My name is Kaye, and I’m a Library-aholic | #amreading

So we’re twelve days into March, which means I’m not quite two weeks into my monthlong challenge to only read books I already own, and I’ve come to a realization:

I’m a Library-aholic!

It’s amazing how many times since the beginning of the month that I’ve picked up my Kindle—even when I’m in the middle of reading something—and then set it aside, intending to pick up my phone or sit down at the computer and log into the library app/website and download some ebooks and/or audiobooks.

You see, I can check out up to 25 titles at a time. And you’d probably (not) be surprised at how often I meet that limit! One of the best things about checking out ebooks through the library (my system uses Overdrive for their digital-content provider) is that if I turn off the wifi connection on my Kindle, the ebooks stay on my device until the next time I turn the wifi on again. Which means that if I haven’t quite finished reading a book when it’s due (a 21-day check-out cycle), the library’s system automatically checks it back in. That means I’m not charged late fees, and the next person waiting for it can go ahead and get it, whether I’m through with it or not!

Of course, I rarely go twenty-one days without turning that wifi on. Between being a BookBub subscriber—and purchasing one to several low-cost/free ebooks every week or so—and browsing the library at least once a week, I typically tune my Kindle into the ether for downloads at least once every week to ten days.

Last night, after I finished reading Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer, I was ready to start another book. Without even thinking, I picked up my phone (I was already in bed) and was three pages deep into my library wishlist before I remembered that I’m supposed to be reading books I already own this month.

See, this is why there’s a very high percentage of the 340 Kindle titles I own that I haven’t read (yet). Because I’m always looking for the next best, latest-greatest thing from the library or the best-sellers lists or on my Goodreads feed or the book-review blogs I read.

So I guess what I’m saying is that I’m going to have to do this challenge a few more times this year in order to break my addiction to always looking elsewhere for a book to read, rather than reading one that’s already on my own (virtual) bookshelf.

Have you read all the books you own? Do you have an addiction to BookBub or the library or another source to get your next read?