When to buy? And how soon do you read the new book?

[Sarah]

Have we discussed this? Will it be another topic that it turns out I started in identical words and Sally responded to the same as last time?

My question - do you buy
a)Books you have already read - you know they are good, and you want them around
b)Books on your to-read list
c)Totally random books

Against all logic, when I buy (which is rare these days) it tends to be either books I know and love and somehow don't have, or books that just strike my fancy.
The latter are often anthologies with strange themes, or collections of stories by authors I don't know well.
If I get a new novel, it will go to the back of the line and sit on my to-read shelf forever, as I wade through my library books. A new collection of stories has more chance of being read.

[janine]

i buy a,b and c.

a good totally random book is hard to find, but the most rewarding.

[Sarah]

The ones on my to-read list are the ones most easily transferred to my library hold list. And once they arrive from the library, I'm more likely to read them than if I had bought them.
The frustrating part is waiting for a copy of new books like Mockingjay or the 2nd installment of the new Connie Willis.

[Sarah]

I'm trying to pare down too, but then the question is what to get rid of. I'm good about getting rid of books that I didn't love, but most of mine fall into "I'll read it someday" or "I LLLLOOOOOOVE it."

[Phoenix]

A and B for me, I won't buy a book unless I know it's good or it's part of a series that I'm reading.

[Sarah]

Oh, d and e are good additions. Now that I think of it - the main thing I buy new and on purpose is comics/graphic novels that the library doesn't have. I don't feel bad about buying those because after I read them they travel freely between me and my sisters and my father and my friends.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I buy all three categories, although I'm trying NOT to buy any books right now.

Yeah, and that's why I bought The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I'm not reading it, because it's in line after Beautiful Creatures and possibly Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice.

Yes, I like vampire books. No, I'm not a huge Twilight fan, although they're entertaining in their own way.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I like buying books on vacation.

[Sarah]

BunWat wrote: "And if its d, then I can donate it to the library and then they do have a copy. If they want it. They don't always."

I think my library would find a way to charge me for a book if I donated it.

[Mona]

I always buy at library sales/thrift stores in all three categories.

Yesterday I bought at my library branch's ongoing sale, Every Last One even though the library had it and I was in line. I bought it because:

. I had heard such good things about it so I wasn't taking a chance on a possible lemon

. It was a hardcover in great condition at a great price($2).

[Ali]

I usually buy books on my to-read list, but my to-read list is nearly 300 books long.

I sometimes buy impulse books, but I try to find them at the library first. I'm more likely to get an impulse book if it's available as an e-book, since I've been reading a lot more on my computer and iPhone.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Jackie "the Librarian" wrote: "I like buying books on vacation."

I almost never buy books on vacation although I've stayed at vacation rental houses that have a book collection and I'll sometimes leave a book there for the next person.

I like leaving a mug for their mug collection, too.

I sometimes buy a, b, and c. Today for example I bought a new hardback at Borders but it was on their 5.99 discount table. It's a good quality book about the writing of the constitution, not the usual crap you see on the discount table. I'd seen it at the library when it first came out and wanted to read it but I knew I'd never find the time. Will I find the time now? Probably not, but it was only 5.99.

Last time I was in Borders I bought A Passage to India even though I've already read it, because a) it's time to re-read it, and b) I liked the artwork on the cover, and c) it was super cheap.

I'm trying not to acquire any new (or even used or free!) books, but it's obviously not working very well.

[Sarah]

BunWat wrote: "Sarah Pi wrote: "I think my library would find a way to charge me for a book if I donated it..."

Bwahahahaha!! Oh Sarah Pi you soooo need a new library. Oh wait, have you read [book:Bellwether..."

I haven't read Bellwether, though it's on my list. WIll bump it higher.

[Phil]

I don't buy hardcovers. If I need to read it before it's in paperback, the library is 3.5 miles away.

I usually select a shelf of fiction titles at the bookstore, and browse it for a couple of hours. I read a little from every book that looks interesting and, if I like it, I write down the title & author and check the reviews on GR (generally focused on 4 star & 2 star reviews).

If I'm interested, it's back to the bookstore for the purchase.

[RandomAnthony]

The books I buy tend to fall into four categories:

1. Books by authors I love that I buy on the first day. This is very rare, maybe once or twice a year. I'll probably buy the new William Gibson on the first day in September.

2. Books I really want to read but the library system doesn't have...this is pretty rare, too, but some genres (esp. music) the library tends not to stock well.

3. Impulse buys.

4. Books I want to read and I'm pretty sure I like and I want a good edition instead of the crapass one in the library.

Jackie sometimes talks about patron requests in her library system. It never occurred to me I could request what books the library gets.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

Yes, of COURSE you can request that your library get a book, RA! There may be a few rules, like, in my library system you can't request a book until it's actually published.

And if my library system decides NOT to buy it, they'll usually still get it for you FOR FREE through interlibrary loan.

[Sarah]

I think I'm allowed to suggest books for my system, but only if I let the librarian stamp on my foot and go through my pockets for loose change first.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I just noticed that my local library (the little branch, not the huge main one) is buying new copies of Henning Mankells, which previously only the main library held. YAY !!!! Maybe my checking out every possible Mankell has alerted them to the necessity of this.