December 5th, 2008
Mood and the Towering To-Be-Read Pile

Cross-posted from Fangs, Fur & Fey.

If you’re in the publishing industry, chances are you’ve noticed all the gloom and doom. The nasty sharp-toothed monster that is affecting our economy is definitely taking little bloody chunks out of the book industry as well. The news is even motivating a grass roots buy-a-book-for-a-gift campaign. You’ve probably seen it. Buy a book this weekend, just one.

Hey, any excuse to buy a book is excuse enough for me! You don’t have to ask me twice! And, anyway, when someone asks me what I want as a gift, I always say BOOKS. In fact, no one in my family even has to ask that question. My gift preference hasn’t changed since I was six.

So I’ve been “supporting my fellow authors” (hee!) by making sure I take trips to the bookstore every weekend to pick up a new book for my already towering TBR pile. (I swear that thing is going to tip over and smother me in my sleep one night. I really need to think about an eReader. Are you listening, Santa?) HEY, I have to do my part, right? Plus, I’m buying books as presents for the readers on my shopping list instead the other things I might ordinarily gift them with. I’m actually surprised my book buying hasn’t propped up the industry by now. I could probably do it single-handed.

The one person I never buy books for is my husband, however. He is not a reader (I love him despite this very major flaw). Worse, he doesn’t understand being a reader. So when he inquires about my towering TBR pile and asks why I’m buying MORE books he only shakes his head when I tell I’m supporting my industry. He equally doesn’t understand my normal (non-publishing-industry-in-peril) reasoning for buying more books while I still have books to read. That would be MOOD.

What I choose to read is at the whim of my mood. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a gritty suspense or horror novel that will make me want to hide under the covers. Or sometimes I want an urban fantasy that will sweep me away to another version of Earth, or an intricate historical fantasy that will make me marvel at the author’s imagination. Other times I want a highly romantic story that will make me sniffle and sigh.

The result is my own private library with a vast selection of books that I can pick and choose from. He’ll point accusingly to a novel on the bottom of the pile and say, “Hey, that one’s been there for a month!” I’ll respond by saying, “Its time hasn’t come, but it will. I just have to be in the right mood.”

So, what about you? Do you read by mood too? Or not so much?

ALSO: I have done all my bookmark mailings for WITCH HEART and I still have a box of bookmarks left. So, if you want a bookmark, just let me know!! Send me your mailing address per the contact form on my site and I’ll get one to you. If you work for a bookstore or otherwise send out authorly promo for some reason, I’m also happy to send to you. Thanks!

10 comments to “Mood and the Towering To-Be-Read Pile”

  1. I first arrange my books into the order I think I want to read them… then when it comes down to the actual time to read… I look at the books and say yea or nay to the one on top… I am big on MOOD reading! 😀


  2. Definitely by mood…or because I’ve just finished one I love and I own (or can get my hands on) the rest of the series. MsValerie is a proud glommer!


  3. BUT….if I buy any more books any time soon I’ll be getting divorce papers. 😉


  4. My TBR pile is in racks over my sewing room door. I read from the botton rack upward as they come.


  5. I am a bit of a “mood” reader. I tend to go through stages where I read dark paranormal romance, then read contemporary for a while. A friend is trying to get me to read some old west romances *shiver* – not too sure about that one. lol

    I’ve got TBR alps that have avalances every so often though! 😀

    I ask for gift certificates from my favorite books stores for gifts. I love those!


  6. I do read according to mood. My TBR pile isn’t that big really but big enough for me to have a choice and that’s all that matters. I’ll try to read the books I borrowed from my firend first though but I have to slip other things in there to break it up.


  7. Buying presents for me at Christmas is also fairly easy because nobody can go wrong by buying me a book – any book. I love them all.

    I’ve always bought my nieces and nephews a book each for Christmas as well and will continue to do so. In fact, I bought my sister’s kids a book just for the heck of it a few weeks ago because I had to take my niece to story time while my mom watched our neighbor’s daughter. So, while we were at the bookstore for story time, I picked up a few books for me, I bought one for my grandma who came along, and I let my niece pick one out for herself. Then, because I let her do that, I promised her brother I’d take him to the store so he could pick out a book for himself.


  8. Evening Anya…I like diff genre of storytelling & diff styles of writing. When I fell like some action, adventure & suspense, PNR does the trick. When I feel hot & bothered, EROTIC reads r perfect. Lastly, when I want 2 fall in luv, ROMANCE is the 1.
    Ada 🙂


  9. I definitely read by mood, and my TBR pile is HUGE. Although, speaking of husbands *mutter* I’ve been officially cut off from buying myself books until Christmas… I find this very irritating (and unlikely *G*)

    I own a bookstore and my hubby is constantly asking me why I’m buying more books when I have so many at my “disposal” *snort* men, they just don’t get it 😉


  10. I also read by mood. Whatever I am in the mood for is what I try to find to read. Unfortunately, having been unemployed for a little over 2 months my TBR pile is almost non-existant, although if I look in my book boxes I am sure there are a few (a dozen or so) in one particular series that I keep purchasing but havent read cause I have not been in the mood for that particular type of book in a couple of years now lol but I have so many of them that I am NOT getting rid of them cause never fear as soon as I do, I will be dying to read just that type of book. And besides, the last time I got rid of a bunch of books, I had a bunch that I had no intention of getting rid of come up missing so I am not thining that stack of books out anytime soon. I figure when my room is so full of books that I cannot find my bed, then I need a bigger bedroom HeHeHeHeHe. One of the best presents anyone can get me is a gift card for a bookstore lol so I can buy more books. I even have a message on my yahoo that says I need more books




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