TCS: Meta - getting a copy

[Steve]

My local library has two copies of The Calculating Stars, both unavailable. Average wait time is 14 weeks .

[terpkristin]

How many people on waitlist, do you know?

[Ben George]

That's a little crazy 0.0

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Such is life. My library has exactly 0 copies. But that is normally the case for sword and laser picks. The last one they had was Circe, but there was a 4 month wait for that one, if I remember correctly. I have found libraries better for browsing and finding what looks good than searching out specific books.

[Steve]

I know, right? The library UI doesn't show the number of people in line, but since it's 14 weeks and loans are 3 weeks, it's likely between 5 and 7.

I don't know how many people in my area are in S&L, but I've found that if my library has an ebook copy of the month's pick, I have about a coin toss chance of getting it in time. I've had 100% chance of getting a physical copy to date.

I found the 14 week wait particularly hilarious. The last time I saw a wait like that was for Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

[Stephen]

That is why you need to watch the Kindle daily deals topic page. This book was $2.99 earlier in the month of January. Still, thumbs up for using the library. The number of people who do not even own a lending card is amazing.

[Trike]

If your library has Hoopla or Libby, you can sometimes get ebooks and audiobooks through those services even when the system doesn’t have a physical copy.

Libby works the same way as paper books with a waiting list, while Hoopla limits your loans to a specific number each month (mine is 6) but you can get them instantly.

It’s good to have both services, since they don’t carry the same titles. Also, Libby allows for multiple library cards, so my mom and I share accounts, as her system in Ohio has more books than mine does in New Hampshire. Since demand is different in each region, if there’s a hold on a book in OH, there might not be a wait at all for it in NH.

[Tracey]

Today it's $2.99 on Audible and you don't have to be a member to get the deal

[Dave]

The Calculating Stars is the Audible book of the day. I had used a credit a couple of days ago to pick it up, but customer service refunded my credit when I gave them a call! Gotta love Audible!

[Tina]

Several people have posted it's $2.99 on Audible , today but I'm seeing it for $3.95. I wonder why I'm not seeing the cheaper price?

[Dave]

Hi Tina, sorry, you are right it is $3.95 - the $2.99 price was earlier on Kindle. Today it is $3.95 on Audible in the US.

[Tina]

Dave wrote: "Hi Tina, sorry, you are right it is $3.95 - the $2.99 price was earlier on Kindle. Today it is $3.95 on Audible in the US."

Oh, thanks for the clarification!

[AndrewP]

Stephen wrote: "That is why you need to watch the Kindle daily deals topic page. This book was $2.99 earlier in the month of January. Still, thumbs up for using the library. The number of people who do not even ow..."

LA County Library has 15 copies with 9 available.

[John (Taloni)]

^ Hm, and a branch of the LA County Library near me...

[Ruth]

My library has several copies of the sequel, The Fated Sky, but TCS itself is listed as ‘on order’. Go figure.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Iain]

Ruth wrote: "My library has several copies of the sequel, The Fated Sky, but TCS itself is listed as ‘on order’. Go figure.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

You are better off than my neck of the woods which has neither...

[D.J.]

Sorry to hear this. I just moved to the Netherlands and I'd pretty much be screwed without my Kindle. It's pretty much the only way I can get books in English in my neck of the woods right now.

[Mary]

Heart1lly wrote: "Sorry to hear this. I just moved to the Netherlands and I'd pretty much be screwed without my Kindle. It's pretty much the only way I can get books in English in my neck of the woods right now."

Where in The Netherlands are you? I lived in The Hague for two years. There’s an American book store there and one in Amsterdam.

[D.J.]

Mary, I'm located in Eindhoven!
We have a Van Pierre here which has a bunch of English books in it, but not very many! I still haven't been out to Amsterdam yet - too busy and a bit too far to just go for a book at the moment, but I'll be going sometime soon in the future! What are the book shops called, if you know?

[Anne]

Heart1lly, you could check if the German Amazon store delivers to the Netherlands. They claim to do international shipping, I'm just not sure how easy it is to set up an account with a foreign address. The German store usually has most of the books as English paperbacks and hardbacks and their not that expensive.

[D.J.]

Anne wrote: "Heart1lly, you could check if the German Amazon store delivers to the Netherlands. They claim to do international shipping, I'm just not sure how easy it is to set up an account with a foreign addr..."

Thanks Anne!

[Mary]

From Eindhoven you might be closer to The Hague than to Amsterdam. I’m not sure how the trains run. (If you’re relying on public transport, that is. We didn’t have a car when we lived there)

It’s called The American Book Center. They have Facebook and Instagram pages.

And a big yes! to the German amazon. We used them ALL the time.

[Steve]

I should clarify that the 14 week wait is for the ebook.
My library is part of a larger group of libraries called C/W MARS and they share those resources. The benefit of a larger organization is that more people have access to the resources. The obvious downside is that more people compete for popular resources.
It is what it is and I'm happy to support my library.

[Logan5jr]

I read TCS last fall, best book I read in 2018, I don't reread.
When I read dead tree books, I would just give them away or trade them at a "Leave One, Take One" library. Since reading ebooks I don't have that right b/c its digital. There should be a way to transfer the ownership rights like with physical books.

Is there some way I can "Loan" the book to one of ya'll? If it was paper I could drop it in the mail.

[D.J.]

Mary wrote: "From Eindhoven you might be closer to The Hague than to Amsterdam. I’m not sure how the trains run. (If you’re relying on public transport, that is. We didn’t have a car when we lived there)

It’s ..."

I don't have a car either, so I'd be taking the train. Which seems to be really easy and nice around here, so I don't mind it. I've also been using the Book Depository, though their shipping is a LOT slower than I was hoping for. I'll give the German Amazon a shot and see how it goes, but nothing beats going to an actual bookstore. Thanks!

[Jessica]

I put my request for this in at the library 1/24 and am currently 4 out 5 on the wait list, with a total of 8 copies going around. Fingers crossed I get it soon!

[Ruth]

I’ve given up on waiting for the ‘on order’ copy to arrive at the library and I’ve spent an Audible credit- although it’s against my usual policy to spend credits on audio books less than 15 hours long!

[Daniel]

I've been very lucky! My library had 7 free copies out of 11. (e-book). Maybe it's just not as popular here. Also, I live in a small country with a national library network, so I guess they can afford to buy more e-book copies. However, it is very hard to get physical copies of most books, as they usually won't have the ones I want at the branch I want.