This week, Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Outrageous Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books. I was pretty excited for it until I realized…I’m not supposed to tell y’all about that time with the unicorns and the time magician. Sorry, guys, magical law is binding so I’m going to have to find an a way to come off as a boring person.*
*I’m actually kidding here. About not being boring, not about the unicorns.
So, since I allegedly haven’t done any outrageous things for books, I thought I could share with you how my little library came to be. My library is anything awe-inspiring. It’s small, with wears easily seen on the books, and my shelf looks right about to collapse. But every time I look at my books there’s this sense of pride that fills me. I love how mismatched and chaotic my library looks. When you’re part of the book blogging community there is a tendency to compare our libraries; I know I’ve felt envious whenever I see these floor to wall bookshelves filled and decorated. Honestly, though, I think my little collection is getting there. I may not have the funko pops or the special edition books right now, but I hope one day I can collect special editions of my favourite books and have a room full of books of my own. For now, I am grateful for the worn out pages that feel so much like home.
So, monologue aside, let’s talk about the ways I’ve built my library!
🌸 CLOTHES OVER BOOKS
Any pocket money I would get was always spent on books. While my siblings went through racks of clothes in the shopping department, I would be scouring shelves searching for the cheapest reads.
I think my finest bookworm moment was when I moved countries and packed more books into my suitcase than clothes. Still, my baggage was overweight forcing me to “unhaul” right there at the airport.
🌸 E-LIBRARY LOVE
Ebooks are still books.
I’m very proud of the little collection of ebooks I’ve got on my Kindle Paperwhite. Through Kindle I have discovered a whole new side of the book community! Like, I didn’t even know audiobooks existed! Historical Fantasy? I wasn’t even aware of the genre until Kindle!
With my Kindle, I’ve also had the chance to support Indie authors and avail of super cheap ebook deals! Discovering indie reads has been the most fun of my journey in the blogging community.
Check out my post on some recommended Indie Fantasy Reads
I also join a lot of blog tours, mostly for the chance to discover new reads, which has helped me gain access to e-ARCs.
🌸 SKIPPING THE COLLECTION
I have to be very cautious of the books I buy. My book hauls always tend to be less than five books, sometimes only one. So if I’ve read a book as an ARC or can borrow it, I don’t end up buying a copy of my own. Although I do want to have a colorful collection and beautiful editions of books I love, it’s not something that’s practical for me.
Related post Bookworming on a Budget
The only exception for this is The Bone Witch trilogy by Rin Chupeco which I completely slayed me.
Read my review for The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
🌸 BLESSED WITH ARCS
Being a book blogger means I do have access to physical and digital ARCs. It’s a blessing that some publishers have been willing to send me ACTUAL physical copies. I’ll admit though that it actually took me building up the guts to approach a few publishers for the review copies.
🌸 GENEROUS PEOPLE
Giveaways actually work, y’all. I used to be really skeptical about giveaways and would refrain from joining them because the disappointment was just too bitter. BUT! I have been fortunate to have won a few books through them! My hardcopy of Circe by Madeline Miller is probably my most treasured. I’ve also had my bookish wishes granted which was surreal!
Second to my secondhand reads, a bulk of my library is made up of gifted books. My family and partner being the major contributors! The fun thing about it is that our tastes varies so the books I’m gifted are a chances to step out of my comfort zone.
My library has taken me a long time to build. Even without a public library I have been privileged to live close to bookstores and have access to online stores for my bookworm needs.
Your luggage moment resonated with me! When I moved back from Japan, half my boxes were for books (the other half had to fit in everything else in my life). I ended up letting go of many pieces of clothing but probably less than 10 books 😂
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Hahaha at least we don’t regret letting go of the clothes!
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I totally agree with your comment about e-books. They are definitely still books.
My post.
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My shelves are the same ones I’ve had since I was a teenager, so like yours, they are ready to collapse!
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Ooh all the ways in which you built your library match mine! Literally word for word. My library started out really small considering I only started buying books from the last 2 years? I think I currently have a cute collection of 100 books and umm no proper bookshelf but yeah it’s all rainbow coloured with all the merch and art prints on display and I just love it to death ❤
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Yessssss….I love that swell of pride in me whenever I look at my bookshelf. Don’t you just love collecting merch? My goal is to one day have a beautiful collection of bookish jewelry, and enamel pins 🙂
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Same! I love the merch except enamel pins cause I don’t really use them? But I harbour a special love for candles 😊
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Loved reading this so much! I still would choose books over clothes any day haha + I also love ebooks!
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Thank you for stopping by! I’m so glad there’s more love ebooks these days 😀
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Ebooks are great. I don’t understand the need to hate on those by others. If they aren’t for you that is fine. Doesn’t make them any less of a book.
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Yes! I’m glad that I found my place in a side of the community that is supportive and loving 🙂
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ebooks are amazing!! 😊 And growing that collection of books just feels so great ahah, even if we can’t spend a ton on ALL the books or have to sacrifice purchasing other things instead ahh. Lovely post!
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Yes, ebooks are just as special! And I found out that you can also gift people ebooks! That was so exciting for me haha
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Lovely post 🙂 I have to say, my library is similar, and mostly on the Kindle. But I also have some old books from my grandparents. Those aren’t always the ones I want to read, unless they’re Jules Verne 🙂
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Aaaw, some of my first reads belonged to my grandmother’s collection. Although they were very adult romantic books haha still, I did love having them around for sentimental reasons.
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Your passion for books is inspiring. Your library sounds lovely! I won’t lie to you, I don’t read as much as I should. Being a writer, I should read more because it’s a great way to strengthen my skillset. However, I do like fashion, cooking and self-development books📖 The current book I’m reading is The New Fashion Rules by Victoria Magrath.
Natonya | https://justnatonya.wordpress.com
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Thank you! I’ve always wanted to read a book on fashion, especially its history but I always get so confused on where to start. Thank you for commenting!
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The New Fashion Rules is a great start if you’re interested in reading to learn more about fashion, she dates some notable moments!
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I personally love ebooks more than any physical book because I can search them and find characters I want to feature. hahaha, but instagram is made harder when you don’t have the real thing. It sounds like you are a very smart bookworm Cam! You get the books where you can ❤️
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Aaaw thank you, Dani! I love that feature of Kindle! I also can arrange my ebooks by collection which makes it easier for me to scroll through. Also, less waiting time when compared to Book Depository hehe
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