I love buying books, even when I know I won’t get the chance to read them because my to-read list is so long and forever changing. Yet, I can’t seem to walk out of a bookstore without at least one book (who am I kidding? If I’m at Half Price the chances are I’m going home with 5+) I also love going to estate sales and thrift stores to book shop. Barnes and Nobles is pretty much the bane of my existence.

Once, my friend had to talk me out of buying two different versions of the compiled Sherlock Holmes stories. It took her a long time and, well, I still think about it.

See, I want a library.

I have a lot of books. When I was younger my mom would only buy me more if I had read the ones I had, but now that I’m older, it’s gotten a little (a lot) out of hand. I tend to grab any classics I don’t already have, plus anything from a well-known author, like for example, I have a stack of Faulkner novels…I haven’t even cracked open one yet. I like to have the ones I know I should read. Sometimes I buy different copies of the same book because one has a neat cover.

But the other day I was in a bookstore and it suddenly occurred to me, are these books worth having in my library if I never get the chance to read them?

Personally, I think so. But at this point I don’t know if I’m just telling myself that so I don’t feel guilty about buying more. (The other day I bought 8 books for $20, how can that be the wrong choice?)

So I ask you, are books worth buying if you never read most of them?