Book Whore

I am a book whore. I admit it freely. I'm working in my office right now and I have the requisite stack of books on my desk: classics, reference and journals. Further over is stacks & stacks of books. Some of which I've read and some not. Before we moved into the Dream House they were organized but now, not so much. Eventually, I will wade through and seperate them back into "read" and "unread" piles but right now, just the books with the covers I like are on top. (:-D I'm sure Hildi would be impressed. (see "Punked")

I recently finished a set of stories that were, as I discovered, only the first two stories in the series. Yikes! I went onto my ever faithful Amazon account and could only find them in cheezy paperbacks. (Not only am I a book whore, I am a book snob that prefers hardbacks) I checked Zooba (more on that in a minute) but they didn't have it either. *Panic*

I reluctantly returned to Amazon and was going to buy the paperbacks when I had a brainstorm. Check the author's website! Sure enough, once I followed a link, there was the book I was looking for! *Happy Happy Joy Joy!* It should be here in a few days.

Here are a few ideas of where I find my books:

www.zooba.com This was recommended by my B.F.F. K and I am eternally grateful. For $9.95 montly, you get a book in the mail. It's such a beautiful thing. All books are $9.95 and are hardbound. You make a reading list much like Netflix. If you're thinking it's only the lesser books, you are wrong. Bestsellers are often available. You can buy as many books as you wish, you don't have to commit to just one book monthly.

Value Village. As you know I am a pirate. I can usallly find at least three books, all hardbound in their book section. There is usally little rhyme or reason (pun unintended) to their organization so it takes a little while to browse. I like it better than used books stores as their prices are less expensive and I enjoy the hunt.

Amazon. I like to use Amazon for gift-giving or immediate gratification. As I live in the Pacific NW, delivery is usually quite quick. (nanner, nanner, nanner East Coasters!)

Author Websites. As I've recently discoverd, they often sell their books from their own sites. The shipping was about the same as Amazon on the site that I ordered from. A perk, is that some offer the Author's autographs. This is cool if you're looking for a special gift.

Book Clubs such as the Literary Guild, etc. I like their introductory offers: 5 books for five pennies or whatever. The trick is to fulfill the agreement as soon as possible. The first few books if you buy them immediately are usually significantly discounted as well. Then you can either cancel or just shop their sales.

Librarys. K uses the library often. I am a hoarder of books however and am always reluctant to give them back. I use the library for reference books or I go check them out before buying them to make sure I really, really want them.

Used Book Stores. I am not wildly excited about these stores. I find them cluttered and often filled with Garage Sale castoffs. They can become useful, however, if you are culling your books. You can sell them or trade them for more books! I guess these stores can be defined as drug dealers or pimps for bibliophiles. (:-D

So, there you go, a few words of wisdom for my fellow book whores. Happy Reading!