My Reading Habit (Actions I’ve Taken To Deal With This Addiction)

I am a nerd.  I like to read.  In middle school, some of my soccer team-mates poked fun of me, suggesting I would probably take dates to a library; or marry a librarian.  (I came close, I am now married to a teacher.)  In fact, without taking measures to purge books, my house would be overrun with them.  I literally do not have enough shelves to accomodate my books.  Do you have a similar problem in your home?  This post is about some actions I have taken to deal with the situation.  If you are a bibliophile like me, this may be of benefit to you.

Sometimes, my reading habit can be like a wrecking ball, with demolition of the family budget to show for it.  To keep this in check, I try to find bargains.  Yes, the public library is a good resource, and I do check out books from ours from time to time.  However, one drawback: you have due dates to contend with while using this option.  Still, it’s the cheapest way to obtain a book to read.

When I lived in a larger city, I had the good fortune of being able to shop at used book stores.  I could trade old books for different ones, and sometimes even get cash for old books.  This was a good option at times.  The nearest used bookstores to my current residence here in Sunnyside, WA are in Yakima (30 miles from Sunnyside), and Tri-Cities (about 50 miles).  Given the time and distance to each of these towns, I seldom visit used bookstores anymore.  Sometimes a thrift store will have books available, but it is a hit or miss option.  Yard sales and estate sales can sometimes offer up some books for a bargain as well.  In  Sunnyside, one of the “dollar” stores has clearance/overstocked books available.  It is very rare to get a new hardcover for only $1, but they do have some there.

By now you must be wondering what I do with books that I have already read.  As I mentioned, the lack of a used bookstore in town makes me look for other options.  To simply get rid of books, I have donated them at a box outside the Daily News.  Thift stores have gotten some from me, too.

If you truly love books, you may have a hard time giving them to charity like this.  After spending good money on books, it can be hard to part with them, without getting something in return.  One place to swap books with other readers is an Internet site: www.bookins.com.  I have had very good results with this site, using them for over one year.  It is extremely convenient, you only pay $4.49 for books received.  Shipping is done by printing postage on regular paper at home, taping it to the book package, and dropping it in any mailbox.  You receive points for books shipped, that can then be used to obtain other books.  I get the satisfaction of knowing my books are going to a person who will truly appreciate them, and get more books I want for myself at a bargain price.  I can’t say enough good things about this site.  I also don’t have to travel out of town to a used bookstore.

In addition to Bookins, I also have purchased some used books on Amazon.  Not being content to just add to my book problem, I also sell books on Amazon.  If you would like to see the books I have on Amazon, visit my on-line bookstore at Sunnyside Tomes.  While Amazon is a great place to get books, it does cost a little bit more than Bookins.com on average.  Still, I typically have about one book sale a month through Amazon.  The money I make is used to purchase more books of course!  For books, I prefer buying and selling on Amazon, as opposed to EBay.  There are no listing fees for selling on Amazon, and there is no bidding process to make a purchase.  It is more like a regular store, which appeals to me.

Sometimes, I want to buy a book immediately, and don’t want to wait for it to become available on Bookins.com or through an Amazon seller.  Occasionally, I may even be picky about a title, wanting a new book to go in my permanent home library.  Also, if I intend to buy a book for a special gift occasion, it is almost always a new book as well.  For these types of situations, I will usually buy on-line from Amazon.  Occasionally, I find good prices at Target, and COSTCO when I am out shopping for household goods.  It is extremely rare that I will pay the full list price at Borders, or Barnes & Noble.  Paying the full list price on a book cover is to me, about as stupid as paying the “sticker” price on the window at a car dealership.  Why pay more than you have to?

To sum this up, I would say that Bookins.com is currently my favorite method of both obtaining, and swapping books.  Amazon is my second favorite option for both new and used titles.  At retail stores, Target and COSTCO get my business sometimes.  Lastly, Borders and Barnes & Noble have good selection, but generally the highest price.

The public library, thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, and “dollar” stores are in a second tier category of book sources for me.  I hope this helps other bibliophiles both to get rid of old titles, and find bargains when shopping for new ones.  If you have other suggestions, please share your comments on this post.  To start cleaning up for the New Year, I am going to go look at my books, and add some more to my on-line listings.

Have a great literary New Year!