One of the online reading groups I belong to has been discussing just how expensive it is (or isn't) to be an avid reader these days. What do you think?
I read constantly, often having 2-3 books going at any given time. At present, I'm reviewing an advanced reader's copy, a sequel to a book about villagers protecting themselves against barbarian invaders in ancient times. I also have on the back burner "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Memoirs of a Geisha". I have yet to pick up the September selection for the one online reading group, which will be "Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck (about his dog and the trips they took together).
With the online reading group selections, I don't pay out of pocket for those as a general rule. Usually these are books that are at least six months old and are more popular than not, so the library usually has these or can at least order one in for me. I don't like to pay for these in case it's a book I don't enjoy. And because I rarely have time to read any book more than once these days!
For books I choose on my own, I usually pick these up at yard sales, thrift shops, or library clean-out sales. When our library has its bi-annual sale, you can buy a big brown bag of books for $1-2! This usually keeps me busy for a long while. People who know me realize how much I love to read and often give me a gift card to a book store or a website so I can pick something I really wanted. Gordon Ramsay cookbooks are high on my list!
So I would have to say that for me, reading is not an expensive hobby. And any money I have spent on it has been well worth it. I am always eager to learn new things through reading, and to keep my mind active and curious. It increases my understanding of other people (to an extent; nothing beats getting "out there" and putting the book down awhile!) and it helps me become a better writer myself.
What do you think? Are you an avid reader, or do you read only when you have to for work, school or research? Do you find yourself spending more than you should on books or magazines that you want or need, or can you find ways around the costs involved?
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Comments: 43
In the winter I spend time in Barnes and Noble on the week-ends and after work reading right there. Since sometime in the 80s I've only added an average of 5 or 6 new books to the collection in any given year. So far this this year I've only bought
The Reagan Diaries, In An Instant, and The Diana Chronicles.
One thing I have done, over the last few years, is gathered up a lot of of survey sites to do online surveys that pay in Amazon gift cards, which brought my book costs way down. I've been saving up the last batch of gc for ordering my 6 yr old's homeschooling books for the year, and will be able to get almost all of them without paying anything out of pocket.
I spend my money on computer books, though, sems like I always need a new version or something.
www.paperbackswap.com
www.titletrader.com
www.swapnstuff.com
www.frugalreader.com
I trade my books that I don't think I will read again, and then get free books sent to me.
I do what you do. I get them used. Many at yard sales or thrift shops. There aren't any used book stores for many miles so that is not a viable option for me. I also belong to a freecycling group and often list my already-read books there and get some that someone else has finished.
I belong to Borders rewards club and they send me 25% off coupons in through email about two or three times a month so that helps, too. Then when I cash in points here on Gather, I get Borders cards and use those.
My daughter is also an avid reader so we spend the most on her selections as they tend to be newer books. This year she also has to buy all of her own literature titles as she is in a small charter school that doesn't provide them. So that's about three or four books a month which tend to be over $18 each so it looks like I won't be spending any money on my books for a while, only on hers!
One of the best experiences I've ever had (courtesy of Gather's first chapters contest, where I won for commenting...as did others) was $500 in Borders gift cards. The day I went to Borders with those cards was one of the best days of my life. There's nothing better to me than cracking open a brand new book that you've just been longing to read!
My rule is that I don't mind buying books and if I think I'll read them a gain I keep them, if not I either give them to a friend who wants them or I sell them at a yard sale (winter time only- it's HOT in Florida right now!) and put a low prce tag ont hem. If they don't sell they go to either Goodwill or the library drive.
read ... meaning buying audio CDs. If you think books are
expensive, trying buying audio CDs, they are really expensive.
But it is worth it I think, it takes time that is normally dull or
stressful and makes it much more interesting.
Then the other things I read are lots of computer technical
books for my jobs ... now these are very expensive, and
obsolete rather quickly as well.
Also keep 8-10 mags in various rooms to read when chance happens I need one...
There is also Freecycle.
However, I have noticed that non-fiction books are tougher. Especially for my field, chemistry. Most of those books are what I'm purchasing, and most of the time I must purchase them at amazon.com or bookfinder.com because they simply aren't sold in traditional bookstores, and are rarely available at the library. Even with inter-library loan, it can be quite difficult to find some of these books. So it *can* be expensive. Depends on your subject matter, I guess.