hoarder. I bet a lot of you are book hoarders. By this, I mean you keep buying more books, even though you have a ton already on your shelf or on your e-reader waiting for you.

However, that’s not what I mean when I say that I’m a book hoarder. I actually (sometimes) hoard the book I am currently reading. By this, I mean the more I love the book, the more I avoid reading it. Why would somebody do this?


Read on to find out, and learn how you, too, can play this little head game and make that book that you love last forever!


What do most people do when they are reading a book that they absolutely love? They race through it. They read it as fast as they can, grabbing any time they can to read that book. I used to be this way, and I probably still am sometimes. My issue right now is that I love the book series that I’m currently reading. That sounds like a horrible problem, right? The problem is that I’m actually reading it slower! I really do enjoy it, and I think about my book a lot. I even talk about the events and characters that I love. Yet, when it comes time to read it, I seem to be sabotaging myself.

If you want to be a kooky book hoarder like me, here’s what you would do. You can find other things to do in your spare time, time that you could actually sit down for a couple hours and read. Then, when it’s nearly bedtime and very late, start reading. You’ll find that you are too tired to get much read. No matter how good it is and how much action there is, you’ll still close your eyes unwillingly. Be sure to fight sleep for at least half an hour, so that you can say you really tried. In the end though, you won’t remember a thing you “read”.

Still with me?

Another book hoarding technique is, when you come upon a chapter that is really good, avoid it all costs until you can truly savor it with your undivided attention. For example, I am reading A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. Late last night, I came upon a Tyrion chapter. I love the Tyrion chapters! However, it was late, and I was tired. So I turned off the Kindle and went to sleep. I was going to try to read the next day during the free movie at the theater, but wait, I can’t, it’s a Tyrion chapter! He’s awesome, and what if the movie distracts me from his amazing wit? Nope, I’ll put it off a little longer.

So, why would somebody do this? There’s no doubt that this is all odd behavior for someone who claims to love the book she is reading. I’ve tried to figure out why I’m doing this. What I came up with is that I’m drawing out the experience because I don’t want it to ever end. The fact is that you only get to experience that first read once. I really get emotionally involved with my books; you name it, I’m feeling it. That emotional rush is fun and addictive! I'm sure we've all experienced finishing an awesome book or series and wondering, "What now?" And yes, I admit that my book hoarding is a bit of an extreme way of avoiding that little letdown I get when I'm done reading the book I've been obsessed with.

What about you guys? Does anyone else do quirky things like this when they read, or will I be attending therapy alone?