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books, buying books, Dianna Hardy, guest blogging, guest posts, Libraries, literature, Reading, Vampires
Buying Books in 2012
by Dianna Hardy
I’ve written so many blog posts about my writing over the past two weeks, that 
(following a suggestion from a friend) I thought I’d change tact and write about reading.
I was an avid reader from early childhood – in fact, I don’t remember not having a book nearby ever since I could read. As soon as I got my library card, I would be there every single Saturday and would borrow my full quota of books for the week (I think it was seven books back then). I would devour them, and then go back the following week for another seven. This went on for years. It stopped when I “grew up” and had to do things like socialise (if I wanted to have any friends at all), followed by study for exams and get a job. In short, I stopped reading.
No, don’t cry, it’s okay … you see, it all worked out in the end, because now, I’m doing the thing that I actually love more than reading – I’m writing 🙂
So, my friend asked me to write a blog post about what makes me want to buy a book nowadays, and I really had to think about this answer. When I was, say, twelve, the answer was simply because I loved reading. I’d buy almost any book as long as it sounded vaguely interesting, and like something I could get into. But nowadays, reading for leisure does take a back seat to writing, and reading for reviews. I don’t do a lot of reviews, but occasionally I do, and it’s mostly for indie authors (and yes, I have a backlog). In those rare moments when I can actually say, “I’ve got some free time,” the thing that makes me buy a book is based solely on what I want to read right now. The answer is usually something paranormal (though not always), definitely something modern, something quirky, edgy or different, and often with a bit of steam to it.
If I don’t have time to look for something that’s very specific to my tastes, I’ll buy something based on recommendations that have come my way over the past few months, that I’ve logged to memory as ‘interesting’.
Most of the time, I don’t want a heavy read – just something with a smooth, flowing writing style that I can pick up whenever, and get stuck into.
I’ll usually buy eBooks first nowadays, and paperbacks only if I LOOOOOVE the story; if I know that I’ll read it every year and exhaust the paper it’s printed on.
I rarely buy books that I loved when I was younger. That was then and this is now, and I have changed so much, that I know I wouldn’t get the same things out of the books I used to love – I’m all about the new reads and moving forwards to discover new authors, new ways of writing, and new books that can press the buttons that belong to who I am now. Because next year, I’ll be a different me all over again 😉
Please feel free to comment below and let us know what inspires you to buy books (paperbacks and eBooks) nowadays. Is what you look for in a book different now to what it was ten years ago?
An
d here’s my little promo bit (’cause really, I should fit it in somewhere):
The Witching Pen series is due out in paperback form very soon for a very affordable £5.95 each – http://www.thewitchingpen.co.uk/p/buy-paperback.html
And A Silver Kiss (Vampire Poetry) is available in a neat little paperback format – http://www.vampirepoetry.co.uk/p/silver-kiss.html
Thank you David, for having me on your blog once again 🙂
Dianna Hardy is a multi-genre author of paranormal things, dark things, poetic things, sexy things, taboo things, and sometimes funny things. Writes about witches, demons and angels. All info can be found on her website DiannaHardy.com
Lurking Musings 
I’m actually on the verge of a change myself. During and after law school, I hardly read for pleasure at all. When a girlfriend started recommending books to me about a year and a half ago, I read them to give myself something to discuss with her. Just recently I started picking up books from a bookstore and testing out what works/does not work for me. I actually seem to have return to my preferences of youth– paranormal, a little on the dark side–instead of what I’d favored over the last decade when I did read. That’d be more contemporary lit. It’s neat to see the progression! (Or should I say “regression”?)
Not sure I have ever lost my preferences from youth. I have just added to them… though I do sometimes look at some of the things I considered fantastic as a boy and think ‘Oh god, that is awful’. Just an example of maturation, I suspect.
Lol! Progression / regression … I’m not sure. I always find it interesting how people, come to books, especially if (unlike me) they were never bookworms to begin with. I’ve also heard from so many, that they would never have started to read if it weren’t for their eReader. Digital books, surprisingly, have actually encouraged quite a number of people to read that otherwise would never have picked up a book — I think it’s something to do with the ease at which they can download it, the privacy in which they can read, but perhaps most of all, the fact that they don’t have to juggle something cumbersome on the train or wherever. Anyway … I’ve gone slightly off-topic maybe, but your comment reminded me of that 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by. x
I also think it is due to the fact that many of the classics are now available free on ebook. I have Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island and a few other classics on my kindle, none of which I paid any money for due to Amazon doing special offers (frankly, if the copyright has expired and you are not paying print costs the overheads are minimal… genius marketing which makes Amazon look benevolent and pro-intellectual with minimal effort). There are also places like Project Gutenberg which offer many classics for free download. This means a lot of people consider things they might not normally look at if they had to pay for it.
I feel a post on the ebook is overdue on this blog… when I manage to find time I’ll put one together…
I’m the opposite. I have a number of books I re-read from my childhood because I enjoy them. I also make sure to make time to read even when I am busy because I am addicted (it’s true, I am a chain reader, I have to start a new book as soon as I finish one). This usually means reading while on the bus or in the bath – two times when I can’t do anything more constructive.
I enjoyed this post. Thank you for writing it.
Hehe, I could never read in the bath!
I actually have to take a break after reading a book — it’s usually because I miss writing though. I never used to be like that; I used to be able to read one book after another. But nowadays, I actually start to go a little insane if I don’t spend my time writing … I’m not sure it’s healthy!
And you’re more than welcome for the post — thanks for having me 🙂
I find that reading in the bath is sometimes the only time I can do it. That and on buses and at train stations (I do a lot of travel on public transport 🙂 ).
I feel the same about reading as you do about writing but I also feel that way about writing. I have a lot to read at the moment due to being sent lots of things to review (to the extent that even I am feeling overwhelmed 🙂 ).
As for healthy… well in my opinion sanity is relative. Just associate with people with the same insanity and you’ll appear normal 🙂
I tend to buy books when I travel–you know, something for the plane, and the airports, and for nights in the hotel. That means more ebooks these days. But … I always get myself at least one paperback for my birthday and for Christmas. I guess I go primarily with recommendations from friends, or new releases (or old ones!) from authors I like.
We used to travel with 3 books each (and swap them mid week so we each had access to 6 books in total…). Now we have a kindle each and I suspect that will severely reduce the weight of our suitcases… If the worst comes to the worst, I can read the massive anthology of classical philosophy texts I got recently 🙂
I usually try to take only new books on holiday so go shopping for them just before we leave and not touching them until we leave. That makes them more special.