Moning Maniacs discussion
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Do you buy or borrow your books?
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by
Toni
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May 01, 2010 04:05PM
This is off topic but I was just curious. :) Do you buy your books (new or used)? Or do you borrow from the library? I am REALLY bad about spending way too much money as I buy most of my books. It is my addiction (as I am sure I am not alone as this website really fuels it LOL). I probably have b/w 50-100 books waiting for me to read them and I keep buying more. I occasionally get some from the library. I did get Dreamfever because I did not want to spend the money on the hardback and they had it at the library and I was reading it right away. I will get the paperback when it comes out though! I prefer paperbacks!
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I am a heavy library user. I read about 10-12 books a week and I really can't afford my habit, even if I buy used. I am lucky that the city that I live in has a great library system. It is rare that they don't have a book I want.
I do both. I have a massive TBR pile of books I've bought to read--300 easy. But... I also work in a library, so it's really easy to pick up something to read before I come home. My general rule of thumb is that I only buy what the library doesn't own or books in a series I'm collecting.
I really need to start doing the library thing more like you all do. It would save me so much money.I actually have 2 different library systems (2 different counties I live in/near) and so I really have no excuse....other than I just love going to the bookstore and buying them.
If it wasn't for the money thing I would buy. I do like the advantage buying has with getting them right away and then you can read when you want to.
My library has a good system where you can sign up for your favorite authors, then as soon as they order something they will send you an e-mail to notify you. At this point you can get request it. The only bad thing is that you can only request 100 items at a time, which sounds like it shouldn't be a problem, but I follow a lot of series. So when I request them it is months before the book comes out. My list is usually full of 80 or so that I am waiting for release which leaves me with a little space to get actual books to read. But I can't complain too much as my library does carry most things.
Sammy wrote: "100!? I can only request 10 per library card! I got jipped! LOL. I try to keep half open for books that are out already and the other half for books to be released."That would be tough for me. LOL
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I wish I had a library or at least the possibility of buying them in a price between 4 and 9 dollars,lol. But bringing them from the states costs around 12 to 17 dollars. So imagine I'm not a big buyer. But I would definitely be if I lived there. Every time I go I bring with me about 12 books,lol.
That would be horrible Vale!! I think if I was in your situation then I would be doing a lot of the e-books. It would probably be worth it for the price of the reader.
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I don't like to read a lot of books on the computer. It isn't comfy and my computer is a desktop if I sit too long there my butt hurts. :)
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I get the majority of my books from the Library. I would say about 20% are ebook or half-price books!!!I love my library. I just request a book and they send it to my library to pick up. I do this alot with DVDs too.
My problem with the library requests is that I'll think, I'll read this series so I request say 3 books in a series. Well #3 comes first and then two weeks later #1. So I can't really start the books until I get the first one. Some of these books have so many requests that I think I'm saving time and I'm actually not because I have to set it aside for awhile until the rest are in. It does save me money because if I don't like the author or the book, I haven't forked out any money.
I have a Kindle so I buy all my books. Every once in a while, the book I want is available for the Kindle so I use our library.One of the reasons I bought a Kindle is that I bought all of my books anyway, would lend them out to my sister and friends and then would never get them back. So now I don't have to worry about lending them out. :)
I do whatever it takes, haha! Yard sales, UBS's, book sales, Library, kindle, coupons, and my favorite is or course paperbackswap.com (got all but book 4 in the fever series thru this!) If you have books to trade you post them and get credit to get another book. If you don't, you can still get books by purchasiing credits. The credits are the cost of shipping ($3.50 with fee)! Get a TON thru that websight!
I also get almost all of my books from the library. I'm allowed to have 50 out at a time (approx) from my current library. At my old one it was 100, so there was definitely a feeling of loss when we moved. I also buy books at garage sales/library sales. I get alot of books from Swaptree.com and from the Goodreads.com swap as well.
Carolyn F. wrote: "My problem with the library requests is that I'll think, I'll read this series so I request say 3 books in a series. Well #3 comes first and then two weeks later #1. So I can't really start the b..."With my Library it tells you how many holds there are ahead of you or where the book is. If I see that book 3 is going to come before book 1, I simply use the freeze option on book 3. That option holds my place in line until I am read to read the book.
I'll do that next time. Thanks Heather.
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I used to buy all of my books but then money started getting tight and I began using the library. It is tough having to wait for books to become available but worth it in the long run I guess. If I end up not liking a book then I am really happy I didn't buy it =).I started using paperbackswap.com (PBS) about a year ago & it has been very handy. I still use it from time to time BUT, I got a Kindle for Christmas and I Love it! I have the entire Fever series on it (because I couldn't wait for them at the library) and I have discovered quite a few new authors when Amazon has the books for free...they aren't all great of course but free is free so I'm not out anything. I still use the library and PBS for books I'm not sure I'll like and don't want to pay for them just yet.
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And Nikki you're so lucky, I wish libraries in here would lend books but the only sell them,lol.
I guess we are a bit spoiled with libraries over here. I grew up using them so I don't think about other countries not having them. I live in a small town and my local library is pretty small. They very seldom have books I'm looking for. But I work about 30 miles away and there is a local library there that is pretty well stocked. So between the 2 I am able to usually find the books I want.I like my Kindle for ease of use and portability. I used to carry 3 or 4 books around with me (since I read so fast) and now I just carry the Kindle. Plus the instant gratification of being able to order a book and have it immediately without leaving your house (or wherever). Yes, some books are a little more expensive but I very seldom buy any over $5 or $6 since that's what I would pay usually for a paperback anyway. But, like I said, there are usually quite a few free books available. I just get the ones that interest me and try them out. Some are pretty good...some not.
I know I plan on buying Shadowfever on Kindle hopefully at midnight when it's released (as long as it's available on Kindle...I know they've been delaying some Kindle releases for about a bit so the hardback books will sell). I don't know what I'll do if that happens...cave in and buy the H/C?? Guess I'll have to wait and see.
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I've been bad about buying in the last several years. It is my favorite thing to do, in fact. If I'm feeling down it makes me feel instantly better to buy books.When I was young I'd get insane ammounts of books from the school library to read over the breaks. It helped that I had a twin who would "team" up with me and we'd be able to get twice as many by sharing our cards (it helps we have such similar tastes).
I like used books too. The problem of living in a college town is that the students write notes in the margins of the books when they previously owned them. And they highlight huge passages with neon highlighters. Very distracting!
There's something comforting about revisiting a favorite on your bookshelves. I beam at them...
Next time I move I will seriously wish that I had had a kindle.
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lol, I love to buy my fav books just for that reason, looking at them makes me instantly happy.
I would love to have a huge library near me but i live in a small town and the library here is kind of a joke. :( I'm on a book swapping website which is where i get most of my reading material but if i can't wait for that I'll go to B&N and pick up a few ;) Oh and I use my iphone to read ebooks too!
Since my local library is about the size of a double wide trailer, might even BE a double wide, I buy everything. Mostly from Half Price Books. Then I keep my favorites and sell back my not so favorites! ;)
I have been buying unfortunately. With the Kindle it is a little cheaper though
Do you get free internet 3G on the Kindle or is it just free wifi (where avaiable)?
Wow I feel so privildged. We have like 10-12 libraries in my Cityish. All I do is request a book and if my library doesn't have it they get it from another. They send me an email when it is in too. You can also get on a list from when certain books come out. I was first for Twice Bitten!!!!
The Kindle has free 3G. I love mine. Not only can I order a book and have it almost instantly, I can carry my whole library with me everywhere I go and don't have books all over my house. My house is too small for my library. :)
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If you watch Amazon's website, you can get a refurbished Kindle 2 for about $110. Then it CAN be that easy! ;)
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i dunno. i almost bought the nookm and thank god i didnt. i like just having those books on my shelf to flip through again and again.
I agree that I love holding the books and having them on my shelf. So I have an e reader and I buy books. Having the Kindle is nice, especially because I can just buy a book if I want it at any time and it downloads in sixty seconds. You don't realize how nice it is until you have one.But important series to me, like Fever, I will buy in hardcover.
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Lady Vale wrote: "I don't get whats so good about kindle, I mean aren't e-books about 7 dollars? Isn't that what real book cost?"
You can also have drm free ebooks books converted to Kindle. I email my pdf books to amazon & they convert them to kindle files for free.
BTW, Darkfever is free again for Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle you can download a free Kindle App for your PC, iphone, blackberry, etc. That way you can take advantage & grab the free books while they're free... sometimes they don't stay free for very long. If you get a Kindle later, you'll already have a collection of free books.
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I read them from the library. I can't even remember why I got the first one. Maybe I saw it on one of her Highlander sereis. But after I read them all I went and bought my own set and lol I have read them at least three times and the last time round I used a highlighter and sticky notes to start marking clues and facts.
I buy all my books. The books I read aren't available at my libraries here... Not very good for my economy, no. I'm getting a Kindle now for Christmas though, so I'll get each book for half the price! (Printed books cost more to get a hold of ordered to Sweden.) Can't wait to have it!
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I do a little of both. Sometimes I will borrow the first book in a series to see if I like it. If I do, then I end up buying it, as well as the rest of the series. I can definitely say that buying books is my little addiction. I have to buy at least one new book a week.. it's very bad. I have to scour the book selection in almost every store that I go in, just to see what they have and at what price.I'm also one of those people who cannot buy a kindle because I have to have a physical book in my hand. I love the smell of new books, actually flipping the pages, and the weight of it in my hands. I don't know if I will ever be able to give in to electronic books.
I like actual books better too. But I got a Kindle for Christmas and really like it for trips. Especialy when I am in the middle of reading a book and then go to drive. i can set it to the read the book outloud to me. It souds a little like Mr. Hawkings, LOL.
