Rational vs. Irrational

[danalwyn]

Every once in a while we are confronted by minor problems in life that expose things about us. Problems like, for instance, wanting to read something, but having nothing to read because all our books are in storage somewhere. There are many ways to answer this problem:

The rational response: Hmmm...maybe I better go find something else to do instead.

The irrational response: Obviously I need to go buy more books.

I can see already that getting a new job was like digging my own grave.

(Number of books bought today: 7)

Comments

[noldo]

This is, awkwardly enough, exactly what I did yesterday. Though I submit in my defence that my books are significantly further away, probably.

[danalwyn]

Sounds like a very good defense to me.

[silverjackal]

*squints*

*fails to see problem*

A problem would be not finding anything worth buying. This has happened to me before. (Horrible weather, small center, books only in the pharmacy, choice: frighteningly obvious romance novels where I can divine the entire plot from reading the back and looking at the cover and the DaVinci Code.)

[danalwyn]

Well, one of the advantages of being here is that there are a lot more bookstores, concentrated in a much smaller area. You think with the internet available I could restrain myself, but no.

[silverjackal]

You have many very *good* bookstores there, too. This would also cause me a problem. Granted, I've run across a few unusual things I ended up enjoying very much digging through the dross is small town shops. Did you know the Jehovah's Witnesses print little books of children's stories based on the Bible? Not that those were good, they were surprising dross, but it introduced me to both Ellis Peters and Elizabeth Peters' historically based mysteries, which I enjoy.

These days I actually buy most of my books online, because I'm interested in topics that aren't well represented (or at all) in local book stores. I still do enjoy browsing in a good shop when I get a chance, though. Nothing beats finding something marvelous that one would never have stumbled over otherwise.

[thesharedself]

This. Yes.

Except, you know...none of my books are in storage and I already have 20+ books waiting to be read, but damn these just look so good I should buy them anyway...

[danalwyn]

And then you have too many books, and you know you'll never get around to reading them. So why do we buy more?

[thesharedself]

Because what if we never see that particular book again? And it's here now, so why not...

And they just look so nice on shelves...

...or in piles...

[danalwyn]

Or when you run out of both, crammed into the back of your car.

I really can't afford to get a larger apartment here so I'm wondering if I'm in trouble.

[thesharedself]

Start building your furniture out of stacks of books. It'll be great.