Where do you get all your books from?

[avoidingwork]

Amazon
Bookshops
Free Libraries
Charity Shops....

Where do you get yours from?

(secretly hoping for a miracle tip for bargain books)

Hmm loads of places. Local bookstore to keep it afloat, library, children’s reading scheme annual sale of books, a fantastic Oxfam bookshop near me (who are often given from retailers, it seems, mint condition books that are not wanted anymore), school fairs, Book People and Amazon for Kindle. I try to avoid them for real books.

99p deals on kindle (I much prefer real books but get through a lot of kindle books because it glows in the dark so I can read while waiting for DC2 to go to sleep)
Waterstones
My mum's house! She has a lot of books. It's like a library except she doesn't have deadlines by which the books have to be read
Occasionally, Sainsbury's, WHS, charity shops, NT second hand book shops

Charity shops and (to a lesser extent) Kindle daily deals. Ebooks from the library are also great, but I find the selection quite limited, unfortunately. Very, very rarely will I pay full price for a book.

I agree with others upthread that pretty much everything (unless it's very specialised or academic) appears in charity shops sooner or later. But you do have to be prepared to wait for it. I'm patient and I'm playing the long game with quite an extensive wishlist

Library or.kindle.

Abe books. A new discovery for me

Ask friends on FB. Most of us have tons of book idle. You can get a ton of free books that way.

Tesco, I’m a sucker for the 2 for £8 paperbacks.
Kindle book deals
The hospice charity book shop in my local market town.

Abebooks
Amazon
Music Magpie
Charity shops
Library and Borrowbox
Librivox

If I'm looking for something specific I'll check ebay first - world of books are good for cheap second hand books.

I like to browse new releases in Waterstones but they are expensive, so I usually buy those from Amazon.

I also like to browse charity shops.

General fiction, classics etc - charity shops. I have a list on my phone of books I want.

Bricks and mortar shop for new books written by my friend stealth boast I couldn't bring myself to buy them second hand!

Amazon if I'm in a hurry (rare!)

I buy the bulk of my books from the Strand bookstore in New York, one of the world's great bookstores.

And, luckily, there's the library.

I've never bought a book from Amazon, and I hope I never do.

Sometimes Amazon but not normally 'reading' books (iyswim)
Charity shops
WH Smiths (if on offer)
Waterstones
A colleague at work - we both love crime and horror!

Oh and audible ones from a friend.

World of Books (I order via Amazon- used books and I choose WOB because I've gotten nothing but amazing service and books from them)
Amazon/Audible
Waterstones
Friends passing them on
Library
I nurse 3 books at a time. I listen to an audible book on my dog walks, read a Kindle book and a hard copy at the same time (alternate days).
Audible books are usually geopolitical/true crime/academic/scientific books.
Kindle and paperbacks are novels.
My last Kindle reads were: Call Me By My Name and Beloved
Paperback: Robert Seethaler's A Whole Life
Journalist Tim Marshall's Shadowplay on audible (incredible book about the war in Yugoslavia and Balkanisation of that region).

Yeah OP, you definitely want World of Books if you're looking for online cheap deals.

I buy the bulk of my books from the Strand bookstore in New York, one of the world's great bookstores.

My old haunt! I used to live in that book store in my New York days. My then-partner was a writer and I was a wannabe writer. I can still smell its interior. I never go to New York, but if I did, it's the first place I would hit up. I'd live on a month's worth of lentils and rice just to spend my wages on books there.

Call Me By My Name Oh I meant Call Me By YOUR Name! Doh!

The bookcase in Tesco.
Charity shops.
Gifts at birthdays and Christmas.
Recently Kindle Unlimited.

Charity shops
Swapping with friends
I get a free book every month on kindle with my prime account .
I use overdrive to borrow e books from the library
Tesco/ Sainsbury’s but only very occasionally
Waterstones is my absolute favourite but so expensive , I could spent hours mooching around there .

World of Books, very cheap, all have been in good condition and free postage.

Abebooks and charity shops

I boycot amazon

Shocked at people having to pay to reserve library books. Mine is free - I thought that was the point of libraries!

I only buy books now if I can't get them from the library. I've resigned myself to waiting ages for the latest bestsellers :)

Otherwise I try to use Hive or buy second hand via Amazon. I volunteer in a charity bookshop so pick up things there, though have to restrain myself. I have a kindle and will download ebooks if it's a lot cheaper than a physical copy. I don't like spending 99p on recently released books though - feels like devaluing them.

My father in law, mostly: we have similar taste and he reads a lot.
When they moved house he passed on over 100 books - I now have my own personal library. It's great!
The odd one from Amazon, Waterstones and the local Oxfam bookshop. I used to use the library all the time as well but go rarely at the moment simple because I have so much to read at home!

Amazon or charity shops. I try to get used books if possible

www.fadedpage.com/index.php