Where Do You Get Your Books?

[gettinblurry]

Inspired by a comment in 'What I Have Read: May/june'

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Arts-and-Literature/Books-and-Authors/Question1341324.html

What are the book buying habits of ABers?

I've historically been a 'must be paper' kinda guy. Much to Mrs Blurry's annoyance, I can spend hours in a 'proper' book shop, browsing, looking for something that grabs me.
However, since buying a Kindle (which I believe I was somewhat mis-sold on by friends, with the promise of cheap books) I now find myself spending almost as much time trawling Amazon for bargains.

I see the benefits of not filling up our (currently stuffed to the rafters) flat with paperbacks & there are 'some' bargains to be had. I also like being able to take just a little tablet size device on holiday.

But still, proper books just smell nice...

Long question short: Paper or E-book?

[pastafreak]

DaisyNonna
Anyone got a cheap bookcase?

I have one of these....can hold about 400 books

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10275857/#/30275861
It used to be called expedit...not sure why the name change. Its one of their classics...very heavy and sturdy.

[gettinblurry]

@ Captain2 : I've never really got the returning & getting 1/2 the value back.
If you do that, why not just go to a library? I like to keep my books.

[237SJ]

Paper, from the library. I`m too much of a skinflint to pay money for something that I`m going to read once and then discard. Or I get given them from my sister who is so loaded that she doesn`t care how much anything costs!

[Captain2]

gettinblurry - as a fellow market trader, I suppose it was handy, kept the money in the market, helped a fellow trader (helps him 'restock' his stall), he was then probably more inclined to buy something off my stall and his range of books was impressive - not to mention the odd Trad(er) Discount. :-)

[DaisyNonna]

Thanks pasta but not got a spare £85 or the wall space.

[askyourgran]

I like to hold a book, I have an e-reader but I can't get the hang of it. For some reason it annoys me when I see people on a bus or cafe reading an e-reader. I used to love the smell of the library. Now I go to charity shops Waterstones or WH Smiths for my books and swap. Recently I had to clear some of my long standing favourites out. That was a wrench.

[gettinblurry]

@ Captain2: Ahh makes sense in your context. Some of my best (paper) books were bought from my local market. I guess I didn't buy enough though - the stall's not there anymore :(

[Maydup]

I bought a kindle but returned it for a refund. I couldn't be doing with turning the page so often and found it really unsuitable for falling asleep onto.

I'm back to paperbacks usually bought from both the independent bookseller and amazon in about equal measure. However I find it really difficult to pass them on. I have to treasure them for at least 10 years before they get passed over to the charity shop to make way for new ones.

[jno]

I like books but I have run out of shelves, so whenever I buy some I have to sell some. You can imagine how I feel about this. So the Kindle is very useful.

[gettinblurry]

Hi Maydup, I know what you mean about falling asleep to - I now fall asleep to the BBC iPlayer - but that's probably for a different thread.
I'm with you about passing them on, in my case I'm thinking they'll get passed on when I'm gone. I hope my younger relatives like historical biography & contemporary detective novels!

[Maydup]

This is a useful link for (paper) book lovers. Its an online charity shop for buying and then selling back your secondhand books.

https://www.greenmetropolis.com

[gettinblurry]

Good link Maydup - I've occasionally left mine on a plane ( I like to keep my books, but sometimes they're a pain to carry) with a note inside for someone else to enjoy. Hopefully the clean-up crew didn't just chuck them in the bin...

[nungate]

Mostly I buy books for the kindle. I have in my hands and keep dropping books I find it easier to hold and I can quite easily rest it on a little table. Also easier to store books on the kindle, been running out of room for more bookshelves, cheaper to buy a kindle than a bigger house.

[Elina]

E.book gettin, my latest buy .. 'Why Me?' Sammy Davies Junior.

[gettinblurry]

@Elina - I've not read that, though being a bit of fan of 'older' movies, it sounds interesting - you've gotta love the Rat Pack. They're a while earlier in Hollywood's history, but I thoroughly enjoyed Errol Flynn's 'My Wicked, Wicked Ways' & Niven's 'The Moon's a Balloon'.

[janbee]

I LOVE hardback books only. Paper backs are ok but then I pass them right along to a charity shop afterwards I love the feel and smell of a REAL book. I hate all that E book krap. I always buy from a local shop called City Books on Western Road Hove. It's a small PROPER bookshop owned buy Inge and Paul and their wonderful, helpful staff. I hate the big shops like Waterstones.

[janbee]

Blurry, if you liked The Moon's a Balloon, have you also read Bring on the empty horses also by David Niven.?

[pastafreak]

I wouldn't knock ebooks. Its my first e-reader,then kindle,that got me back into reading. I love the fact that I've got literally 100s of books at my fingertips. Don't get me wrong...I still love physical books. But carrying them is hard on my older shoulders...lol

[Elina]

gettin, It's a very good read!

[AB Editor]

Both.

I try and pick up what I can from sources other than Amazon - direct from publishers if possible (and not extortionate)