WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BOOKS?
Collecting books can become an expensive hobby over time, especially if you always buy them at full price. I certainly couldn’t afford all the books in my personal library if I had purchased them all in-store. Over the years, I found various ways to locate books at affordable prices.
Here are a few creative places where you can acquire some books:
Garage Sale
When I was a kid, my family participated in an annual street-wide garage sale. I loved going from table to table to see what treasures I could find. You’re pretty much guaranteed to find books; I have never been to a garage sale that didn’t have any books. And the best part? You can bargain!
Value Village
Whenever I have time to clean out my closet, I always set aside a few pieces of clothing to donate. I used to drop off my donation bag at Value Village and occasionally stop by the book section to pick out a few fiction novels to add to my reading list.
Salvation Army
When times were rough, this was a great resource for me to purchase some used books as the prices were ridiculously low.
Library
I haven’t been to a local library in quite a few years however this is a great place to rent books from. It’s very convenient and budget-conscious if you don’t want to actually own/buy every book you read.
Borrow from a friend
Exchanging books with people around you is a great way to spark discussion and keep you motivated to read. However, do this at your own risk; be prepared to possibly never see those books again. There are a few books that have been missing from my personal library for over 10 years!
On a park bench
Have you heard of the BookCrossing movement? I heard about it a few years ago however have never spotted it in action. It’s when you leave a book on a park bench for someone else to pick up and read. According to their website https://www.bookcrossing.com/, BookCrossing adds a social networking aspect to it and, you can even track your book on a map: It’s the World’s Library. It’s a smart social networking site. It’s a celebration of literature and a place where books get new life. BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers.
In a birdhouse
Have you seen these little birdhouses around your neighborhood? They aren’t for birds however, they’re miniature community libraries. The concept is simple; take a book, share a book. Haven’t seen any, but would love to? You can locate the nearest one on the Little Free Library’s website https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/. According to their website, their mission and vision is as follow: Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization based in Hudson, Wisconsin. Our mission is to be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Libraries. Our vision is a Little Free Library in every community and a book for every reader. We believe all people are empowered when the opportunity to discover a personally relevant book to read is not limited by time, space, or privilege.
Online
How many deals and coupons do you receive in your inbox? I feel like I get them daily. Well you can put them to good use when you need a new book. And when I don’t have a discount code I always try to find a good deal online by comparing prices on different websites.
Bookstore
Now this is where it can get expensive but if you check out the sale section or the 2 for 1 deals, your bank account won’t suffer as much!
E-readers & Audiobooks
I haven’t tried either of these options yet as I do enjoy reading a physical book and I like the peace and quiet of the activity but I know that these alternatives are very popular and that the prices are quite attractive.
Discussion Points
- Where do you get your books?
- Have you tried “BookCrossing”?
- Have you spotted any Free Little Libraries in your neighborhood?
- Comment below!
Hi I like to get them new from the stores. I did not know the existence of these book boxes in parks. Interesting!!!