I Have Too Many Books

I think I may have a small problem.

I have too many books. 😂

And somehow, despite having several apps to track my reading, I still managed to buy duplicate books.

Yes. Duplicate books.

Apparently, knowing what I've already bought is harder than actually buying another book.

So today, I decided it was time to do something about it.

I've been using a few different reading apps to keep track of what I'm reading, what I've read and what I want to read. But somewhere along the way, I realised that what I really need isn't just a reading tracker.

I need a proper catalogue of the books I actually own.

Because there is a difference between knowing what you've read and knowing what is sitting on your bookshelf.

And clearly, I need the latter.

Time to become my own librarian

So today, I found myself sitting in one corner next to my bookshelf, surrounded by books, trying to figure out exactly what I have.

The goal is pretty simple:

Know what I own.

I want to be able to check whether I already have a book before buying it. I want to know which books I've read, which ones are still waiting for me, and, most importantly, avoid buying the same book twice.

You would think this would be easy.

It probably would be if I had started doing this years ago.

Instead, I'm now looking at shelves of books and thinking, When did I buy this one? and Wait… don't I already have this? 😂

And that's exactly how this little project started.

The search for the right app

I've been looking into different apps that can help catalogue a personal library. There are quite a few options out there, and each seems to have its own strengths and limitations.

Some are more focused on reading and reviews. Others are better for cataloguing an actual collection. Some are simple and user-friendly, while others seem to have a lot more features than I probably need.

I'm still figuring out which one works best for me.

For now, though, the most important thing is getting everything into one place.

So today is less about finding the perfect app and more about finally getting organised.

Let's see how many books I actually own

This is probably the part I'm both looking forward to and slightly afraid of.

I have a feeling the final number is going to be higher than I expect.

And I'm almost certain I'll find more duplicates along the way.

But at least once everything is catalogued, I'll have a much better idea of what is actually sitting on my shelves.

Maybe I'll even discover books I've completely forgotten about.

And perhaps — just perhaps — this will stop me from buying another copy of a book I already own.

No promises, though. 😂

For now, I'm officially on librarian duty.

Wish me luck. 

May xx

Book Review: A Quiet Place by Seichō Matsumoto

🚨 SPOILER ALERT 🚨

I read this book a month ago and am now trying to get back on track with my reviews. 😂

The story follows Tsuneo Asai, a Japanese government bureaucrat whose younger wife, Eiko, suddenly dies of a heart attack while out in Tokyo.

At first, Asai accepts her death. She had a heart condition, so a heart attack isn't completely unbelievable. But one thing bothers him, and he starts investigating.

Asai's suspicions about Eiko are basically correct.

And then things take a very different turn.

The man who begins the story investigating a mysterious death eventually becomes a murderer himself.

But the ending felt so strange to me...

The first part reads almost like a very quiet detective story. You're slowly uncovering what Eiko had been hiding and trying to understand what really happened.

But ultimately, I don't think this book is really about solving the mystery of Eiko's death.

It's more about jealousy, obsession and how the need to know the truth can slowly consume you.

And that ending... I still don't know how I feel about it. 😂

Maybe the unsettled feeling is exactly what the author wanted to leave us with. 😮‍💨

May xx