Where do you get your books from?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Dad, are you reading this?? My birthday's coming up, and Nicki's family all get her books...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

John wrote: "Allison wrote: "So I never go into bookstores, because then I'll want everything. But today I did and B&N has some gorgeous copies of classics and I covet them. I covet them so hard."

The last few..."

Oh, my. Those are stunning.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Am I the only goodreadser who can walk out of a bookstore empty handed?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Am I the only goodreadser who can walk out of a bookstore empty handed?"

I mean I *can*, I do possess free will, to the extent any social creature in a fixed environment does, but I often do not exercise it once I've made the decision to go into a bookstore.

What I'm hearing is, though, that Colleen has an iron will, and we should all try to find her in an emergency so she can Bruce Willis us out of it.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

LOL, not really. It's more that I don't often pick up books on a whim anymore, and if I do browse a store without specific intent, I don't often find a lot that I need right then.

Now Funko Pops might be a different story. Though I've had to cut back on them cause I'm outta room.

[CBRetriever]

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Am I the only goodreadser who can walk out of a bookstore empty handed?"

No, especially when you consider that most bookstores, especially the big box ones, have mostly (about 80-90%) books published over a year ago on their shelves and usually a very, very small selection of books just released (maybe 2-3% of a genre) and those are usually just from major publishers.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Dammit, John! I clicked your link and now Eaton Press is all over my social media sites just taunting me with glorious collections that I must buy.

[Brian]

You can find some great books at the thrift stores. I always check it out when I go to one.

[Cheryl]

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Am I the only goodreadser who can walk out of a bookstore empty handed?"

Nope. I read the text and enjoy the illustrations, so library and thrift stores' 'read and return' give me plenty... and don't take up room in my home.

And of course as I get older and rely on my e-reader more, and downsize more, I buy even fewer DTBs.

[Isabella]

The local library is the best for the budget-conscious constant reader. (Though I admit to dropping much coin into the Amazon river.

[Cheryl]

Isabella wrote: "The local library is the best for the budget-conscious constant reader."

Especially 1. now that they have Overdrive or another source of e-books and e-audio and 2. that circulation numbers give them funding, which enables them to provide services for patrons who can't afford Amazon or who have other special needs.

[Jacqueline]

I’ve done it a few times. I have walked out of the two full priced bookshops frequently without a book. In fact one of them I didn’t buy a book in there until last week (OK 2 but I couldn’t get them anywhere else cheaper). The other one I might have bought 5 in 3 years and only after they’ve become mass produced paperbacks and are cheaper but still not as cheap as the discount department store just near it in the shopping centre.

Now if it’s the above mentioned discount department store I’ve probably walked out of there a few times without a book. I can remember 2 occasions that this has happened. I can’t remember walking out of the second hand Bookshop without at least one though. And the new one I’ve found out near where I live in the Outback has books that are $4. Can’t walk out without one of those now can I? No of course not.

[Kateb]

Allison wrote: "Dad, are you reading this?? My birthday's coming up, and Nicki's family all get her books..."

I had to laugh with this comment. It is the other way around in this house. I am the reader, all of my children take after their father and may read one book a year.

SO when I request a gift card to a book shop there are muted ohhhh's. Cant you think of anything else? As if the book will be a last resort. SIgh, they even talk about burning my book collection when I go into a nursing home ( many years yet) and so how great it is that I now buy a lot of ebooks as those they just have to throw away.

SO I get books from the library(, one block away), buy books that I cant get or I loved from the library from on line sellers/ amazon , or go to two book shops a close driveable distance away

[Cheryl]

Oh, Kateb, how sad your family isn't supportive!

Nicki, does your library not have Libby or Hoopla, either?
Where are you?

Jacqueline, where are you? The outback of rural NV has access to a good CLAN library network.

I gotta say, I'm sorta envious of you-all who even *have* bookstores. We have B&N in Reno, north 1/2 hour, and our best used store is closing. We do have thrift stores with meager selections of donations, mostly thrillers and Danielle Steele and cookbooks.

I do wonder what it'll be like in rural Missouri, where we're moving to.

[CBRetriever]

Nicki wrote: "Also, I'm envious of folks with Overdrive libraries. The apocalypse will arrive before Overdrive comes to my library system. "

I understand the Philadelphia Library allows borrowing from out of state residents

https://freelibrary.overdrive.com/

Requirements for out of state residents:

https://know.freelibrary.org/MyResear...

[Kateb]

I think Jacqueline lives in the sparsely populated areas of Australia

Hi Jacqueline maybe we should friend each other I often have lots of books to give away. I have a nephew who buys lots of books but only reads once, then hands them onto me. often a mix of sci fi fantasy and his wives paranormal romance.

My hubby and I often go for "drives of a few weeks " could load up with books if you can wait for a few months

[Sarah]

Chicago and New York Libraries also offer options for those out of state I believe.

[Jacqueline]

That’s me Kateb. A citizen of the great back of beyond. The vast, sparsely populated outback of Australia.

My nearest bookshop is a three hour round trip to the east. Which isn’t too bad really. Anyone west of us also has to go to the same town to buy anything other than food. A lot of them come to us to get their food. We have a good, but expensive, supermarket thankfully. So that could be a 6 hour round trip. Or more. It’s also where the nearest cinema is. 240km for Chris Hemsworth’s abs? Hell yeah 😂 And I only get freshly baked bread when I go over there too. Or make it myself but my fingers ache too much if I try and knead it (bloody arthritis) and my breadmaker is broken and I’d rather spend money on books. We can get your basic packaged supermarket bread but I can’t stand it. You know the thing...three weeks and it’s still fresh but it’s blue. Yeahhh not nice really.

Currently at the beach house checking on the 90 year old man child known as my Father in law 8 1/2 hours away from home. I hit the bookshops when I was passing through the town where my daughter lives on our farm. Brilliant bookshops up there. I miss living there. Hopefully we won’t be in the Outback forever and I can head back to the Farm one day. We only rent out in the desert but we own the farm and the beach house.

I use the library app for audiobooks a lot. I have 1000 or so books on my iPad that I’ve found all over the internet but I don’t really like ebooks. The iPad hurts my eyes after a while.

[CBRetriever]

then you need a Paperwhite, Voyage or Oasis - they are not backlit, but rather front lit (like shining a light on them) and are easy on the eyes.

[Kateb]

fully agree on the paperwhite kindle, I too found the ipad not satisfactory .

[CBRetriever]

I love my Voyage and before that I used a Kindle Touch (2011 model) and before that I used a Kindle 2nd Generation (2009-2010)

[Jacqueline]

Yeah I thought about getting a kindle or something ages ago. I had a cheap tablet and then my daughter gave me her old iPad mini for Christmas after she upgraded to a new big one. The tablet was good actually. I used to read it with a black background with white writing and it didn’t annoy me so much. I’ll check what I can do with the iPad. But I still have a thing about screens and prefer to hold a proper book in my hand. Part of my enjoyment comes with curling up with an actual book and feeling it and smelling it and not just interacting with yet another screen. I might have to rethink it and put up with a screen when my arthritis gets worse and I can’t hold a proper book.

I’ve been travelling enough lately to be able to play in real bookshops. And a kindle still wouldn’t help with getting the books anyway because I need the internet to download them onto the device and I don’t have any out there. I have to wait until I go to visit my daughter to download stuff because she has internet. Which is really annoying when a library audiobook loan comes up and I can’t download it for a month due to limited phone data and I have to keep renewing it and I haven’t even got it yet and they don’t allow you to put a hold on it.

We just got decent internet connected to our town (they are trying to upgrade internet services to rural and regional Australia. The stuff that they had before out there wasn’t good enough to stream Netflix) but I’ve been putting it off because I feel that my husband wants to move again. You know the feeling you get after 30 years with someone and you just know what’s going on in their heads before they do? Yeahhhh

[Kateb]

I love a paper book. When my kids first suggested getting me a kindle for my 60th I refused, cant I have the money in books instead I asked. They bought me the kindle, downloaded 200 free books for me to use and a program called calibre.

many of the old classics are free as ebooks

still have my paper library but the kindle is so convenient . I never go anywhere without it in my bag, when on trips I don't carry lots of books ( you enver know when the one you are reading wont be interesting ) , now I just take my kindle.

I still buy books I love if I know I am going to re read them, especially a series .

hint for those tired hands holding book/ kindle, sit with a puffy pillow and your knee and rest the book/ kindle on it.

[Jacqueline]

Lol when I go anywhere on a plane I take my iPad mini. I used to take the tablet. Last time we flew to Sydney and I came home with 10 real books stuffed into my (and Hubby’s) luggage. And we only had carry on a so it was a bit tight lol I couldn’t help it. I was staying near Dymocks George Street, The Galaxy Bookshop and Abbey’s. What’s a girl to do when she’s got money and she’s near the best SFF bookshop in Australia?

I found a thing in IKEA that’s for holding up tablets and kindles. It was only cheap. I love it :)

[Kateb]

Jacqueline wrote: "Lol when I go anywhere on a plane I take my iPad mini. I used to take the tablet. Last time we flew to Sydney and I came home with 10 real books stuffed into my (and Hubby’s) luggage. And we only h..."

what thing to hold them up, what is it called

[Anna]

Kateb wrote: "hint for those tired hands holding book/ kindle, sit with a puffy pillow and your knee and rest the book/ kindle on it. "

I have a soft tablet stand that's made for this, I think I found it by searching "tablet pillow" on Amazon. It's nice when I'm reading in bed, because I can mold it to whatever position I'm in. There are so many different styles. Now if I only had something to turn the page for me, I would never have to move again!

[Jacqueline]

Yep that’s the one......the white one except mine is blue :)

[Alan]

I mostly read on the Kindle now so I get most of my books from Amazon.... However, if I really enjoy a series of books like 'The Kingkiller Chronicles' or 'The Black Magician Trilogy' I find myself spending again on the Hardbacks for my shelf!

I only do this for Series I really enjoyed and know I would revisit/recommend to people otherwise it would cost me a fortune :)

If I spot books in second hand / charity / boot sales That I want to read there is a good chance I will buy them.

I have 2 kindles and my daughter uses one so we can read books together which I also love to do.

[[deleted user]]

every sunday i check the 2'nd hand book market here in Ghent. and yes every sunday i come back with some books

[Kateb]

thanks people for all of the advice, I have a stand like the one you are talking about, I just find when sitting in a recliner feet up that a pillow on my lap works better

re Alan
I have two kindles as well, one for my sister, we buy books on my amazon account and they go to both kindles

[Jacqueline]

Yeah I can understand that.

[Tammie]

i get my ebooks from Amazon and my physical books from Amazon and book outlet and my audiobooks from Scribd

[Shomeret]

If I want a book from Canada or Australia, I used to think that I was completely out of luck, as an American, unless I wanted to pay tons of shipping. Now I get free shipping from Book Depository.

[David]

I get my ebooks from Amazon (which I read on my iPad, Kindle or iPhone) and physical books from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Nothing beats walking around the bookstore, though.

[Kateb]

Shomeret wrote: "If I want a book from Canada or Australia, I used to think that I was completely out of luck, as an American, unless I wanted to pay tons of shipping. Now I get free shipping from Book Depository."
I found the same in getting a book from American. About 10 years ago a company in Australia advertised that since amazon would ship anything over $100 free, the company would get a bundle of books putting all the customers request together, then deliver to the person's address for $1.

It has been great all of this time, unfortunately they have been taken over and now the prices are the same as if I ordered from America . damm

[Donald]

Jacqueline wrote: "Lol when I go anywhere on a plane I take my iPad mini. I used to take the tablet. Last time we flew to Sydney and I came home with 10 real books stuffed into my (and Hubby’s) luggage. And we only h..."

If you're ever in that area again, Kinokuniya above the Galleries Victoria (opposite QVB) has a great selection of SF&F as well. Plus normal books too if that floats your boat, as well as a bit of everything else.

I've been into Galaxy a bunch of times over the years (before and after their move upstairs) but couldn't help but flinch at the prices compared to Book Depository with their free shipping.

More locally Booktopia (Aus retailer) also offers free shipping if you access them through booko.com.au's search engine (look for the book you want, find Booktopia listed and select them).

You out in the middle of Queensland somewhere? (Can't think of anywhere else where you'd need to head 300 km east to find a bigger town unless you're somewhere on the Nullabor).

[Jacqueline]

North west of Dubbo in the west of NSW actually Donald. I have a 3 hour round trip to Dubbo but anyone West of me has further to go. Not much between us and Bourke and that’s a hell of a long way away.

Yeah I did see that on My google search when I was down there but it said something about Japanese books so I didn’t go in there. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.

And yes Galaxy is scary expensive. Red Sister hadn’t long come out when I went down there and they wanted over $42 for the trade paperback. It stayed where it was. I recently bought it for $19 at Collins. Unfortunately Big W doesn’t stock a lot of sci-fi/fantasy stuff or it would have been $12. But I did pick up a few older ones that weren’t too bad. I just kept away from the new releases. I used to get books for my Mum from Galaxy when it was over in one of the streets off Pitt Street in the 70s. We lived in Lithgow then and would catch the train to Sydney to go shopping and for a day out. That was a 6 hour round trip...made for very long days.

I used to use booko.com.au a lot when I was at uni. It is excellent. Textbooks in Australia are beyond expensive. In the 80s I was at Tech doing Chemistry and a textbook we needed was close to $200 in the co-op. Yes in the early 80s when $200 was an absolute fortune and more than my dad earned in a week. Our teacher ordered a box of them from America and they cost us around $20 each including shipping. That’s a bit of a mark up eh I keep telling myself to order online but I like picking the book up and reading the blurb and actually interacting with it. I’ve decided against a lot of books I thought I wanted that way and have picked up some excellent books I didn’t know I wanted.

[Kateb]

Jacqueline wrote: "North west of Dubbo in the west of NSW actually Donald. I have a 3 hour round trip to Dubbo but anyone West of me has further to go. Not much between us and Bourke and that’s a hell of a long way a..."

Another Aussie. Try fishpond as well

[Jacqueline]

Yeah mate...another Aussie 🤪

Doesn’t fishpond come up on booko? I’m sure I’ve seen it on there. When booko searches for the book it brings up all sorts of websites and physical stores all over the country and world. It’s Trivago for books.

[Jacqueline]

Oh and did you see that we will be able to join up to Amazon Prime soon in Oz. Like Netflix we won’t be getting the whole service but at least they’re compensating us and only charging us half the price for half the service. Unlike Netflix that charges us more for less than half the service and has cracked down on people using VPNs to access the US version. Not that we’re getting the full Amazon service anyway since they decided that we couldn’t order from overseas anymore with it.

[Donald]

I did see the Amazon announcement. Not sure to make of it because their Australian range is really disappointing so far. I wonder what it will mean for my eBook purchasing, because most of them are done through the American site.

I've been through that way to visit the mother-in-law in Charleville from Sydney. I'm immature enough that driving through Bogan Shire never gets old.

[Jacqueline]

Yeah it amuses me. I always have a giggle about it. Bogan Shire, Bogan River, Bogan Way, and Bogan Gate. All of them tickle my funny bone. Never gets old lol

Australians just want to be able to access the same as everyone else in the world. It’s no wonder we’re still the biggest pirates in the world.

[Jacqueline]

Don’t get me started on the bloody wildlife.

[Leonie]

Donald wrote: "I did see the Amazon announcement. Not sure to make of it because their Australian range is really disappointing so far. I wonder what it will mean for my eBook purchasing, because most of them are..."

I have a friend who taught in Dunbogan. Always got the giggles when I saw her posting on facebook. Mind you, I come from WA, which has suburbs such as Dog Swamp and Innaloo. 🤣🤣🤣

[Cheryl]

Wow, John. This is crazy. I did a bit more research and am now turning the data into an email for my husband, born and raised Culver City, L.A.

[Donald]

Jacqueline wrote: "Yeah it amuses me. I always have a giggle about it. Bogan Shire, Bogan River, Bogan Way, and Bogan Gate. All of them tickle my funny bone. Never gets old lol

Australians just want to be able to ac..."

We drove over/through the first two, but Bogan Gate is a new one (having only gone west of Dubbo, not west of Parkes) and making me snicker all over again.

I might have to propose it as a place of exile for some of these Western Sydney corruption trials going on at the moment.

[Jacqueline]

We used to live at Condobolin for a while and we had to go through Bogan Gate all the time. Or as my kids used to call it Bog On Gate. Once there were camels there in the Main Street so they started to call it Camel Bog On Gate. They always thought it to be a shit town 😂😂😂

Dunbogan has always made me laugh too but Australian names have nothing on Pommy names but I did see a map the other day that had all the weird names in Tasmania on it so maybe it comes a close second.

[Kateb]

I have taught a family called Bogan, so difficult when you call their name for roll call

[Cheryl]

That's cool, John. Too bad hubby moved away when he grew up, and we're don't live close anymore. Next we're headed to Missouri - anybody know any destination bookstores in the heartland?

And, sorry, all you Aussies are confusing me... what's so funny about Bogan?

[Jacqueline]

Bogan is Australian and New Zealand slang for a person whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated. Depending on the context, the term can be pejorative or self-deprecating

Since the 1980s, the bogan has become a very well-recognised subculture, often as an example of bad taste. It has antecedents in the Australian larrikin and ocker, and various localised names exist that describe the same or very similar people to the bogan.
(From Wiki but that about covers it)

They like loud fast cars (locally produced V8s usually) and smoke and drink and swear. A lot of them seem to live in cheap housing. Many are unemployed. The definition has changed since I was younger though. It’s more of a derogatory term now.

I must admit I have a few bogan tendencies. I was brought up in a mining town. But my birth family...wow. Western Sydney Bogans all. Some are the welfare receiving bogans but my siblings are CUBs. Cashed up Bogans. People with a trade (plumbing, electrician et) who earn heaps of money and can afford the better toys but are still bogans. Whereas a normal bogan would want an SS Commodore or VR8 Falcon but usually end up with a stick standard one the CUBs have the top end Holden Special Vehicles. And boats and all sorts of things.

Have a look for the Aussie TV show Housos. It should be on YouTube somewhere. They’re bogans.