How much do you spend on books?

[Sumit]

Psmith wrote: "Sumit, I am so envious of you. :/"

Smitha, I wish the concept of 'wishlists' becomes more popular in India. It would be so much better for a person to prepare a wishlist of the top 10-15 things one needs. And based on the occasion and the budget, people could gift something apt.

*offers to publish his wishlist for kind people to send him gifts* :D

[Ahtims]

Yes, it is. And I have seen this in practice among my younger friends, especially when it comes to books, and when their birthdays approach. :-)
I wish wishlists were popularised in Indian weddings too. Would avoid considerable wastage.

[Sumit]

Psmith wrote: "Yes, it is. And I have seen this in practice among my younger friends, especially when it comes to books, and when their birthdays approach. :-)
I wish wishlists were popularised in Indian wedding..."

I couldn't agree more! I've been trying to popularise this idea among friends and family - but with very little success. :|

[Ahtims]

Sumit wrote: "Psmith wrote: "Yes, it is. And I have seen this in practice among my younger friends, especially when it comes to books, and when their birthdays approach. :-)
I wish wishlists were popularised i..."

Don't know why they are resistant. Its nothing to be ashamed of :/

[Amrina]

I spend a lot of money on books and it is not even among my top three of biggest expense. I think I spend about 2000 rupees or less on books per month. 1000-1500 would be the average monthly spending.

I agree that wedding wish list is a very practical idea but Indian weddings are anything but practical. So many of these customs are rooted in wastage and vanity.

[Nina]

I would say that on my trips to mumbai, I loved stopping at random street corners and buying hoardes of books and No trip was complete without a trip to crosswords! I need to go back, its been too long.

[Sudhang]

i once stepped inside "bahri sons" bookstore and came out of it 10k poorer. all within 30 minutes.

[Sanchi]

I'd say that as much as I like shopping and food, I like buying books (in fact I Love them).

[Parshant]

mostly I borrow books from friends as I don't have much to spend on books.

[Saurabh]

I generally read 1 book a month. means somewhere around Rs 500 per month.

[Phani]

I spend around 700-1500 per month on books.

[Sheetal]

I mostly borrow books from friends and school librabry so I don't spend much on books. I only buy around 1-2 books a year which would make the cost between 150-300.

[Anirudh]

Way too little according to me, way too much according to my parents ;)

[Ahtims]

Anirudh wrote: "Way too little according to me, way too much according to my parents ;)"
That's a universal problem - the non-concordance between parents and offspring :P

[Anirudh]

PSmith wrote: "Anirudh wrote: "Way too little according to me, way too much according to my parents ;)"
That's a universal problem - the non-concordance between parents and offspring :P"

So best thing to do is not tell :D

[Pre 💔💕]

I have an e-reader and very good subscription on the books,So not much.
Once in a while I buy a hardcopy.

[Pankaj]

hey how do we get book online for reading i wanted to read "hundred year of solitude "...


regard
pankaj

[Rian]

“When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” ― Desiderius Erasmus

With libraries, other subscriptions or memberships, and an e-reader (Kindle in my case), I spend very little these days...but nevertheless, have cupboards and tables with books stacked. A good few that I haven't yet read as well...

[Ahtims]

The same state here, Rian, though I rely more on Kindle than on libraries, because where I live, unfortunately there are no good general libraries, though it is a well known university town.

[Ahtims]

Pankaj wrote: "hey how do we get book online for reading i wanted to read "hundred year of solitude "...


regard
pankaj"

GoodReads has a strict policy against piracy of books. You may not find any recommendation for piracy websites here.

[Rian]

The Kindle has proven surprisingly useful here. Email, Skype, and of course, books...lots of them.

Browsing in book stores used to be an enjoyable pastime, something I invariably did on visits to Bangalore and Mysore. I wonder if they are being forced to adapt to the gradual but inevitable change to electronic devices and 'cloud' storage. Or, are e-books not growing as rapidly in India?

[Ahtims]

Perhaps growth potential of ebooks in India is still not much, as barring a few like me, most avid readers still prefer paperback, and non readers, if they read at all, may prefer paperbacks.

[Sumit]

Smitha, I do think the avid readers are beginning to see the benefits of ebooks and ereaders. At least in my profession. For example, I'm travelling within the city for 3-4 hours tomorrow, to Kanpur day after, Pune the next day and Hyderabad early next week.

If I were to carry physical books for the trips, I'd die!

Long live ebooks!

[Ahtims]

Yes, Sumit, long live indeed. I too carry my ereader everywhere I go. And it has helped me a lot, especially in circumstances where patient waiting is needed. :P
I am quite adept at reading while standing in a queue, or while waiting for someone. Every minute counts. Otherwise I won't be reading at all some days.

[Rian]

E-readers (and audio-books and text-to-speech too, these days) do appear to make multi-tasking a bit easier. Besides, viewing text in any font (and size) you like, and perhaps in any language in the future, should make these devices indispensable in the coming decades of extremely busy lifestyles...

[Harsha]

Smitha wrote: "Yes, Sumit, long live indeed. I too carry my ereader everywhere I go. And it has helped me a lot, especially in circumstances where patient waiting is needed. :P
I am quite adept at reading while s..."
I recently had to stand in a queue for about an hour to pay a fee at the University- the Kindle made the wait much easier!

[Sheeraz]

I buy 2 or 3 books every month right after getting money at the starting of the month and then if I complete reading them I go to newshunt app where you can buy ebooks at a very low cost and search for some good ones. I wish I could buy some costly series books like hungergames or divergent but I decided to torrent them from now on :D

[Ravindra]

Quite a bit as it is a major hobby.

[Shabin]

I do read a lot of ebooks.Nd also share books from friends.Buying books every month is not affordable for me.

[Sadaf.]

I spend around 350 per month on books! Once a year ago I think, I had bought one already and needed another and so hid the new book from my family, guilty of being pointed to as a spendthrift. Paper back costs must come down.

[Ahtims]

Sudhanshu wrote: "Follow these steps:
Chance to win a copy of Sidney Sheldon's 'The Naked Face + Memoirs of Midnight'. Eligibility: India

1. Visit www.bookaura.in

2. Like our facebook page at https://www.facebook...."
Sudhanshu,
I removed quite a few of your messages, please don't spam this thread.
You can post your info in relevant folders.

[Akhil]

Recently I've been so obsessed with Amazon.in and with their reasonable discounts on books,I've been turned into a compulsive shopper. If I had to spitball a price on how much I spend each month,I'd have to go with around 600-1k.

[Poorvai]

I like to read books in Free.

[Manveer]

I usually don't buy new books. I have a kindle and I am fine with it. But whenever I see a secondhand bookshop, with actually good and cheap titles, I overspend. Like literally overspend too much. I was once on a vacation and found a shop selling amazing books dirt cheap. They were original and secondhand, but in brand new condition. I completely pillaged the shop. Had to buy a new bag just for the books.

[[deleted user]]

around 200-400 per month

[Ahtims]

Manveer wrote: "I usually don't buy new books. I have a kindle and I am fine with it. But whenever I see a secondhand bookshop, with actually good and cheap titles, I overspend. Like literally overspend too much. ..."

high five in pillaging second hand shops

First hand books - one has to scrimp and choose. Even then for a few books I easily spend 2000-3000 at a time :/
Second hands come to the rescue in such situations.

[Sachin]

Around 1200 or less in a month. But my obsessions with Daryaganj in Delhi and Blossoms in Bangalore means, that even for 1000/Month i end up buying at least 5-6 books in a months.

Although My expenses have reduced drastically since i bought by Kindle. I still buy hard copies of classics cause they deserve to be kept around and remind us that we once read them :)

[The Bookaholic]

Around 100 - 250 in a month

[Supraja]

Wow! A lot of book shopaholics here. I personally cannot afford the money to buy physical books a lot nor do I have the space for them anymore. Still, I occasionally indulge in a few second hand copies of novels that I know I'll reread. My version of retail therapy. Healthier than chocolate. :P

Just curious, but what do ya'll do with books that you did not like or ones that you have outgrow?

[Ahtims]

Supraja wrote: "Wow! A lot of book shopaholics here. I personally cannot afford the money to buy physical books a lot nor do I have the space for them anymore. Still, I occasionally indulge in a few second hand co..."

I am a compulsive collector. I just push those to the back of my shelves. Earlier I used to donate to the local library. But the library closed down.

[Succhi]

I don't know why we feel vain of spending more on books. We should all share more books. Borrow/lend/swap more books. Use libraries more. Use book sharing websites like Lenro (more popular in India), bookmooch, etc more.

[Ahtims]

Succhi wrote: "I don't know why we feel vain of spending more on books. We should all share more books. Borrow/lend/swap more books. Use libraries more. Use book sharing websites like Lenro (more popular in India..."

Succhi, to each his own.

I hate sharing as most of the books I have lent have not been returned at all... inspite of repeated reminders, and those that have been returned have been returned in a dismal condition.

I am for Libraries, but there are some books, which are close at heart, and which we feel like possessing. Perhaps only avid readers will understand that dilemma

And if you want to promote Lenro, please do so in the proper folder.
We do not allow indiscriminate promotions in specific threads.
If this thread read " Places where you can borrow or lend books", it would have been an apt thread to promote Lenro and Bookmooch

I know of Lenro, but have to look up Bookmooch.

[Succhi]

Thanks for bringing in your perspective on book sharing. Yeah, these things are subjective.
And am not promoting Lenro or Bookmooch. Am just suggesting readers of the options. There are other options as well like Paperbackswap, little free library, etc.

[Ahtims]

Succhi wrote: "Thanks for bringing in your perspective on book sharing. Yeah, these things are subjective.
And am not promoting Lenro or Bookmooch. Am just suggesting readers of the options. There are other optio..."

Oh, good.
We have a thread https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
Am putting up the rest of the suggestions too in that.

[Bijaya]

Book sharing is a good idea. But having one's own copy of the book for one's own personal library has it's own charm. One doesn't need to be in a hurry to return the book. Further, by buying a copy of the book, we show respect for the author's efforts.

[Kunal]

I like libraries; I just can't read in them as it feels too much like studying for a course. I need the privacy and solitude of my own oasis (I can't read anywhere else in public too, for that matter) to read for pleasure or enrichment. I can understand why some people read in libraries though. They remain as good a place as any to borrow rare or really expensive books as well.

As a writer though, the idea of a paradigm shift from individual buying to wholesale sharing of books is terrible unless the effect economically seeps through to the writers in some measure. Otherwise, the idea is akin to the concept that film clubs replace pay-per-view theaters in moderation or entirety. Second-hand book vendors are already the equivalents of film pirates in the publishing world and adding another kind of revenue-drain would kill the art/business completely, in my opinion.

There is still the environmental question that remains though (since books use paper and that means more trees are cut, one way or another) and for someone who prefers a physical book over an virtual one--a Scribd subscription notwithstanding--I feel we should move towards the absolute use of recycled paper for printing of books (and for mostly anything really).

I giveaway books to friends a lot, but those books tend to be ones I didn't like or ones I was gifted in the first place. If I seek out a book to buy or it seeks me out (and this happens a lot), it's almost always for keeps. However, I find it difficult to lend books I like; it feels too much like sharing a lover, every time I think about it.

[Anirban]

I spend in average 500 on books each month.

[Mayur]

I am just a student at the moment, and not earning so I like to buy book from local book fairs. I love buying books in bulk and in book fair I directly go to that stall selling second hand books for just 20 rs.
I am unable to locate any bookstore in Jaipur which sell cheap books :( .
I am also on continuous lookout for 70% or more discounts on AMAZON or Snapdeal. Like I bought the kite runner and a thousand splendid suns both for 150 each (new books) from amazon. Also I bought Oath of the vayuputras for just 95rs on snapdeal (new book). THESE DEALS JUST MAKE MY DAY & I FEEL SO HAPPPYY!! :D :)

[Shine]

I used to rent from libraries earlier, before I got a job. However, it feels good to have ones own copy and read. We can save the good books for the next generation also.
I normally buy from Amazon and my annual budge t for books does not go beyond 3K.

[Ahtims]

Good idea, Shine. I started collecting from the age of 8 or so, and nowadays I am going over my limits. I dont have a set limit, but somehow I realize that I spend more than usual.