My Top 5 Biggest Nonsensical Bookish Habits

Okay, so here’s the thing. I do a lot of bookish things, that in retrospect, make absolutely no sense. The thing is, I’ll regret some of these things right after doing it, but never change my ways. Now this is going to be such an awkward post if I’m the only one doing this, but hopefully we can form a support group together (or you can laugh and enjoy yourself listening to my faults haha). This is going to be a more fun, casual, and laid-back post compared to my others, and I’d like to see if you guys enjoy this type of post!

1. Using Anything But a Bookmark, Despite Owning So Many of Them

This is SUCH a big problem of mine, and it’s honestly quite concerning. I’m reading a lot more e-books, but pre-COVID, when I read more physical copies, I never used any bookmarks! I will seriously use whatever item is next to me in order to save my spot in books. Unused tissues? Check. Receipts? Check again. Magazines, flyers, coasters, and random mailers? Check once more. In fact, sometimes I’ll literally leave it face down on the page I’m on, without anything in it, if I’m feeling extra lazy.

But here’s the real problem. I. Own. So. Many. Bookmarks. I have an Etsy shop of mine, where I literally SELL BOOKMARKS (plugging the link here because why not), and you’re telling me that I don’t even use them? The hypocrisy is really shining through. And they’re not far either. I have about ten of them sitting on my bookshelf, which is about a 30 second walk away from the sofa I read on. And do I ever get it? No, I just take the easy way out and reach for the closest thing to me.

I also swear I caught myself looking up bookmarks on Etsy, which also makes absolutely no sense! I didn’t buy them though, so let’s all feel thankful for my wallet (and me for having actual self control).

2. Wanting to Buy & Complete a Book Series, Despite Not Liking it At All

Okay, so I buy a ton of books that I haven’t read yet. It might be a pre-order that I’m desperate to read, a library book that isn’t available, or even just me feeling a certain pull to it (don’t even ask me what that means)! But, what happens when I don’t like the book? Obviously it’s just sitting there on my bookshelf, but what about the rest of the series? For some reason, I HAVE to have complete sets of everything, or else my bookshelves feel so incomplete.

But what’s the point of even buying these books if I know I’m not going to like it? Am I seriously so obsessed with these complete sets that I’m totally willing to buy a book just for collection purposes? The answer is yes, which makes absolutely no sense. Luckily, I haven’t acted on these instincts too much, but I’ve seriously been close to doing so. I don’t even organize books on my bookshelf by series (I do them rainbow by color) but I feel the need to have every single book in a series. Like I have every single book in the Shatter Me series BUT Imagine Me, and you don’t even know how much that’s been bothering me. Same with Arc of the Scythe, TDA, Throne of Glass, A Curse so Dark and Lonely, and SO MANY OTHERS! I’m so tempted though!!

3. Cover-Buying, Even Though I’m Not Totally Sold on the Book

Okay, so I’m sure we all cover-buy all the time. You’ll see the most beautiful book cover at the store, and just want to add it to your collection (unless that’s just me). But maybe you’ll look at the synopsis before buying it. After all, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” right? Not for me. I will literally see a pretty cover, read the synopsis, not be sold on the book, but still buy it. Any rational person would not buy the book if it doesn’t sound good, but not me. Of course, I’ve got to have that beautiful cover for myself!

And it’s not like this strategy has magically worked all the time either. I bought Bone Crier’s Moon a month ago or so, and didn’t like the book. I kept thinking to myself, “why did I buy this in the first place,” until I was like “oh yeah, the pretty cover,” which was pretty anticlimactic. I have gotten lucky sometimes and actually liked it, but it’s not good enough.

And for some of these books, I won’t even read it. I bought Skyward about a year ago, because I was like “wow, it has great reviews” and “the cover looks sooo nice,” despite not liking sci-fi all that much? I mean it could totally be a lucky fluke like Aurora Rising/Aurora Burning, but how does that make any sense? Now, I haven’t been in the sci-fi “mood” for about a year now, so I genuinely think I won’t get to it for another year or two. Which is even worse than me reading it and not liking it. It’s basically just decor at this point.

4. Caring About my Books Being in Pristine Condition

You might read this title and think “oh hey, something normal that I can finally relate to,” but once again, I’m here to elaborate on my weird antics to make you question all my actions. So it’s very important for my books to be in pristine condition. I get so stressed if there’s a rip or wrinkle in my books. But the thing is, most the books I have are basically part of a collection, that never sees the light of day. I keep 90% of my books on my bookshelf FOREVER, with only the spines showing. So why would I even care about the cover if it’s never on display? Don’t even ask me.

I care so much that it’s low-key hard for me to order books online! I hate not being able to see books before you buy them. I bought Chain of Gold on Amazon a while back when it came out, and you couldn’t imagine the pain I had when I opened that box. The corner of the book was wrinkled/bent, and there was a small tear on another edge of the book. I was actually going to return it, but Amazon gave me a $5 gift card, so I just gave up and kept it. And now that I’ve had a couple months to think about it, I don’t think $5 was enough for me to suffer the stress from not having it in perfect condition haha.

This is also something new for me too. I used to not care about the condition of my books. I own mostly hardcover books, so I used to never take off the dust jacket when I read. I also shoved everything into my bookshelf without being gentle enough. And now looking back at past me, I’m appalled that I didn’t. Because of my horrible neglect, a lot of the dust jackets I have are a little wrinkled/bent on the very tops and bottoms where the dust jacket meets the actual book (I’m the worst at explaining things). I’m 100% sure it’s from my neglect, which makes me regret everything I did whenever I pass by my bookshelf. But now I’m more careful, so I’m hoping to not damage the other half of my collection.

5. Collecting Bookish Merchandise But Not Using Them

Okay, so I don’t know how relatable this one is, but I’m still going to talk about it for your enjoyment. I LOVE bookish merchandise. Candles, enamel pins, art prints, and literally everything else. But the thing is, I don’t actually use them. I have about 20 candles lined up against my bookshelf, just sitting there. I have a couple non-bookish ones thrown in there, but I don’t even use candles. I guess I just like them as decorations? Which is seriously one of the worst rationales for buying something (it’s also scary that I don’t just own one).

I also have a mug sitting on my shelf, literally just to store the bookmarks I don’t use (once again, see number one). Which is really just quite pointless, but I do think they make good decorations! It just serves no other purpose besides that. I think I’m going to have to make limiting these purchases my next New Year’s Resolution (which I fail to complete the second week into the year).

So now that you’ve heard all my questionable antics I do, I want to know yours! Is there anything that seemingly makes no sense that you do as well? Can you relate to any of mine? Or did you just get a good laugh out of this entire post? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy reading everyone!

-Allison