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Library vs. Owning Books
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message 51:
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Nora
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Dec 14, 2014 07:08AM
I always borrow books from the library. I try to buy it only if I want to read something and the library does not have it. In that case, I look for second hand book store and I know a few. But yea once in a while, I pamper myself with a first hand book.
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I've bought books until I needed to prune (multiple times). I buy e-books and lurk around the free sites. I borrow books and buy them second hand. A friend detested Kindle because she likes to hold books, turn the pages, etc., etc. Then I gave her a kindle. She loves that, too.
Book lovers will crawl around the block for books. And, we'll (mostly) take them in whatever form we can get them.
We are so lucky to be book lovers.
I do love to own the books but space for all of them is a problem so I get lots from the library. I also like ebooks for the convenience and space saving aspect of them.
Library books for me are like dating; I only buy it after if I loved it. But as a writer I love libraries for their incredible research rooms and staff, and also in the city these places are literally the babysitters for many children. Support your local library and your local authors :) !!
If it's a book I'm going to refer to a lot (non fiction, how to) I'll buy it as an ebook. For fiction, if it get's a lot of reviews that make me want to read it (or looks fascinating) I think it's always good to add a few dollars towards the author's hard work :-)I also write so it's great to get research books (as Valerie said in previous post) from the library.
I couldn't agree more with the above comment - especially regarding putting money in Authors' pockets. Of course I'm biased since I am a writer but also, in this day and age one can get books relatively cheaply (eBooks at least), therefore I never really see purchasing an eBook as a risk. I'm sure all writers here will have been scratching their heads as to what the pricing "sweet spot" for eBooks actually is - personally anything under £5 for a fiction eBook isn't too much of a risk for me, so if I'm remotely interested I'll buy it. Interestingly enough though, I very rarely read the same book twice so I'd probably be better off borrowing my books from the library - if our arts and literary council's would just stop closing them over here in the UK. Grrrrrr.
I don't have a library near me, however if I buy a book and don't like it I relist it for sale. I suppose it's kinda like a library, only on the internet.I used to spend a lot of my childhood at the library, or in the sea, and I always sheltered there.
A library has been and always will be a sanctuary for me.
i'm a book owner v. borrowing. i never know when i'm going to want to read something again. it's funny though - now that i have so many books on my e-reader, i went through my book shelf and donated so many books to the local library since they take up so much space in my already small apartment.
I love buying and owning books. I would use the library more but I'm useless at remembering to take things back...
James wrote: "I used to own all of my books, but then my office got too filled with them. Then I switched to an e-reader so the space issue was taken care of. Now I will buy e-books primarily. I only buy books t..."I agree with you totally James about needing a physical book for research etc. I find trying to flip back and forth through an e-book really does not work for me. This is also true of longer more involved books e.g. War and Peace. It really would be very hard trying to flip back to refresh your memory about who is who and why they are doing what they do.
I have to admit I prefer to own a book rather than borrow it. And also, though I use e-readers a lot, I still prefer physical books. I do not have easy access to a library so the decision has really been made for me. I do however, believe libraries are an important community facility and should be looked after.
Michael wrote: "One of the pleasures of discovering an author in the library is that they've often been writing for years, so their early books are available in the library. If I really like them, I'll read their ..."Very good point Michael. Thank you.
Owning books hands down. Nothing can surpass that. Library does help save money but I sometimes feel the need to re-read a book after some time. With library, that is not possible.
For me, it depend on whether a book is available in paperback. Hard covers I prefer to get from the library, both because of their cost and because of how much space they take up on my limited bookcase. If I really like a hardback, I'll buy the book when it comes out in paperback. There are exceptions, of course, but not many.
I like to check them out...then buy the ones I cant stop thinking about :)
Green wrote: "I like to check them out...then buy the ones I cant stop thinking about :)"An excellent way for not filling your shelves with books you will never read again. As a point of interest what time span do you allow before deciding it is a book you would like to read again?
I'll always enjoy spending time in the library, but I also like having my own copies of books to keep on hand and to read again.
Denise wrote: "Green wrote: "I like to check them out...then buy the ones I cant stop thinking about :)"I like this idea. It's cute.
I'm an owner. Years ago, I used to go to Borders and spend hours searching ..."
I also used to enjoy looking through Borders Denise. And Books Etc. Such a shame so many of those shops have closed.
I love owning books but I love the library, too so I would say a bit of both. We must support our libraries!
Today's public library is not the same one most of us knew as a child.Aside from the traditional print books, other formats may be borrowed: e-book downloads, audio books on CD, and audio book downloads.
Many libraries regularly sponsor literary and other types of club meetings, lectures and seminars on various subjects, and author/artist presentations and festivals.
I currently own 110 paperback and hardcover books (78 fiction & 32 non-fiction). I only purchase a book if I am sure to read it more than once; most are borrowed from the local library.
I prefer to own them, but these days I prefer to have them on kindle! So much easier to carry them around with me.
While I love an afternoon in the library, I have come to adore Amazon Unlimited Kindle program. I can "check out" 10 books at a time and return them whenever I need to open up a new slot. If I truly love a book when the review reminder arrives, then I can give myself permission to buy a hard copy.
There's some books that you've just got to own and there's others that you should check out at your library. If you love the book from the library chances are you will buy it and it will join your list of owned books.
I used to be a very big reader, I mean 2 novels a week reader, before the internet and cable of course. I used to live in the library and if I ended up really loving a book I would eventually buy it. Another thing for me were thrift shops, back then (probably still can) you could get 10 novels for a dollar, or at the most .50 a novel, good novels. I had so many books I ended up giving most of them sans the ones I loved to the salvation army.
