"Hi, my name is Dennie and I'm a book hoarder..." You might giggle or snort, but truth be told, I *do* have a problem. And not one that I am willing to do anything about (and as far as I'm concerned my biggest problem is lack of space). I may have mentioned before that I have a spreadsheet for all my books. Mostly I did it because I'd end up buying the same book over and over and when I'd purchased three of the same Nora Roberts' book, I had to implement the spreadsheet.

So you're probably wondering how much I consider a hoard? How many is a lot of books? And how many is the "norm" for a writer/reader? (and we're talking on-hand, in my house have) 100?200? Maybe even 500? I wish it were so low; no, that last time I updated my tally is was over 1500. Worse than that astounding number, it's been two or three years since I've added something new and I know I easily have 100 more now.

I haven't always been like this. We moved into this house the summer of 2000. I had one box of books, mostly they were the required reading books from high school: A Tale of Two Cities, White Fang and the likes as well as a few books from when I was twelve: Beverly Cleary's The Luckiest Girl (I have two, don't know why) and 2 or 3 from the Sweet Valley High. That was it, one box. So few I can remember the titles, and they were stored in the attic.

But then I got preggers and started writing myself. I made frequent trips to the library to check out books, but I couldn't seem to get enough. Then it happened. I found eHarlequin online and they mailed you books—may be hard to believe, but before that year I truly didn't know. So then I have ten books to read and a bookmark (yeah, just one). The kiddo was born, I'd finished two manuscripts and was ready to get cracking into the pub world. But I needed more books. For research of course. So I bought a few more, from an actual bookstore—had never been to B&N before that (sounds so sad and lonely)—now lest you think me totally silly, we went into B. Dalton's ALL the time when I was a kid/teen, but we'd read a book standing there and maybe get the new copy of Tiger Beat or Bop. That was it—didn't buy actual books from the bookstore.

Then the newest kiddo ate my one and only bookmark—he was teething by this point—and it triggered the hoarding, "Oh, my what if I run out," gene. I have not stopped ever since (I have even more booksmarks than I do books--scarier still, huh?). We added bookcases to every wall that didn't already have something on it. Now sadly, the books are piled here and there as there are no spaces left. I did once make an attempt to lighten myself of books, the hubby was trying to start up an eBay business and I let him sell some to get his ranking up. That didn't sit well in my hoarder mind. I haven't bought them back or anything, but I do have a list of what got sold so I know I had it at one point.

So that is my major weakness. Buying books, and keeping them. I have zero plans to stop any time soon and the family has just learned to live with a book pile in every room. How many books do you have? Better yet, do you have something different you hoard and can't stop getting/collecting (one of my gfs, for her it's shoes--OMG she has so many shoes she could make Imelda Marcos envious)?