I found a gift card for a chain bookstore in my wallet the other day. It had been there for such a long time I forgot who gave it to me or when they did. I thought there was close to nothing on it because it had been there for such a long time. I went to the website to check the balance and there was enough to cover the price (or at least most of it) of a new book! I was so excited. I don't go to the bookstores much because the prices for the books is crazy. Especially because there are several options that are not big chain bookstores.
One option is used bookstores. Used bookstores are usually local and independent so it's great for them and the local economy. Look at it as giving back without getting tons of those address stickers in the mail from some random organization you donated to once back in college. There are some drawbacks. The books are not always in the best of condition. The selection isn't always the best either. But it's cheap! Plus, you may stumble across a book or an author you have never heard of before and thought 'what the hell, it's only three dollars.' That is the glory of used bookstores. I'm reading 'Main Street' by Sinclair Lewis right now. I had never heard of it and found it in a used bookstore. Come to find out, it's considered a classic book. And he was from Minnesota, so yeah.
Another option is the library. What?! What is this strange thing that I have forgotten about? Go old school and go get a library card. Someone like me, a slow reader, this might not be the best option. It would depend on how long you are able to check out a book. I think most libraries are one to two weeks. I have a hard time reading a book in a month or two months. So I don't know how I would be able to read a book in half the time. But at the same time, it would force someone to read more or at a quicker rate. I remember being a kid and going to the library a lot during the summer. It was great. I had my own library card. I took total advantage of the library to get pizza from Pizza Hut via the Book It program. It was wonderful. The one disadvantage is not owning the book. If you find a random book and fall in love with it, you do have to return it. Or never ever go back to the library again. The choice is yours.
The last option is a great website we found several years ago. So here are the advantages: it's cheap to mail the books (about $2.50 [more for hardcover] using media mail), you get as much as you give, every single book you could ever want is available, and popular books are in high circulation. Here are some disadvantages: if it's not a popular book, you'll be waiting for a long ass time, you don't know the true condition of the book, you have to wait for the book to arrive. We have not had many problems sending or receiving books through this website. There are options you can use so you don't end up with books that were once in a smoker's house or that have been sitting in an attic or basement and are all musty too. So that's nice. The major problem I have found is requesting books that are not in high demand. I have been waiting for three books to come up and I have been waiting for them for quite a while. Part of me just really wants to go out and buy them. But I'm waiting. Ever so patiently. You essentially wait your turn for the book to be posted and you claim that you want it and then it is sent to you. It's a great and cheap way to keep refreshing your personal library. You can keep the books you truly wanted and send off the ones that you wanted to read and be done with. A great program.
These are all great ways to keep your library fresh and updated. And all these options are within reach of everyone. These options are also great for those who are living on a budget but still want to continue to read. Why spend twenty dollars on a new book at a chain bookstore when you can buy the same book at a much cheaper price? Now don't get me wrong, every once in a while I want a new book. Brand new. Without any creases or bends in the pages. New is fun sometimes. The only downside to that is that it doesn't have that used book smell. You all know what I mean.
8/120
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