Share your love of books and read for free (Where do you buy your books?)

Member Name: Otjiwarotji

Product:	Where do you buy your books?
Date:	19/09/01 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Books for free, cheap

Disadvantages: starting your own swap club can take a bit of time

I began reading this category as I am another book sniffing bibliophile who can never have enough to read. I just hate to pay full price for a book especially as I am a very fast reader and a book costing £5 or £6 may last me only a day or two, so the library is my main source for everyday reading with the added advantage if you decide you don't want to read it after all or it turns out to be a hyped up load of drivel you can take it back!

Charity shops are my other downfall, heres a hint, if you have time volunteer to sort the books at your local charity shop, its a way of helping a good cause, and getting the pick of the best books before they are put on display plus most charity shops give volunteers a hefty discount. If they let you price them you can even price the ones you want at 10p each!!!! (OK, this is a bit dishonest but if you take em back when you've read them nobody loses!)

The discount bookshops are a good source of cheap bargains if you aren't looking for a particular title and for on line shopping by far the best bargains come from "the book people" their packs of books are sensational value usually 10 good quality paperbacks for under £10. I also got a few great fiction bargains in Wilkinsons sale a couple of days ago, they had all paperback novels reduced to £1.75 AND a further 25% off, so I had a little splurge! So if theres a Wliko near you check it out.

But my best tip for book lovers is to start your own swap shop. I started one at work,as I am lucky enough to work in an office with over 100 staff, but you can start one at any place you go where a lot of people go, mother and toddler group, evening class, even your local pub or cafe may let you start one.

Heres what I did, sorted out 20 assorted good paperbacks I had read and no longer wanted and was going to send off to charity and took them to work where I put them in the tea room with a notice telling people if they wanted to join
they could bring between 1 and 3 books at any time and swap them for any 3 titles they wanted. they sign the sheet and list what they brought and what they took. If you can get 4 or 5 other people to set it up with you you will always have a library of around 100 books to choose from. Of course there will be the odd person who will want to swap a tatty old dog eared mills and boon for the latest Maeve Binchy but if you keep an eye on it it works quite well, especially if like me you always have shelves full of novels you have read. I also made a short list of membership rules including: the books must have an original cover price of at least £4.99, it is restricted to paperback fiction and must be in good condition. Then as soon as a good selection builds up you take 3 of your remaining books in and start to swap them yourself. Assuming you kept a few for this purpose. You could even specify the kind of books i.e romance and horror only if you don't want to end up with a pile of westerns, its up to you how you administrate it.

Worth a try if you work with a lot of people who like a good read too.

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