Acquiring books (but not reading them)?

[Nytmare]

Four or five years? I've got at least two shelves full of unread books stretching back from the mid 90s.

I've managed to at least wrestle the completionist bug into submission with the larger game systems I play, but I still have way too many indy game books that I picked up and have never gotten around to cracking open.

To be fair though, the same is true for non game books that I buy. My "to read" stack(s) is embarrassingly tall.

 

[Blue]

Saw this and thought of this thread.

 

[Mercador]

I never thought there was a word for it, thanks!

 

[TarionzCousin]

Isn't this how we keep our hobby thriving?

 

[Yaztromo]

I can perhaps understand if you do that as a book collector, but if that's not the case, I suggest you make a committment not to buy books that you don't read. If you want to buy a new one and you still have one that you never read on your shelf, you can still buy the new one under strict condition that you dispose of an old and unread one (you can re-sell it, make a present, give it away, donate to the local library... as you like, but it has to physically get out of your home not to come back anymore).

I have seen with my eyes that similar committments can be extremely beneficial (not only applied to books, but also to boots, bags, clothes, etc.)

 

[Imaculata]

I like having a lot of role playing books, but I've noticed that I mostly just collect them, but not read them. They do find some use eventually, sometimes just for inspiration. But I still have the Starfinder Core rulebook and Starfinder Armory in my bookcase, that have barely even been touched.

 

[Jer]

I've stopped buying new books like this - if I'm buying something new it usually needs to be relevant to a game I'm running and it will be something I read sooner rather than later. Since right now I'm running D&D 5e and 13th Age campaigns, I mostly only buy those books new. (There are exceptions. I also am buying Torg books through the Kickstarter, but since I run periodic one-shots of Torg with my group when not everyone can be there for our regular game, I guess that also counts as "a game I'm running". I also will buy the occasional horror game book even though my current groups mostly don't like playing horror games).

Bundle of Holding and Humble Bundle are both my weaknesses though. I now have pages and pages of books on DriveThruRpg and Humble Bundle that I've never even downloaded because the price was so good for just a few of the books and the rest of them are essentially thrown in "for free". For example, I just bought the entire One Ring bundle at Humble Bundle and I have no idea when I'm going to get the chance to read most of them, let alone if I'll ever actually get a chance to play the damn game.

 

[Blackmoor_Film]

We live in a consumer society and are taught well from a young age that buying is bliss.

And I often say this very same thing as in a previous post by Starfox:

"Those who have time don't have the money.

Those who have the money don't have the time."

As a kid it was about exploring new games and looking for the ultimate game system. Now I don't care, it's all make believe elf games.

I have sold most of my games collection. (Still have tons of minis I need to sell.) I mostly just want scans and PDF's now. In my own gaming I am much like the OP and only use a few things. My game night set up is 4 little books (LBB's + Greyhawk sup.) and 1 big book (1st ed MM). I've even stopped using a DM screen and just use a clip board with one piece of the Judges shield that has the combat charts on it..

 

[Mercador]

I can perhaps understand if you do that as a book collector, but if that's not the case, I suggest you make a committment not to buy books that you don't read. If you want to buy a new one and you still have one that you never read on your shelf, you can still buy the new one under strict condition that you dispose of an old and unread one (you can re-sell it, make a present, give it away, donate to the local library... as you like, but it has to physically get out of your home not to come back anymore).

I have seen with my eyes that similar committments can be extremely beneficial (not only applied to books, but also to boots, bags, clothes, etc.)

Yeah, at least, I'm not a big buyer in general, video games and rpg books are my only gifts that I allow myself and I made a decent income. I guess I just love to collect them all. I would like to read them but I don't and that's bother me a bit, I would like to know why I have this habit. Buying them don't give me the time to read them. And even when I have the spare time, I'm doing something else, like I'm feeling guilty to read them :/

 

[MNblockhead]

Yeah. My weakness is kickstarter. At least with board games, I make an effort to play every game I buy. I don't want to be a collector. I want to be a player.

With TTRPGs, my habit is less defensible. I don't have time to even use half of just the 5e stuff I've bought. When will I have time to play the Expanse, which I just back? The Godsfall 5e campaign, which I just backed. I tell myself, it will still be nice for "lonely fun" -- I can enjoy reading through them and enjoying the artwork. But, well, I'm embarrassed at how many books, both physical and Kindle I've bought on impulse and still have not read after owning them for years.

So, yeah, tsundoku is a character flaw of mine. Glad to learn there is a word for it. Hmm...I wonder if there is a book about the issue....oh, hey!