What are your book-buying habits?

[sulynx]

1. i rarely buy books from bookshops at retail price. i usually buy them from warehouse sales.

2. when i buy brand new books, i will select the ones with the least 'defects' - even the slightest dog-ear i won't take. :P

3. i always look out for coupons for book in star mag. managed to buy a few popular books (harry potter, stardust etc) with discount.

do you have any book-buying quirks? :)

[Weezy]

i buy most of them in borders or kinokuniya (locally and overseas).
i like books with colourful pictures best, usually related to cars.
alway feel disappointed with books they wrap up and upon closer inspection, uually are not worth my while taking them home.

[Vixey]

I have to buy 2 or 3 books a month.
One would be a recommendation from a friend or a review.
One would be something inspirational or motivational eg true life story
One would be a literary award winner

[sulynx]

weezy: why didn't ask the sales assistant to unwrap the book for you? if i'm not wrong you can do that and not buy the book. :p look see mar.

vixey: wah, you must be quite loaded. ;) books aren't cheap! do you manage to read them all before your next spree?

[Weezy]

i did ask them to unwrap... dats why after closer inspection, the book not worth buying.

[LMei]

It's a must buy if my fav author has a new book. And it must be without defects. I keep my books in extremely good condition even after I have read them several times. I try my best not to break the spine of the book as well.

[sulynx]

weezy: oh, i thought you bought first then only realised! :p

lmei: i take my time when buying books of favourite authors, just in case there's a good offer. but i agree about keeping books in good condition. i get anxious when people touch my books cos they always open it forcefully!

[umadavid]

Aiyoo...that's why I don't borrow books from people. I like to read and read well NOT peek at it. :p

I buy books from warehouse sales, garage sales - in short I buy bargain books only. I don't mind that they are not in mint condition as long as they are clean and not torn. They must be a "good read" I don't mind waiting to read a book till it is available at the price that I want to pay. ;) I only fork out for brand new books if I'm gifting them. Frugal living is an art to be embraced ;)

[kwchang]

I love hard-cover books. They remain in very good condition unlike paperbacks. I love stories with well researched scientific basis - something Michael Crichton is very good at and I managed a few of his in hardback at a heavily discounted price from Pay Less Books - what happened to that chain of shops, i can't find them anymore at Subang Parade or Summit?

[fRaNkY]

I have few favourite authors.... mostly thrillers and on war, history, non fiction.

I buy when my reading material running low and will buy from anywhere...

Chang.... :D
http://lh6.ggpht.com/frank.hplim/SO2gOjgC2rI/AAAAAAAABDo/TGIsHFGB1UA/s576/warehse12.jpg

[irisbaggins]

I wont buy the book if I can finish the book at the bookshop. Thats why I looooveee MPH, Kino and Borders.

I will only buy the book if I intend to keep it.

I prefer paperback for easy reading and not so heavy loh.

[sulynx]

umadavid: haha. there is a certain skill needed to read books without creasing the spines, and since i love my books i've mastered it. :p

oh, i do exactly the same! which is really sad, since i think i love books more than the people i buy books for, so it should make more sense if i get brand new books for myself and second-hand ones for my friends! :D

kwchang: hardcover very expensive lah, not to mention takes a lot of space on the shelf. definitely hardy though!

no pay less branch in subang anymore. there's one in 1 utama though.

franky: what do you do with the books you accumulate over the years then? i'm having space problems in my shelf!

irisbaggins: wah, hardcore. :D same here about buying books and paperbacks.

[twohands]

I'm a 'bandaraya' when it comes to reading. I'll read almost everything and anything. I do have a few favourite writers though, and I'll normally make a beeline for their new books. I prefer paperbacks to hardcover books, as I do a lot of my reading in bed and paperbacks are much easier to handle. I buy my books all over the place; payless, mph, borders, popular, mom and pop shops, petrol station, airports, kinokuniya (online), acmamall (online), ebay (online). I used to buy a book everyweek, but now got lil toddler, not so much time to read (and not so much money to spend as well), so down to about a book or two a month. I do re-read my books again and again.

I'm not too strict about the condition of my books. The new books obviously should be crisp and in pristine condition, and the second hand books should be clean, not torn and the pages not coming apart at the spine (got a few books that the pages started coming out and now they are unsightly with all the cellophane tape that I've stuck to them).

My books not in pristine condition lorr... dog-earred, cracks in the spines and all :eek: They are all over in my study and kept in those plastic containers. Got too many books, not enough shelf space already :p

[irisbaggins]

I wont buy the book if I can finish the book at the bookshop. Thats why I looooveee MPH, Kino and Borders.

I will only buy the book if I intend to keep it.

I prefer paperback for easy reading and not so heavy loh.

Just to add.....I like worn out books.....makes it easier to turn the pages.

[Vixey]

weezy: why didn't ask the sales assistant to unwrap the book for you? if i'm not wrong you can do that and not buy the book. :p look see mar.

vixey: wah, you must be quite loaded. ;) books aren't cheap! do you manage to read them all before your next spree?

Eesh...not loaded. I buy second hand books or from friends. But the literary award winner book is my little treat for myself. :-)
PS...usually steal books from my grandma, she is a prolific reader and all her friends send her books. I just go help myself. She usually doesn't notice...hee hee
:D

[umadavid]

Eesh...not loaded. I buy second hand books or from friends. But the literary award winner book is my little treat for myself. :-)
PS...usually steal books from my grandma, she is a prolific reader and all her friends send her books. I just go help myself. She usually doesn't notice...hee hee
:D
Lucky you!

[sulynx]

twohands: haha, bandaraya. wah, you got so many books!

hmm, never knew that there are many readers in subang. all these news about how malaysians are not reading and all that...

irisbaggins: hehe, that's why i like to borrow books. :p i treat my books like gold, but books i borrowed i don't have to be so careful!

vixey: wah, you buy book from friends? your friend open bookshop ah? hehe. where can i get a grandma like that? :p

umadavid: i concur!

[sulynx]

does anyone borrow books from book rental shops? as a kid, i used to frequent novel house and reader's corner (formerly at subang parade, now at ss15).

[birdy]

To me... I will buy those book I like and keep in my library but I am a slow reader, that's why some books will take me weeks to finish. :o

I also download ebook from internet... mostly are technical or work related ebook for reference purpose.. I don't read them but I use them when it requires me to do so. :cool:

[Vixey]

Unfortunately no, I don't have friends who own bookshops. Whenever someone is spring cleaning and sending their books off to second hand shops or worse, just chucking them away. I offer to buy what I like at very nominal prices.

And as for getting it off from Grandma, ya am quite lucky. But have to compete with cousins as they are bookworms too. So siapa cepat, dia dapat. hee hee

I normally buy brand new books of favourite authors or on topics that interest me and I want to keep it. I am quite obsessive of the brand new books I buy and I don't lend those to friends. I don't like having them bent or having the spine cracked. And to ensure that they don't get dog eared, I normally cellophane all the sides.

And like Iris, I won't buy a book I can finish at the bookstore. When I was on holiday in Australia last Xmas, I actually read 4 books while staying at my aunt's house for 10 days.

[Vixey]

does anyone borrow books from book rental shops? as a kid, i used to frequent novel house and reader's corner (formerly at subang parade, now at ss15).

When I was in school, growing up in Ipoh, I used to do that. Every Saturday, that was my routine. The books I liked, I just kept it and didn't bother returning to claim the deposit.

[twohands]

does anyone borrow books from book rental shops? as a kid, i used to frequent novel house and reader's corner (formerly at subang parade, now at ss15).

i did try renting books for a lil while, but i always ended up keeping the book and not claiming the deposit coz i liked the book i borrowed :p

[sulynx]

birdy: speed-reading comes with practise. but if you want to enjoy a book, speeding is not the way to go! keep slow-reading then. ;) i find e-books very straining on the eyes, but quite wasteful of paper and ink too! but if i can't find that title elsewhere i'd be willing to download the e-book.

vixey: wah, very jaga your books ah, cellophane tape the sides even! :p

me too, every weekend i'd go to the book rental shop with my dad and borrow half a dozen books at one go. used to devour sweet valley twins, goosebumps, christopher pike books, fear street, buffy etc etc.

twohands: haha, well, that's why they have the deposit system mar. ;) i like the idea of book rental shops since our libraries are infamous for not being very accessible or up-to-date with its collection. also, it costs less than to buy books on a regular basis to keep my reading habit. :)

[birdy]

birdy: speed-reading comes with practise. but if you want to enjoy a book, speeding is not the way to go! keep slow-reading then. ;) i find e-books very straining on the eyes, but quite wasteful of paper and ink too! but if i can't find that title elsewhere i'd be willing to download the e-book.
Yes. I don't read a book that I don't enjoy. That's why I read slow. As for ebooks, I download for references only. I don't read them, I only use certain facts / points for my work only.

I love reading management and personal development books.

[fRaNkY]

Anyone of you went to the Payless warehouse sales in puchong? Near the London circus place.

wah! all the books.... RM1 for softcover and RM2 for hardcover regardless of size and thickness.... our family bought 3 bags over fourty books not even RM50.

However, they are old books and no children books... some art and craft books my daughter picked up :D.

[kwchang]

Anyone of you went to the Payless warehouse sales in puchong?
Thanks to franky, found the place with no problems.

I went at noon on Sunday - found 2 Time-Life books. Other editions in that series were taken by others. The books were published in 1963-65 but are still very useful as they were on insects and the animal kingdom - great stuff for school kids and at RM2 each, no need to think twice. :)

Couldn't find other interesting books - guess they were all snapped up

[fRaNkY]

Thanks to franky, found the place with no problems.

I went at noon on Sunday - found 2 Time-Life books. Other editions in that series were taken by others. The books were published in 1963-65 but are still very useful as they were on insects and the animal kingdom - great stuff for school kids and at RM2 each, no need to think twice. :)

Couldn't find other interesting books - guess they were all snapped up

:eek: oops! i missed that... or you will not had got that :D

1/4 of my purchases were also about animals, birds and insects.... guess the kids will need it ....

The place kinda stuffy .... being a warehouse... next time... i will wear tank top there.... :D

[Vixey]

Just a thought...wonder if we could do our own USJ Book Sale to raise funds for what ever needy cause?

We get to clear out our own "stock" and share with others and at the same time donate to an organization or person in need.

[sulynx]

that'll be nice, i definitely have a few books to give away. i don't mind being the 'storeroom' for the books collected for the sale if there's one. :p

[Vixey]

that'll be nice, i definitely have a few books to give away. i don't mind being the 'storeroom' for the books collected for the sale if there's one. :p

Great. Let's see what Chang says or if there are others who are interested in doing this. Then we can organize ourselves.

[EricK]

When I was in school, growing up in Ipoh, I used to do that. Every Saturday, that was my routine. The books I liked, I just kept it and didn't bother returning to claim the deposit.

used to do just that going to the many indian bookshop around menara MBPJ. Once in a while still do but more convenient to go to readers corner..

[sulynx]

erick: do you still go to readers corner? i know they've changed ownership and moved to ss15, wondering how is it like, if it's any different.

[EricK]

erick: do you still go to readers corner? i know they've changed ownership and moved to ss15, wondering how is it like, if it's any different.

can't answer you there haven't been there since it moved to SS15.

[Asha]

Also another bandaraya reader. I read everything that comes my way.
Consistently buying more books, doesnt matter if they are new or old, so much so i'm having trouble with storage. Does anyone know where I can sell my books?

[sulynx]

erick: ah okay thanks...

asha: you could sell it in the flea market forum here. :) or donate your books to charity/school.

[mWong]

Also another bandaraya reader. I read everything that comes my way.
Consistently buying more books, doesnt matter if they are new or old, so much so i'm having trouble with storage. Does anyone know where I can sell my books?

Asha, may I have a list of the books that you want to sell?

I read loads of paranormal romance at the moment & have books by my favourite authors - Sherrilyn Kenyon, Nalini Singh, Feehan, etc. Have also a collection of fiction books, eg Da Vinci Code, book by Dean Koontz to name a few.

I don't mind lending out my books to residents of USJ or Subang Jaya on condition that you also let me borrow books that you may have. :) Only lovers of books & those who will keep the book in the same condition that I loan out are welcome to borrow.

There are also a small box-full of old Readers Digest, a few dating to 1998, that you may borrow. I'm lending out my books in good faith that they may be returned...?? I'm not selling my books as I normally buy those from my favourite authors or I like the storyline.

So, any books on romance, fantasy, horror & triller that I may borrow? ;)

[elizabethyong]

I used to buy a lot of second hand books, until I started working at Reader's Corner :D

[sulynx]

elizabeth yong: wow, working around books and get to read for free? lucky you. :) i used to frequent reader's corner a lot, back when it was in subang parade. my formative reading years were thanks to them and novel house!

[elizabethyong]

Yup, the job has its perks, and I pretty much love it. :)

Why "used to frequent"? You should come back! :D

[fRaNkY]

Went to look for it at MPH summit but not available. So bought a book via MPH online on Monday and it arrived last nite (Thursday) via courier. Pay via M2U.

[sulynx]

elizabethyong: i'm not even sure where it is in ss15. :p these days i source my reading materials from book warehouse sales. but i'll keep reader's corner in mind for books i might not get from those sales. :)

franky: look for what?

[AaronOng]

Fav books:

Techno thrillers by Dale Brown etc.