The Downside Of Ordering Books Online

16 Aug

… when you live in a non-English speaking country and therefore need to order most books written in English online is that by the time the books arrive, most of the time you’re no longer interested in reading them. At least, that’s the way it is for me.

I look at the list of books I ordered last week, and I think “Give me something else to read.” Four of them are already here, I even read one of them, and I know I’ll read the others eventually, but right now I’m rather close to “Was there nothing else?” That has nothing to do with the books, it’s because I ordered them on a high and by the time they’re here, I have moved on and I’m interested in something else.

The obvious answer seems to be to go e-books. And I would but there are (still) weighty reasons against it. So no (and I leave it at that because that is something for a separate post).

But I won’t get new books, either. No, really. I already spent more than I intended on books last week and by the time the new books will be here, it would just be the same again. So no again. Better to focus on the bright side of ordering books online:

1. I don’t have to go out (probably even in the rain) to get books
2. I don’t get looked at funny because of the covers

So there is that and the TBR pile in the living room. Looked at like that, all is good. Really.

(And now I hope this works to keep me from ordering new books.)

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5 Responses to “The Downside Of Ordering Books Online”

  1. Carolyn Jean Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 4:19 pm #

    How frustrating! I think we are just so spoiled here in the US in terms of getting new books quickly. But I bet you’ll get back in the mood to read them.

  2. Christine Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 8:36 pm #

    Will it make you feel better if I tell you that I sometimes lose my high for books I order online even when I get them within a week’s time? Its true. And if I buy too many at one time anywhere, I sometimes lose my gusto for those, too. But like Carolyn said, you’re interest in those books will probably come back.

  3. Taja Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 10:38 am #

    Carolyn Jean – thank you. You’re right about the mood coming back. And I don’t think you (the people in the US) are spoiled in relation to new books, that’s just the way it should be for you. It’s my fickle enthusiasm that’s acting up! 🙂

    Christine – yes, thank you! 🙂 It helps to know that I’m not alone. And I definitely went overboard with the contemporaries there. 🙂

    @ all- Can you get books in French or German from amazon.com (for example)? Or do you have to go to the corresponding sites (like amazon.fr) to get the books? If so, then I think it’s actually we here in Europe who are spoiled. 😉

  4. Christine Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 4:17 pm #

    I’ve never tried to order a book in any language other than English, but I tried to find out just now and it seems we can buy books in Spanish for the same delivery times and costs, but not other languages. I don’t even think Amazon.uk or Amazon.ca has those options.

  5. Taja Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 8:52 pm #

    Christine, thank you for checking! Now I feel slightly bad for not doing it myself.

    I just went and took a closer look at amazon.de so that I don’t say things that aren’t true. But yes, apart from books in English, you can also get books in French, Spanish, and Italian (more than a few thousand titles listed for these three languages; English I don’t know, probably all). There are even more languages, but most of the books listed there are about the language itself, by authors from that country, or travel books; only a few look like novels.

    Anyway, thank you.

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