So you bring the book home and you have a lot of books. You have tons of books because you're a book blogger and it is your lot and great honor in life to be surrounded by piles upon piles of books.
So you place your new purchase on the very special shelf for all of the signed books when low and behold, you realize you bought the book you just signed before at a charity sale a couple weeks prior, it just has a different cover. And because you got it from a charity sale (luckily for 50 cents in my most unfortunate case), you cannot return it!!!
Ugh, it just feels so wasteful. I have unfortunately had this similar situation happen to me before it happened again last week. I went to the Sarah Dessen event last week and bought a couple more of her books to have signed in addition to the one book that I remembered that I had at home. I think I was too excited to really think about what books I was getting. All of the covers of her books have been very recently redone too so it was very hard for me to remember what books I had and which I didn't. Like I said, I am a very visual person and when covers change, it is crazy difficult for me to remember what I already have. Nonetheless, I will be donating my old, unsigned copy of "This Lullaby" back to the library sale. Bad Megan, bad!
Has this ever happened to you?
Haha! I'm sorry this happened to you but it IS kind of funny! I'm not sure I've ever bought an autographed book I already own, but I have bought books at book fair that I own or have read and not realized it. At least at book fair, I can consider it a donation for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteExactly! The charity sale that I bought the book with the old cover at is for a charity very near and dear to my heart called Turning the Page. It's a literacy non-profit focused on children in the Washington, D.C. area. They are awesome!
DeletePoor Meg....I have bought duplicate books now and then, but it makes for a nice mistake if you can share it with a friend and read them together.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea. My little sister is back home from grad school and has already hit me up for books to read this summer. Maybe I could read together with her!
DeleteI know that at Barnes and Nobles if you have a receipt you CAN return any book!! Yes... true story.
ReplyDeleteLOL, that's always a good thing! I'm glad I'm not the only one that knows that bit of information ;)
DeleteYou can always give them away on your blog. I'm a Reader, not a Writer has a tour for giving away books that you don't need. Then it helps you by bringing views to your page.
ReplyDeleteThat's true! Like I told Diane above, I think I might read the book together over the summer with my youngest sister who is home from grad school.
DeleteI have bought doubles so many times I can't remember the number of times!! However, Mark-who I've known since I was 16-now 62-remembers each and every book I've bought-I generally give them to my friend-his wife! And he has NO problem announcing it to the world at large in a very loud voice!! So do not feel bad-we all do it--the changing of the covers does not help!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one :)
DeleteI've bought doubles before, but what really hurts is when I donate books to the local charity book sale and my hubby or daughter buys them back! (Has happened twice.) BTW I really like Bookcrossing.com for moving on my books. I "set them free" in the wild or pass on to friends. If you check them out and decide to join (it's free) tell them MarysGirl sent you.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love this post! I think we've all done it at one time or another. I've even bought doubles on PURPOSE before now (not like a crazy person, but once I walked into my local bookshop and my favourite author literally just HAPPENED to be signing that day and I didn't have time to run home for my copy).
ReplyDeleteI'm really bad in second hand stores though - "I know I have SOME Stephen Kind books... but do I have THIS one?" Then I buy it and invariably find another copy on my shelf at home.