Book Lovers
Budgeting can be a painful thing for those of us who love to read. I used to spend a lot of money each month at Borders and also online at Amazon. These days, I use the libary. In our town, you can order books from your home computer from any library in the state, so the selection is as good or better as at any bookstore. The library calls me when items come in, and since we live just a few blocks away, I can walk there to pick things up. I also order cds and dvds through this service. Are you a frequent library user or do you have another low-cost option to recommend to your fellow book lovers?
We are almost as lucky as you in that we can order a book from any library in the county but not the state. The closest branch is a mile away so it is quite convenient to say the least. Our library has a friends of the library adjunct who accepts book donations for a book sale they hold every few months. Brings in extra funds. So instead of tossing books we read, we donate them to the library.
Our town has a Regional VA hospital serving literally thousands of former troops. We also donate books there. Once a book reaches the VA it is circulated over and over. A very good home for your old books.
The ice storms this week knocked out both power to the majority of the city. Even after we got power back, it was still several more days before I could get online because we have cable Internet and the cable was out. It seemed the hottest place in town was the local library. People were lined up to have a chance to use the Internet there. Fortunately they also had free Wifi available so those of us with laptops just had to find a chair. I hadn't been to the library in a while but it was actually quite nice, I was rather impressed.
I've taken books and CDs from the library before. I used to belong to a couple of book clubs, but now I'm much more inclined to check out used book stores and if I buy movies, I wait for them previously viewed.
Have you checked out any interesting ebooks online? I'm not sure how much variety is available in that format.
Have you tried paperback swap? www.paperbackswap.com/index.php
I download a lot of my books now. It took a little time to get used to reading on the monitor, but I'm happy now to sit up in bed with my laptop and read. This is great - especially since so many books are free to download now
I'm truly a book lover, I read about 3 books a week. I buy a new book every couple of days. It's just one of my favorite hobbies that really occupies my time in a positive way.
Ricardo asked:
Have you checked out any interesting ebooks online? I'm not sure how much variety is available in that format. Do a google search for "free fiction ebooks". I adore the Baen Free Library for free sci-fi and fantasy. There are some quite well-known names with freebies available.
If reading on a screen hurts your eyes, make the font bigger!
Thanks for the suggestion, Raven. Having the option of larger print is nice, considering how tough I sometimes find reading after a long day.
I seem to remember the term "glass books" which I think referred to ebooks, but I'm not sure if it was a brand name or not.
MHJ
Rep Points: 85
Believe it or not, I was spending $30 a week on my "book habit" and it really was a drain on my budget. I stick with buying used now.
