Biblio-OCD or AKA Book Hoarding

So last night I went to bed a little early so that I could read my new book, "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly.  But I never got to the book.  I ended up reorganizing my book collection.  All books that I haven't read yet. 

Since I've gotten my Kindle, I haven't been hoarding buying any new "real" books.....but I still have a decent stash.  So last night, I decided to go through them again.  Something I tend to do about twice a year. 

And I organized. 

Into three categories -- "To Read Eventually (TRE)", "To Read in the Next Year" (TRNY), and "To Read Immediately".  I even have specific locations for them.  The TREs are stored in the cabinet underneath our bedroom entertainment center.  The TRNYs are stored in a pink basket next to the entertainment center.  And the TRIs are on the bookshelf on the other side of the entertainment center.

As I was organizing, I'd also discovered that I'd been reading James Patterson's "Women's Murder Club" series out of order.  As well as not knowing the order of some other book series that I had.

Oh the horror!

You see - to an obsessive compulsive book hoarder like me -- that's devastating.  And enough to send me into a frenzy to find out which books I've missed -- which I did at about 11pm last night.  Frantic searches on Amazon and author websites....needing to know which books I'm missing and making little post-it notes on my laptop with the titles.

I have Biblio-OCD.....or what's officially known as "Bibliomania".

Wikipedia defines bibliomania (book hoarding) as an obsessive-compulsive disorder involving collecting books that are neither useful to the collector nor intrinsically valuable. Symptoms of bibliomania include buying multiple copies of the same book and accumulating books beyond possible capacity for use or enjoyment.

Now, call it denial.....but I don't agree with that description completely.  My books are useful.  They are my stress-reliever, my relaxation technique, my drug of choice.  I also don't believe that my collection is "beyond possible capacity for use or enjoyment".  I full believe that I'll read all those books.  And seeing those books all around are like wrapping myself in a paper blanket. 

Books are my woobie.  Books are my best friend.  And for the next year while My Marine is gone, books will be my constant bedtime companion.

There are worse things to be addicted to than books....I could be an alcoholic, I could be a drug addict, I could be a sex addict.  But no, I'm just a book addict.  (And I should add a FRUGAL book addict since I haven't bought a brand new, from the bookstore book in YEARS!)

So for now....I will embrace my bibliomania....and head off to the thrift store to find the missing "Women's Murder Club" books!

You can never have enough books......