When I was packing the container to move overseas, I realized I had 130 linear feet of shelved books. So I said ‘enough is enough, this stuff has got to go, I’ll only take the books I really care about.’
Result? I moved 96 linear feet of books here, a long with the bookcases to store them. Now, every time I go looking for a book I’m sure I brought, it isn’t there.
But I’m mostly ebooks myself now. It was travel that made me switch, really, I got tired of all the weight in my carry on.
I can’t quit paper books. I love the feel, the experience of turning pages, and maybe best of all having a physical library to admire and peruse. Which is not say say I don’t buy ebooks, I’ve definitely been stepping up the transition, but I doubt I’ll ever get rid of the paper books I own.
Also, I’ve got a couple of great secondhand bookstores in my neighborhood and I like to help support them. A good bunch of cheap books is a satisfying purchase.
Agree on used bookstores. Unfortunately, the pickings are slim here, and there’s basically no local mail service, and all I do now is travel, so my transition to ebooks is more or less compete.
Ah man. I used to go to the best used book store. In Bensonhurst, owned by a mother and son who were kinda nasty people. Two stories. The aisles between the shelves had enough room for one person to pass. Or to put the footstool to reach the top shelves. It got… interesting.
So it was “best” due to its selection of books, I’m guessing?
Oh, yeah. I didn’t make that clear. Great selection and prices. I got the impression that mom and son were both retired. It was just something they liked to do. When they weren’t screaming at each other. :)
Of course when I was in Manhattan I went to Strand. Now that was an amazing place.
Never been, but Powell’s in Portland was an amazing place.
Agree with that - I don’t make it there often enough, but I do make a point to visit when I’m in town.
I love used bookstores too, but man I hate my local one. They’ll happily take your used books and give you trade-in value for them. But half the books in the store (any of the ones you’d want) have “no trade-in” stickers on them. They don’t accept their own trade-in value. What the hell kind of BS is that? I’d rather give my books to the library and get a tax deduction.
The local used bookstore I frequent the most has a policy of applying books sold back to them for credit, and you can use that credit against half the value of any books you buy from them in the future. I thought it was pretty quirky at first, but I can see how that would be useful to them to keep your business.
Used bookstores are full of quirky treasures, but I’m a convert to e-readers. It’s just so much nicer to hold a tiny tablet in my hand with my thumb on the page turn button than a paper book I have to grip and prop open with a combination of fingers, and then use my other hand to page turn. I’m so sorry paper books, I really am. You gave me the best years of your life and now I’ve abandoned you for the sexy trophy companion, my Kindle Voyager. I’ll always remember you.
So as much as I love used bookstores, I tend to stay away because I feel guilty about not buying something when I go in. I hate walking into a bookstore and not buying a book. It feels like a betrayal almost.
I feel that way when I visit wineries, especially if they offer a tasting.
I had a bad habit in used book stores of buying stacks of books that seemed like I had chosen them just to impress the cute chick at the register. And it never ever worked!
Ha ha – but if it had, major win-win!
You were right to try. More than once.
In addition to the convenience above, I love, love, love, large font from the Kindle. It made reading such a pleasure without needing me to take off my glasses, or squint my eyes.
This Humble Book bundle has some cool non-fiction stuff.
I actually have a hardcover copy of ‘Fresh Brown “Eggs”: The Book of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks.’ It’s very “funny” and I would “highly” recommend it if that sort of common “error” drives you crazy.
Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World is only $2.99 today. You know you want to ;P
The big used books chain in the Houston area is called Half Price Books and those shops are great to browse and shop in but they won’t give you shit for your books. I saw one guy take in almost 100 books and they offered him less than 50 cents.
As for independent used book shops, most are dying off. There used to be about four local to me and it’s now down to two, with the owner of one actively trying to sell, which I expect means soon there will only be one store left.
Don’t know about what they give but they are here too, and they are cool stores. They have lots of other things besides books – boardgames and pen and paper stuff, music, movies, action figures, etc. They are fun to browse in.
Yeah, chains like Half Price Books have killed a lot of used bookstores. They’re OK, but the places they put out of business were IMO better. A lot of what HPB sells aren’t used books at all, they’re discounted new copies of books which didn’t sell.