Where Do You Get Your Books?

[DreamerRose]

I borrow real books from the library. Although, I just reread Jane Austen's books that I have in paperback. The paper is browned around the edges and the books are hard to crack open, so I may toss them.

My DIL usually sends me a book at Christmas, but other than that, I don't buy books to keep.

 

[ArchyCat]

First, micknsnicks2mom , there is a review of what appears to be the third volume of a trilogy in Sunday's NYT:" War And Peace FDR's Final Odyssey, D-Day to Yalta, 1943-1945". Excellent review. I looked on Amazon. All three volumes received excellent reader reviews. I have ordered the set.

Basically I buy books from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and what is a regional chain, used book stores, Half-Price Books. I do go to the public library, but not very often.

Amazon is a good source of reader reviews and short descriptions of a book's content. Plus, Amazon acts as agent for many used book dealers here in the USA and other countries. I have ordered books via Amazon that were sold by British and Belgian used book dealers. Shipment from the used book dealers can take a very loooong time. Then longest I have had is three weeks. But if you are seeking a book that has been out of print for more than one or two years, Amazon may be your best chance of finding it.

 

[jcat]

99% of the books I read are e-books downloaded to my Kindle Paperwhite. I get six daily newsletters (3 for English books, 3 for German) with links to free or greatly reduced books on Amazon. I do buy some new publications, but generally put most titles on my wish list and wait for the price to drop.

 

[Tobermory]

Since we moved to Oregon four years ago, I’ve transitioned almost completely to ebooks that I read on my iPad. The public library system in Oregon is not well funded compared to everywhere else I’ve lived, and the hours are a bit limited. Also, the library is downtown and you have to pay for parking and hope the community college students haven’t taken all the parking spaces.

I kept my library card number from Colorado so I have access not only to the Oregon library system but also Colorado which has more selection. And I kept my mom’s library card number from Ohio so I check out books from three states! Ohio’s is by far the best.

We’ve moved so many times over the years that we stopped buying books and gradually started to get rid of them. My husband was a college professor and I think at the high end, we had 80 cartons of books...on the third floor...of a house built in 1910. Very steep, very narrow stairs. The movers were kind of cranky about it.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

First, micknsnicks2mom , there is a review of what appears to be the third volume of a trilogy in Sunday's NYT:" War And Peace FDR's Final Odyssey, D-Day to Yalta, 1943-1945". Excellent review. I looked on Amazon. All three volumes received excellent reader reviews. I have ordered the set.

Basically I buy books from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and what is a regional chain, used book stores, Half-Price Books. I do go to the public library, but not very often.

Amazon is a good source of reader reviews and short descriptions of a book's content. Plus, Amazon acts as agent for many used book dealers here in the USA and other countries. I have ordered books via Amazon that were sold by British and Belgian used book dealers. Shipment from the used book dealers can take a very loooong time. Then longest I have had is three weeks. But if you are seeking a book that has been out of print for more than one or two years, Amazon may be your best chance of finding it.

thank you, for posting about the book about FDR! i do seek out books about him often.

 

[foxxycat]

I am a book hoarder. There it's out. I have one room full of bookcases and my romances and non fiction gardening books, college textbooks in Feline Medical studies etc. I justify it by saying I sell books at the flea markets and a local junk shop. So I am always on the search for books to sell or unusual things. Last year I went through a period where all I wanted to read were WW2 women's fiction. Helen Carey is one example. Excellent author! I got them on Amazon and whenever I thrift shop I always look for english printed women's WW2 fiction-the books are larger than ours so they stand out. Plus thicker than our novels.

Yard sales, flea markets, craigslist, book sales at libraries, Amazon/Ebay and folks from work give me books all the time. I am currently reading a series from Brenda Novak. I used to only read harlequin/Silhouette series romances and read her older books-I just enjoy reading and often read when I have a chance.

 

[rubysmama]

I haven't bought a paper book in years. I rarely reread a book, so although I loved the idea of creating my own library, it was ridiculous keeping books I'd never read again, so I donated/gave most of them away.

So for a long time I would borrow books from a co-worker who had her own "library". Then she started reading e-books, and one of the books in a series I was reading she only had on one of her e-readers, so she loaned me it so I could read the book, and I surprised myself by liking reading the e-book more than an actual book.

So I ended up buying a Kobo e-reader, and now I only read e-books I borrow from the library.

They have a huge selection, and allow you to borrow 20 e-books at a time, and put 30 on hold at a time. The only negative is long wait times for popular books, but with so many to chose from, that's not a problem for me.

I know some of you already post in our All Thing Books And Reading Thread 2019 thread, but anyone who hasn't seen it yet, do stop on by and tell us what you've been reading.

 

[margecat]

I've worked in a library all of my life, yet I hardly get time to read. I'm a cataloger, so I handle the materials before they circulate to the customers, so I do get to see a lot of interesting things. e-books are very popular there, and I also catalog those. However, I like to smell, feel, and hold a real book when I read, curled up on the sofa. Even though I don't really read in the normal sense, I spend a lot of time researching things on the Internet at home, instead of using books. I also seldom buy books. When I do, it's from eBay and Amazon. I usually buy gently-used copies cheaply.

 

[LTS3]

Don't forget about supporting local independent book stores They often have more than just books for sale and are generally much more personable than a chain store.

Some liberties have e-readers for loan so that's a god way to "test the waters" and see if e-book reading is your thing or not.

 

[AbbysMom]

I usually buy paperbacks and it is usually from Amazon. I give them to my mother when I am done and after she reads them she brings them to the Senior Center.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

I download them from various websites if I love the book I will buy the physical copy. I don't have the time to go to libraries anymore and they rarely have the books I want, anyway.

 

[rgwanner]

I like the feel of a paper book. Turning the pages, seeing how far I have gotten. I used to get them at the library but I was always getting fines for being late. So now I get them at a thrift store for 50 cents. Then I donate them back to the store run by the shelter.

I like mysteries, historical novels and sometimes a rom-com. i don't keep them because I just do not have room. Also, I seldom want to re-read. I do have the complete book of Sherlock Holmes and on the rare occasion when I don't have a new book, I will re-read some of that.

 

[Willow's Mom]

I also find paper books easier to read. I get most of my books from thrift stores unless there is something specific I want to check out.

I'll download the ebook from the Z library, archive dot org, Library Genesis, etc. to see if it's as interesting as the review or friend says it is and if so, I'll look for it on eBay or a used book site.

I still have my books because they are my friends. I reread them and look things up in them. I miss them and mourn them when they are gone, but it does feel wonderful to be able to put the right book in the hands of someone who needs it at the right time.

 

[artiemom]

I used to get a ton on my kindle. For some reason, I stopped.

I think I found it difficult to read, after an extended length of time.

I like the feel and smell of books.

I used to get some at Barnes and Noble.
Now, it seems I find them at Target or even Walmart.

Where I am currently living, they have a good size library of all donated books. So easy to find one to read.
Some of them may not pique my current preferences, but there are a ton to look through.

It is an honor system where everyone donated they books. Works out great for all.

 

[VinceL]

Years ago I used to buy many paperback books. Then I bought a Nook. I figured the ebooks would be cheaper than physical books so I would save money. NOT!

Warning...rant mode activated.
It turns out that the pricing model for ebooks is completely different than for physical books. Retailers are free to charge whatever they want for physical books, but the publishers set the price for ebooks. I receive coupons from Barnes & Noble all the time. But, the coupons always exclude Nook books. The publishers claim that the costs to produce and deliver an ebook are no lower than for a physical book. Personally (and as a retired CPA), I say that is hogwash. Now, for any book I am thinking of buying, I compare the price of the ebook to the price of the paperback. Whichever is cheaper, that is what I buy.
Rant mode deactivated.

 

[Willow's Mom]

I think it was 1992 when my ex predicted that future people would throw away all their books and download files off the internet. I thought he was drunk or crazy. I come from a family of bibliophiles: for generations, we have spent the majority of our gift money and recreational money on books which we pass down after our death.

I wasn't an early adopter of eBooks by any means, but I remember being excited (drinking the Kool-Aid) when Nooks and Kindles became affordable. I think we all thought that they would lead to a world where information was like air and not something that would be bought and sold.

By 2017, this dystopic vision:

The 10 most dangerous Technologies ever

no longer felt like paranoid hyperbole. Unfortunately, there is no turning back. As thrilled as I was to receive a gorgeous hard cover copy of Michael W. Fox's "Supercat: Raising the Perfect Feline Companion" (c) 1990 for only $3.99, I am aware of the fact that most millenials consider my room full of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves "filth" and myself a "disgusting hoarder".

We can't exactly turn the titanic, but there are "Little Free Libraries" in my area, either converted from phone booths (remember pay phones?) or inexpensively constructed and legally placed on private property. It is an opportunity to share our favourite books with our neighbours just like filesharing apps only it's legal.

Remember the lilies.