Where do you get your books? Do you use the library?

[Bbq1]

During my childhood through to about age 35, I regularly used the library. When ds (now 20) was young, we used the library at least monthly. I haven't been in years. I'm 52 now, a voracious reader, have 2 huge overflowing bookshelves and for years have bought my books from Amazon/Waterstones Nothing beats receiving a lovely pristine new book through the door or browsing and buying in a bookshop. However, with the col I'm considering returning to the library again to save money. Does anyone here who reads use the library as opposed to buying books new?

I use my local libraries weekly - my closest is quite small, but with a great selection, but there are two others I occasionally use too. I wouldn't live somewhere without easy access to a decent library!
I do occasionally buy books for others from the local bookshop, but rarely for myself. If you looked at our book collection at home you wouldn't necessarily know how much reading is a party of my life (unless you saw my bedside table where the library books are 😆)

Do any of you find that you need to return books within 2 weeks and you may not have them read? It feels like pressure. You would need to be working part time or semi retired to make use of a library.

It's 3 weeks for us and you can renew books up to 4 times online.

Our local library also lets people sign up to access the library "out of hours" which makes it much more flexible for working people.

I agree if I was limited to a few hours during the day and couldn't renew online, it would be much more limiting!

Brexit has rather forced my hand, so buying English books isn't as straightforward as once it was. I use the library (suspect adhd so try not to buy loads of gear when I get a new hobby), or buy used, or download to my Kindle.

You would need to be working part time or semi retired to make use of a library.

Not where I live. My local ones do an extended evening hours one day a week and open all day both weekends. Can also renew online.

Love the library and it makes me feel good that I am using it and hopefully keeping it open for others in the future.

Local library, 10 mins walk away and excellent, or charity bookshops. OH sometimes gets books from Abe Books but the quality descriptions are often rather over optimistic. They do refund quickly if you complain though. Also reread a lot of our own books from our extensive bookshelves.

Can't afford to buy new at the rate we get through books - just an occasional birthday or Christmas present as a treat.

I used the library a lot when DD was small. I have one a 4 minute walk from my house now and I must admit I've never been to it. I usually buy from world of books online if I want something specific, or my local town has a great Oxfam bookshop. I like to buy second hand where I can as it's so much cheaper and its nice to give old things new homes

I don’t buy books. Only ever borrow from the library, both ebooks and print.

Yes library for physical books, ebooks and audiobooks (Libby and BorrowBox).

I buy some new for my dd and get a lot from the charity shop as they have lovely, lightly used books for children in there including some that are otherwise out of print.

For myself, I use Audible.

I do but not mega often. About every other month.
I get most from charity shops or gifts. It's rare that I buy a book new.

I've got a big tbr pile of about 16 to 20 books and am trying to not add to it till it's down to 3 or 4.

My family all buy each other books at Christmas and birthdays so that keeps me in books for a good few months (and I now have £40 on my Waterstones card from buying Christmas presents when I'm ready to buy more new books). I use World of Books for out of print books I want.

Used to use the library lots when the kids were small but don't anymore. But my arthritis and eyesight means reading books in bed isn't as comfortable as it once was so I'm considering getting an ereader so I can use Borrowbox on it and I suspect when I retire I'll use the library more again.

I lived in the library as a child.
Now I only read e books on kindle or kobo. I bought a second hand kobo just for library books.
Our library does have eBooks to borrow but they don't pay for Libby, only borrowbox and the selection is fairly limited. I do find the odd one and read on my kobo.

I've got rid of 1000s of books accumulated over the years and just kept a few of my favourites and DHs history books. I no longer see the point of filling the house with books that are read once then never opened again. I very seldom re-read but if I do I usually end up buying the kindle version as I find paper books so uncomfortable to read now.

I read a lot and luckily can do this cheaply.

i use the library, go at least every month. It has a really good selection and you can order from another branch. I’m in a city so several libraries nearby and my local one is 5 mins drive. We’re lucky - the whole family uses it.

I also buy from charity books - local one is 60p each. Then just return when I’m finished.

I do like reading on my kindle so use that too but only for £1-2.

I used to buy from Waterstones but now that’s just for gifts. Sometimes I wish I owned a particular book so I could reread or lend it but by then I can’t justify buying it again!

My library is great - I can order books in from other libraries owned by the same council for free, and can also order books from libraries the wider borough for a small fee (50p - £1).

The BorrowBox app is great too; I have a Kobo e-reader and I can download library books to it for free.

I received a Kobo bookstore gift voucher for my birthday about 18 months ago, and have barely used it as I can get so much from the library!

I read all the time, it is one of my favourite things to do, and I am fortunate enough to be able to buy two or three new books each month. We have a lot of bookshelves and do periodic culls so we are not short of space.

DH uses the library and while I rarely read library books I try to remember to go in and borrow a few, just to help with their numbers. When the DC were small we were in and out a couple of times a week.

A lot of the books that I read and enjoy are are in a niche area - occultism/witchcraft/paganism - and are not ones that would be typically available in the library system.

So I'll usually end up ordering them online (Amazon or Ebay) - or, if I'm in London or Glastonbury and browsing the occult bookshops there (the three bookshops in Glastonbury town centre are all occult ones) I'll buy from there. The town I live in has a pagan shop and I've sometimes bought books from there.

I have bought some new fiction recently from Waterstones - it's rare that I see something I think I'd enjoy in a supermarket, but when I do, I might buy it there.

I volunteer in an Oxfam bookshop, so I'll sometimes buy books from there if I think I'd enjoy them.

Can I just say as an author, that authors get a payment from the British Library every time you take one of their books out. It’s called PLR (Public Lending Right). It really adds up over the year and authors are very grateful to people who borrow books. Of course it’s lovely when people buy them but all those loans add up. I can’t afford nor have the space for lots of lovely books (I do have a kindle too) so I always pre order books that I know will be published in the following 3 months. It costs me 60p which is considerably less than the price of a new book especially in hardback!

Charity shops 👍

Charity shops, or for special ones I ask for them for my birthday or Christmas presents. My local library has closed down. The regional one in town isn't very close to a car park and parking in my city is £4.50 an hour! So it would actually end up more expensive to go to the library.

A mixture of charity shops, hand-me-downs from my mum (we have similar reading tastes) and the library.
I'll also buy 5-10 cheapy ones a year on Amazon for my Kindle.

Our library is good for things like mysteries, thrillers and has a really good children section.

If I want romance novels, I go via the unlimited subscription I have. I don't like the Libby app because I don't like to read on an iPad or phone. I prefer the Kindle.

I buy books as well, if I can secondhand or sometimes whatever bookshop I come across.
The only books I only buy as a physical books are historical factual books.

I agree with PP, ours is only for collection outside of office hours and not open on a Saturday.

And since they abolished the need for actual quiet, I believe it’s now mainly for baby/toddler groups so I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit and it if closes, so be it.

I get mine from World of Books - second hand cost between £1-5 with free delivery. Plus they offer ‘buy 3, get a 4th free’

No never

Its not in English and has very restrictive hours ie kids section only open 9am-12 weekdays when we are at school or work.

I buy all my reading books on amazon kindle. Some physical books like a cook book online elsewhere or tkmaxx finds

I buys kids books either in uk charity shops, or on Amazon.