{This post, like most of my posts that discuss books, contains affiliate links.}
Today I'm returning to my unofficial blog series on reading. I love conversations about books and I love hearing your answers to my questions. We've talked about our reading quirks and how we choose the books we read aloud to our kids. We've talked about whether we quit books we hate or soldier on and whether we prefer fiction or non-fiction and what specific genres are our favorites.
Now let's delve into the nitty gritty: Do you buy or borrow your books?
The library is my best friend. Probably 90% of the books I read are borrowed from the library. It's free, it's easy, and if I hate the book, I return it without another thought.
Occasionally, I'll borrow a book from a friend. The first time I read Call the Midwife
(before there was a TV series or any hype surrounding the book), I borrowed it from my friend, Ginger, who is my go-to person all things reading. I'm nervous about borrowing from friends, though, because I feel responsible to return the book in the pristine condition in which I received it and I'm sometimes a careless reader. (I'm not "allowed" to read Brian's books because I tend to curl the pages and bend the covers.)I buy numerous used books which is why all the bookshelves in our house are full, but it's hard for me to commit to paying full price for a book I might not like. I do it occasionally, but not without sweaty palms. (I'm frugal to a fault.) I literally waited 10 months after I got my Kindle to purchase the translations of the Bible
I wanted. It only cost $2.99, but I made do with a free version until I got the nerve. So what about you? Are you a buyer or a borrower?
Come back Monday for the launch of my FREE eBook:
Summer Reading Guide For Families!
I usually borrow books from the library. A lot of the new release books I read (especially from Christian authors) I get for free from review programs.
ReplyDeleteI'm a non-page-and-cover-bender, but my mom sounds a lot like you in that respect. I tease her about it quite a bit, but still let her borrow my books :) By the way, do you still want to borrow Cleaning House?
Mostly - a borrower. My library has tons of Kindle books, so I can stock up on books without leaving the house! I also will borrow "real" books from the library, but since having my Kindle, I don't as often.
ReplyDeleteI rarely, but occasionally borrow books from other people. My biggest "problems" with that are (a) not always reading it right away because something else caught my interest so it sits for a while before I pick it up and (b) I sometimes forget I have it and may take a while for me to return it! I keep all library and borrowed books in one location, but sometimes I forgot to grab them on way out the door.
As far as buying....I do very occasionally. I decided that for the most part I don't want to buy books {for me} that I won't read more than once. So lots of so-so fiction, I'd rather borrow than buy. But! I will purchase books on occasion.