Top 10 Book Related Problems

So I’ve participated in Top Ten Tuesday (from Broke and Bookish) a whopping one time in the past. Here I am, doing it once more, with an ancient topic. I’m not good at keeping up with this sort of thing, alright? But “Ten Book Related Problems I Have” is something I feel I can actually touch on. So here we go, in no particular order:

-Not enough space: I know many of you will sympathize with this problem. It might be the number one problem among book lovers and I know it is among us hoarders (you know, those of us who are out there buying 100+ books a year and maybe reading 50). I recently coerced Sweetbeeps into letting me upgrade some of our bookcases, since sadly we have no more room to add more. I spent several days reorganizing every shelf in the house and when I was done I felt so proud because while our shelves are still cluttered (and always will be), they looked so much better! Then he looks at the shelves and says “I don’t see a difference.” X_X

-Not enough money: I would like to think many of you will understand this one as well! My amazon wish list and save for later list are a million miles long and I’m constantly having to budget to figure out which books are a priority. Not to mention, all the special editions *cough*Folio Society*cough* for classics and anniversary reprints that I’m constantly drooling over.

-Not enough time: Ok, so maybe this is the number one problem all readers face. I’m fairly certain I’ll never read all the books I own, never mind all the ones I want to buy! If only I didn’t have to sleep or work….

-Everyone assumes I’ve read every book, or at least every classic: People (typically relatives or those who don’t know me all that well) often ask “You’ve read blah blah blah, right?” in an assuming tone. I’m then forced to admit that no, I haven’t read blah blah blah, but might someday. Cue the gasps and “but it’s a classic! And you’re such a reader!” Ok well, I read what I want damnit. I refused to feel ashamed about what I’ve yet to read or what I don’t ever want to read.

-I’m going to cheat a little with a subcategory to this problem – the opposite is that people ask me for book recommendations on the fly and I panic. Despite having read hundreds of books, I’m not good with remembering titles and authors and it always feels like too much pressure! Most of the time I can’t think of anything (hence why I never do posts along the lines of “if you like this, read this”) or if I do, then I worry my face off wondering if the person I recced the book to will enjoy it.

-People ask “What are you reading?” but don’t actually care: My reader radar is pretty on point, so when someone sees me reading and asks about my book, I can usually tell  when they’re actually interested. If they are, I’ll talk about the plot and/or the author. If not, they get the snarky “a book” for an answer. You can see the title and if you don’t want to talk about books with me then stop bothering me, I’ve got reading to do!

-Not enough people in my life to talk books with: I do have a couple friends that enjoy reading and my Sweetbeeps does too, but we don’t always read the same books, so very often I finish a book and find I have no one to discuss it with. Since joining the blogging community and Instagram, this problem has certainly lessened but still exists. In part, it’s because I’m not always seeking out those who have read the same books as me. But I think I’ll always have this problem because you can never have enough people to talk about books with!

-Carrying around chunky books: My purse is pretty big and I have a pocket that I always throw my current read in, but sometimes the book I’m reading just doesn’t fit. Imagine trying to carry around the hardcover edition of The Mists of Avalon; not only would it not fit in my purse, but even if it did, it would likely break the straps because of its weight! Larger books are also unwieldy and often strain my wrists when I hold them, but I’ll never stop reading them!

-My editions don’t match: UUUUGH. I have quite a few mismatched series because when I was younger, I often didn’t buy my own books and likely didn’t care about whether they matched or not. As the years have passed, it drives me nuts when I have a series and the editions don’t match – this includes paperback vs. hardcover and when publishers change the size of the book and the cover art style. I’ve even done a post on this [LINK], so I won’t repeat myself any further. Please tell me this drives some of you crazy too!

-Not enough used bookstores in my area: I’ve found one used bookstore in my area and sadly their prices aren’t that great and neither is their selection – it’s mostly romance, which is great for some readers but not for me. My friend in Maryland has several great stores in her area (thus, why I always come home with a suitcase full of books when I visit) and I’m jealous. I have to go into Boston in order to get great finds and good deals.

-Edition envy: The slight downside to joining Instagram is that I see so many beautiful and rare editions of books that I know I’ll never own and damnit, it makes me sad and envious. But, if I can’t own them, at least my fellow booklovers share the beauty!

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So tell me, do you suffer from some of the same problems I do? Any common problems I missed?