Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion

I LOVE buying books. It drives my live-in boyfriend insane as we have piles of books everywhere, half of which I haven't had a chance to read yet. He hates clutter and doesn't like to own lots of books, only ones he'll re-read a million times.

That being said, I have OCD and literally can't borrow from the library or buy used books. I would LOVE to buy old collectibles and some day I might do that and just wear gloves (probably smart anyway for preservation, right?)

So I was just curious if anyone else out there is a weirdo like me and can't touch used or public books, and if so, does it bother you? I dislike it a lot because books are so wonderful and all, not to mention new ones are so expensive compared to the used ones that can be found in fun, eclectic boutiques and stores.

Just thought I'd throw that topic out there, hoping I'm not alone... but if so, I'm used to that! LOL

By the way, I'm new to the group and love it.

I know I've talked to someone else on gr with the same issue with used or library books. I assume it's a cleanliness factor of some kind at work there? My sympathies; I imagine it must be quite frustrating to have those compulsions. :-(

Caity wrote: "I LOVE buying books. It drives my live-in boyfriend insane as we have piles of books everywhere, half of which I haven't had a chance to read yet. He hates clutter and doesn't like to own lots of b..."

A bit of justification for your OCD preventing borrowing of library books:

1) there has been some spreading of bed bugs via library books
2) lots of people read books in the bathroom and probably don't do the logical thing of not touching the book after they have touched a dirty part of the body and before washing hands
3) way more people than I'm comfortable with at work like to touch the bottoms of their shoes. They definitely do not clean their hands before touching everything else.

Caity wrote: "I LOVE buying books. It drives my live-in boyfriend insane as we have piles of books everywhere, half of which I haven't had a chance to read yet. He hates clutter and doesn't like to own lots of b..."

I forgot to say - when it comes to the old, used books - almost all germs can't live that long without a food source. Pretty much any old book you'd buy would probably only have the germs of whoever touched it at the store (same as a new book). Anything else would be dead or would very soon die off. I know OCD and OCD-like disorders are not always about rationality, but know that science is on your side when it comes to these books. You don't need gloves - especially if you wait a while before using it. Putting it in an bag without air also helps as many (though not all) bacteria need oxygen.

Really, the only truly clean books are ebooks.

@Tina : I am so jealous, I would love to have another cat, let alone a room devoted to, and full of, books AND cats!

@Paulfozz - Yes, it's a germ thing. I dislike the smell which seems to be the same across the board (but love new book smells like clothing), and the knowledge that I don't know where the book has been or what they did while reading it always gets to me.

@Eric - first post was like, "AHHH yes, that's why I have a problem here!"

But then the second post was like, "Ok he gets it and yeah I know it's totally not rational and that most things die and that bookstore books are not pristine either, but it's totally in my head and I literally feel like my hands are contaminated so I can't really rationalize that part.

I have grown to keep my OCD under control, as a kid I knew I was "weird" and did cognitive behavioral therapy on myself and didn't know it (meaning, I'd force myself to not let myself get freaked out, change how I thought etc.) but the book thing I may never be able to get over.

Thanks for the conversation guys. :)

Have you ever thought about wearing white cotton gloves, the kind people buy to wear at night with lotions? Might work..... and they are quite washable. And cheap.

Caity wrote: "@Tina : I am so jealous, I would love to have another cat, let alone a room devoted to, and full of, books AND cats!

@Paulfozz - Yes, it's a germ thing. I dislike the smell which seems to be the ..."

Yeah, I've never been medically diagnosed, but there's OCD in my family and I appear to have the internal form. Meaning it's not about cleanliness or tapping rituals. More about a constant stream of thoughts. Some guy on Fresh Air spoke about it once and how that form is more rare and often misdiagnosed.

Caity wrote: "@Paulfozz - Yes, it's a germ thing. I dislike the smell which seems to be the same across the board (but love new book smells like clothing), and the knowledge that I don't know where the book has been or what they did while reading it always gets to me.
"

I can certainly appreciate where the fear comes from, and I imagine it must be terribly frustrating for you.

I actually prefer the smell of old books to new - new books smell rather 'chemical' to me, especially glossy books, but old books smell very comforting. I do own one very yellowed book which is rather overwhelming though!

Paulfozz wrote: "Caity wrote: "@Paulfozz - Yes, it's a germ thing. I dislike the smell which seems to be the same across the board (but love new book smells like clothing), and the knowledge that I don't know where..."

My mom and a friend of mine are the same way - they LOVE the smell of used books and old ones. I do like the idea that people have loved the books that are in libraries and that when I see them I have no idea how many people have enjoyed the book... I just can't touch them. Haha. I also grab the books in the back of the shelf at stores because if there are finger prints on glossy covers, etc I can't buy it. It's ridiculous I know, but I accept it about myself. :)

Caity wrote: "because if there are finger prints on glossy covers, etc I can't buy it. It's ridiculous I know, but I accept it about myself. :) "

That's a good thing about hardcovers. You can take the slip cover off while you're reading, lugging it around, etc and not worry about it acquiring new fingerprints, stains, etc

MissJessie--former librarian wrote: "Have you ever thought about wearing white cotton gloves, the kind people buy to wear at night with lotions? Might work..... and they are quite washable. And cheap."

I did that as a kid when schools required us to take the books home. But I can't let them touch any of my stuff and only let them sit on non-pourous surfaces... Just easier to avoid them. But thank you for the thoughtful suggestion.

@Eric I've heard of that kind of OCD. Do you have "bad" or "scary" thoughts? That's somewhat normal with OCD but I have heard of the kind you speak of where it's a little different than the kind I am talking about. I empathize.

I am adopted so have no idea if it's in my genes, but my family teases me in good nature about it so I've learned not to be embarrassed or anything now that I'm an adult.

Caity wrote: "MissJessie--former librarian wrote: "Have you ever thought about wearing white cotton gloves, the kind people buy to wear at night with lotions? Might work..... and they are quite washable. And ch..."

The best example I can give is an episode I remember from when I was a kid. I was raised really religious and some kid cursed in front of me, on purpose. I then had that word cycling through my head non-stop for the next week. Being like 5 and super religious I went to speak to my pastor at my distress at having this word repeating forever in my head. I don't remember the details of what he did or when the word stopped bothering me, but it's mostly like that.

So maybe similar to what you said with bad or scary thoughts, but usually there's nothing scary about it. It's just really annoying; focusing on whatever's bugging me at the moment.

Caity wrote: "Oh ok I understand. How frustrating that must be and hard for a child to understand, especially. Do you still battle with that?

Well, I had been talking about something that I didn't know about un..."

I see. For the most part. I'd say I can't remember having what you're talking about. But,yeah, what I described is still there. Most recent examples are not for a public forum.

Heh, after all this conversation, I went to the library yesterday to check out a ton of books. I'd love to own them all, but those darn authors insist on getting paid for entertaining me. q;O)

I have the ocd where i hiard

hoard? Focus on reading if I may help a little.

Caity wrote: "@Tina : I am so jealous, I would love to have another cat, let alone a room devoted to, and full of, books AND cats!

@Paulfozz - Yes, it's a germ thing. I dislike the smell which seems to be the ..."

Me and the books and cats wish you a Happy Holiday Caity

Thank you, Lee. Happy holiday to you as well!

Ahhhh...! LOL

Tina wrote: "Caity wrote: "I LOVE buying books. It drives my live-in boyfriend insane as we have piles of books everywhere, half of which I haven't had a chance to read yet. He hates clutter and doesn't like to..."

Yup, my live-in boyfriend knew all about my book addiction when we moved in together a few years ago. Our apartment now has a spacious upstairs room with cathedral ceilings, which makes it perfect for bookcases, and I'm in the process of moving things from the first floor up to the second -- it used to be the bedroom and will now be the library/cat room (we have 3 fur babies). If I had to estimate, I'd say I own close to 400 books at present, and probably half of them are ones I haven't read yet -- and I still insist on buying more! (<< probably why I wound up in this group ehehe)

Tina wrote: "same here Ashley..same here. 2 Bloodhounds(have to watch the slobber) Siamese cat and a Persian. And I stopped counting books. Hard to count when the cats sleep on them! LOL"

right?? seems like every time I stretch out on the couch to read, one kitten in particular (she's about 8lbs and 2yrs old so not technically a kitten but still) always decides that the best place to curl up is right there on the pages.

I hate the snell of smoke on books

Lee i will focus on reading my books. That is the true enjoyment of having books

@Sonya same here. there's a huge difference between smoky-book-smell and old-book-smell. I can't stand smoky books :P

& @Tina I was totally off on my count btw lol -- I'm getting close to 300 now. I made a Goodreads shelf specifically to keep track of the books I own :D