I just wondered where people are taking their books after reading them. I just started getting my books from my local goodwill, man are the pickings so much better than they used to be. I am a avid supporter of my library and used to only donate my books to my local library or whichever library was having a book sale but now I donate them to local goodwills because of our faltering economy, I know thats so cheesy but it makes me feel like im doing SOMETHING, (but i do other small things). I turn in my supernatural, spiritual themed books to a local shop that gives you credit toward the store for turning in books. It's funny because I ended up buying on back, "The Custodians," and it was like reading another book, I think thats the great thing about books because you can come back to it months later and have a different experience.
Where have your old books ended up?
[question posted by revellanotvanella]
responses and comments:
I have sold a few on half.com but, I've also donated some too. [hopeful327]
I'll use half.com to buy textbooks that Im after but not for school, I did used to sell textbooks that I got from a local used book shop (I live right near university campus) but now its more time consuming. [revellanotvanella]
I usually keep the books that I read. When I think a book is really a good one, I would lend it to my kids, or to my brothers so they could enjoy it just as I had. Later on they would return it to me, and I would keep them for future reading again. [viewpoint]
My boyfriend cannot stand books all over the place and since I've had kids its been hard to hold on to my books, something that I did more before kids, but now I have only the two top shelves to use of my bookcase. Actually, theres books piled on the very top too. And I also like magazine collections from my local library which makes it harder. My youngest will pull every book off the bottom two sheleves so I leave one empty and the bottom is just for their books which I constantly circulate. That would be pushing it if I got another bookshelf because my boyfriend would consider that hoarding, but I do like giving my books away now. [revellanotvanella]
I give my books to a charity shop, as I do with my other stuff that I don't want anymore, clothes, dvds etc. There is one book that I will not give away. I love it too much. [nataliemurie]
At the minute they are all on my bookshelf, I had to stop buying them as I was just getting that many that my bookshelf is now starting to sag in the middle. I tried to sell them on ebay but no one was interested in them so I will now have to sort them out and give them to the charity shops. I have recently joined my local library so I will have them from there in the future as I can then take them back when I am done and will not have to worry about sagging bookshelves! I have also bought books from charity shops before now and they do have some really good books in them now, and very up to date as well, and of course at a fraction of the price of what they cost in the shops. [gemini_rose]
Yea, there is tons of teen 'flicks' (books, what i call them) and I kind of wish I could be into them because there is just so many for the picking but I did find one about living the elite life since I DO love Housewives of New York, it was perfect. I did notice though that prices at my local goodwill has gone up quite a bit, for even books. I bought a hardback that five years ago would of been 50-75cents, that bugs me but I do want to contribute so I just pay for it, its too hard to turn a good book away anyway. [revellanotvanella]
I pass the ones i dont want to keep for my collection on to my mom, sisters, grandma, aunts. The ones that they dont want or that have been passed on to me from them I've either donated to the libary, passed on to friends, sold at a garage sale, passed on via whatsonmybookshelf.com or ive donated them to the local salvation army or goodwill. [saundyl]
The books I finish go to a multitude of places. Sometimes I sell them on-line (particularly hardcover books), some my hubby reads and then shares with his co-workers, and others we trade at used book stores. [kellys3ps]
I'm not really a charitable person and am pretty selfish, which I honestly admit. I really don't want other people touching my things, which indicates my possessiveness. The books I have read always end up on my bookshelf, though I read them from time to time. Luckily, I find myself still interest on the books I have read. I agree that everytime that we read our old books, there is a different experience from reading the books. I, myself, have experienced it. The old books that I really don't want to read back then and I don't understand interests me nowadays. It's a pleasure to find learning and experience through reading books. Well, I learnt things and visualized the things I would not be able to see EVER. [cr0ssf41r13]
--jaw dropping-- I better watch out I don't drool, miss those days *L* [revellanotvanella]
Well, a lot of them stay in my Collection, or I have sold some of them to Friends, or on Ebay, etc. and then there are some I have given to Thrift stores, and to people via FreeCycle.com yahoo groups. When buying a New book, I usually prefer discount type stores that carry Lower priced books on Discount, or sites online that carry Hardback books at a discount. This way when I part with them, I do not feel like I am taking a loss on them so Bad. [KrauseHome]
Im actually a member of freecycle but it never even occured to me to use it for books, thats awesome, i know they do like you to be modest on there, not request too much, but when it comes to books thats hard [revellanotvanella]
I either read them again, donate them, or give them to people I know. [rogue13xmen13]
I donated most of my books to the library. I really don't read as much as I used to so there was no sense in me keeping them. [robsbrooklyngirl]
Thats great, i think the first place people think of is their local thrift shop, even for me but now the library is my first pick-i usually know what they have and dont have. [revellanotvanella]
Some of my books are on the shelf while others have been long forgotten by my friends who borrowed it and never bothered to return (most of them were during my highschool days). [reejane]
I actually love books to my heart. i just put them back where they belonged, to the bookshelf.i like to have them there and generally donate few books to the local library. [subha12]
You must have alot of books that really touched you or made an impression, you could name a few. [revellanotvanella]
my fave ones are still with me. in my own library. some were borrowed and never returned. some i'm happy to see again after a few months of getting passed around. while some ended up on ebay and my multiply account for selling. :) [crazeMD]
oh, so you were one of lucky ones who was able to get your lent books back, way to go. [revellanotvanella]
I keep most of my books in boxes. My bookshelf is already breeming full of books and I haven't gotten around to buying a new bookshelf. I think what I'll do is buy a couple of big plastic containers, the box shapes and keep the books in there. Hopefully they won't rot as quickly. [azahari33]
I do that with clothes and alot of other stuff too. Those palstic containers can be quite handy coz you can stack them up. Takes up less space. [azahari33]
Well mine I keep some for my visitors to read, I give some to my friends and I sold some of it. [2btrueinu]
Who bought your books? [revellanotvanella]
I found quite a good number under my bed two days ago, these were books I had read about 5 years ago! specially if it is a novel, chances are that they will become dispossable to me! [academic2]
what kind of books do you generally hold on to? [revellanotvanella]
I very like read books. When I finish books, I always arrange it at my bookshelf. Because, if I want read it again, I can find it in that. Knowledge couldn't bought by everything. [pooh08]
I have a very large collection of books, I can't seem to bring myself to get rid of them as I tend to re-read favourites over and over again. I did, however, have a huge clearout a little while ago and I listed a lot of my books onto eBay. They all sold very well, and I think I may have to have another sort out soon. I have taken books to my local charity shop before now, usually the books that did not sell on eBay [recycledgoth]
I haven't done so well selling books on ebay, only a few, but that was 5 years ago but I would like trying it again, you know, I find brand new books at the dollar store, not very old, like a Martha Stewart Book, Brooke Shields, Nancy Reagon and Ronald book, alot of bios. I guess I passed it off because I was thinking who would buy books on ebay when you can get them so easy these days, is their a popular genre? [revellanotvanella]
Books I read usually end up on my shelf but others I trade with my friends with their old books. Some old books I re read again and it always gives me pleasure to re-read a book. its like giving a whole new meaning to what I learned before. Some old textbooks I give to friends and family if they indicate that they need those books [rosapai]
I wish I could give my textbooks away but they print newer versions faster than i can keep up [revellanotvanella]
i keep all the books i've read i'm addicted to reading so i keep on re-reading all my old stuff some of them my friends borrow, then either it's still with them up to now or they've let someone else borrow it's okay with me though, i like sharing good reads! [lian3town]
Ill find myself re-reading a book when I get overwhelmed with all the books I want to read and the daunting feeling that I'll probably never get around to even half of them--so I re-read a book or a classic like Charlottes Web, my favorite Huckleberry Finn, and thats how I recollect myself to set back out on my venture to read all those books. [revellanotvanella]
if they are reference books.i keep them for future knowledge.my class notes are sent to the paper man.if i have some favorite book i keep them safely. [vicky30]
what are some of your favorites, Im nosy, my bad. [revellanotvanella]
Well at first i would take them to Half Price Books and they would give me a little bit of money for them, but herer recently we started a business and i just take them there and sell them for cheap, i get more money out of them that way than if i took them to half price books. I still buy at half price though. [libertarianfreedom21]
I've never heard of Half Price Books, I live on the east coast, Ill have to check it out online. [revellanotvanella]
I love reading books! I have over 200! I put them at my library after end them, by category. Most of the times i read them again! I believe that you understand different the book every time you read it! It is like you discover new things every time! The place that i love most at my house is the library! [knithomaria]
I know, I love the brain so much and reading will definately make your brain go 'POP-EYE' (as in the cartoon, if your overseas,) [revellanotvanella]
I exchange books with my classmates. Everybody reads books in our class because our literature teacher make us read :) When I finish a book, (if it is my book) I ask my firend if they want it. Then I ask them for a new book. I read about 20 books a year but I only buy 1 or 2. My friends too, lend books from me. Most of my books are lost in the class :D Maybe they are forgotten and maybe stolen, who knows :) [zhorak]
I miss those days, I had this girl on my bus who was a reading maniac so I could always get books from her, but as we got older her taste was not my style, which sucked [revellanotvanella]
There is a place online called Bookcrossings and you print up a tag and place it in a public place after you list it on the web site. You can also get people that are in your area that place books different places and you just post that you got the book. I have not used it, but I want to this summer. I think there is only one other person in my area that is using this method for exchanging books. Another one that I use is Freecycle, but have been having bad luck with people keeping there word and picking up the books. I feel that Goodwill books just sit on a shelf and no one looks for them at all. What about donating them to the hospital or a nursing home? What about a local rehab place or even a phycial therapy place also. I am finding that I have been reading more and more. [kaysue4]
I will have to check out that site. Thanks. [kaysue4]
When I moved, I donated a lot of mine to the library. You know, the good hardbound ones. They either have sales or put them on the shelves. My friends and I trade books, though. We also take them to the second hand shops and trade them in for others. Like you said, they give credit. We have some of those stores where I live, too. The only books I keep are the ones people have given me for gifts, my poetry collection and a couple collections by my favorite authors. [Anhedonia]
You know, I have never gotten a book for a gift until just recently, my father was visiting and they saw this business book for woman he heard being talked about on tv, I think I was throwing around ideas about something a week before that involved business. I was really happy that I said something that gave them the idea to actually buy me a book (brand new), but suprisingly thats the first I ever got from my dad and I used to drown myself in books growing, its a start :) [revellanotvanella]
all of them are in my bookshelf.. i want to see them everyday.. seeing them reminds me of the pleasure they gave me and the lessons they taught me. [mhayelynna]
I personally keep all of my books, unless I didn't like them while reading them. If I don't like them I usually bring them to my local library to donate, so they can be sold in the library donation store. Sometimes I even bring them to the goodwill, or the local used book store, where I can make a little extra cash. I was also just informed of a website, Cash4Books.net, where you type in the ISBN code on the back of your books, they tell you how much they will pay you for it, and they even pay the shipping. I've been meaning to try that, but haven't had time. [jenni7202]
No, I totally will check out your website, I was just reading "How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read" by Pierre Bayard, apparently he's been a hit overseas and I absolutely loved the concept. I always feel so much frustration because theres TONS of books and how can I ever get close to reading even half of what I want, let alone covering the classics--I have a new respect for reviews and book digest catalogs--that, and so much relief. [revellanotvanella]
After I've finished reading a book, or if I get bored with it for some reason and want to put it away, it usually goes in a bag on the ground in my closet. The ones that I can't bare to part with for anything -- the ones I've read numerous times -- get put in a tote in my closet. A few years ago, I gave away a lot of books that I wish I had back now because I had a dream about them. The dream made me want to read them again. Now I have to go to Amazon and start purchasing when I can. [clei914]
I regret giving away some of my spirituality/supernatural/self-help books but mostly their books that I've bought before having kids, like 7 years ago, I used to buy any book i liked no matter the cost, cant do that anymore. Conversations with God, book 1 Keepers of the Garden Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting These are some that I gave away but really like but I did buy back CWG, but Keepers of the Garden sold at the shop I gave it to, the last one I will probably find in a library. [revellanotvanella]
Well I kept them all in our bookshelf, you know for reference. [rexjallo]
Sounds like your more into non-fiction, like me, Im currently trying real hard to switch to fiction, I like non fiction because its right to the point. [revellanotvanella]
I used to collect books, I had my favorite Authors and Im thinking of keeping it for my grand children in the future..(lol Im still in mid twenties). But true, I want to it pass to them. [divinern]
yea, I have some classics Im holding on to for my kids (1 and 3 yrs old) hoping that at least ONE of them gets some use out of them. [revellanotvanella]
Well I used to keep all my books. I had a small library here actually with all of them. I recently though went through them all. Any that I wasn't going to re-read and no one in the family was interested in I put up on freecycle. A woman, who is also a teacher, took them all and she was able to use them in her classroom for kids to pick from. I had a ton of young adult books as well as adult ones. I like the fact that they went on to be read by someone else. I had in the past done used book shops but there aren't any around me anymore sad and sadly the goodwill near me isn't that nice of employees. They are very picky about anything donated and it has to be in perfect condition so I gave up on them. [emeraldisle]
You're very welcome. I know myself I liked it when the teacher had books avialable for us to pick from. That way if I finished a book but it wasn't our day to go to the library I could still get a new one. [emeraldisle]
I keep almost all of my books but when I HAVE to weed out some I usually take them to a thrift shop that doesn't get very good books. I sell books for a living and I buy at second hand shops, libraries, auctions etc. When it comes to donating my own rejects, I like to put them some place where I would have to keep going through my own books. I recently dropped about 50 books off at a hospital thrift that doesn't seem to ever have any books that interest me. Of course it's all relative. Once in a church thrift, I heard two people oohing and aahing over a great find. When I zeroed in to see what they found, it was a book I'd donated to the thrift months before after spending over a year trying to sell the darn thing. Just proves "One man's trash is another man's treasure." LOL [irisheyes]
hospital thrift, never heard of one of them? But church thrift, that is a good hobby in the summer, their alot more church yard sales too and suprisingly you can get some really great stuff. I love collecting old pictures. [revellanotvanella]
I either keep them or give them away to anybody who wants them. [winterose]
So you prefer reading english over your other language? [revellanotvanella]
I read alot also, I'm always looking for the latest books by my favorite authors. All my books go to the bookstore here in my town, they give credit for every book you bring in. I usually go once a week and see if anything new has come in, that I haven't read yet, also I have a few friends that read the same books I read, and we usually trade around. And our church has a library and you can donate books to it. [walijo2008]
I used to live in this town that had a HUGE used book store, tons of sci fi, and you recieved credits for books you brought in and it was not a really strict program you could easily get back 25$ in credit for 10 good books so I always felt rewarded. When I moved back home (my bf was there for work) where there is no used book stores similar to this one I really missed it, its about a 2 hour ride away and I've thought about visiting plenty of times. It does make me feel better being able to donate books to my library and while not all go to the shelf some do and its nice being able to come back to it whenever I want. Are your authors mainstream, like VC Andrews, Crichton, King, Patterson etc? [revellanotvanella]
I've given away a lot of hard-cover books from Book Clubs to the Library in my neighborhood. Other times, I'll give them to friends and family if they're good. David Free Online Cash System $150-$1500+ Daily $0 Cost http://www.freeonlinecashsystem4u.com [oursuccess]
my old books end up on different websites to sell or i trade them for other ones or other items. sometimes I give them to a library but mostly I make $$ for them! [chazsgirl]
I have sold some, there are great sites out there that pretty much do some of the work for you! [chazsgirl]
i donate them to ohters , or sale them at a low price!what a pity! i like reading ,but there is no room for the books, so i donate them or sale them! [ww378936373]
MY GOD! Before I discovered the genius of libraries that was exactly what I was thinking, if it wasn't for that nasty little space issue I would still have my books tucked away by mommy, LOL. [revellanotvanella]
Oh my my books that I buy end up in already over crowded bookshelves as I love to reread some of them and also I have some books that are one hundred years old like the Five Little Peppers and the Louisa May Alcott books like Little Women and JO's Boys. [Hatley]
I love collecting old books, like I have a really old edition of the Jungle Book and The Trial by Frank Kafska, the older the better. There is a music and book store, a college hangout, that has a shelf of really old books and I will be happy to just get one. They start at $30.00 but their ancient and its like finding treasure. Its not even about the money but knowing that you have one of the originals feels so good--like going back in time. [revellanotvanella]
i collected it...after i read it, i put it in my shelf...it makes me smile seeing those books in my shelf populating..hehe...then realize that i read those books, page by page, word by word..somehow i see myself as amazing one coz not all people have interest in reading books... maybe someday, i will do that to, donating books... [babybluebellebj]
I dont really read books twice because theres always something else new to read but I do make a point to coming back to a old favorite once a year, mostly its something I read in grade school. [revellanotvanella]
I used to donate my books to the library too..kind of self-defeating though, when they would have book sales, as I buy just as many books as the number I just donated--unfortunately my library no longer has either acceptance of books or has library book sales and I miss them! I unfortunately don't have a goodwill near me to donate books now...if I can I ask my friends if they want any of my books ..otherwise they are just trashed which I hate doing--Most of the time though I keep all my books...sometimes I love to re-read books...I just finished re-reading AGAIN my Harry Potter series...now I'm reading the Artemis Fowl books again....uh, yup, as far as fiction books I just love children's books, especially ones of a "magical" nature--There used to be a bookshop near me just like the one you described where you could take your old books and they would "evaluate" them and either get cash for them or get exchanges..that is pick out books you wanted...sadly it's long gone--really miss itsad [pyewacket]
sounds like your neighborhood might be disappearing--just kidding, but MUTINY, my god, throwing away your books? why not just leaving them in your local grocery store, my grocery store is a 10 minute walk thankfully, and they have a little walk in section where the local university leaves their newspapers, a bulletin board, metrokids paper, those free realestate booklets, certainly a book wouldn't be far-fetched. Do you live in the country or suburban? [revellanotvanella]
I don't buy many books, I usually just borrow it to my mom or one of my aunties, they end up back to the owners of course lol. I often buy comic books though, and after I read them my brothers will read them too, so it usually end up at my mom's house. My family love reading so there are lots of books in my mom's house. She keeps them in her book shelves. [ucancallmedissy]
The one comic book I really got into, when i was 15, was SAM & TWITCH, think its a McFarlane comic, anyway I always think about it but I don't think he makes it anymore, maybe its just sandman. I would love to buy it on ebay as a collection if I could. It just got expensive because I just wanted to keep buying more and more but the stories kicked arse. [revellanotvanella]