Ditto, Ditto, Ditto. I only buy those that have multiple, 3 or more is a good number, of quilts that catch my imagination. And like others, I will pull them from the shelf and just read them for pleasure from time to time.. My problem is that I often get caught admiring he colors of the illustrations but then when I go to make the quilt, I discover the writer uses odd techniques, specialized rulers of has incomplete or "weird" directions. I like to have the book in hand and randomly read the directions for clarity. Yup, some have been returned to the shelf because I discover that I will NEVER use the patterns even if they are lovely.
Honestly, I now use mostly free patterns or for a select few, I will purchase a digital copy. Over time and with experience, you can learn to figure out a pattern on your own, but it is still nice to have that paper/page in front of you too.