How fun to find out last week that there are so many people who, like me, have been reading all their lives. And just as awesome are those who discovered the love of reading a bit later, thanks to an author or book series. Though my husband was wondering why no one else found their passion for reading in a box of Star Trek books… 
Now for this week’s reading question:
Where do you get the books you read? Are you a faithful library patron? Or maybe a bookstore junkie? Do you exchange books with friends or family members?
First, a confession: I am not a faithful library patron. I have been in the past, but right now…not so much. I know, I know, I should be. But I’m not. I think my problem is that the books I most want to read are either newer or more obscure, and my library either doesn’t have them or has a very long wait (and I don’t have the patience for long waits and inter-library loans).
Now, with that confession out of the way, here’s where I get most of my books:
- Amazon.com is one of my key suppliers. I even have an Amazon.com Visa card, so I can earn points and then spend them on books. Because of that method, many of the books I get are “free” or at least discounted. Plus, I love to take advantage of free Kindle books — just downloaded two more yesterday!
- Friends & family. My mom is a voracious reader, and she and I regularly exchange books with each other, especially when it comes to fiction. Because she reads faster than I do, she’s more often the supplier and I’m the receiver, but I repay as I can. I also have a friend or two with whom I occasionally exchange a stack of books. It’s always good to have book-loving friends!
- Publishers. Because of this blog, I receive regular offers of review books. I’ve cut down drastically on the number of books I accept for review — mostly because I got tired of reading books I “had” to read instead of books I “wanted” to read, but if I’m offered something intriguing, I’ll occasionally still say yes.
- Etc. I also pick up the occasional book at a bookstore (usually with a coupon), and I receive books as gifts.
So how about you? If I had to guess, I’d guess that most of you are much better library-users than I am. Let’s see if the comments prove me right!
Where do you get your books?
Sadly I’m also not a library user. I’m a slow reader and the pressure to finish the book during the loan period is just too much for me. I do plan on getting a library card next year (I moved and haven’t gotten one yet) cause I work in front of the library!
I get my books from the bookstore or from the internet and occasionaly from book fairs. But I’m always looking out for promotions…
Oh and I do get books as birthday and christmas presents and I also trade books with my mom, but I’m usually the supplier even though she’s a faster reader than I am.
I don’t like the pressure of reading a book either, I like to take my time reading a book, and I will read the next book when I get to it. Therefore, that is another reason I very seldom use the Library for my reading material. I too, have a credit card from Barnes and Noble, that earns me credit toward a free Barnes and Noble gift card. I love buying a few free books. When I use that gift card, I always go to the price reduced books, I want as many free books as possible.
I signed up for a library challenge, which is helping me to use the library more frequently.
My full answer can be found here.
Fun question! I decided to turn my answer into a post: http://www.polomecommunications.com/unfinishedwork/?p=2335
Wow! You get around like I do! You can read more about where I get my books at Hott Books
I love FREE Kindle books too. I also buy at amazon.com when I buy, or stock up cheap at the library book sale.
Kids books we usually get at the library.
I do get most most most (more than I need) books as review copies, so I really try not to buy books, but I do enjoy passing them on to friends.
Jennifer, Snapshot´s last post ..My Kids Picks for November
I use my library quite often! Mostly for books that came out two or three years ago, and sometimes for things that I just want to peruse but don’t want to buy. Otherwise, bookdepository.com is my friend. Free shipping, no matter the purchase, and most of the books are cheaper than Amazon to begin with.
A sign of a true book addict….getting our books any way we can lol. My complete answer is here
I have over 200 books That I’ve collected along the way.
Seems like a lot to me.
At present most of my books are review books I get free.
I rarely go to the library.
Lately most of my books I’ve been getting are for review from publishers, publicists and authors. I have so many to read that I’ve been cutting out any other sources that I normally DO get books from. I go to the library a lot, too much in fact bc I keep getting books from there instead of reading the ones that I do have to read! I also get a bunch from Paperbackswap. When I do buy books, they are either from Amazon or I go to library book sales. No one buys me books as gifts anymore…
Deborah´s last post ..Book Review- A Drunkards Path by Clare ODonahue
I get most of my books from publishers for review, but I also buy a lot secondhand at my local book exchange (which allows me to get paperbacks for free if I have a credit on my account) or library sales. I also check the bargain sections of B&N, Borders, etc. every once in a while. I also order some books from Amazon, but even that can be a little outside my budget, so I generally only put in 1-2 Amazon orders a year.
Kate {The Parchment Girl}´s last post ..Mailbox Monday Episode Eleven
Oops, I didn’t realize I was supposed to answer a question each week. Oops!
I get my books from a variety of sources, Net Galley, publishers and publicists, solicitations, contests, free and purchased on Amazon, Gifts from friends.
But the Best thing is that I have finished the goals I set for the challenge. I don’t have the permalink yet but the post will appear on Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust on 11/17/2010.
Thank you for a fun challenge that kept me thinking all through the autumn!
I get most of my books at the library, mainly because I’m cheap and I don’t want to buy a book unless I know I’ll want to read it again.
When I go to a bookstore, it is with pen and paper in hand to write down all of the titles that catch my eye so I can put them on hold at the library!
Trish´s last post ..Fall Into Reading 2010 Update
If I didn’t use the library, we would be broke.
When I do buy books, Amazon is my most used source, but I turn to the library for almost everything, unless it’s a brand new book that I just can’t wait on. I try to wait though…and I usually know when the books I want to read are coming out and get on the list early. Like other commenters, I love to go to the bookstore and make a list. I pretty much always have something I’m waiting on. Plus, I read very fast, so the time frame is not a problem.
I’m actually a horrible library patron. I try. I really do. But I inevitably forget to take a book back or something and wind up with a fine and so I try to avoid it. By the time I’ve racked up my fine, I might as well have bought the book in the first place! I’m big on used books and Amazon.
I get most of mine from the thrift store or ebay. For special occasions such as holidays/birthdays, I sometimes get a brand new book. {If I am the one who picks it out, it will be a cookbook. Yes, I am addicted to them.} And I actually won a book on a blog give-away! The only time I go to the library is for the summer reading programs that they have for the children.
I have an amazon.com visa also but we recently started using a different card more regularly and so my rewards certificates are less plentiful. I also get some books for review but not nearly as many as I’d like!
http://mommablogsalot.com/2010/11/fir-10-question-8-where-do-you-get-all-those-books-anyway/
Can you say, “All of the above”?
I use the local library extensively, especially with non Science Fiction and fantasy titles that I don’t want to add to my collection, necessarily. I also hit the local used bookstores, new bookstores, and the book aisles in the department stores. I hit yard sales and thrift shops, craigslist, and (occasionally when I’m in a hurry) Amazon. My mother reads like crazy, and passes on her hand-me-downs, and I have a few other friends, relatives and neighbors whom I swap books with.
I get my fix any way I possibly can.
LOL – I was in Portugal this fall, and saw an English copy of Twilight in the bedroom of our host family’s daughter, so I “borrowed” it for a couple of days. She had Warren Buffett’s book, too, but I just didn’t have time to finish that one.
I am a Half Price Books junkie! Every year when I get my Christmas bonus I go spend a chunk of it at Half Price Books during the Extra 20% Off Sale. That time of year you get a calendar with every $50 purchase that has 15% coupons for each month of the year. During January-November I sell back the books I’ve read and don’t want to keep and combine my money from the sales with the 15% off coupons to get more books. If I’m desperate to read something that I can’t find at HPB I use Amazon.com.
I love the library! I am like an above commenter “if I didn’t use the library, we’d be broke!” I have a hard time paying full price (or even half-price) for fiction (even though fiction is most definitely my favorite genre) because I can seriously read (as I like to say, “bust out”) a mystery novel in 2 hours or less. It’s hard to justify spending $10 for 2 hours. (The argument for spending $10 for a movie at the theatre is similar to this! We don’t do that either!). Instead, I borrow books from the library. But when I buy (usually books I need to “mark up” (I don’t fold corners, but I will highlight and write in!) I buy from Amazon or Half-Price Books, but they are mostly non-fiction or my collection books (Earlene Fowler mystery books) and children’s books that I know I want to keep (we homeschool). Now all that being said, if I find a “good deal” on books (garage sale, thrift store, etc.), I’ll lay down my cash quickly. I am grateful we also have a church library to borrow from (that helps a lot because our library takes awhile to get some of the newer Christian books). My pastor is always loaning me books, too.
You didn’t ask, but I have two aunts (both in their late 70s) who monthly ship books to each other between OK and CA. They’re cute, but I inherited my love of reading, apparently from these two!!
You could tell your husband that some of us were already readers by the time we discovered Star Trek books. I still have a box of them downstairs, and still think Diane Duane was one of the best authors of them.
(To actually answer the question, I get most of my books from the library. The deadline is actually a motivating factor for me…I have books I own that have sat on my shelves for years without getting read, but if it’s from the library, I have to read it by a certain time.)
I’m a huge library user. The long waits can be frustrating but I try to plan ahead and request books, knowing I’ll have to wait for them. I also renew online. There aren’t many books I can’t finish in 3 weeks so the renewal period isn’t a problem. And like others, I’m cheap and don’t like to buy books I know I won’t read more than once.
Audio books I get either from NetLibrary, when possible, or the library, which I then rip to MP3 to listen on my Blackberry. I also recently joined Audible.
I also love the free Kindle books and have a list of them waiting to be read.
If I buy books, it’s usually from Amazon or Barnes & Noble with a coupon. But I don’t buy books often.
I also sometimes get books through the GoodReads swap, and as a staff reviewer for 5 Minutes for Books get a decent amount from publishers.
Loving this challenge and all the questions! Thank you!
You can find my answers here: http://bookandyarn.blogspot.com/2010/11/fall-into-reading-2010-q-8.html
I haven’t been to the library in ages. Sad but true. The library never seems to have the books I want so I gave up going there. So I get my books from amazon (love those free kindle books!), publishers, Paperbackswap.com, and occasionally from one of the local bookstores.
Angie´s last post ..Teaser Tuesday
Amazon.com is my #1 site, especially since obtaining my Kindle. I also like half.com (especially for kids’ books). I rarely use the library because of the waiting lists. We have a McKay’s Used Books in Chattanooga and it is great if you have a lot of time to browse.
I buy LOTS of books from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Scholastic book clubs. We have a Salvation Army book store and I shop yard sales and consignment shops. I get books for review and from other teachers and family. I can’t walk into a Target, Walmart or grocery store or ANY store without taking a walk through the book isle. They aren’t always for me, sometimes they are for my grandkids. Confession – They are mostly for me and my students.
I answered on time this week!
http://markcarstairs.blogspot.com/2010/11/fir-reading-question-8.html
First, I love used book stores and library book sales. This is where I get most of my books. I do not read all of these books, because a few are old and odd while others are classics I’ve already read, and I’m not a re-reader. But I do read many of them.
I also check out library books often. This is my close second place book source. Usually I can wait for a popular book that I want to read. If the book is scholarly and obscure, I sometimes have to fork out $30 to buy it. Yikes! I don’t do that often.
I used to buy more new books from Borders and such, but haven’t done that in a year or more.
I love listening to public domain books on LibriVox. This type of reading brings to life for me books I would otherwise be bored with.
I download a lot of free books on my (new) Kindle, but have yet to read one of these.
My response is posted. thanks
http://myheartbelongs2books.blogspot.com/2010/11/fir-question-8.html
I know it’s a day late but I answered here: http://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2010/11/fir-question-8.html.
In short, I’ll get my books where I can. :v)
I’m NOT a library person either. It’s just too darn inconvenient…it’s all the way downtown, so we rarely make trips. These days, I get a large portion of the books I read straight from the publishers as review copies. Otherwise, I tend to purchase most of my books through Amazon and half.com, although I download a lot of e-books nowadays also.
Kara @ Home With Purpose´s last post ..Putting God Back in the Holidays Review and GIVEAWAY
Here’s my answer =) http://mundos0.blogspot.com/2010/11/fir-10-pregunta-8.html
confession time:
Today I went to the Library after quite a long time. I have lost a magazine and just keep looking, but so far, no good. So I went to confess with 2 boxes of books for donation. Yep, I was going for the bribe and it just might work. I’ll probably find it in April, if it didn’t already go out with the newspapers. I do like to use my library whenever possible.
I get my books everywhere. The library, bookstores, on-line, chain stores, thrift stores, from friends. Like I said everywhere. That is why they are everywhere in my house. I’m willing to admit, I’m getting overwhelmed with books. And I’m starting to get review requests. Because I have so many books already, I am very selective in which ones I will accept for review. This year I have become a huge fan of the library and about a third of the books I’ve read so far this year are from the library. I am so lucky to work right next door to the university library and the public library is only 2 blocks away!
I do the library. mostly. I try not to buy books unless I get them for a good deal, usually used. Or if I really enjoy a book and may want to read it over and over again. Then I will try and buy a copy to have on hand.