Bargain Books
April 21, 2007 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Around the House, Deals on the Web, Easy Entertainment, General, Simple Pleasures, Web Resources, free stuff
If you’re like me, you’re a voracious reader. The problem is, books can be very expensive. Fortunately, there are so many places to find free or cheap books. Here are some of my favorites:
- The Library – If you’re a book addict on a budget, you can’t do better than the library. The reading matter is free, the selection is vast, and the staff is knowledgeable. In addition to borrowing books, many libraries host periodic sales where one can purchase books for very little money.
- Second-hand bookstore – The used bookstore is one of the best places to shop for cheap books. There are many people who don’t want their old, read books sitting around collecting dust so they sell them to the second-hand bookstore. Here, you can even find books costing less than a dollar if you look hard enough.
- The Internet – Amazon, E-Bay, Half.com and other places offer books at a discount. Check the shipping prices first though, sometimes it’s not worth it.
- Paperback Swap – Gather friends and neighbors for a book swap. It’s a fun social gathering, and a great way to get new books.
- Freecycle – Someone is always giving away books on Freecycle.
A popular trend is to leave your book in a public place, or pick one that someone has left behind. Someone regularly leaves books in a bookrack in our breakroom. I snatched one up last week and intend to return it when I’m done.
I’m a big public library fan, always keeping a list of best sellers on request, and then catching up on some of the older releases that I hadn’t gotten to yet. I get a lot of my music from the library CD collection as well.
Another source for buying cheap book is a Friends of the Library Books Sale. Most libraries have these sales once or twice ayear.
Yes, like the previous person said I like that idea http://www.bookcrossing.com
And I love being able to swap my books through sites like http://www.titletrader.com http://www.paperbackswap.com and this one you don’t pay for postage to send but pay a flat fee of $3.99 to receive a book at http://www.bookins.com
Good way to get rid of books you don’t need anymore, too!
These are all great ideas. I also like browsing rummage sales and flea markets for quarter paperbacks.
I have good luck at yard sales for books. You have to sort through a lot of romance novels, but you can find new best sellers for .10 to a dollar. If you read romance novels, I see them often in the “Free” box at yard sales.
I totally agree with the library being the best and least expensive (free) place to find books. Me and my children are avid readers, and if not for the library I don’t know what we would do. But two things, sometimes the book you want is not on the library’s shelf, you can search their catalog and see if it is available at another branch and have a hold placed on it, whereby when it becomes available it will be sent to the branch you select on reserve for you. And also the library is a great resource for borrowing movies and music cds and the same concept applies regarding holds.
i am looking for a particular book.i’m not sure of the authors name,but it is “Loves Tender Fury”.i think the authors name starts with a w.know of the book?please let me know either way,please.thank you,