skysky69 Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I mainly get my books from charity shops or car boots, I can remember the last time I bought a book brand new. I also keep an eye on Greenmetropolis in case anything catches my fancy. I have to admit thought to be being completely ignorant when it comes to nearest library - thats my resolution for 2008, join the library and try to utilise that. I don't even know how long you can keep a book for when you get it out of the library Where do you source your reading materials from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I use Green Metropolis a whole lot, as well as Book Mooch - I've received about a dozen excellent mooches from there and sent out about as many in return. I also tend to hang around in discount book sellers like The Works - I've managed to get some great bargains from the likes of them. The only time I shop in places like Waterstones is when I get gift vouchers. Same with Amazon, really. I also tend to get a lot of books as gifts for birthdays and Christmas, as well as Easter (I tell everyone I don't want chocolate eggs and they give me books instead - it's great!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I get as many of my books as I can from charity shops or The Bookbarn, which is a large second-hand book place. If I want something new, I tend to get it from Tesco (normally £4 for a chart book and I get staff discount) or WHS (they often have 'new' paperbacks half price) or Waterstones (because like WHS, I save points towards new books). We don't have an independent bookshop in our town at all (or a chain one for that matter) otherwise I'd try to support them. If I don't get my books secondhand or from Tesco then I have to wait until I can have a trip into Bath. I don't use the library - I like to keep the majority of the books I read - I only part with ones I'm not keen on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I get my books from a wide variety of places. Charity Shops Read It Swap It (I haven't tried Green Metropolis or Bookmooch yet, are they good?) 'Proper' shops although in my town all we have is a small WHSmiths so I have to wait until we go shopping elsewhere before being able to buy Amazon Library I try not to buy many new books because it all adds up so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skysky69 Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 If I was to try and keep every book I ever read, I think I would be divorced - headline, husband drowns under a sea of paperbacks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 (I haven't tried Green Metropolis or Bookmooch yet, are they good?) Green Metropolis is brilliant - you can choose the condition of ht ebook you want in almost all cases (unless there's only one copy available, of course!) and sometimes you'll find that there's a discount (a recent addition to the site). On paperbacks, you don't pay any postage at all (unless it's a particularly thick one) and minimal postage on hardbacks. I've bought 50 books from there to date and only one wasn't 100% as described (although it's still readable - it was just the introduction that was missing - the pages f the story itself are all present and correct), so it's a rare occurance. You can also list your own books for sale and recoup some of your expenses that way (I've sold 74 to date!). It's also great to know that for each sale, 5p is donated to the Woodland Trust. At present it's UK only. Book Mooch is also excellent.It's a swap site, so you only pay money when you're posting books out. It works on a points system, so you're not committed to having to choose a book from the requester's list in return (I often found on RISI that I didn't want any of the books the other person had to offer, so i had to turn themm down). It's also open internationally and you can choose whether to only send to people in your own contry or to send abroaad as well. The points are allocated appropriately to compensate - requesting a book from abroad costs more points than requesting one from your own country, so if you send abroad, you receive more points for thast book than if you were sending to someone in your own country. The choise is yours. I mooched about a dozen books from there and sent out about the same amount in return. So far I've had no problems at all. I can recommend both these sites as sources for books on a budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Ooh I might give them a go but all this points talk is a bit scary lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 It's dead simple. You get partial points for each book you register for swapping (0.1 per book, so 10 books registered = 1 point to "spend"). Requesting a book from your own country costs 1 point, which goes to the seller, requesting from another country costs 3 points. When you recedive the book, you give feedback and receive 0.1 points for your trouble. If someone requests a book from you, you can decide whether or not to accept the mooch and let them know when you'll send it. You receive 1 point (if you're sending to your own country) or 3 points (if sending internationally). You can save up your points or spend them as you get them, and there are thousands and thousands of books listed to choose from. The system is dead simple to use - you type in the ISBN number and then add the condition of your book and it's listed. Easy as that! Obviously there's occasionally a problem finding the book by ISBN, but you can add it by typing in the title and author on those occasions. It doesn't take long at all. I've had very positive experiences from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 So it works out a good deal in the end? Thats what I like about RISI, I know that when I post a book out I will be getting a book in return! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I get my books from all over. I often receive them as gifts, and I also buy them new from Borders Books and Amazon.com, especially when I have a particular book in mind. When I just want to browse around for books, I usually go to Half Price Books, which is a chain of used book stores, or the Goodwill. Also, sometimes my mom will just pick something up at the thrift store she works at and give it to me. That's how I got Like Water for Chocolate and The Jane Austen Book Club. And then sometimes I'll pick up a paperback at the grocery store. Books are everywhere...I can't get away from them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerball Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 These days, I mostly get books from the library. If I want new, then I'll go to WHSmith, Waterstones, or Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I buy from charity shops, mainly. I also borrow from the library and I sometimes buy them new from bookshops/internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I get mine from the local charity shop I work for and some times i buy them out my local supermarkerket and get their special offers and get club points too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I have been trying to get onto bookmooch but the site looks down, it won't work. GM looks good though so thanks for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I obtain most of my books from charity shops and the library - there's also a couple of Official Book Crossing Zones in town which I utilise as well. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I have been trying to get onto bookmooch but the site looks down, it won't work. GM looks good though so thanks for that!Yes, I think they must be doing some work on BM today - I wanted to get onto it just now to let someone know I'd be sending them a book shortly. It'll most likely be back up again tomorrow though. When it goes down, 99% of the time it's coz they're making improvements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Thanks Kell, it's probably a good thing it is down or I will get too distracted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Mostly from amazon, or birthday/xmas presents and I always buy second hand books at the church fete. I used to use the library a lot but not som much lately. I like to buy second hand books on high risk options such as trying new authors but I do like to buy the odd book new (and ask for them as xmas birthday presents), as I like to support the authors too. Probably half my books are new, half are second hand, but I only read about 20 a year so it's not too expensive. Oh and the book people. They come round at work. I quite often pick up a bargain from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Most of my books come from the library nowadays. I also buy from Green Metropolis, Amazon, Waterstones and Tesco's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I use the library a lot, here it is up to 15 books for 3 weeks. I also buy from WHS, Amazon, Green Metropolis and charity shops. On odd occasions I do buy from supermarkets and I also nearly always buy from school fetes or charity fund raisers T WORK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amthysteyes2 Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Anywhere I can. So whenever I go past a bookshop, procrastinate in the school library or accidentally wind up on amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 If it's a bestselling author, I get their new ones from Tesco, because they're cheap. For young adult/kids' books, I use Red House (online - free p&p!). I used to get bargains from The Book People (which I think is another branch of the same company as Red House), but I don't like paying for postage and I never spend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 I buy new books from chain stores such as Dymocks and Borders. I buy a lot of second-hand books from university book fairs and second-hand shops - I like to check out second-hand bookshops in different towns and help out local businesses in the process (hmm, I just had an idea: I think I should start making a list of these places so I don't forget them all!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Anywhere I can! W H Smiths, Amazon, charity shops, supermarkets, school fairs - the list is endless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateleopald Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 I must say I'm only now realising how lucky i was to be living in a place like Brighton where secondhand bookshops and charity shops provided a wealthy source of cheap books. Used to love going in and never knowing what I'd find. I'm in Spain now and so reliant on Amazon and the good will of friends. The Spanish really don't seem to read much. In the town I'm in (30,000 population), there's one bookshop which is basically a stationers with five shelves of books!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.