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 buy mine second hand from Amazon or charity shops. My mother in law passes on a lot of books which I then pass on to my mum. I also have Audible through my phone contact

The library is my favourite place in the world. I'll have a walk there when things are all getting too much.

I get all my novels from there. You can order any book you like free of charge.

Mainly the library. Our local branch library has unstaffed opening every day. You can request books from other branches in our city for 50p.

Otherwise, second hand books bought online or kindle books as a last resort. I often download free samples on my kindle then try to find the book elsewhere.

Probably about 95% of the books I read I get from the library. I've exhausted all the even remotely interesting books in English (live abroad) in my local library (but they've told me they're getting new ones in sometime soon so I'm excited) so I pay 2 euros apiece to order from other libraries, or if I go to the city and have the time I visit the big library there and take one of those granny trolleys and fill it full of books!

I bought a cheap second hand kobo just for library books. You can get on vinted or eBay for about £20

I buy books regularly. I also use my library very regularly. They have an app where I can order books which is really handy if I see a book I’d like but it’s a new release so expensive. I do have to wait a while for some of then but I have so many on order that I usually get one per week! I also buy a lot second hand on eBay which then give to the charity shop afterwards. So a mixture of everything really. Plus my best friend gets a lot of books so she loans me the good ones!

It's on my list to investigate but as I have a hugr list of books to still read I don't want to risk loading another device full of books

There is an option for libraries to renew online so you don’t need to go in. Return box outside for outside library hours. Does this happen at your local library? Found our login and renew option is embedded within the council website.

I like fantasy science fi books.

They only have 2 shelves of these.

So I buy.

But only usually go for the kids so maybe one or twice in holidays.

Doesn't matter if their books are overdue.

But for adults really expensive unless you can go regularly to return books.

More into webtoons at the moment.

Libby!

great app, linked to your library will allow you to borrow books, audiobooks, magazines and others online.

you will need to get a library card and ask them to activate it for online, but once that’s done you just ‘borrow’ through the app. No more forgetting to return books, having to go out in crappy weather, it’s all there for you. I love it!

Library and Waterstones but trying to cut back on spending.

Kindle for myself , I do have kindle unlimited which works well as I read 6/7 books a month and can usually find free ones that suit but I also buy the odd one . My daughter buys books from bookstores / online , she wouldn’t use a library and the one in our town has no nearby parking anyway and she is disabled .

I haven't been to our library in ages. I tend to use world of books website, get some really good second hand ones on there. Always good condition too

I used to use our library every Thursday and had done since primary school but all of the local libraries, including the main one in the town centre, have been closed down.

I buy my books from supermarkets and various sites online and then I donate them to an animal charity once every 3 months - I tend to get through a book per week on average and the charity donation is actually decided per tonne apparently, so hopefully my books are helping.

I did used to offer my read books (vast majority have only been read once and are clean and in perfect condition) for free on my local area groups but got sick of people saying they wanted them and then never turning up, so charity it is.

I buy them second hand, usually. My local library is rubbish. The nearest big library is a university library, so good for reference texts.

My library is tiny and the selection on offer is a bit samey, but you can order any book you choose.

My library is above a supermarket so I do borrow "proper" books from time to time. In my library you can order books from other libraries in the region (seems to be about 4 or 5 counties) AND you can renew online. On the whole I tend to use it more for Borrowbox (which covers newspapers and magazines you can read by "subscribing"(free), ebooks and audiobooks). Looking back I tend to borrow physical travel books and maps above other books (though I do sometimes pick up random titles that look interesting).

We have a ridiculous number of books at home and it is a family joke that I can't go to a National Trust property without going through the secondhand bookshop.

I have an Audible subscription and buy most of my books on Kindle (I bought one of the big Kindles recently as I prefer that size for recipe books).

If you want exposure to "new" cheap titles it might be worth signing up to Bookbub, specifying your e-reader and genres of interest. I get a daily email advertising free-£1.99 books (typically they are 99p), but I think you can just look on their website. It is introduced me to authors I would have overlooked (which is presumably the idea).

I love a good bookshop, but I do have to remind myself to not default to Amazon and their secondhand vendors.

@user1471554720 - I read around 2-3 books per week unless it's a factual history book.

I work 4 days a week, had a teen at home until last year autumn and my "day off" is running around and housework.

I am never without my kindle, I commute by train so that's 1 hour reading per day, another 30 minutes during my lunch.

Reading is my hobby so I also read evenings and in bed for apprx an hour.

I actually find that I read less on my holidays as the family wants to talk to me.

Gutenberg, Faded Page (another free etext site, but Canadian so different books because of different copyright legislation), and the Internet Archive is good for older books - for instance, here's a translation of the Japanese classic I Am a Cat.

I love my Kobo!

Kindle when cheap, borrow from Library. And try to only buy when I am likely to reread - and then I like World of Books or charity shops

Tesco, usually where the checkouts are, love a used book. Take the 7yr old to the library though

I use my local library, it’s open three times a week. I can order books I want on the app, I then get an email when they have arrived at my library and I collect them. I read 1-2 books a week so could not buy that many, plus most books I don’t want to reread.

Libraries where I am have month long borrowing times and you can renew online up to 5 times before you have to visit in person. The only time I feel rushed to finish books is if I'm borrowing popular books (usually new releases) so there's a queue of reservations which means I can't renew. In those cases I just read every spare minute I have (work full time and have to take kids to extra curriculars and have my own evening classes to go to so not a lot of spare time but can manage at least an hour or two on weekdays and a few hours on weekends)

Library or charity shops for me athough I read far less these days. I lost my love of reading during covid when I got a kindle and it just never really came back but I do borrow books from the local library so maybe three a month whereas i would have devoured 10 a month pre covid.