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Booking Through Thursday - Why Buy?

by JM

I’ve asked, in the past, about whether you more often buy your books, or get them from libraries. What I want to know today, is, WHY BUY?

Even if you are a die-hard fan of the public library system, I’m betting you have at least ONE permanent resident of your bookshelves in your house. I’m betting that no real book-lover can go through life without owning at least one book. So … why that one? What made you buy the books that you actually own, even though your usual preference is to borrow and return them?

If you usually buy your books, tell me why. Why buy instead of borrow? Why shell out your hard-earned dollars for something you could get for free?
~
I do indeed have many permanent residents among my shelves which I have shelled over my hard-earned cash for the pleasure of owning. I definitely don’t buy as many books as I used to for a number of reasons:

1. I get sent a lot of review books.
2. My TBR shelf actually needs a shelf.
3. My husband has a shelf of books that I would like to get through.

However, I do occasionally still buy books.

First off, I’m in Australia. There are a few books I have looked for here and was unable to find. Thus, if I wanted those titles uber-much, there was no way to get them but to order them.

The second reason to buy is to give people presents. Somehow, getting people library cards just seems like a slacker present.

And third, there are books that are special to me and I like to have them around. The Giving Tree, The Blue Sword, Writing Down the Bones… Those and others are significant to my life and it wouldn’t be the same if I had to go get them from the library every time I wanted to just look at them and be reminded of what influence they have had in my life.


Posted in Booking Through Thursday on November 13th, 2008

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The Book Stacks is the place to go for everything book-related. Here you will find librarian humor, books that are moving to the big screen, cover art, random trivia, reviews, news, games, videos, the occasional interview, and anything else I run across. What are you reading? Have a favorite book? Let me know.

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