The TBR table has gotten out of control again.
I’ve bought a lot of books this summer. Many of them came from the used-book basements or the remainder piles at my two favorite local bookstores. Several came from my trips to PEI and Rockport. And I occasionally can’t resist a beautiful new hardcover. (One Plus One and Mambo in Chinatown, I’m looking at you.)
I’ve given my book-buying impulses free rein, and this little table is groaning under the weight of so many new words.
The TBR stacks fluctuate according to my impulse buys and the vagaries of the library hold system, but the table usually boasts 20 to 25 books.
Current total: 36.
This does not include the six books I’m currently reading, the two books on hold at the library and the 15 (!) advance copies on their way to me. (I love my review gig at Shelf Awareness, but wading through the stacks of ARCs for September and October is like drinking from a fire hose.)
After buying two more books in Gloucester on Saturday, I decided something had to change. So I’m on a book-buying fast for the rest of the month, attempting to:
1. read the books whose review deadlines are bearing down on me;
2. read the books with short library loan times; and
3. whittle down these stacks a bit. (Longtime readers may remember that I tried something similar in February.)
There’s a similar thing happening in my kitchen, where I keep my tea stash.
I drink less tea in the summer than in any other season, though I’m making my way through my annual supplies of ginger peach and blackberry sage. Both of them are just right for these warm, breezy mornings, their fruit flavors an echo of the produce I buy at the farmers’ market each week.
When the mornings get cooler, I’ll start to crave my autumn teas: Boston (cranberry almond), Cranberry Autumn (cranberry orange), and variations on English Breakfast with milk and sugar. I usually get the urge to buy new teas as the season shifts, or when I visit a new and exciting tea shop, but for now, I’m well stocked on just about every blend.
So: no buying new books or tea till September. I don’t plan on giving up these indulgences for good, but a little voluntary restraint – and a little exercise in contentment – won’t hurt me (or my wallet).
Does this happen to you – with books or other favorite treats? Please tell me I’m not the only one who occasionally goes overboard and then needs a course correction.
cakes, tea and dreams 
Stay strong! I’m in the same boat when it comes to books AND tea.
I do the same thing when it comes to books…especially with my library request list. I find a “best of” list and suddenly have 50 books requested, which of course all come in at the exact same time!
Yes, you are amongst fellow acquirers (I won’t say I’m a hoarder!). In addition to books and tea, my precious consists of magazines (both paper and on my iPad), knitting patterns and yarn, cosmetics and cheap costume jewelry. I don’t spend much on any one item, but it does add up, and at this point, I may have reached saturation point on the reading materials at least. I have in my bedroom what I fondly refer to as Mount Magazine. And then there are more piles of magazines in other rooms. I appreciate your sharing your weaknesses and your plan for coping with them. I am less ambitious. I am only going to fast for today. I decided earlier this morning that I would not buy anything but groceries today. Thanks for your inspiring and comforting post.
Last week I took my daughter to a meeting that was a bit of a drive from our home and I had two hours to kill. Her meeting place was near a favorite used bookstore chain, but as I pulled into the parking lot, I realized that I would spend over an hour browsing and then buying books just to put on my bookcase on top of the other books I have bought over the summer and not read yet (approximately 35). Meanwhile, I had with me a 669 page book that I liked, so I ended up sitting in my car and reading. It was time well spent, although I had to overcome a couple of pangs of “what’s in there that I’m missing out on?”. Also, I have been wanting to shell out some money for a nice perfume, but I’ve decided to wait until I’ve used up all of my half or quarter full Bath and Body Works fragrances.