The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What does everyone think about renting books???
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Do they have like every book known to man (more than libraries)?Or maybe it's for people who are homebound or too far away from their local library?
I was thinking the same thing when I read this post, Fiona! I never heard of renting books, but it sounds very similar to checking them out in a library.
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Haha Lori! :) I'm starting to get the library fever again, and I like it!!! Gotta love those librarians!!! :)
i've seen this, and it's kind of like netflix for books....the one i saw (there may be more than one service) had a pretty decent selection. i think it could be worth it if your local library didn't have a great selection, or didn't carry a certain genre of books for some reason. however, i don't know if it would be worht it if you live in a metro area with various bookstores to choose from and a strong public library system at your disposal (thank you, andrew carnegie!).
Here in Malaysia, book renting was popular maybe a decade back. Libraries didn't stock much, and the popular titles were always snapped up. Getting your paws on a recently released book (from the library) was a near impossibility.So book rental shops offered readers the opportunity to read these newly published books. You pay the cost of the book upfront (so that if you decide to keep the book the shop doesn't suffer much loss), and when you return the book they'll deduct a small fee and refund the rest (from which you could pick up a new book, top up as needed etc etc). Worked brilliantly for me because I was a student, didn't have much money, and certainly didn't have the space for books hahaha
These days though, we get consigned books from God knows where, and books (although 2ndhand) can be really affordable. The newer titles can also be ordered off the Net, and bookshops are competing like nobody's business for your custom, so readers are spoilt for choice.
The book rental shops aren't as popular these days, but they're still around... I guess Malaysians like the idea of offloading their books and getting most of their money back! :)
Lori, I am almost like you. Luckily I adore libraries and the whole experience of going there, looking around, smellt hem...but I jsut want to have the books, keep them. so besides the ones at the library I have to keep my books. Also after many years and lack of space, i don't care..they stay with me. Probably that's why I don't start with bookcrossing, even if I like the idea.
Hey, thanks everyone for your input. I saw it, and I really did not know how I felt about it either as a reader or a writer. I see the benefit of a good selection, if you read quickly it could be a great value. On the other side, you can take different meanings from the same text depending on your present perception. That is one thing that always changes with people. Sometimes the second read shows what the author is trying to say.
I was just wondering your thoughts. Thanks again!
KB
I joined it. I wasn't going to because we do have the library, however, many of the books I want have ridiculous queues. They may get 200 books in and have 700 people waiting for them. At 3 weeks each (no renewal) when will I get it? When the author writes their next book?I don't have an opinion on it yet as I just joined, so far I've no complaints. And I'm on the 2 book at a time deal, because I wanted to see what it is all about. Of course they don't advertise the 2 book selection, you have to hunt for it.
Liz,Thanks and please drop me a line when you see if you like it or not. Thanks and I hope a happy reading:)
KB
Lori, I am def. like you! I want to have it. I'd rather buy my own copy than rent it. The idea does intrigue me.
I like to buy them too...I wish you all could see how many bookshelves and books I have in this house. I was so lucky when we bought this house it came with 4 HUGE built in book cases. I think God knew that's what I needed. hehe!!!
After what I have been hearing, maybe I will have to check them out. I only heard about this type of service because of a book I wrote. I love to read, but it is hard for me to always find a bookstore. Right now I am in the Uk, in dec I will return home. Really everyone thanks! Kb
Library is free and sometimes I don't think I would go for it.
I rent books from booksfree.com. It's pretty cool. I get 4 books at a time. I use it and the library cuz I read a lot. So if I can't find a book here at the library, I can get it on there. This is helpful for me since I'm in the Army and stationed overseas. Our library doesn't have that much selection.
I don't know about renting books. The sites I've seen charge a lot of money and you can just get them for free at the library! I don't have a problem with used books - as long as lovingly handled an old book is still a good book for me!
I bring books from the library home with me all the time. There's no limit. You can have them for 3 weeks at a time. When that 3 weeks expires I can always renew if i'm not donw with the book.Here in Thunder Bay ON, we have 3 libraries, and they are pretty current with new novels. I love it.
OK so I'm back to tell you my experience with the book rental thing. It's been one month and I've had very little problems. And the problem that I had they fixed right away. The customer service is great. So far I'm a fan, I would recommend trying it out if you are curious. You can always cancel after a month or two if you don't like it.Lissa, I wish here we could renew titles after 3 weeks. Only if the book doesn't have a queue as long as main street can you do that. I have a library book at home now, It just came out, I was one of the lucky few to be at the top of the queue, but once my 3 weeks is up, I cannot renew because there are 66 people waiting for the same book.
Liz,Thank you so much! I am thinking I might try it when I get back home. I want a chance to read different books. I want more then what is in the mainstream.
KB
I don't think there is a book rental here but one similar thing that is common though is a book circle. Some have it like a club with meetings and discussions but the big bookshops and companies (as compared to the American Borders and Barnes&Noble) don't and instead have a yearly bookcircles in which you pay a yearly fee and then get to "borrow" from their chosen selection. I'm not part of it though. They usually have less than 100 books in their selection (even though they from a big bookshop with tons of books) and sure the the quality of the books are great and most of them are newly releases with good reviews but I still think that the price is way too much for just borrowing 60 novels a year (though you get to keep the last one you read...). It is very popular though, I've heard.There is after all well-stocked libraries and I know the public library here very often also buy in requests of books they don't have but which a reader wishes to borrow. Sure, popular books can be hard to get but that's what the internet bookshops are for ;)
Fiona, you are so right!! Library books are free.
Was just talking to a friend about how lousy her libraries are (not a problem I have, thank God!) and remembered this thread. Does anyone recommend a service other than booksfree.com? It would be torture to not be able to buy or borrow books, I'd go totally nuts!
There is just something lovely about a shelf sagging under the weight of books, all the colorful spines, and each one a certain treasure, maybe revisited, maybe not. I like owning them. I'd rather have a wall covered with books than covered by a television!
I like the idea of renting books only if it works the way Kataklicik explained it did in Malaysia years ago. I like the idea of paying the full price of the book but if I don't want to keep it, I can return it for a small fee. Otherwise, I don't like the idea at all. I would rather buy and own my books or check them out for free from the library.
Anne - I have never looked at my sagging bookshelves and thought they were lovely, but I'm going to try and see them not as cheap furniture but a weight of treasures. You put it so beautifully.
This is intriguing. I'm the girl who borrows DVDs from the library so I don't have to pay to rent them so the concept of paying to rent book blows my mind. I've heard of the airport and truck stop programs that allow travelers and truckers to read and return books, but I would have never thought to find a service where I, suburban girl within a five minute walk of her public library, could rent books. It now relegates one of my favorite things to the same category as bad movies and tuxedos - something you rent because you need it but you don't actually want to be caught dead owning or you know you will never need again. 
I like my sagging bookshelves, but not when they break. (But I liked how Anne put it too.)That said, when I can afford them, I buy them.
Corinne, you could prop them up with more books :-)
I have to say this isn't something I would enjoy. I am more of a book buyer, and use my library on rare occasions. I only buy a book every once in a while, but since I have reading for university (I'm an English major), I never get anything read till vacations!
I'm a book buyer and a library user. I can't really afford hardcovers so I typically get new releases from the library. To ensure that I am first in line I usually request the book 6 months to the day before a book comes out (maximum time before release). The I'll pick up the book when I find it used, it comes into work or it comes out in paperback. That way I get to save some money... well buy a greater quantity of books at anyways.I don't think I could do the book rental thing. It's too much money for as many books as I would need at a time. I typically read about a book a day and if I'm going to spend that much money I'd rather just keep buying them used/on sale.
I haven't tried renting books yet. I usually just go to the library, but I found this site for those who are thinking about trying it:https://www.bookswim.com/register.html
I think it's limited to the States though.
FYI: as far as bookswim, you can purchase the book from them. Yeah it is used, but it is about $5 cheaper than the list price.I just rented a book, and my son said he needed to read it for school (but not until January), so I bought it from them instead of going to the store.
I know that it is becoming fairly popular to rent textbooks, but I never thought of doing it for regular books. We have a very good library system here, though.I'm with Liz in that I get the hardcovers from the library and buy them used or when they come out in paperback if I liked them. I view the fines that I accumulate after keeping a book too long as a "donation" to the library--so they can buy more lovely books that I can then borrow and keep too long again!
Good idea to rent textbooks. I've just ordered $250 worth for my son just for the next semester alone and that is only about a third of the books he needs.
Because the books in the library have long waiting lists I think the "Netflix" model would be good for this - I recently found BookSwim but there is also another one...Booksfree.com- not sure why they call it that because they are not free. Funny story - I learned about booksfree one day while I was "listening" to TV while I was working on my laptop - when I went to "checkit out" I found out it is based in the same town I live in - Fairfax VA!!
I've not compare contrasted the two and there may be others but I think it is s a good idea.
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Wife of fantasy author: Michael J. Sullivan
The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)
Cheers!
KB