Discussion Highlights: Used Books

Last Week’s Discussion:
Used Books

As many of you know by now, I have some high reading goals for this year, which means I need to find ways of obtaining cheap books quite frequently. And because I’m a broke grad student, new books are out of the question. So… why not used books? They’re surely popular enough, but are they really the Holy Grail? Let’s ask the discussioners!

Deepa said:

“I really like new books. […] I love to go to the book shop as they all have that new smell too. I don’t have to do any reviews so I am able to buy the new ones”

Stephanie said:

“It’s worth it to shop used. I can’t justify the price of new books when I don’t have money. I want to support the authors but I feel the reviews help too.”

Dreamer said:

“I used to prefer used books because of the price, but I have recently decided that I prefer new books because they look nicer and don’t have that old, musty smell. […] I have gotten really weird about wanting to keep my books in new condition too, so used books usually come with wear and tear or writing that I am not a fan of. “

Trent said:

“I rarely do used books. Sometimes I do and have never had any problems. Even going through Amazon and picking up a used copy for 1/4 the price, I’ve never had an issue with getting a gross book. But…. I don’t know what it is, but I would much rather have a new book. That new book smell? I don’t know.”

Rae said:

“Of course I would prefer books that are brand new but I very rarely buy them for full price. […] Even if I did have unlimited funds for books, I don’t think I could justify paying almost $20 for just one books when I could get 4 for the same price elsewhere”

Meigan said:

“I get why some people like new – the smell, the feel of an unread book, and if they can afford to only buy new, then hooray for them! I’m perpetually broke, plus I have kids, so buying only new isn’t justified. Ever. Plus I have to factor in space, will I reread, etc, and more often than not, it’s not worth it to buy new.”

Katie said:

“Okay, but… If you’re buying used books, how do you keep up with what is new?”

Serena said:

“It’s funny, I actually really prefer used books. I really like the history of them. I won’t necessarily buy a book that’s dirty or falling apart, but I don’t mind ones that are heavily worn, especially if they have other people’s notes in them. I enjoy the ability to kind of engage with other readers who have had the book before.”

Well, it would seem that the majority of readers prefer new books… that is, if they could afford them. But with the price of new books being so high and readers being so insatiable with their appetites, used books are what ends up being bought and read and placed on shelves. Though… there is still some debate about writing/highlighting in books… Another discussion, perhaps??

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Check out this week’s discussion on Thursday at 10am EST:
Multi-Task-Reading

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