BookTalk.org

Hi all,

I've just picked up reading as an active hobby of mine! I currently visit the library to obtain my books most of the time, but have found limited availability an inconvenience at times. I was wondering how most of you all obtain your books? What are some of the pros and cons you've noticed through obtaining books via various methods (online, in-store, library, etc.)? Thanks for the insight everyone!

The best way I know to get books is from library book sales. People donate books to their town library which then sells them dirt cheap. There is a website that tells you where and when to find them.

http://www.booksalefinder.com/NJ.html

Rare is the book costing more than $3.00. The best sales, of course, are held in the libraries of ritzy towns I couldn't afford to buy lunch in. But those people are readers and their library book sales can have 10,000 or more books in a wide variety of categories. Hardcover books in perfect dust jackets sell for $2. I don't even look at the 50 cent paperbacks -- there's no point.. You can find first editions, rare books, old books from people's grandparents' libraries they dug out of dusty boxes in the attic. Almost every hardcover is $2 except for the oversize, glossy art books.

Some of these sales go on for 2 or 3 days and the key is to get there early on the first day ahead of the people who sell on Amazon or B&N. I know they're just trying to make a living and I don't care.

The books are donated, not library books, so don't have the ink stamps and plastic covers. You see a library book here and there but not many. I've walked out of these sales with 10 to 20 beautiful hardcover classics, having paid $20 to $40. Library book sales are the closest thing to heaven I've ever seen (except for girls) .

Thanks for the response, and wow! Sounds like a great way to get books for cheap! I’ll definitely have to look into them! Do you ever buy new books? Say, the hot new releases you just have to read now? If so, have you found any way to obtain these that saves on cost at all? I ask because, while I certainly read books that would appear at these library sales, there are also some new releases that really capture my attention and interest...but tend to be somewhat costly at bookstores, even on Amazon most of the time.

There are relatively new releases at these sales. But it doesn't matter to me I have a huge TBR list and I find worthwhile books at every big sale. I don't buy paperbacks at all anymore and bookstore prices for a hardcover? No way. Just try one big sale and you'll be hooked like a meth head. But with books so that would be better. I do look for bargains on Amazon if I want a particular book, but in hardcover only.

Okay, great to know! Yeah, hardcover prices can get up there. Do you typically find good deals on Amazon? Thanks for all of the insight and advice! I’m excited for more posts to come through I’m curious to learn if anyone else seeks out these library sales and what other methods are being used to obtain books. Always great to get informstion from the source!

Easiest for me is through e-books. I just need an internet connection. Comes in handy too for travel. But the only thing I don't like is that reading off a screen strains my eyes!

treder wrote:Easiest for me is through e-books. I just need an internet connection. Comes in handy too for travel. But the only thing I don't like is that reading off a screen strains my eyes!

E-books can certainly be the most convenient option! Is that the primary reason you're drawn to e-books, or is it more so the portability aspect? I agree, however, that the strain on the eyes is certainly a drawback. Just one of the reasons I'm still drawn to print over electronic reading. Do you have an e-book subscription, like Amazon's audible for example? I've always been intrigued by that, or at least the idea of it haha.

I just voted in your poll. First vote, so as of now it's 100% in-store purchases.

I only buy books from force of habit now. Boxes full of fiction I'll never get to are everywhere, so I don't bother anymore with that stuff. But I keep an eye out for reference books. The other day I picked up a book of the letters of Bruce Chatwin. Never read any of Chatwin's work, but he corresponded with some well-known people, and they're indexed in the back. So that qualifies the book as reference. It's in perfect shape. I paid a buck, and the thing was published by Viking at $35. At those prices it's hard not to continue adding to the reference books.

KindaSkolarly wrote:I just voted in your poll. First vote, so as of now it's 100% in-store purchases.

I only buy books from force of habit now. Boxes full of fiction I'll never get to are everywhere, so I don't bother anymore with that stuff. But I keep an eye out for reference books. The other day I picked up a book of the letters of Bruce Chatwin. Never read any of Chatwin's work, but he corresponded with some well-known people, and they're indexed in the back. So that qualifies the book as reference. It's in perfect shape. I paid a buck, and the thing was published by Viking at $35. At those prices it's hard not to continue adding to the reference books.

Thanks for voting and being the first vote! And thank you for sharing. Do you purchase any other types of books? Do you find any cost issues in those cases?

I voted "In Store", but I don't usually purchase in stores such as B&N, etc. I purchase most of my books at thrift "stores" and library sales (They have these every Spring and Fall)! The last day of the library sale in my area, is $1/bag day, so I usually end up bringing home 200-1000 books depending on the selections and materials. I am an avid reader and can read anywhere from 2-6 books a week, so I try to keep a well stocked in-home library. Currently, I believe we have 1,500 books between my husband and I. We just did a purge and donated around 1,000 books at the beginning of the year.

I also utilize my local library as well. It's the best way for me to get my hands on the new releases without paying big bucks for them at the big box stores. I will say this, even though I rarely get to go there and when I do, I rarely buy anything...Barnes and Noble is one of my most favorite places to be!