Residents' Book Exchange or Loan Club
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Thread: Residents' Book Exchange or Loan Club

  1. 15-09-2009, 06:56 PM #1
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    Residents' Book Exchange or Loan Club

    I am an avid reader - I read anything - even when I am waiting to see the doctor or whatever, I must read something, whether its the newspaper, magazines or anything that I can lay my hands on.

    I buy a lot of books - about 2-3 each month - and I have realised that these books which have been more expensive than any other parts of the world, are getting much more costlier these days.

    Today I bought a book Meinkampf by Adolf Hitler at the MPH and it costs me MYR104.90! Its not even hardcover, its a paperback edition, for Godsake....

    Even the book Blue Ocean Strategy, a hardcover, was MYR102! I checked and it was only SGD28.00 at Borders in Singapore.

    What is going on? Is it high taxes and import duty or are the book and stationery retailers having a cartel of some sort and keep margins high?

    How can we have a learned society if books are that costly? How can we encourage our people to read if they tax highly on books? Whats going on, anybody know?
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  2. 15-09-2009, 07:29 PM #2
    trex92
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    i've been off hard copies of books for very many years now. Only books I read are e-books and on my palm pda. Since the books are*ahem* *ahem*, it's all free... Very convenient to carry 100 plus books on 1 pda...
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  3. 15-09-2009, 08:01 PM #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by trex92
    i've been off hard copies of books for very many years now. Only books I read are e-books and on my palm pda. Since the books are*ahem* *ahem*, it's all free... Very convenient to carry 100 plus books on 1 pda...
    I suppose you're below 45 coz you can still read well from a PDA... I used to do that but now I get tired and sleepy easily especially when I read from the PDA on the plane...
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  4. 15-09-2009, 08:19 PM #4
    Phres
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    i borrow from the public library it's the only way. but of course, the titles are limited but what to do, the other alternative is to borrow from friends anyway, i am also having to deal with another problem....what to do with books i buy after reading them...only some are keepers
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  5. 15-09-2009, 08:19 PM #5
    ng
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    sentinel

    I am also a bookworm. I used to order from amazon.com.

    Reasons are:

    1. Fast delivery 2 weeks instead of 2 months (by local bookshops)

    2. Cheaper in price than local bookshops.

    3. Reliable

    Try ordering online.
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  6. 15-09-2009, 08:21 PM #6
    chanelt
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    Ya lor, books so expensive nowadays, bleeding.

    Do you think is a brilliant idea that we set up a library here? we may list out the books that we all have & could borrow or exchange with whoever wanted to read! We can even promote reading here!
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  7. 15-09-2009, 08:35 PM #7
    bslee
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    I think I read many years back they peg the books to currency exchange but NOT at the interbank rates we're exposed to. The rates are MUCH MUCH HIGHER. I don't know the reasons. I stand corrected.
    Sentinel: Some years ago, I bought Herman Goering's Biography by David Irving from a seller in Ebay. Cost me over US$10 only. BTW, if you like to have the pdf version ,here's the link:
    http://www.fpp.co.uk/books/Goering/index.html

    I think that pdf book is public domain, AFAIK.
    But your fact is ABSOLUTELY TRUE, Books so EXPENSIVE...how leh?...
    I think our younger generation hardly read books nowadays, let alone buy them.
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  8. 15-09-2009, 09:18 PM #8
    fRaNkY
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    I read alot... then, I can claim income tax up to RM1000. One year I spend Rm2000+ for the whole family! both wifey and I claim...

    Daughter also a avid reader...

    What to do.... National Library is so darn far....

    Notebook or PC is too bright and very tiring to my eyes.... also too heavy to read on the bed of sofa...

    PDA too small.... and battery doesnt last...

    Make $$$! Selling your photos.
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  9. 15-09-2009, 09:45 PM #9
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    Thats one thing about this government that I don't understand, Franky. They want to encourage people to read but they do not even bother to look at the publishing industry or the book retail industry. On the one hand they allow retailers total freedom to price their wares and then they try to allow us income tax deductions... just doesn't jive!

    I have about two bookshelves of book and I really need to give away some to make space. Some of these books are hard cover editions which I would like to keep like the Lee Kuan Yew memoirs. Others including educational books (esp marketing, management and finance books for MBA students) I really would like to give away. I can't give them to the local orphanages because they won't know how to use these MBA books...
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  10. 15-09-2009, 10:27 PM #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by chanelt
    Ya lor, books so expensive nowadays, bleeding.

    Do you think is a brilliant idea that we set up a library here? we may list out the books that we all have & could borrow or exchange with whoever wanted to read! We can even promote reading here!
    I am all for it
    http://blogsportcom-carol.blogspot.com/
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  11. 15-09-2009, 10:43 PM #11
    bslee
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sentinel
    Thats one thing about this government that I don't understand, Franky. They want to encourage people to read but they do not even bother to look at the publishing industry or the book retail industry. On the one hand they allow retailers total freedom to price their wares and then they try to allow us income tax deductions... just doesn't jive!
    How to understand when I don't think our politicians may not even have any time nor make any effort to do any reading, instead they're busy politiking, function after functions, feasts after feasts, balik rumah sudah lesu.. Still got time to read books ah?.. and WORST OF ALL, how they behave in Parliament? They're REALLY OUT OF TOUCH bunch lah!
    I could say the price of books will stay sky high indefinitely. Hey, rental of floor space in complexes for big bookshop runs into 5 figures for sure, and thats going to come out of the consumers man!
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  12. 15-09-2009, 10:48 PM #12
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    sentinel..what the title u have on MBA books.. if you dont want it, can give to me?

    p/s : buy you nice wan tan mee at seapark :P
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  13. 15-09-2009, 10:50 PM #13
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    Well, the least I can do, is over the next few days I will motivate myself to draft a letter to the Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs Minister with a copy to the Prime Minister and my local MP to suggest they take a look at the book pricing, the taxes and what have you.

    I know they don't like receiving my letters but at least I have done my part. I have read and re-read and then read again with a whisky n cigar in hand since Kamunting now just released 5 detainees and there are vacancies there....

    Maybe I will write to The Star editor first...
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  14. 16-09-2009, 12:09 AM #14
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    Err buddy Sentinel...Printed matters...newsprint...novels...books...magazines etc...are exempted from Import Duty...

    To know why books can be costly...ask the publishers/importers n authors...themselves.

    All forms of royalties...
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  15. 16-09-2009, 12:14 AM #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by chewie
    sentinel..what the title u have on MBA books.. if you dont want it, can give to me?

    p/s : buy you nice wan tan mee at seapark :P
    I have some books on Strategic Management, Consumer Behaviour, Business Ethics, Operations Management, Sales Management, Marketing, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics.... mostly hardcovers editions.

    The deal will not be a wantan mee, for each book I bring down all the way to KL, you make a MYR10 donation to Hospice Penang, deal?
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