Sometimes…

Bookish musings

… you should give in to your fancies, not heed the cynic inside you, indulge yourself, and pick up all the books that you want from a used bookstore that you happen to visit.

That is just what I did the last weekend. I decided to avoid reading any reviews, for once, before treating myself to some books that were, mostly, new to me. I think picking up books new to you on a whim is a great way to expand your reading. All of these books sound delicious, and I can’t wait to get a bit of free time so I can delve into this lot!

There’s nothing like unplanned book retail therapy to cheer me up. 🙂 Does it work for you, too?

So, this is what is going to be on my bedside table for some time to come. What is on yours?

50 thoughts on “Sometimes…”

  1. While I do pick up books when I recollect reviews or look at my must-haves, I pick it up based on its cover, title, synopsis (sometimes) and the general feel. Sometimes I pick it up because it smells good 😛 I so want some book retail therapy now! 🙂
    Whatte loot! woot woot!

    Like

    Reply

  2. Just stumbled upon your blog and liking it. The thing is if I happen to visit used book store I pick up something I wanted to read. Reading something w/o reviews is like venturing in uncharted waters for me.

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Little Creature

      Thank you. Welcome here. 🙂

      But that is the whole point of this post! I usually read reviews before I pick up books, too. So, sometimes picking up what YOU WANT TO READ, without the help of reviews, is a nice change. I think it is a great way to expand your reading, discover new books and authors without any kind of bias. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

      1. The perils of novice blogger. There may be surge in you blog visit y’day as the above comment of mine turned out to be guinea pig for fixing some weird problem with my blog. After several trials, changing blog address and username now if you click my name you get to visit my blog…which still is under construction 🙂

        Like

  5. First time here. Hello 🙂

    Yes, sometimes picking a random book and allowing yourself to be immersed without prior expectations feels good 🙂

    Btw, “The Lover’s Dictionary” is one differently written book. Original and good. Collectible sort.

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Monkey Mind

      Hello there! Welcome to my blog. I had a peek at your blog, and loved what I saw. Will be back to read more sometime soon. 🙂

      Sometimes, yes, picking up books at random feels good. Provides good experience, too!

      I heard that Lover’s Dictionary is very different from common books. Looking forward to read it.

      Like

      Reply

  6. ahh..wonderul therapy for the mind and soul :), I know that this book buying spree catches me once in a while , but not sure what’s wrong (or correct , rather :)) last 2 months, I’m simply surfing books to buy, read book reviews..TGND,I have ordered Shadow Princess after reading your review..Waiting to go to the book store and stock -pile after reading your comments on this loot ..
    Thanks to you,TGND, I picked up books that you suggested with an open mind to try out and experience different genre,style of writing and enjoyed reading each of them.Thank you! I’m hoping to develop the knack of picking up books without reading reviews in due course ..

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Ramya

      I am glad you are enjoying reading the books that I had recommended to you. 🙂

      Well, you might not always like the books that someone else has written a great review for, right? So, there is a fair amount of risk involved in picking up books that way, too. As there is in picking up books without reading the reviews. I think one should adopt a mix of both book-buying styles.

      Like

      Reply

  8. I usually tend not to read reviews beforehand, just pick books that prickles my interest.

    I love Maggie O’Farrell’s books. I haven’t read the one you have here, so I must get this soon 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Titaxy

      I do that only once in a while, so this was a real treat to me. 🙂

      I hadn’t heard of Maggie O’Farrell before I bought this book of hers. Hope I like it. I loved the storyline.

      Like

      Reply

  9. I am a huge book lover just like you.
    Presently still reading: Vikram Seth’s 2 lives and BPO Sutras
    Dying to read: Oath of Vyaputras and Patrick French take on India which I just laid my hands on
    Books to look forward: PG Woodehouse series and Rushdie’s Biography plus revisiting Harry Potter, Shobha De’s Sethji..so many

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Zinta

      I have tried to read Haruki Murakami, but failed to really understand him. As a consequence, I have given up on reading his books. A lot of people rave about him, I know, and that he is a very gifted writer, but maybe I am not meant to read him now. Maybe later, when my reading is a little bit more mature…

      Like

      Reply

  11. Absolutely! You have to give in and pick up books on a lark 🙂 I do it all the time, although I rarely buy, I borrow from the library – I can’t afford to feed my habit 🙂

    Haven’t read any of these TGND. Waiting to read your reviews on them.

    My bedside table( not fictional, but I wish I could keep my books only there, they are all around the house), has The Rice Mother, The Cellist of Sarajevo, The Help and The Hero’s Walk. And I’m shocked that I have just 4 books to read. I have to go replenish my stocks 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Smitha

      Your reading list sounds fantastic. All of those books sound so exotic! Have fun reading them.

      I am somehow never satisfied with the lending libraries here, so I usually resort to buying the books that I read. Sometimes expensive, I know. I do try to hunt for bargains and buy used books, too. I couple that with buying expensive books, that are not so common, first-hand. That way, I get to indulge my reading habit and get to read all sorts of books.

      Hopefully, I will get around to reading the stack of books that I have bought soon, and review them soon, too. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  13. Hello 🙂 I’ve never dropped a line before, but I have a Santa Montefiore book sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read too, lol! I always pick up books like that, I only recently started doing background checks on them on goodreads… and I actually think its not the best idea, it burns a hole in my pocket whenever I go searching for a particular book! But with all the books fairs we have in Bangalore, its pretty easy to have a pile at a very decent rate. 🙂

    But I must say the titles and the spines of the books in the picture you’ve put up look very inviting!

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Snoopyandblossom

      Hi there! Welcome to my blog. I am glad you decided to de-lurk. 🙂

      I haven’t read most of the authors in the pile before, except Jojo Moyes and Anita Shreve. I have had only a very limited glimpse into their work, honestly. I have already started on the Santa Montefiore – my first book by her – and I must say it is a delicious read. At least, so far. 🙂

      Yes, in Bangalore, we are lucky to get a pile of books at a fairly decent price. That was what prompted me, actually, to make up this pile. There was a buy 2 get 1 free offer! How could I resist?

      I agree – buying books without reading up about them might burn a hole in your pocket, and you might not necessarily like all the books you buy that way. However, it is fun once in a while, and you grow a lot that way. Right?

      Like

      Reply

      1. Oh no no no, I meant that whenever I do a background check and go into a book shop with a list, it turns out to be a little expensive then, rather than when I wander around and pick out things I like. But despite that, yeah I do have a shelf full of books I haven’t read. They’re mostly classics or gifts though, so I stopped trying to read classics altogether. Reading the back of the book is enough for me mostly. Although I have picked up at least 5 REALLY odd and confusing books.

        I haven’t started on the Santa Montefiore I have yet, exams n stuff right now 🙂 But I swear, the titles seem very very interesting!

        About a month back I went to one sale and came back with 15 books for 500, and then sat staring at that pile lovingly till my dad put them all in my shelf. I haven’t started on them either!

        In what way do you think this stack has been a deviation from what you generally read??

        Like

      2. @Snoopyandblossom

        Oh yes, that happens to me, too. 🙂

        All of Santa Montefiore’s book titles are lovely. Tempting!

        As for your question, the category of these books is not very different from what I usually read – contemporary fiction. This is a deviation in the sense that most of these authors are new for me – I’ve never even heard of some. The storylines of these books, too, hint at interesting matter, quite different stories from what I have read so far. Also, picking up books like this, without reading the reviews thoroughly, is in itself a deviation from what I do normally. 🙂

        Oh, I have given up on reading classics, too. Blasphemy, I know!

        Like

  14. Ahh… I do this all the time and today after giving myself a stern talking to about not buying any more books for some time, I went and ordered 11 books from Flipkart just because they were having a 50% sale and I couldn’t resist it. Not that I need an excuse for buying books.

    And as for books being the best form of retail therapy, it is also the only form of guilt-free retail therapy for me 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Sudhagee

      What?! I didn’t know Flipkart has a 50% off sale. 😀

      I buy more books than I read all the time. To my credit, however, I do end up reading these books years later, if not immediately. So, I consider it as an investment. 🙂 What I was saying in the post is that I don’t usually buy books without reading up on the reviews on various book blogs.

      I agree – buying books is the best form of retail therapy. Guilt-free too. They give you lots more in return than you invest in them. 🙂 Well, at least, most of the time.

      Like

      Reply

  15. Wow you made quite a loot with those books, TGND! I normally pick up books after reading reviews of people whose tastes are similar to mine. I really like and follow, for instance, Smitha’s collections because I have mostly ended loving her recos. I should try what you did now..pick up a book on a whim! Sounds fun! And I agree it can be a great way to expand your reading! The books you have listed above do look interesting 🙂

    I have Jeffrey Archer’s Best Kept Secret on my bed side table at the moment. Yep just one book at a time, rest are in the book-shelf :). To describe the book- gripping is an understatement. Jeffrey Archer does that to me always. I just love the pull I feel with his books 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. @Deeps

      I usually pick up books after a lot of research. More often than not, I know what to expect out of a book even before I buy it. I don’t think that is a practice one should always follow. Hence, impulse buys once in a while are good. Do try it out sometime – I bet you’ll gain loads of experience in the process, if not anything else. Oh, and a lot of fun and excitement in the process, too! 🙂

      I haven’t read any Jeffrey Archer yet. Yes, I heard your gasp of disbelief. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

      1. Tgnd, you must read ‘kane and abel’ and then ‘the prodigal daughter’, which is the sequel and in my opinion the best JA book ever! Highly, highly recommended.
        On an unrelated note, I’ve been lurking. Big time. Would love to catch up, sometime. Please 🙂

        Like

      2. @Charmingthird

        I happen to have Kane And Abel with me. Actually, I have had it for more than 4 years now. Somehow, never got around to reading it!

        I am glad you decided to de-lurk. 🙂 What’s your blog URL?

        Like

    2. Deeps, I picked it up on your reco – and ended up reading the whole series! Waiting for Archer to deliver his next installment now 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  16. On my bedside table (which is fictional, because we only have a bed (R;s) next to our bed) I have

    1. Billy Tibbles moves out
    2. The Pleasant Raksasha
    3. Noddy and Tessie Bear
    4. Annual Haircut Day
    5. Aunty Jui’s Baby
    6. Chugginton book with Koko

    Errr..need I say more *rolls eyes*

    Like

    Reply

    1. @R’s Mom

      LOL. You needn’t say more. Guess R Kutty is doing a lot of reading these days! 🙂

      Psst.. my bedside table is fictional, too. All the books I am reading at a particular point of time lie scattered about on our bed, much to the irritation of the OH. 😀

      Like

      Reply

      4. @Greenboochi

        But, these days, I am seriously making an effort to finish all the books I have bought but not read over the years. I hope I stick to it, and succeed in lightening my bookshelf at least a bit. 🙂

        Like

Leave a comment