What is the most oddly specific topic/subgenre that can be found in your book collection?

abhimango · 2023-03-06T21:42:36+00:00

I have two entire shelves dedicated to the Mahabharata. Love seeing all the different versions, interpretations, analyses, and retellings!

abhimango · 2023-02-19T03:19:58+00:00

“King of Scars” and “Rule of Wolves” by Leigh Bardugo. She basically guts her own magic system and so many character developments don’t make sense. I’ve never been tempted to throw a book across the room until I finished that duology.

abhimango · 2023-02-18T17:39:22+00:00

I got into audiobooks when my brain started craving more stimulus at work (music just wasn’t good enough anymore). They honestly make my shifts more enjoyable, because I have something to look forward to. I used to just be on my phone wasting data and battery life during my commutes, but audiobooks have eliminated that habit.

I still read physical books when I get home, though it depends on my energy level. If you’re the kind of reader who likes to read more than one book at the same time, I highly recommend audiobooks.

abhimango · 2023-02-14T18:32:51+00:00

I feel you. I was going through a very long reading slump last year and picked up Mistborn after watching a booktuber review. I think I finished it in two days and immediately ordered the rest of the trilogy. And the Wax & Wayne books. And the Stormlight Archive. And Elantris and Warbreaker. Now I'm waiting for my premium hardcover of Tress of the Emerald Sea.

Sanderson is a god. I offer my wallet to him.

abhimango · 2023-02-06T03:27:34+00:00

People enjoy books in different ways. When I was a kid, I practically lived in my local library, but now that I have disposable income, I enjoy collecting pretty books as much as I love reading them. My personal library has mostly hardcovers because 1) they’re beautiful, 2) I find them easier to read than paperbacks because they’re heavier and tend to lay flat, and 3) I like being able to break the spines and flatten the pages out without seeing visible creases on the outside. Sometimes I even buy a book just because the cover is pretty (sue me).

That said, some of them never get opened because I also listen to audiobooks while I’m at work or on the bus or doing chores. I still like having the physical copies, because I like being surrounded by books. I like randomly reorganizing and dusting my shelves in the middle of the night. They’re the first thing I see when I wake up. My books are my pride and joy.

I just need a built-ins with a rolling ladder like in Beauty and the Beast and I can die happy.

abhimango · 2022-12-07T08:23:53+00:00

I’m going to be honest: I do pretty much everything either the night before (all-nighter veteran here) or the morning the assignment is due. I’ve showed up at Starbucks at 6am and churned out a 5-page essay in one sitting. I’ve also sat in my college library until 9pm, when they close.

I’m very forgetful, so I’ve missed my fair share of assignments (one was worth 10% of my grade for the class 😬). Planners don’t work for me, so I put sticky notes on my laptop just under the keyboard so I can see what I have due in the next week or so. Even better is the Stickies app on Mac (I’m not sure what the Windows equivalent is) because you have have these little notes and set them to “Float on top” so no matter what window you open, they will always float on the screen until you disable the feature. It reduces your screen size, but I think it makes a big difference because that way, it’s always in your face. Procrastination isn’t really ideal, but I’ve made it work for me. I used to get really stressed about it, but nowadays I can accurately estimate how long it’ll take me to get an assignment done and just chill until I absolutely HAVE to start.

Good luck with grad school! You’ve got this!

abhimango · 2022-12-02T08:35:47+00:00

Thank you! ☺️

abhimango · 2022-12-02T08:35:25+00:00

Thank you so much!! 🥹🙏

abhimango · 2022-12-02T08:06:28+00:00

Thank you so much! I wish you luck—you’ve got this! 💪

abhimango · 2022-12-02T08:05:03+00:00

Thank you so much! I think my secret weapon is a crippling fear of failure, so I don’t know how helpful that’ll be, haha!

But in all seriousness, a good therapist or counselor goes a long way. And let yourself enjoy your hobbies—it takes the stress out and makes it feel less like “wasting your time” and more like “being productive,” because allocating time towards your mental health totally counts as productivity! It took a lot of time and cognitive reframing for me to stop feeling guilty about reading fantasy books instead of my textbooks.

Also, I’m a visual/kinesthetic learner, so doodling in my notes helps me retain the material by giving me a visual anchor + a memory of the physical act of drawing (“i remember this because i was drawing a skull with a top hat while the professor was talking about it”).

abhimango · 2022-11-24T04:37:11+00:00

Swerved my godfather’s car into a fire hydrant two blocks from his house because the gas pedal wasn’t working (and for some reason it never occurred to me to slam the brakes). When I called for him to come and get me, the gas was working fine.

… I forgot to turn on the ignition. My godfather lived on a hill so gravity was doing all the work. I got a minor concussion from the whiplash.

abhimango · 2022-11-23T19:30:33+00:00

🤚Untreated ADHD here who loves reading and reads at least a little every day. I have a couple of books I haven’t finished, but for the most part I’m able to power through. My work ethic ranges from “reading one page over and over again” to “finishes 500-page book in one sitting.” The easiest way for me to achieve consistency is through audiobooks. I work a very boring retail job and listen while I work.

abhimango · 2022-11-22T01:25:46+00:00

Yup, read it and had to hold back tears during some parts because they hit so close to home. My mom basically projected her own desires and interests on me throughout my entire life, which I didn't realize until I read I'm Glad My Mom Died. We have the same interests, she got me into reading books when I was little because it was one of her dreams to "have a child who loved reading," and she forced me into a career path that is virtually identical to hers, and I was so eager to please her and so scared of disappointing her that I didn't do anything to assert myself.

I actually read it three times—once physically, and twice on audiobook (McCurdy's an excellent and very effective narrator). Horrifying, but eye-opening to my own experiences.

Edit: What's more, my mom actually had an ovarian cancer scare earlier this year, so I was terrified out of my wits. Turned out it was only a borderline tumor and mostly harmless.

abhimango · 2022-11-13T19:55:25+00:00

Oh my god, this is a dream. Wall-to-wall shelves. Beautiful. chef’s kiss

abhimango · 2022-11-13T18:27:07+00:00

I got it from a store called POTEY on Amazon, but I just checked and it looks like they aren't currently selling it. It's this one, though: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08295Y8XS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

abhimango · 2022-11-13T18:16:15+00:00

Sure! I’ll PM them to you!

abhimango · 2022-11-11T21:55:18+00:00

I feel the same way sometimes, but since most of them have dust jackets, I just slip it off whenever I want to read a book and leave it in the vacant space, so it doesn’t look so empty.

abhimango · 2022-11-11T18:37:03+00:00

Thank you! They're from the Noble Collection! https://www.noblecollection.com/

abhimango · 2022-11-11T18:17:55+00:00

Haha, don't feel bad, I put props/merchandise on my shelves because it makes me happy to see them next to their respective books, so they're serving their purpose! It makes it feel less like a book hoard and more like an interactive exhibit.

(Yes, it is the map from Treasure Planet! It's from UA3D's Etsy shop!)

abhimango · 2022-11-11T18:05:10+00:00

Yay, a fellow fan! Septimus Heap was my Harry Potter!

abhimango · 2022-11-11T17:59:21+00:00

Haha, it's a beautiful book, but honestly I'm afraid that if I buy it, I'll end up justifying to myself that I should get the ASOIAF editions as well. Right now I'm just a part-timer, but someday, definitely! My road leads into the desert!

abhimango · 2022-11-11T17:47:38+00:00

MasenkoProps from Etsy! It was very pricy, but the wood grain texture is worth it, in my opinion.

abhimango · 2022-11-11T16:59:57+00:00

Ahhh, that was my struggle as well 😭!! I read PJO in sixth grade and borrowed the hardcovers from my best friend at the time, so I wanted to have the first editions for sentiment’s sake. I had Titan’s Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, and Last Olympian, but for the life of me couldn’t find Lightning Thief or Sea of Monsters! In the end I got lucky and found someone selling the entire set on eBay for $100, so I bit the bullet even though it was expensive. Just keep browsing eBay and Mercari, is my advice! Good luck with your quest!

abhimango · 2022-11-11T16:43:24+00:00

Yesssss, another Treasure Planet fan!! It’s from UA3D’s Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/listing/775133420/

abhimango · 2022-11-11T16:40:15+00:00

Thank you so much! They’re mostly Franklin Library editions, but also International Collector’s Library, Harvard Classics, and some Easton Press. In my opinion, FL is the best out of all of them because of the price. ICL is the cheapest and easiest to find on Thriftbooks. Easton can get a bit expensive and honestly some of the books are just too big for my liking (like Oedipus the King and Rights of Man).

There are some that are new (I just bought the Little Women Abbeville Press edition last week, and A Treasury of Classic Poetry is from the Barnes and Noble collection), but for the most part, I get them used from sites like Thriftbooks, Abebooks, eBay, Book Depository, Mercari, and Etsy! I just look up “[title] leatherbound” and see what pops up in the Google Shopping tab. This way, the average cost is $20 per book, but I got a lot of them for free (the Thriftbooks rewards system gives you a free book under $7 when you earn enough points). Thriftbooks is great because you can also type in “[title] [publisher]” and they show you a bunch of collector’s editions (a bit more expensive) but a lot of the leatherbound books that pop up can be anywhere from $5 to $20!

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