Historically, no. But I’m trying to change.
When I got my first e-reader, I downloaded a lot of free and cheap ebooks just because I could. After a lifetime of paying NZ$25 plus for a paperback, I found it difficult to resist the never-ending supply of free and cheap ebooks.
I discovered online book reviewing at the same time.
This meant many of the books I bought never got read, because I was prioritising review copies. As a result, I have I don’t know how many unread ebooks in my Kobo and Amazon accounts. (Yes, my first e-reader was a Kobo, because Amazon didn’t initially ship the Kindle to New Zealand.)
I will say that I’ve (mostly) stopped downloading free ebooks, simply because I never get around to reading them. I’m much more likely to read a book I’ve paid for, even if I only paid 99 cents.
But that doesn’t and hasn’t fix the huge to-read pile.
Over the last year, I have been making a concerted effort to read ebooks as soon as I buy them rather than letting them languish in my virtual to-read pile for eons.
This has led to me enjoying many of the books I’ve bought more, simply because I’ve read them when I was in the mood to read them, rather than buying them because theywere on sale and never quite getting around to them.
I do still keep an eye on the BookBub email to see if there are any sale books I like the look of (not so many as there used to be … partly because I often click through and Amazon tells me I bought the book several years ago).
I find I’m buying more books based on recommendations in author newsletters. I have to say that’s a very hit-or-miss activity, as many of the authors say they haven’t read the books they’re promoting, and some of the books have turned out to be awful (as in, dialogue so stilted I can’t believe the book was written by a human). But at least I’m starting them quickly, and getting them off my Kindle if they don’t suit me.
