New or Used, Buy or Borrow
I have a confession to make. I love books. One could even say my love for books is bordering on addiction. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who reads this blog or knows me at all – but they say acknowledging the problem is the first step to recovery, so here it is. I love books. I love wandering through the aisles of a bookstore and seeing all the new titles. I love browsing online and reading the reviews. But most of all I like buying and owning (and yes, of course, reading) new books.
Is th
is really a problem? I mean things could be worse, couldn’t they? I could be addicted to some dangerous substances or something crazy expensive like designer shoes (which I do in fact, like). But here’s the problem…between the struggling economy, the ever dwindling amount of storage space in my house and the number of books on my list…I have got to stop - or at least slow down.
Let’s face it, I’m not going to stop reading, so now I have some decisions to make; buy or borrow, new or used, keep or give away.
Here’s the plan;
Surely you are more practical than I am. How do you decide?
--Dana Barrett
Is th
is really a problem? I mean things could be worse, couldn’t they? I could be addicted to some dangerous substances or something crazy expensive like designer shoes (which I do in fact, like). But here’s the problem…between the struggling economy, the ever dwindling amount of storage space in my house and the number of books on my list…I have got to stop - or at least slow down.Let’s face it, I’m not going to stop reading, so now I have some decisions to make; buy or borrow, new or used, keep or give away.
Here’s the plan;
- Buy new and keep if it’s an author I already love and am collecting. Hardcover or trade paperback only.
- Buy new and give away if I love it so much I have to have all my friends read it (I can always buy another).
- Buy used if it’s a mass market paperback and I’m planning to leave it on a plane or in a hotel room.
- Borrow if I’ve never heard of it but you say it’s good. Then buy if I loved it.
Surely you are more practical than I am. How do you decide?
--Dana Barrett
posted by webmaster at
9:30 AM
4 Comments:
I buy most books with the understanding that I will give them away once I've read them. I'm in a couple of books that have occasional book swaps. I always take more books than I take away. Other books might go to the thrift store at church or the library. gy
I joined BookCrossing with the intention to release books off my shelf so that I didn't end up with too many. I then thought that maybe if I found some then I could stop buying so many new, especially if I used the library as well.
The truth is that I like having new books though.
So I usually buy them new. I collect a few authors and keep any books that I know I will absolutely have to read again (lending them to friends as well of course).
Other books I either bookcross with friends or leave as a wild release, depending on how important I think it is that other people find them.
Post read books on Bookmooch.com. I send books out all the time and what I like is that the person getting the book really wants it. For me I prefer that to leaving it someplace as many people do not value books, sadly. I would hate to think I'd left one that ended up trashed. This way I know it's going to someone who truly wants it. It costs about $2.30 to send a book but when I mooch one it costs me nothing. I will have to say, also, that our post office is amazing as I am never longer than 10 minutes even during Christas! I go once a week and mail out books and once or twice a week I receive my mooches in the mail. I love it!
I buy most of my books as well. I also like having new books. But I don't have alot of space so it's with the understanding that I get as much used out of them as possible and then pass all on except those I absolutely love. So I loan them or pass them onto everyone I know who might like them. This works well if you know alot of readers. And the rest I donate to my library.
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