What to read?

How do you choose what books to read? For me, the process of looking for a good book can almost be as enjoyable as actually reading a good book. Nick and I are "starving students" (well, I guess I am an employed social worker, but is that really that different?) so we have been known to spend an evening browsing a bookstore- which is really quite a cheap date because we don't buy anything (see below).

When I was a teenager, I was pretty excited about wearing nice clothes. I used a lot of my babysitting money on trips to the mall. There were certain stores that, if I went into them, it was highly probable that I came out with something. It's a little embarrassing now- I wish I had saved that money for better things.... Now, buying clothes is not so inviting for me anymore. But the phenomenon of not being able to come out empty-handed from a library is pretty strong. I will go in to maybe get one book, or to check out a movie, and I end up coming out with a huge stack!

But recently, I decided I can no longer allow myself into a library for a while, and this is the reason:

This is probably about 1/4 of the books I own. I know, it's too much! Now, I have only bought brand-new books at a bookstore, a handful of times. I am one of those "cheap" Barnes and Noble customers who not only does not buy anything at their expensive cafes, but I also never leave the store having even bought one book. That's because I have been trained by experience to never buy anything that I can get cheaper somewhere else. Hence, all of the books I own come from yard sales, library book sales, and second hand book shops. BUT, living spaces are small and my collection has become overwhelming. So I have made the difficult decision to ban myself from the library- with a small exception: I can check out books regarding my job and crafts but for pleasure reading, I must read what I own.

How do you decide what to read?