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Thread: Where do you buy your books?

  1. #21
    An Eclectic Toaster
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Moondancer View Post
    Other than that, I usually get my books at charity shops.
    We have an Oxfam book and music shop nearby. It's a bit like a charity library - I've seen stuff which I've bought, read (or burned for the iPod ), and subsequently given back on the shelves!

  2. #22
    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Moondancer View Post
    there is a village in SW Scotland where every other cottage is a treasure trove bookshop - and I can't remember where it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by Gadget View Post
    where do you think Beo heralds from? (Wigtown)
    Quote Originally Posted by Moondancer View Post
    YESSSSS!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
    Lol.. never seen someone so excited over my home town !

    (going home to Wigtown in September for a wedding.. will be stocking up on books when I'm there )

    My old School mate owns the biggest bookstore in Wigtown (opposite the bowling green) .. That's a real goldmine shop ! then there's numerous "speciality" shops.. kids books, art books, Cooking books etc .. the book shop on the corner (think it's called "the corner bookshop".. we locals know it as "the old bakery!") is pretty good too..

    there are also book shops off the beaten path a little.. Wigtown's not a big place and we've hidden some bookshops just to give tourists a bit of a challenge trying to find them !

  3. #23
    Registered User emmylou25's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    As I buy a lot of the same authors when they come out (in hardback as I'm a sucker for a nice book) I shop by price - so either Tesco, Asda, or Play, CDWow or Amazon depending on who's got the best deal.

    If WHSmith have a good deal on then I'll buy paperbacks there, and if I'm really stuck for a read/have finished a book that I have with me and need another one immediately then I'll go to Borders or Waterstones (Waterstones card is handy if you shop there regularly to build up points).

    I don't tend to find much anymore in charity shops - what is there in a decent state doesn't tend to be any I either want to read/haven't read, or is really expensive. I also used to buy/sell my unwanted books to a local market stall but he's no longer there unfortunately.

    I don't really reread books but do like to keep most of them. The rest I get rid of via our work 'library/swap shop', give to friends/charity shops, or sell on greenmetropolis.com.

  4. #24
    Registered User Poi Boi's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I usually get my books from the numerous Charity shops in my hometown, it's quite easy to spend a long time looking through all the shelves.

    Other than that, if it's a particular author I like, then I will buy them new from whatever website is selling them cheapest at the time.

    If it's just book to read, then I will often buy them from the new and used section of Amazon because you can get some incredibly good deals on books especially if they have been out for a while.

    I do have a few books in my collection though that had to be ordered from the publisher, mostly cos no where else stocked them!

  5. #25
    Registered User Twirly's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Trouble is, we have really limited storage space as the flat is fine for one person but cosy with two... and then you have the books...

    I have various sources. Sometimes the library, Amazon if it's something specific, or 3 for 2 deals at major bookshops and sometimes secondhand shops, but there aren't any I'm aware of in my part of town.

    When we get a chance we'll go to Rochester which has a fab and huge 2nd hand bookshop!

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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Stuart M View Post
    We have an Oxfam book and music shop nearby. It's a bit like a charity library - I've seen stuff which I've bought, read (or burned for the iPod ), and subsequently given back on the shelves!
    Sounds about right. Some charity shops seem to get really good stocks of books - obviously frequented by the right people - so some are worth visiting and some just aren't. I love the random variety of good second-hand bookplaces, and the joy of finding books which simply aren't available at new bookshops. Not to mention that I can spend the same amount of money for more treasures (plus I'm re-cycling an existing item and if it's a charity shop then I'm supporting them too, especially if I return the books later).

    I don't like it when any book which is old and/or tatty automatically becomes 'a collector's item' and the price increases tenfold. That is not how the book market works! It might be a collector's item, but it won't be one just because it isn't new and has got a bit battered. I'm prepared to pay a fair price for a collectable book, but only when I can recognise that the price has been set with sensible knowledge of why it is sufficiently desirable and therefore more expensive. I hate being ripped off!

    If interesting secondhand books are decently priced then I am happy to spend a fair bit of money and time, and will invariably leave with armsful, but if the first few items I look at are pricey then I stop looking in case I find too many things I want.

  7. #27
    Registered User Battlecat's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    At work we have a charity book cupboard, we all bring in books we are finished with and then sell them on and the money made goes to a local hospice, we have found that people also tend to return the books so they can be sold again.

    Apart form that I tend to buy from supermarkets and have various friends who swap books with me, so I am rarely without a pile of books to read.

  8. #28
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I so agree with all this - I usually bring back at least 6 books from the library, and have a pile of books to read and reread for my commute on the bus.

    For the West end of Glasgow there is a lovely little cafe called Bibliocafe in Woodlands road, just down from Glasgow Uni. You can just go in as a cafe customer. Practically all walls are covered in second hand books. You can just buy the books straight, or you can take books to them, get credit for them, and use that credit to select your new choices..

    [end of credit]...

    Whitetiger

  9. #29
    Registered User Miss Flicts's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf View Post
    What I want is a really good , well stocked, friendly, yet cheap, second hand book store, but I've not found one nearby. I know there's the book market on the Southbank at weekends.. but I'm rarely in that part of town ..

    so, pray tell fellow addicts... where do you get your fix?
    Do you need to actually own the books?... because you've just described the library. (Except it's better than cheap - it's free!)

    If you haven't used the library for years you might be very pleasantly surprised. My local library is fantastic -it's open till 7.30pm each weekday, is really well-stocked with dozens of copies of all the latest titles, and the staff are great.

    It's all online too - you can do author/title/genre searches of the catalogue and reserve books online (even books from other libraries). I browse online and reserve what I want. They email me to let me know when the books are ready to pick up, so I just pop in, go straight to the counter and swap last week's pile for this week's pile.

    If you want a book they don't currently have, you just fill in a slip and they buy it and let you know when it's there for you to borrow. It's fantastic! I know obviously not all libraries are so great but it's worth checking, if you haven't already.
    Last edited by Miss Flicts; 29th-August-2009 at 11:53 AM. Reason: fix the quote

  10. #30
    Registered User Genie's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I browse book shops with a notepad and pen, decide what catches my eye, then I go online and look for the best deal. Play.com, dvd.co.uk, borders or amazon are my usual haunts. It means I can browse as much as I like in a bookshop and still get a good deal online.

  11. #31
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Sounds like a good library - my local library isn't particularly good. I usually have a better selection of books on any given topic of personal interest than they have - for the space they have they don't seem to actually have all that many books. They do have some DVDs and videos and computer access and plenty of room to walk around (very useful, no doubt).

    Compared with the libraries of my childhood which were shelved floor to ceiling with books old and new, a mere two rows of books on half a dozen shelves in a space the size of a sports hall, with no book more than a couple of years old....it just doesn't cut the mustard for me! And if you try to order stuff then all the good books turn out to be in the county stock and they can't access from there even if they have what you want.

  12. #32
    Cheeky by nature Little Monkey's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I must admit that

    A) I'm a complete book-worm
    B) I don't have a local library any more at all, and when I did, it wasn't very good...
    C) I love owning books, and find it extremely hard to part with them!

    Conclusion - books are frequently the reason why I spend money I really can't afford to spend....

    I buy books online (used and new through Amazon), from tesco when they have anything readable on offer, from WHSmith (always the buy one get one hald price), from Waterstones (again the multi-book offers, like 3 for 2, which has caused accidents such as buying 6 books in one go.....), second hand bookshops and from the shelves of second hand books that are for sale in my studio building. Oh, and I borrow from friends when I'm desperate!

    I need a new book......

  13. #33
    Registered User Baruch's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I buy a lot of books via Amazon (used & new). I also look in charity shops, though I've not found much in them lately.

    Every so often I like to take a trip to Hay on Wye with a large, empty bag to stock up on more books. When I die, some charity shop is going to inherit a heck of a lot of books, as I very rarely get rid of books that I've read unless they're not very good. I'm a hopeless book addict!

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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Baruch View Post
    I buy a lot of books via Amazon (used & new). I also look in charity shops, though I've not found much in them lately.

    Every so often I like to take a trip to Hay on Wye with a large, empty bag to stock up on more books. When I die, some charity shop is going to inherit a heck of a lot of books, as I very rarely get rid of books that I've read unless they're not very good. I'm a hopeless book addict!

    And here I was thinking that I had it bad! I've only been to Hay on Wye twice (Drat - about time for another visit )

    Should we start a Bookworms anonymous thread?... Sounds like you should become a buyer for Waterstones or another bookseller - that way you can get the hit of the book buy and get to read the book for review, and best buzz of all the company pays!

    Or thinking about it a little more:

    My crime fiction bookclub is run from a local Waterstones, and the staff member who runs it has just as many crime fiction books in his house as there are in the store - despite being a buyer for the crime section!

    WT

    Mind you - I can talk - I must have a couple of thousand books on my shelves - despite using the Glasgow library system so often I know some of the staff in 3 libraries by name

  15. #35
    Registered User Baruch's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by whitetiger1518 View Post
    Should we start a Bookworms anonymous thread?
    I might agree, but I've already "outed" myself - I'm a bookworm and I'm proud!

  16. #36
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Not buying books currently.

    Trying to use up the ones I already have.

    Also, have lots of ebooks so saving up for an ebook reader - maybe there will be some decent ones available by the time I have the cash...

  17. #37
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    Not buying books currently.

    Trying to use up the ones I already have.

    Also, have lots of ebooks so saving up for an ebook reader - maybe there will be some decent ones available by the time I have the cash...
    personally i think e-books are overpriced and overrated - sure e-ink screens are nice but a second hand 16 colour sony clie recently set me back only £15 from ebay - as a fully fledged pda, it can do lots of things, but it can store hundreds of ebooks and has a battery that lasts for up to 2 weeks of constant use.

    cons: poorer screen quality than an new ebook and it is shiny, so not great in direct sunlight.

    pros: has on/off for backlight. instant on/off. longer battery life than some e-books. truly pocket sized. lots of software.

  18. #38
    Registered User Baruch's Avatar
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I'll stick with old-fashioned print on paper. A real book isn't dependent on batteries and doesn't have a shiny screen. It can be taken anywhere. Oh, and it isn't dependent on software or file types that will rapidly become obsolete.

  19. #39
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    personally i think e-books are overpriced and overrated - sure e-ink screens are nice but a second hand 16 colour sony clie recently set me back only £15 from ebay - as a fully fledged pda, it can do lots of things, but it can store hundreds of ebooks and has a battery that lasts for up to 2 weeks of constant use.

    cons: poorer screen quality than an new ebook and it is shiny, so not great in direct sunlight.

    pros: has on/off for backlight. instant on/off. longer battery life than some e-books. truly pocket sized. lots of software.
    Quote Originally Posted by Baruch View Post
    I'll stick with old-fashioned print on paper. A real book isn't dependent on batteries and doesn't have a shiny screen. It can be taken anywhere. Oh, and it isn't dependent on software or file types that will rapidly become obsolete.
    Not my choice but I got a Sony Reader for Christmas - now I'm looking for e-book recommendations.

    I got a Waterstones card with it so it'd be handy if they were available from there - or from one of the free sites for now

    Generally I likeSci-fi/fantasy stuff. Not really into historical novels though I did enjoy the Alexander and Attila (Lord of the Silver Bow) trilogies.

    So far I've found the site (Waterstones) quite annoying - some of the ebooks say they're short stories but there's no way of telling how many pages you're getting for your money and the synopsis' (?) mainly seem to be quotes from the book rather than the usual back page summary

    Anyway - recommendations would be welcome.

    Cheers

  20. #40
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    Re: Where do you buy your books?

    I got an eReader but I do find it annoying when not having looked at it for a while and decide to sit down and have a good read the battery is flat

    With regard to your normal books why not start a forum book swop, I have accumulated so many books over the years and never throw them away. We could list them on here and have swop fest

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