Thursday Thoughts ~ Why do we buy books?

Cass from Books with Cass uploads “Thursday Thoughts” segments as well and I’ve been thinking about the one she posted last week which was all about buying hard copies of books. I’ve been thinking about this idea all week and I feel very similar to the opinions in her post.

First, a little background on me as a reader. I do review ARC’s (advanced reader copies) often and I also have a Nook and a Kindle.  So long story short, I read a large amount of E-books. I also choose to rent quite a bit from my local library and I have a relatively hefty Audible library at my fingertips. All in all, I really don’t own hard copies of many books. I am not one of those readers who has an at home library (as much as I wish I did). That being said I obviously BUY BOOKS, so how do I go about deciding whether or not to buy physical copies? There are a couple of different aspects I take into account and I am sure they are the same reasons many book lovers buy books, I just chose to put it into words.

Love at First Read: If I have read a book (e-book/audiobook/rental) and it is in my opinion a five star worthy, I HAVE to own it. End of story. I really enjoy re-reading stories that I adored so I like to own a physical copy to have at a moment’s notice. Plus I enjoy having the reminder of certain character(s) or storyline on my bookshelf.

Guaranteed Love: If someone close to me or someone who has very similar taste to me guarantees that I will love a book, I will buy a physical copy without a second thought. This is one reason I really like following book-tubers as there are particular people who have very similar tastes in books as myself and I will pick up something they rave about without hesitation.

Must Own: This would include any books that are a “Must Read Before You Die” kind of book. Any classics such as Jane Austin/John Steinbeck/Charles Dickens are all Must Own for me. Any “Book Cult” books such as Harry Potter or the Hunger Games also are Must Own worthy.

Support the Author: There are some authors I would pick up their books without even reading the synopsis mainly because I already know I love their writing and I want to support them to continue writing. I agree with Cass that I really take note of certain debut authors as I want to support them as well.

Cover-gasm: Whoever said “Don’t judge a book by its cover” was only partially correct. There are some god awful covers cursing some damn good books BUT there are some covers that are seriously to die for. I will buy those just because…

Share the book love: I have to agree with my peer bloggers, sometimes I will buy a book just to pass it along to others. I will only get hardcovers if this is the case because I will keep the dust jacket so that I know what books I have out to friends and family as it is either to keep track of that way.

I WANT syndrome: yes, sometimes the little girl in me wins out and I simply just want a book because I just do. Period. Take my money. :)

What are your thoughts? Do you buy physical books even if you have already read it? Why do you buy books? What do you do with your books? Where do you buy books?