Buying Books

[nikki]

Man, books are expensive! I haven't actually bought a new book in years. I usually bum them off friends and coworkers, or buy used stuff.

How do you all get your books? Do you buy them new, fresh off the press? Do you wait for sales? Buy online? Wait for it to come out in paperback? Go to used bookstores? Bum off friends? Library?

[tutusue]

If it's a gift, I buy new. If the book is for me, I buy used off half.com as I don't like taking new books to the beach. My personal books are happily marked up with sunscreen and highlighters!

[buzz1941]

If you're looking for out-of-print books, try abebooks.com

[modpirate]

Every once in a while, I resolve to stop buying books and start borrowing them from the library. Only it seems that almost every time I use the library, I end up NOT READING THE BOOKS. It's like I have to spend money in order to get the incentive to read. Just one of those unpleasant quirks, I guess.

[blueyecicle]

I buy most of my books from goodwill, I hunt for hours and buy a bunch at once, usually 25- 50 cents a piece and buy about 25 at a time.
BUT if it is a new book I really want, like a Stephen King, (which is rare) I go to a store and buy it in paperback.

Oh and I take the kids on the book hunts too. They buy about 10 a piece. they love books.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Yup. Goodwill or Salvation Army. Also that book exchange at Stadium Mall. You can buy the books or trade in books you've already read. I also hit the library every few months and mom usually gives us books she bought from Costco and already read. On weekends we usually hit garage sales. Another good source for used books.

We no longer worry about getting new releases. We just bite the bullet and wait.

[Leo Lakio]

I buy a LOT of books, usually as new paperbacks. There are a handful of topics where I can't wait for the paperback release and will spring for the hardback. I try to buy from independent bookstores whenever possible.

[Honoruru]

It used to be that most of my book buys was from the Friends of the Library Book Sale. I'd arrive early with an Egg McMuffin and a cup of coffee, sit down, make myself comfortable in line, and go through a backlog of New Yorker magazines until the door opens. It was always a pleasant morning and I was always among one of the first 50 or so through the door. It was a tradition for me for more than 20 years. Then, it ended.

Now days, most of my book buys are from Amazon.com, fresh off the presses. Don't know why I stopped going to the Friends of the Library Book Sale. It probably was because any book I wanted could be found and bought online, at a lower cost than any bookstore locally. And I can now afford to buy whatever I want. But I kinda miss the atmosphere of the Friends of the Library Book Sale. I think I'll try to make a point of going to this year's FLBS, which is usually in July or August.

One other tip: Shirokiya has a great used book department, $1.00 books. Some great finds are available, including greatly reduced computer books.

[Da Rolling Eye]

We used to go to the book sale at the Wahiawa Library, but found we were spending more time trying to get to the stack or table of books we wanted to look through. Just to darned crowded and what we ended up finding just wasn't worth all the hassle. Now I just look at the "Friend's" book shelf by the front door. They usually have one or two good ones I'm willing to spend a buck and a quarter on. ;)

[reineke]

I have so many it's not even funny. I have stopped buying them (for a while heh) and I'm enjoying myself with Project Gutenberg.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

[DaFerret]

Years ago, I bought a couple used books for fifty cents each at a library up in Cali. Aside from that, I've only bought books new and at Borders (Walden Books before they disappeared) just because it's convenient (lots of locations and almost always have what I'm looking for).

Libaries used to have this atmosphere about them. I always enjoyed going to the Pearl City one. I haven't gone to one in years. I should look into this Friends of the Library Book Sale thing.

There are some things I like ordering online and some things I don't... books are one of the things I don't like to wait for. >_> hehe

[Pua'i Mana'o]

ohgolly I can pull a Gollum looking for his preccciioouussss whenever I see a book. I have a love affair with books and will get them any/everywhere I can; local bookstores, library sales, ebay. A personal admission: though I log on to amazon.com every single day, I have never, not once, ordered from them. If it is new, I take the isbn into my local bookstores and get them to order it for me. As for out-of-prints, I confess to spending a lot of time on ebay's "antiquarian and collectible" books section.

For the bazillions of books that I own, you would be hardpressed to find among them popular fiction/thrillers/romances etc, unless they were first written 75+ years ago. :)

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Libaries used to have this atmosphere about them…

don't get me started! The beautiful library of my childhood, where I spent so many afternoons throughout my teen years is now a hybrid of dvds/videos and books. Although I get it, the layout, the atmosphere, all those plastic and funky-colored doodahs right in my face when I walk in just *kills* me.

[Hellbent]

i spent alot of time in libraries when i was a kid.
i buy most of my books from amazon, usually 2nd hand. the prices of books are outrageous now. i really like the softcover format now tho, bigger then a paperback, and if you fall asleep, the book doenst hit as hard as a hardcover =P

i just had idea... i wonder if how manga cafes in japan would work here? its kind of weird, i think people go to manga cafes to read books, specifically comics, and pay per book they read, as a fee. it would be nice if you could go to a nice coffee shop that has a library sized selection of books that you could read for a small fee. too bad our culture doesnt work like that.

[cynsaligia]

i have the wonderful luck of having a mother who moved to portland, OR, so every time i visit her, i buy a bunch of books at the best bookstore: powell's! it's a book-freak's dream.

the other books i buy are for school or work, and i either buy em at the school bookstore (pref used) or at borders or barnes & noble.

[Karen]

I've used Amazon.com for some rare books, old lost bible books, and obscure things like the King James bible that's an Aramaic to English translation. Harry Potter books I get at Walmart, some books I get at Goodwill's local stores, and I buy books on clearance from the mall type bookstores.

I'll also do my best to wait for a book that's new to come out in paperback, saving me money, but if it's one of my absolute top, favorite books I'll shop around for hardback, and buy the best deal I can find.

[Random]

I bring Borders Reward coupons (print off from the e-mail) to the store.

[Hellbent]

have you seen resale prices on books to used bookstores? i might as well donate it to the library. i had a copy of 'i am legend' that i paid $12 for on amazon, i think cheapo's gave me $2 for it. what a ripoff.
hmm, i wonder if we should post a book exchange club...

[Leo Lakio]

have you seen resale prices on books to used bookstores? i might as well donate it to the library. i had a copy of 'i am legend' that i paid $12 for on amazon, i think cheapo's gave me $2 for it. what a ripoff.
Well...it's not as if they are in the business to make YOU money, ya know. I consider used bookstores as a way to help me unload stuff from my limited shelf space and, oh yeah, get a few bucks in the process. I used to have a lot of stuff that they wanted, and I could walk out of those places with $200-300 in hand, from four boxes of books - not so much these days, though.

[GeckoGeek]

have you seen resale prices on books to used bookstores? i might as well donate it to the library.

I seem to recall reading one time that the first buyers though the doors of the friends sale were the ones for the used bookstores.