Working from home is hard. Especially when you aren't actually getting paid for it... I've been unemployed for a year now - which also means one whole year of blogging and trying to get back into writing - so I've figured out some ways that help me stay motivated.

Disclaimer; I'm awful at following my own advice and so often I stay in bed reading or binge-watching Netflix so trust me, I know how hard it can be to, as Nike say, just do it. 

I just sat and wrote a massive discussion about book piracy but after stepping away for a moment, I realised it was pointless.
There is never an excuse to steal books, and I'm not going to list reasons why. Wether you can or cannot afford books you do not get to have something just because you WANT it.

The reason this post is no longer a discussion is because it doesn't matter. People who are so set in their ways to steal a book because they want will do it. I can't help them. But what I can do is offer alternatives to those who don't have the opportunities to buy books that I do and just want to read.

Books are expensive. Even here in the UK where brand new books are some of the cheapest in the world. Of course, almost all of us have access to libraries but we can't keep those. They aren't our books to display on our shelves and look at as often as we desire. And eBooks are all tucked away on a device - not filling up our beloved bookcases! So, how do you keep up a book collection without breaking the bank?

Over the last year I have been trying to find ways to buy books and still save money. Today I'm going to share the tips and tricks I've learned.

'To-Be-Read' piles are scary things. They appear out of nowhere. One day, you have but a few books to read, then suddenly you have 300 or more and just cannot keep up. 

I honestly don't know how I'm going to get through all the books I own - even if I were to be ruthless and unhaul a bunch of them, I'd still be left with more than I can read anytime soon. But, I have four tips that have helped me to read more and, little by little, tackle (some of) my TBR.