Sadia Tahna Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) I'm from Bangladesh. No library in the country keeps English books of various genres. Libraries here are fundamentally useless to me. I borrow some from my friends but its not enough. I have to buy every book I want to read. Which is very expensive for me. I'm 18, a student. One can easily guess that I don't come across a lot of money. To top my misery, God has blessed me with poor eye sight. My minus 7.65 glasses don't allow me read a lot of e-books. I get nasty headaches. I don't like digital books anyway. I have to save up and buy books. Though I love owning books, sometimes I feel that its too troublesome. I want to read a lot of books, most of which are unavailable here. I have to order them and that costs me even more. See what I mean? Edited January 24, 2014 by Sadia Tahna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 It must be so difficult for you not being able to read digital books, especially as you struggle to find the paperback versions of those you'd like to read. We're very lucky in the UK as there are lots of secondhand bookshops and charity shops selling used books at low prices as well as libraries with good selections and the ability to reserve books from other libraries in the area which are then delivered to our local libraries. I used to struggle with ebooks on backlit screens, but since the Kindle e-ink technology came along, I've had no problems at all, and I recently also got reading glasses which have been an incredible improvement for me (now I'm in my 40s, I'm getting old and have to have normal vision glasses and separate reading ones too! ). I actually prefer reading on the Kindle, mainly because I can read in a consistent typeface, and adjust the size of the text if I need to, as well as the convenience of carry all those books on one device. Sorry to hear it such a struggle for you, as I dread not being able to read as much as I do for whatever reason, and hope things will improve for you in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I'm so sorry to hear books are so expensive where you are and that you have trouble reading digital books . My glasses are minus 4 something so it must be very difficult for you! In my town there aren't a lot of English books in the library either (there are Dutch translated ones though), though there are a few. New books cost quite a bit in the book shops around here, but the charity shop and second hand books are cheaper. I also regularly go to a book fair where they sell books bookshops don't want to sell anymore and they're normally pretty cheap while new (though on occasion they aren't in great condition, but most of the time they are). I also order books from the UK and on occasion when I'm in the UK I go book shopping there too. I have an ereader and have to buy my Kindle books from Amazon.com where I pay extra because I live in Europe and not in the US, sometimes the price is good and sometimes it can be expensive compared to a paper copy (that said, if you want to buy ebooks from a Dutch site it often costs more). I prefer paper books anyway. When I was a child I'd mainly go to two libraries and I'd very often re-read my favourite books (this was before I could easily read books in English). Later on as I got more allowance I'd mainly use it to buy books and for savings. It wasn't until I was a student at the university that I started to read more and more English books. My boyfriend's British and my English has improved so much from talking with him and reading all the English books that nowadays I prefer to read books in English rather than Dutch (unless the original is Dutch). I hope your situation improves in the future! It must be really difficult to not be able to buy and read many books. Can I ask what you're studying? (maybe you've mentioned it elsewhere, if so I'm sorry ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadia Tahna Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 I'm so sorry to hear books are so expensive where you are and that you have trouble reading digital books . My glasses are minus 4 something so it must be very difficult for you! In my town there aren't a lot of English books in the library either (there are Dutch translated ones though), though there are a few. New books cost quite a bit in the book shops around here, but the charity shop and second hand books are cheaper. I also regularly go to a book fair where they sell books bookshops don't want to sell anymore and they're normally pretty cheap while new (though on occasion they aren't in great condition, but most of the time they are). I also order books from the UK and on occasion when I'm in the UK I go book shopping there too. I have an ereader and have to buy my Kindle books from Amazon.com where I pay extra because I live in Europe and not in the US, sometimes the price is good and sometimes it can be expensive compared to a paper copy (that said, if you want to buy ebooks from a Dutch site it often costs more). I prefer paper books anyway. When I was a child I'd mainly go to two libraries and I'd very often re-read my favourite books (this was before I could easily read books in English). Later on as I got more allowance I'd mainly use it to buy books and for savings. It wasn't until I was a student at the university that I started to read more and more English books. My boyfriend's British and my English has improved so much from talking with him and reading all the English books that nowadays I prefer to read books in English rather than Dutch (unless the original is Dutch). I hope your situation improves in the future! It must be really difficult to not be able to buy and read many books. Can I ask what you're studying? (maybe you've mentioned it elsewhere, if so I'm sorry ) Hey. Thanks so much for your reply! I'm actually looking forward to passing high school in 4 months. I'm taking preparations for my final exam. I'm having busy days as I'm a science major and we have to study a lot just to keep our heads above water. The education system in our country was constructed to breed 'white sheep only' in the schools. They hate the idea of a human being growing up to become anything that's not a doctor or an engineer. Hopefully once I get into university and get a part-time job, I'll be able to buy books more and more I love Bangla literature. It has been enriched by writers like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Their thoughts on life and love are deep and melancholy. its what drew me towards literature in the first place when I was a kid. The complex portrayal of the human heart. The boundaries of society. Love and betrayal. They wrote thought provoking stuff. But English lit has a lot more variety regarding genres and I fell in love with it after devouring the entire Sherlock Holmes collection in 6 days. I went on reading without bathing and sleeping. I was 11 at the time and I knew English lit had grabbed me for life. and OMG your boyfriend is British! Does he call you love? d'aaaaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadia Tahna Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 It must be so difficult for you not being able to read digital books, especially as you struggle to find the paperback versions of those you'd like to read. We're very lucky in the UK as there are lots of secondhand bookshops and charity shops selling used books at low prices as well as libraries with good selections and the ability to reserve books from other libraries in the area which are then delivered to our local libraries. I used to struggle with ebooks on backlit screens, but since the Kindle e-ink technology came along, I've had no problems at all, and I recently also got reading glasses which have been an incredible improvement for me (now I'm in my 40s, I'm getting old and have to have normal vision glasses and separate reading ones too! ). I actually prefer reading on the Kindle, mainly because I can read in a consistent typeface, and adjust the size of the text if I need to, as well as the convenience of carry all those books on one device. Sorry to hear it such a struggle for you, as I dread not being able to read as much as I do for whatever reason, and hope things will improve for you in time. Oh my you guys are so nice! Thank you so much! I actually wanna a buy a kindle as soon as possible. You must've read a lot of books. My mom used to love books as well but she gave up reading as the years passed by. I'm glad you're 40 and still kicking-ass reading! Its difficult to keep up any sort of passion these days. Even reading. I'm not even through with my student life and already I have a hard time finding free time to read in peace. How did you manage to hold your interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I actually stopped reading in my twenties, and came back to it with a vengeance in my thirties. It's just a case of balance, sometimes life doesn't give you enough time for reading, and other times it does, and I think the break from books made it all the more special when I picked them up again, and I'm now in a place where I have time to thoroughly enjoy my reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hey. Thanks so much for your reply! I'm actually looking forward to passing high school in 4 months. I'm taking preparations for my final exam. I'm having busy days as I'm a science major and we have to study a lot just to keep our heads above water. The education system in our country was constructed to breed 'white sheep only' in the schools. They hate the idea of a human being growing up to become anything that's not a doctor or an engineer. Hopefully once I get into university and get a part-time job, I'll be able to buy books more and more I love Bangla literature. It has been enriched by writers like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Their thoughts on life and love are deep and melancholy. its what drew me towards literature in the first place when I was a kid. The complex portrayal of the human heart. The boundaries of society. Love and betrayal. They wrote thought provoking stuff. But English lit has a lot more variety regarding genres and I fell in love with it after devouring the entire Sherlock Holmes collection in 6 days. I went on reading without bathing and sleeping. I was 11 at the time and I knew English lit had grabbed me for life. and OMG your boyfriend is British! Does he call you love? d'aaaaw. x Good luck with passing high school, I hope it all goes well ! It's great to hear about your love for reading . I have some of the Sherlock Holmes books on my TBR, I don't read that many classics but I hope to get around to them one day. My boyfriend doesn't call me love, most of the time if he calls me anything it's by my name (Gaia) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hi Sadia, great to hear about your love of reading but sorry to read about your struggles to find books to read. Although you are not keen on e-readers at the moment, having a kindle would really change your life I can tell you. It would probably answer many of your problems and you would be able to get so many books for free. It makes the expense of buying one worth it in a very short time. Please tell me what exactly does the expression "white sheep only" mean? I have never came across that expression before... Lots of people in England do call each other "love" but paradoxically it is used most often to people we certainly don't love as a general greeting to strangers in shops and pubs ! Very strange I know. In Yorkshire even men will call each other "love" but not down here in the south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sadia Tahna Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hi Sadia, great to hear about your love of reading but sorry to read about your struggles to find books to read. Although you are not keen on e-readers at the moment, having a kindle would really change your life I can tell you. It would probably answer many of your problems and you would be able to get so many books for free. It makes the expense of buying one worth it in a very short time. Please tell me what exactly does the expression "white sheep only" mean? I have never came across that expression before... Lots of people in England do call each other "love" but paradoxically it is used most often to people we certainly don't love as a general greeting to strangers in shops and pubs ! Very strange I know. In Yorkshire even men will call each other "love" but not down here in the south. Hi there vodkafan (peculiar choice for a name, I must say) I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'black sheep' as in different from the rest and being treated as a disgrace to the rest of the family or society. So white sheep is opposed to black sheep. As in blending in. Being of the same cut and color as everyone else, because apparently everyone has to be made out of the same mold. Just some random phrase I came up with lol. Sorry for the confusion. I guess I just mean that the teachers and almost all our parents want us to think and behave in a certain way. We can only dream of becoming a doctor or an engineer. Or maybe an accountant or a teacher. Having the dream of being a singer, writer or actor or something like that is off limits. The conservative mentality makes me frustrated. Are you from England? How funny it must be, calling your male buddies love! I look forward to buying an e-reader. I've got a lot of saving up to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Yes I am from the middle of England. Thanks for explaining the white sheep thing. Your written English is most excellent. Yes we do have some funny customs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I hope your studies are going well; you're almost there! I understand your frustrations. I spent some time living in a small village in rural Japan. There were no e-readers and very limited internet access at this time and place, and the closest store to buy books in English was over two hours away. Even if I did make it, there was a very small selection (for which I was nonetheless very grateful!) and the prices were sometimes ten times what I would have paid in the States. To combat this problem, I sought out others who spoke English and arranged book swaps. Not only did I get my reading fix, but I also had a lot of fun getting together with everyone over a potluck dinner and making some great friends in the process. Maybe something similar would work in your situation? With the internet, I imagine it would be even easier. At any rate, I wish you continued luck with your studies and hope you're finding a way to read the books you love! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Hi Sadia, great to hear about your love of reading but sorry to read about your struggles to find books to read. Although you are not keen on e-readers at the moment, having a kindle would really change your life I can tell you. It would probably answer many of your problems and you would be able to get so many books for free. It makes the expense of buying one worth it in a very short time. Please tell me what exactly does the expression "white sheep only" mean? I have never came across that expression before... Lots of people in England do call each other "love" but paradoxically it is used most often to people we certainly don't love as a general greeting to strangers in shops and pubs ! Very strange I know. In Yorkshire even men will call each other "love" but not down here in the south. It only happens occasionally in Yorkshire that men call men love. Bus drivers mostly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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