buying books or getting them at the library? bookcase?

[Jenny]

my dad asked me one time “why don’t you just go to the library instead of buying the books?”

and honestly i’m not sure but i need a good explanation. i mean i don’t have a bookcase (yet) but i really want one.

can you guys tell me why we buy books instead of checking them out at the library? also does anyone know where i should get a bookcase?

THANK YOU BOOK BESTIES ❣️

[Jenny]

i didn’t even think about this but i hope most of you can answer this lol

[lilly ♡ (semi-hiatus, reading slump)]

i don't know how to explain it kind of. it's just kind of like the feeling when you get new books and you can look at your bookshelf with all your books like it just makes you happy and at any time you can go and re read a chapter and look at your favorite characters story

[♡ray❁]

i personally like to own physical copies of books and the most impactful or my favorites i save. some books i love, i like to give to my friends and others i save to give to my own family or friends or our children some day in the future. owning means you can also write in them if you’d like and you also don’t have to be on a waitlist (unless its sold out somewhere). finally, i love to own books because the ones i dont want to keep i can have the opportunity to donate to a free little library for someone who cannot get their own books ! i love it

[Monica]

I started buying physical books during the pandemic because I was “nesting”. Just trying to feel cozy at home when the world was falling apart. Then last summer I bought a kindle and I’m obsessed with it since I can instantly get any book I desire without waiting.

This week was the first time I checked out books from a library and that’s because I basically have no more room for physical books and I’d like to save some money! I’ve checked out books that have so so reviews so if it sucks I don’t want to Chuck it at a wall hahah because it was free to begin with 🫣

[Jord]

I just love to buy books that I want and know that I have no time limit of having to read it.
I have a little bookshelf and I colour code them

[Helene]

Libraries are a great source if you’re not sure if you want to keep a book. They also offer you books/editions you may not be able to buy any more. Personally, I’ve run out of space in my apartment and I always have to give a book away if I want a new one (sad). I think nothing will ever beat that feeling of opening a new book for the very first time when the cover still looks pristine ✨. If I could have my own library and share it with others, I would.

[kenz]

I love libraries but I have an issue with giving the book back like if i want a book and I get it from the library then get attached to it then no I’m probably not going to give it back.Also you have to think about what you do with your books then realize that hundreds of other people have done that with that same book that you are getting from the library and some people take their books in the bathroom with them then give it back to the library(which is disgusting)this may be just my ‘I don’t like germs self’but yeah.

Let me know if this makes sense or not.😅

[anastasia]

I used to be a library girlie mainly because living on your own is so damn expensive you try to cut expenses wherever you can. Just to give you a feel: I earn 1500 a month, rent is 900, car insurance is 130 so I'm left with 470 for groceries etc ... books cost anywhere between 15 and 30 and with how many books I consume per month ... yeah no haha

But lately I decided to buy books I know I won't regret having in my library like the ACOTAR series for example

[Sofia]

Oh for me buying books is 100 percent better. First of all the feeling of going to the bookstore and picking out a new book and then coming home with it makes you feel almost proud, and the smell of new book is the best in the world. Also you are the first person to use this book so the book isn’t tatty or dirty, and you know you’ll always have it with you so you can read it again. You can take your time with it without having to extend the date on it, and it’s forever yours. Hope that explains and good luck getting a bookshelf!

[Julia]

honestly, I read them first, borrowing from the library, and then if I like them (they're worth it) I buy them

[❥ Nathalie]

I never was a library girl since I've associated a lot of my time in the library studying and it was always seen as an academic place for me. I love buying my books because I do annotate and I just feel so comforted that whenever I'm stressed, I'll look over at my bookshelf and remember stuff I've learned from books - it's like having your friends around you.

[Ash ♡]

The feeling of actually holding a book and seeing your book collection grow is so pleasing to me. My goal is to one day have my own library in my home!!! So having the actual book and keeping it and OWNING it is so much better than checking the book out and giving it back.

As for a bookcase: IKEA or Amazon!
** for cheaper option: facebook market place, I don't have facebook, but my friend gets so much stuff off of there and its cheap!!**

[aubrey!]

One reason is annotating. Not a lot of people do it since it's not their thing but I love to annotate on my books!!!!!! It makes it funnier to put tabs in, highlight quotes, and just write little things throughout the book! Hope this helps! 🫶

[andie]

I bought a lot of books at secondhand stores when I was younger just because I wanted to have a full bookshelf, but honestly I ended up donating a lot of them without reading them when moving or spring cleaning over the years, and I still have held on to a lot of books that I've never actually read. Now I only buy physical copies of books that I already read and really loved, or new releases that I have looked forward to from authors I trust, or classics that I do genuinely plan to read at some point. I have found that I really don't like having books that I didn't enjoy on my shelf!! It makes me much happier to look at a shelf with 25 of my favorite books than a shelf with 50 books I don't care about.

Also it's really important to support our public libraries! So your dad may have a bit of a point. It's not one or the other! You can get books from the library and buy books too.

For shelves, you can get relatively inexpensive new ones from Amazon or Ikea, and very cheap/free used ones from fb marketplace or craigslist. If you're still building your book collection, consider wall shelves rather than a whole bookcase that you feel pressured to fill! I love my shelves because I can always add more if I need them, and they're very cheap compared to big pieces of furniture, so if you're living with your parents and expecting them to pay it may be a good compromise.

[annoyed booknerd]

i like to own them because then i can annotate them, and i can take the dust cover off, haha. But i do go to the library almost every day, since it's right next to my school.

[annoyed booknerd]

Ash wrote: "The feeling of actually holding a book and seeing your book collection grow is so pleasing to me. My goal is to one day have my own library in my home!!! So having the actual book and keeping it an..."

for real i annotate the hell out of my books 😭 i write a whole separate book

[Rachel]

I start a new author (for the first book or two) at the library, because libraries are wonderful and I grew up in one and they're an amazing way to explore so many different genres.

I also buy books because there wouldn't be libraries without authors to write them, and there wouldn't be authors if we didn't pay them. I'm glad that taxpayers and book buyers supported my libraries & authors when I couldn't afford a $20 paperback (that's four meals if you're in grad school!), and I'm happy now to pay it forward and buy a couple of books a month and shop my library book sales. And I'm a maniac for Little Free Libraries.

Bookshelves: one in every room, two in my bedroom, and four in the living room. :) :) :)

[Sara]

Ash wrote: "The feeling of actually holding a book and seeing your book collection grow is so pleasing to me. My goal is to one day have my own library in my home!!! So having the actual book and keeping it an..."

This is so real.

Also that owning the books yourself gives you the opportunity to let your friends and family borrow the books that you love anytime they want. It then literally becomes your own library

[Kylee]

If I could buy every single book I want, I would but because I'm a broke babe I borrow from the library a lot lol

[kate :)]

i agree!! library books are probably the main way i get books. i buy my favorite ones that i have read.

[lélé (taylor's version)]

Personally, I love both.

I love owning physical copies of the books I love and special collector editions !! Also having a beautiful bookshelf and being able to read whatever your heart desires at any time is so great.

But I also love going to the libray, spending hours browsing through the shelves to find a book I would enjoy, meeting new people with the same interests as me. And that feeling you get when you borrow a book and see the list of people who have borrowed it before you, folded pages, cried tears inside of it, knowing they probably felt the same reactions as you reading it, reacting to plot twists... It's really a great feeling <3

[Tiyanie N]

If i feel like i won't really enjoy the book i don't see the point of owning it so i might borrow it from the library then but i also like having a little book collection so if i can i might buy it but it depends

[Nicole]

i really do love library books, nowadays i usually go for virtual librarys, and if i really like the book and feel the need to have it, then i'll buy it

[❀]

For me it's just the need to see it on my self, and say that I read all of those books. I'm just happy when I have books all over my room and I can keep them. Also if I really like a book, I can annotate them.

[kalyssa]

Jenny wrote: "my dad asked me one time “why don’t you just go to the library instead of buying the books?”

and honestly i’m not sure but i need a good explanation. i mean i don’t have a bookcase (yet) but i re..."

I got a cheap, white, cute, sturdy 3 shelve book shelf at Walmart for about 25 bucks!

[Linn h]

I hate the books from the Library they are always old and dirty. And then they dont always have the newest book I would like to read. So I am from a tiny City in Germany and the Library here had no books accepted children's and educating books as well as I just love to own the books and put them on my shelf. But I was thinking of reading on my Tolino because it is way more comfortable but I really love the feeling and smell of books so I will just read the ugly books on my Tolino

[⋆ b r e z ! ⋆]

Buying books because if I get it second hand or whatever, I know it’s cheaper but you don’t know what or who touched that book. If I borrow a book from a friend, at least I know who touched it

[Kosar]

well I would have bought all the books in the universe if I had enough money but in the real world I have to buy some and borrow some from the library and read some e-books in between

[Kosar]

but buying second hand books or getting it from the library is cool especially when there is hand writing in it
you can read someone's opinion without even knowing them and knowing how they are doing now
it's kinda mysterious and fun

[LiterallyGracyn]

I love buying and library!! I used to buy a lot of cheap/secondhand cause my library hade used book sales where you bring a huge tte bag, fill it with books, and only pay $5. But now I try to only buy books I’ve read and will reread, kinda like physical trophies lol

[LiterallyGracyn]

I have a kindle which is really convenient and portable, so I check out ebooks from my library and put them on there. I just love all books, but the freer/cheaper, the better!