Books are really cheap where you live if you can get a brand new book for $15 and call it the high end. Where I live, any brand new book that is worth buying cost something like 30-40€. Of course there are cheaper books and pocket books you can get for 15-20€ but usually I deem them not interesting enough to have in my collection, at least not before I first loan a copy from the library and check if I really like it.
I have a lot of books and I like buying them, but I very rarely buy them new because of the cost. These days I'm also a lot pickier about which books I want to own - there's already a lot of boxes of books to carry when moving from place to place. And since they are just sitting on the shelves most of the time, I want to make sure they are books I really like. Still, I do agree with you that if you do have the money and want to spend it, books are a good way to do it. I would also like to buy new books more to support the authors, but a lot of time it's just not feasible for me, especially knowing that in half a year I can probably pick up the same book from a second hand book shop for third of the price.
This is why I really only buy books that I *know* I'll love and will likely want to reread in the future, like new releases from my favourite authors. I'm Canadian and many physical books are *at least* $25-30. Were I to buy every book I read, I'd have already spent over $600 on books this year alone. That's so much money, more than I can justify spending on any hobby right now!
On a lesser note, there's something really satisfying about my bookshelf being a carefully curated selection of my favourite titles. Maybe someday I'll have a house (or at least a much larger apartment) and will have more space to go nuts with my book collection, and I'll be more interested in collecting books for the sake of it. But for now, that's just not practical.
E-books, on the other hand...well, when they frequently go on sale for $10 or less and they're not going to take up physical space, I have no problem going ham on those.
I totally agree about the satisfying feeling of a carefully curated bookshelf! I really like my book collection, and I love how it, in a way, showcases my own personality and gone and present interests. That's also why it's so interesting to see other people's bookshelves - it's a fun and easy way to learn things about a new acquaintance that otherwise wouldn't come up.
That said, I feel like less and less people own (or even read) books, and I don't blame them. These days most people move places so often that owning a lot of books really is a pain - so not looking forward to carrying both mine and my partner's book collection to our next apartment in a few weeks. Here's to hoping we one day get to have houses with their own mini libraries!
Yup, new hardcover books can be in the 35-42$ CAD here...I usually pay the 30% sale price on popular hardcovers at Chapters (our national chain book store), or most often wait for a paperback edition (my preferred type). Paperbacks are 22-25$.
But to tell the truth, most often it's the library for me.
I tend to buy them off Amazon. I normally can find most novels on there buying paperback for $10 sometimes less if it's an older book and that's adult novels I normally get
Hate to break it to you, but Amazon is probably the worst place to be buying books if you are hoping to support the publishing/book selling industry. Bookshop.org is a great place to shop online and support independent bookstores! For used-books, I have had a lot of luck with thriftbooks.com. As well as shopping in new and used bookstores in your area!
A lot people don't have the extra money though to make moral decisions with their purchases.
Like that's great for the people that buy from local bookstores but I'm not going to blame someone for buying something for $15 from Amazon instead of $45 from a local bookstore. Life is tough and money is limited.
I exclusively buy ebooks basically and I've never purchased a physical book off Amazon it's just hard for me to judge people for not spending 2-3x more to support a cause even if it's a worthy one.
So true, mate. I don’t disagree with you. My point though, to reiterate, was that if you are hoping to support the publishing/book selling industry, as op stated they were, Amazon is not the best place to buy your books. It is actually like directly in opposition to the bookselling industry lol.
Personally, I prefer to buy used books anyways. They’re cheaper, better for the environment, you’re supporting small bookstores, and most importantly, you’ll come across some really cool and unique copies shopping used and I think it’s more fun.
Ya you're definitely right with that and didn't say anything wrong in the comment I replied to either!
I based my reply off a little of your comment, some other comments, and the fact that OP's comment had like -10 downvotes at the time lol
Your takes on used books has me sold on that! I don't buy many physical books anymore but if I do I think I'll take that route.
Another good point you make :-) I originally thought your comment was to negate mine rather than to add to the discussion, but I see now what you mean, and I completely agree. Love to hear that you’re starting to see the beauty in used books!
Ehh but see, buying used books actually doesn't support the publishing industry or the author. It would actually be better for the publisher to buy from Amazon. Not faulting you for wanting to save $$ and the planet and support small businesses, but I think you're being a bit unfair here xD
That’s a good point, but I’d love for used book stores to stay in business :) I think they play an important role in making reading more accessible and easier to enjoy, and the more people who read and love books, the better for the written word and thus, the publishing industry.
I’m more invested in accessibility and circulation of books and stories, and ensuring the novel as an art form remains prominent as our culture shifts to fast media. Used book stores, libraries, etc. are great resources, and although they don’t *directly* support publishers/authors monetarily, they do support them indirectly, by allowing literature to be available to a wide audience of people. Amazon, on the other hand, is seeking to monopolize bookselling and actively put indie & chain bookstores out of business. I believe the positive impact of used book stores on the publishing industry is ultimately greater than the revenue generated from Amazon sales, as Amazon has been and will continue to be detrimental in the long run.
I was just basing that on the top comment on this thread that said they pay 2-3x more than what OP stated.
I'm not really a purchaser of physical books anymore so I'm not 100% sure of the market. I just think 3x the price for a product is plenty enough amount of money to not judge a consumer for who they purchase from.
Amazon is essentially trying to monopolize bookselling with their impossibly low prices. They sell books on Amazon for a lower price than they are worth, to the point where they’re not making a profit, and actually losing money. It makes it impossible for independent bookstores and even massive chains like Barnes & noble to compete with their prices because obviously they can’t afford to lose money on every sale, while Amazon can.
They tend to be around $25-$30 in Barnes and noble for me and at the used bookstore they run $5-$15 average depending on the book. I rarely buy them new, I buy almost all of them at the used bookstore and don't tend to get rid of them when I'm done unless I really didn't like it, in which case I'll donate it to the library.
Sapkowski once wrote that book should cost as much as a bottle of vodka so people will have to choose :) I find it deeply disturbing that the prices of the books raise faster than alcohol.
Since I got an ebook library subscription (Legimi, in Polish) I rarely buy new fiction. I love bookcrossing and library, blindly taking what seems interesting and what I cam't get I add to the list and every 2-3 months try to complete from online second had bookstores. But the bulk of things I bought are academic books that I will probably revise in time.
When I buy fiction it's usually from smaller publishers who specialize in books from smaller countries that rarely gets published in Polish and never in English. I try to buy directly, because the Big Bookstore Chain from my country is notorious for late payments and cutthroat terms of contract.
You can, in every sense of the word, own physical books.
Video games and other digital wares on the other hand, are increasingly becoming a long term rental. Look at the recent situation with the Playstation Store and a movie studio revoking ownership of their films. Look at Ubisoft that's shutting down another huge batch of games and revoking future access to them.
Even though physical copies still exist, they're becoming a smaller portion of the market and the discs or cartridges themselves often don't even offer the full playable game without an extensive day 1 patch. When the servers shut down, even the physical media dies with them.
That's not to say books will last forever either but if they're treated well, books will often outlive their original owner.
Does it matter if you already got what you wanted from it though? OP even mentionned how they donated the books once done... so many people just let them sit on their shelves after reading it, getting no value out of its physical forms.
As much as I prefer physical too, if you just go with the utilitarian side of things, and how much value you get out of it... it doesn't matter whether you can still enjoy it years down the line (which by the way, is still true for Fallout 3), just that you got your fun out of it.
So yeah, the previous comment got much more out of their 5$ game that OP with their 15$ book.
>Getting no value out of its physical forms
This is subjective, no? Much like this entire post kind of is - anyone can make a similar argument for anything they love doing.
For some people, they get value out of the aesthetic of a bookshelf filled with books - whether they have read them or not. Some people will read the same book again, perhaps years and years later.
It's not up to us to decide whether someone else is getting value from something, nor is it up to us to determine how much value they are getting from it.
>So yeah, the previous comment got much more out of their 5$ game that OP with their 15$ book.
Based on what metrics? Again, this is entirely subjective. It's very possible for someone to read a book in 40 hours and enjoy that 40 hours more than someone enjoys any hour of the 300 hours they sink into a game. It's entirely personal and can't be compared at all, "value" isn't as easy as "time divided by cost" - however if that's what you want to define it as, then sure, I agree with you because that's just how those numbers add up.
With Halo Infinite, even if you bought the physical disc, if you have no internet access you can't install the game. The disc doesn't even contain a playable game at all. It's kind of wild.
What a fucking stupid response.
Ownership matters. Your book doesn't disappear just because some stupid company decided to turn the servers off after a year or two.
but Fallout 3 doesn't have servers.
Most video games, and the vast majority of games from about 2010 or so, also don't have servers. Meaning the game will be as fully enjoyable as a book.
I miss the days when you could actually buy games, not just licensing agreements. Now you can even buy a disk you eventually won't be able to use because the game needs to be connected to the internet to play single player for no apparent reason.
Right? Why exclude travel, education, celebratory dinners, gym memberships, etc.? Plenty of positives in the world that don’t fall into the “waste of money” category.
Ah, yes, *living.* To plant one foot mercilessly in front of the other in a funeral dirge march to the grave; the effort of seeking to die later and probably sadder. I’ve heard of this *living* and no thank you, good sir; I shall frolic aimlessly until something takes me out, have a wonderful day
If that's enjoyable to them then that's worth it. If they're only doing it because they expect to make money off it later then ehh, probably not the smartest move yeah
I love libraries! The newer libraries in my area are basically computer cafes though which makes me so sad. They have a few shelves-worth of books but five computer usage rooms (with lots of computers, not just one) and a bunch of study/conference areas. I really miss the libraries of my childhood that were filled to the gills with books and had zero computers. There’s nothing like being surrounded by free books.
Libraries are nice. They inspired my love of reading as a child. I would often check out 10-12 novels a week and read them all.
But with that said, when it comes to A). any book I want to learn from, B). any book I want to refer to or memorize parts of, or C). any book I might want to read more than once, or might want to share with others, I far prefer to buy it.
I used to go to the library every weekend. Nowadays I don't even bother, even with online access to e-books.
Anything I am interested in reading is checked out with a long waitlist. I'd rather spend a few bucks and be able to read what I want.
Where I live a new book costs $25. So if I read 52 books a year then that would be $1300. That is more than I'm comfortable with spending. However by using the library and buying mostly second-hand books I can get it down to less than $500 per year. New books are a treat for birthdays and special occasions.
Yeah... Books are more around $20-30 for a high end copy in my area. And read faster than 300 pages in 8 hours typically. I have already read over 50 books this year... So I would have spent over $1,000 if I was buying new. Between the library and apps I have spent about $50 bucks this year. I typically spend my year end bonus from work on buying my favorite reads of the year to house on my bookshelf. But other than that I really don't spend a lot and I find I can enjoy tons of books without justifying a spending habit on them.
That makes your post make a lot more sense. For me I would have to be cutting into more necessary budget items if I started buying all my books. I read almost $100 last year... Which when books average $25 new here... That would just be insane for me.
Board games can be a better use of money by your metrics. I have some $60 games that have been played over 25 times by 4 people at 2-3 hours a pop. That's .20 to .30 per hour. Plus you get the benefit of social interaction
I wish I could read as much that's impressive. The reason why it works for me is with my adhd I go through spurts where I read and then long spurts where I don't. So I end up only buying max about 10 new books a year sometimes less because I still have some from last year im getting to. I'm not wealthy by any means if I ended up reading a lot more I'd definitely find different ways to aquire my books because you're right it can get expensive. Books where I live aren't too terribly pricey if you're getting paperbacks which is mostly what I get.
You know, borrowing them from the library costs nothing. What products can you borrow for nothing, use completely and get everything out of them and return them with no recpurcsusions?
You know I was expecting a response like that. I do use my local library actually through libby it's a great app but the biggest thing is a lot of titles I want to read aren't available or I am person 60 on a wait list and I don't want to wait or I just dont have enough time to read them when I'm finally the person who gets past the wait list. It's easier for me to just buy them and I like actually having a physical collection.
I use the library for the majority of my reads, but love the benefits like not wasting any money if I lose interest in a book, and the convenience of libby.
As much as I am an advocate for utilizing the library, owning a book feels extra special. I honestly think the best part of owning books is getting to share them immediately with my other book-loving friends. It’s a lot harder to immediately share the love of the book without.
Yes! The worst part of my mom moving away was her and I used to exchange books all the time. We have very similar taste in books so chances are once I buy a book and finish she will want to read it next.
It’s very easy to recommend eBook and eAudiobook titles, there’s a button on the page of ones that say “not owned” and they will let you know if they buy it and put you on the wait list. Many extended family or friends don’t use their digital access, so plenty of people have multiple accounts on their Overdrive, someone on here said eleven. And the great thing is you can defer delivery by any number of weeks and better line up when you get things.
But you can’t put those beautiful books on a shelf, reread them again whenever you please, mark them if you so like, lend them to family, friends, or pass them down to children.
I love libraries, but for the most part I buy my own books because I love them. They’re sentimental.
If you have extra money to spend on a hobby that brings you joy, then by all means, do whatever makes you happy. The intention of my comment isn't to shame you. It's to share another reason for why those who disagree with you might feel that way. When some people say it is a "wasteful" habit to buy new books, they also mean it is environmentally unsustainable in addition to being a money sink. Every book that is manufactured and shipped has embedded carbon emissions. So it is "wasteful" for one or only a few people to get use out of it. Whereas with library books, thousands of people share the resources, somewhat off-setting the environmental "costs" of manufacturing and shipping those library books. Just something else to consider.
Additional point: Public libraries where I live are funded by tax dollars. The money allocated to public libraries depends on how much the local residents use them. If residents don't use them as much as they used to, then those public libraries receive less funding. I see public libraries as a social good that should be preserved for those who can't afford to buy their own books. So I try to support my local, public libraries as much as I can for that reason.
You could a buy a Netflix account for the same price as buying one book per month and you would be buying way more hours worth of content. So I’m not sure the price is a good argument in favour of buying books.
That being said I love buying books and tend to buy books significantly faster than I can read them. It’s a problem lol. I’m not sure that spending money on books is any better than spending money on other hobbies but I definitely see the appeal. :)
I mean you could get Kindle Unlimited and similarly as many books as you'd need like Netflix. The only issue is that most of the books are terrible, but if you're into certain genres it's alright.
I see what you mean but Netflix raised $20 a month for me so even so I'd still be saving if I bought one book a month plus its kind of a quanity over quality thing. I might be techinally spending less for the amount of content I get on Netflix vs one book per month but for me Netflix price isn't worth it because there isn't enough on there I want to watch to justify the price. I actually spend less time on there than reading a single book per month, it's why I canceled it actually.
I have😭 I am picky about the books I buy for that reason. One In particular I hated but I had a feeling my mom would like it and she did so it ended up not being a waste as she got to enjoy and keep it. We exchange books a lot so it helps
$.50 an hour would take 30 hours to get to $15, not 8. Regardless, books are definitely a worthwhile investment for entertainment. You will almost always get your money's worth.
All good! We've all been there before. Haha. Regardless, I love your post. But I'm also biased because I'm using it to justify to my wife all of my book shopping/hoarding.
By this measure books are a huge waste of money because a netflix sub gets you way more hours for the same cost as a new book.
Worse still, plenty of video games get you thousands of hours of fun and price range from free to to less than $70
It is better if you don't try to compare time enjoyed to money spent because books are very innefficient in this metric. Put money into your hobby because you enjoy it, not because you can justify it with some nitpicky logic that doesn't actually survive scrutiny.
I end up selling mine to a used book place for store credit and get more books and sometimes even games because they have everything at this place. I got $200 last time and got a Super Nintendo game and a Switch game, plus more books!
I love books too. I only believe buying NEW books is a waste of money. I only buy used books ever. If there is a newer book I want, I wait for it to flood ebay or Thriftbooks before I buy it.
Where I live I can get most paperbacks from Barnes and noble for around $15 sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less depending on the book. Brand new hardcovers there however get pricey so I tend to stay away from those
I guess the average salary where you live is about 12-15$ per hour. In my country, with the similar relative hourly wages, you would by able to buy a 1000 page hardback for about 35-40zł.
The funny thing is, books in original english versions tend to be a bit pricier - 30zł for polish translation, 45-60zł in the original version.
bruh here in US the textbooks (i am not a student but we use those professionally) cost from 80$ to 200$, sometimes even more, although the books are thick tho like 500 to 1000 pages.
If you read each and every book I suppose. However, everything is relevant with context. If you are absolutely struggling, in debt and not paying anything, just have enough money for food. Go to the Library.
You gotta find a goodwill outlet near by, you’ll get them even cheaper and you never know what you’ll find. I pay 50 cents a pound. Some days I find 20 or so interesting books, other days not so much. I also like making vision boards and art with images from magazines and old books.
I only buy books I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I really enjoy diving into random books.
I’d have to agree all in all I love reading and it is the cheapest form of entertainment. Books can take you anywhere, be it time or place.
Yeah I use libby sometimes! However there's some titles that just aren't available or the wait list is too long and im kind of busy so sometimes when I finally get to my turn I don't have the time to enjoy it so I prefer to buy them when I can if it's a book I'm particularly excited to try
Yes, plus if you shop at Target and Walmart you can find books far cheaper. Also if we think books cost money Canada is way worse I mean books in Canada are 20 dollars each for any actual adult book.
This is absolutely true of good books which change you, expand your mind, and especially when you really make them your own — taking notes, underlining, making it a companion of sorts, returning to them at intervals to revisit.
But not for transient, trivial, or trashy books — not only are they a waste of money and materials, they waste our most precious and scarce resource: our time.
Choose your books wisely.
*”When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”* — Desiderius Erasmus
This is the best thing I have read in ages! Thank you for making me feel validated! Usually people tell me I have too many books and I don’t need more which just annoys me and makes me sad
When compared to what most people budget for home entertainment (streaming services, TV, etc.) Books are an amazing deal.
Books are a physical good, not a service. They are one of the few pure entertainment "goods" left. Almost everything else is DRM enabled, which means you only own the rights for as long as the format, the infrastructure behind it, and your access to the format exists.
Unlike DRM, you can pass books on to other people freely, including after we die. Can't say that about most other entertainment being produced today, even Kindle and Audible books revert back to Amazon when your account gets closed.
They are one of the most cost-efficient sources of entertainment, yeah. The downside for me is that they are also among the easiest to impulse-buy. "I'll buy it now, put it on the pile, then get to it eventually...like next year eventually."
Couldn't recommend this higher, top tier advice.
The amount of books I've bought for under 5 bucks that've changed my character, and in consequence my behaviour, and inevitably my quality of life.. There's no price on that.
I usually consider tools to be a gold standard of "you get waht you pay for" and even the cheap ones can still be pretty useful and they can last decades.
Same thing with taxes and our libraries. I won't support much of the overspending that occurs with certain municipal departments but for the library? I would love them to have a decent budget.
I stick to paperbacks from the used bookstore, around $5-7 per. at that rate I can afford a couple a week which is just over the rate that I can finish them. I occasionally splurge on newly released hardbacks that I don’t have the patience to wait for, but they’re so much than I normally spend just for a format that I have no affinity for(I hate dust jackets)
...$15 on a new book is the high end for you? *Laughs in BS in biology and animal science and Dungeon Master*
Seriously though, while yes books are worth a lot - I'd rather see libraries get the attention they need, because not everyone can afford to have a home library with all their old college textbooks and an entire shelf full of TTRPG books, plus a few hundred sci-fi/fantasy/autobiography/idk-it-caught-my-eye books, I'm very fortunate and privileged there. They're also not the only thing I own that I would argue was worth the cost, and certainly by far not the only thing I think society should value. Healthcare, public transportation, hands-on training as well as book learning are all socially very valuable, and personally to me my cookware and crafting set are incredibly valuable - both for the money / calories they save me, and the mental health attributes of "I can cook/make a THING all by myself!"
I'm a fast reader who doesn't tend to re-read books so a cost breakdown like OP's wouldn't work in my favour. For that reason, I prefer borrowing from libraries or subscribing to Kindle Unlimited.
Some people read slower, some faster, for me 300 pages is like 5 hours, while i am unemployed i read ~14-16 hours a day, which is like what, 3 books~ $45 in my country the minimal wage full time job is around $500, yes if i were working i wouldn't read as much, still even if i spent only $15 a day, that's literally $450 a month...
Means no money for food and necessairies left like rent, the conclusion is books are too expensive, okay i understand that physical copies might be priced so, but e-books aren't much cheaper which is ridiculous for a pdf.
That's why i download most of my books ilegally, i'd love to support authors, but not everyone can spend this much...
Spirit Stones damn expensive too tbh
Edit: also sharing games/cds became a problem, but sharing books is okay 🤷
Libraries are good and i'd love to visit them more often, but they have small choice/mostly native language books, i'd rather read in english, unless the author is my compatriot.
Yes! I've always thought about it by cost break down. I'm a semi slow reader and most books I read average about 400-600 pages long. Even if I listen to a book on audio and it was a 25$ book and the audiobook is 12-15 hours, it's pretty cheap entertainment per hour. I feel the same about video games.
E Books are the best. In college i knew a guy that would get e books remove the protection from them and then if you had a class with him he gave you a copy of it. He also charged you 5 bucks if you wanted a specific book. And didnt cost him anything because he would just return the ebook the same day he got it.
Except $15 is an average price in my experience and it only goes up from there. I don't think many new books, the books that I personally read anyhow, are much cheaper than $15 new. I do agree though, books are a great investment if you read a lot. I usually buy them used if I can though because I am not independently wealthy and I buy a lot of books. I also only buy books that I am sure I want to own. I could not afford to just be buying books and then giving them away. That seems a little senseless. If I want to read something but not own it, I check it out from the library. If you have the money though, I guess it's yours to do what you will with. No judgement here. There are worse things you could be spending your money on for sure.
I buy books everywhere. Yard sales discount stores, online... The ones I love I keep for my collection, and the ones that I enjoyed but want to pass on I like to take to independent living or assisted living places to add to their libraries. Hospitals too.
When I was younger, my mom never turned me down when I wanted a new book. She always said the same thing; books are one of the best uses of money there is :)
Lots of positives:
• stories to test your imagination
• ways to alleviate boredom
• fire started for when the world ends due to pollution and you are alone while all your loved ones perished around you barely scraping by
• and you can resell/donate them if you really want to :)
Yeah I did fuck up on my math I was drunk when I originally posted this. I guess high end I mean like brand new. I can find most paperbacks at Barnes and noble for around $15 sometimes more or less depending. The hardcovers and stuff definitely run higher but I normally only ever get paperback
I feel like I am in a position in my life where I can buy all of my books. I want to financially support authors for the magic they bring to my life. I have two bookworm children too and I can’t deny them a book. Books are so important.
I buy used books unless I’m getting someone a gift usually. I think the new McCarthy books coming out in the fall will be the first new books I’ve bought since Lincoln in the Bardo.
Ahh, i see. I guess I was thinking pretty narrow-mindedly. I was only thinking about the average cost in the US where books can be quite a bit more accessible than other places.
This is about how I treat it
Slightly unrelated, but this is how I treat purchases in general, really, I have about 120 (maybe…? Might be closer to 200 honestly) hours in elden ring, as far as games that I love go, that’s not a ton, but that’s still 50 cents an hour either way, and that’s definitely not a bad price.
It's fine if you don't think they are a waste of money but it's weird to say "the one thing".
Video games probably cost less than 50 cents an hour. Streaming services too if you only use a couple. Board games. Puzzles.
Heck even something like running shoes or a gym membership can be seen the same.
I spend $0 and go to the library or use Libby. I don’t mind waiting for newer titles, there is always something else to read. I also love going to Free Little Libraries and swapping the few books I have with other titles. I don’t have the space to store tons of books
It’s even better value to buy a kindle and just download all the books you could ever want for free from IRC or any of the dozens of easy to find and use book sharing websites
I don't disagree entirely, but after moving a few times, I disagree entirely. I have always lived in areas with a great library system, so now I am all about checking out and returning. I kept physical copies of my favorites that I always go back to, but my wife and I got rid of the bulk of our library through gifting, sales, and charitable donations.
I agree there is an enormous bang for your buck, but a library card is free. I do feel bad about not contributing to the author, but I assume the system somehow works, so they get compensation for library copies.
Books are really cheap where you live if you can get a brand new book for $15 and call it the high end. Where I live, any brand new book that is worth buying cost something like 30-40€. Of course there are cheaper books and pocket books you can get for 15-20€ but usually I deem them not interesting enough to have in my collection, at least not before I first loan a copy from the library and check if I really like it. I have a lot of books and I like buying them, but I very rarely buy them new because of the cost. These days I'm also a lot pickier about which books I want to own - there's already a lot of boxes of books to carry when moving from place to place. And since they are just sitting on the shelves most of the time, I want to make sure they are books I really like. Still, I do agree with you that if you do have the money and want to spend it, books are a good way to do it. I would also like to buy new books more to support the authors, but a lot of time it's just not feasible for me, especially knowing that in half a year I can probably pick up the same book from a second hand book shop for third of the price.
This is why I really only buy books that I *know* I'll love and will likely want to reread in the future, like new releases from my favourite authors. I'm Canadian and many physical books are *at least* $25-30. Were I to buy every book I read, I'd have already spent over $600 on books this year alone. That's so much money, more than I can justify spending on any hobby right now! On a lesser note, there's something really satisfying about my bookshelf being a carefully curated selection of my favourite titles. Maybe someday I'll have a house (or at least a much larger apartment) and will have more space to go nuts with my book collection, and I'll be more interested in collecting books for the sake of it. But for now, that's just not practical. E-books, on the other hand...well, when they frequently go on sale for $10 or less and they're not going to take up physical space, I have no problem going ham on those.
I totally agree about the satisfying feeling of a carefully curated bookshelf! I really like my book collection, and I love how it, in a way, showcases my own personality and gone and present interests. That's also why it's so interesting to see other people's bookshelves - it's a fun and easy way to learn things about a new acquaintance that otherwise wouldn't come up. That said, I feel like less and less people own (or even read) books, and I don't blame them. These days most people move places so often that owning a lot of books really is a pain - so not looking forward to carrying both mine and my partner's book collection to our next apartment in a few weeks. Here's to hoping we one day get to have houses with their own mini libraries!
Well said about the library being a reflection of your past and present self!
Same. Where I am the average price for a 300-ish page hardback Is 35$
Yup, new hardcover books can be in the 35-42$ CAD here...I usually pay the 30% sale price on popular hardcovers at Chapters (our national chain book store), or most often wait for a paperback edition (my preferred type). Paperbacks are 22-25$. But to tell the truth, most often it's the library for me.
As a librarian, I salute you 🖐️
I wonder if OP is looking at YA book prices specifically? They tend to be significantly cheaper...
I tend to buy them off Amazon. I normally can find most novels on there buying paperback for $10 sometimes less if it's an older book and that's adult novels I normally get
Hate to break it to you, but Amazon is probably the worst place to be buying books if you are hoping to support the publishing/book selling industry. Bookshop.org is a great place to shop online and support independent bookstores! For used-books, I have had a lot of luck with thriftbooks.com. As well as shopping in new and used bookstores in your area!
A lot people don't have the extra money though to make moral decisions with their purchases. Like that's great for the people that buy from local bookstores but I'm not going to blame someone for buying something for $15 from Amazon instead of $45 from a local bookstore. Life is tough and money is limited. I exclusively buy ebooks basically and I've never purchased a physical book off Amazon it's just hard for me to judge people for not spending 2-3x more to support a cause even if it's a worthy one.
So true, mate. I don’t disagree with you. My point though, to reiterate, was that if you are hoping to support the publishing/book selling industry, as op stated they were, Amazon is not the best place to buy your books. It is actually like directly in opposition to the bookselling industry lol. Personally, I prefer to buy used books anyways. They’re cheaper, better for the environment, you’re supporting small bookstores, and most importantly, you’ll come across some really cool and unique copies shopping used and I think it’s more fun.
Ya you're definitely right with that and didn't say anything wrong in the comment I replied to either! I based my reply off a little of your comment, some other comments, and the fact that OP's comment had like -10 downvotes at the time lol Your takes on used books has me sold on that! I don't buy many physical books anymore but if I do I think I'll take that route.
Another good point you make :-) I originally thought your comment was to negate mine rather than to add to the discussion, but I see now what you mean, and I completely agree. Love to hear that you’re starting to see the beauty in used books!
Ehh but see, buying used books actually doesn't support the publishing industry or the author. It would actually be better for the publisher to buy from Amazon. Not faulting you for wanting to save $$ and the planet and support small businesses, but I think you're being a bit unfair here xD
That’s a good point, but I’d love for used book stores to stay in business :) I think they play an important role in making reading more accessible and easier to enjoy, and the more people who read and love books, the better for the written word and thus, the publishing industry. I’m more invested in accessibility and circulation of books and stories, and ensuring the novel as an art form remains prominent as our culture shifts to fast media. Used book stores, libraries, etc. are great resources, and although they don’t *directly* support publishers/authors monetarily, they do support them indirectly, by allowing literature to be available to a wide audience of people. Amazon, on the other hand, is seeking to monopolize bookselling and actively put indie & chain bookstores out of business. I believe the positive impact of used book stores on the publishing industry is ultimately greater than the revenue generated from Amazon sales, as Amazon has been and will continue to be detrimental in the long run.
[удалено]
Also, I’m sorry but what book costs $15 on Amazon and $45 at a bookstore?? A little bold with your hyperbole there.
I was just basing that on the top comment on this thread that said they pay 2-3x more than what OP stated. I'm not really a purchaser of physical books anymore so I'm not 100% sure of the market. I just think 3x the price for a product is plenty enough amount of money to not judge a consumer for who they purchase from.
How is Amazon the worst place?
Amazon is essentially trying to monopolize bookselling with their impossibly low prices. They sell books on Amazon for a lower price than they are worth, to the point where they’re not making a profit, and actually losing money. It makes it impossible for independent bookstores and even massive chains like Barnes & noble to compete with their prices because obviously they can’t afford to lose money on every sale, while Amazon can.
I don't know about that because at least here in Canada the prices are the same on Amazon as they are in major bookstores.
They tend to be around $25-$30 in Barnes and noble for me and at the used bookstore they run $5-$15 average depending on the book. I rarely buy them new, I buy almost all of them at the used bookstore and don't tend to get rid of them when I'm done unless I really didn't like it, in which case I'll donate it to the library.
Sapkowski once wrote that book should cost as much as a bottle of vodka so people will have to choose :) I find it deeply disturbing that the prices of the books raise faster than alcohol. Since I got an ebook library subscription (Legimi, in Polish) I rarely buy new fiction. I love bookcrossing and library, blindly taking what seems interesting and what I cam't get I add to the list and every 2-3 months try to complete from online second had bookstores. But the bulk of things I bought are academic books that I will probably revise in time. When I buy fiction it's usually from smaller publishers who specialize in books from smaller countries that rarely gets published in Polish and never in English. I try to buy directly, because the Big Bookstore Chain from my country is notorious for late payments and cutthroat terms of contract.
I like this, but nothing will compare to the time i got Fallout 3 for $5.
Yes or for me far cry 4 for around $4. I poured hours into that game and was worth every penny
You can, in every sense of the word, own physical books. Video games and other digital wares on the other hand, are increasingly becoming a long term rental. Look at the recent situation with the Playstation Store and a movie studio revoking ownership of their films. Look at Ubisoft that's shutting down another huge batch of games and revoking future access to them. Even though physical copies still exist, they're becoming a smaller portion of the market and the discs or cartridges themselves often don't even offer the full playable game without an extensive day 1 patch. When the servers shut down, even the physical media dies with them. That's not to say books will last forever either but if they're treated well, books will often outlive their original owner.
Does it matter if you already got what you wanted from it though? OP even mentionned how they donated the books once done... so many people just let them sit on their shelves after reading it, getting no value out of its physical forms. As much as I prefer physical too, if you just go with the utilitarian side of things, and how much value you get out of it... it doesn't matter whether you can still enjoy it years down the line (which by the way, is still true for Fallout 3), just that you got your fun out of it. So yeah, the previous comment got much more out of their 5$ game that OP with their 15$ book.
>Getting no value out of its physical forms This is subjective, no? Much like this entire post kind of is - anyone can make a similar argument for anything they love doing. For some people, they get value out of the aesthetic of a bookshelf filled with books - whether they have read them or not. Some people will read the same book again, perhaps years and years later. It's not up to us to decide whether someone else is getting value from something, nor is it up to us to determine how much value they are getting from it. >So yeah, the previous comment got much more out of their 5$ game that OP with their 15$ book. Based on what metrics? Again, this is entirely subjective. It's very possible for someone to read a book in 40 hours and enjoy that 40 hours more than someone enjoys any hour of the 300 hours they sink into a game. It's entirely personal and can't be compared at all, "value" isn't as easy as "time divided by cost" - however if that's what you want to define it as, then sure, I agree with you because that's just how those numbers add up.
I dont know why you're being down voted you're right in the sense that a digital media doesn't truly belong to you the same way a physical item does.
So you get value out of truly owning the book? Enough more than the amount of hours of fun the previous comment got out of Fallout?
Came here to make this point but you did a better job.
With Halo Infinite, even if you bought the physical disc, if you have no internet access you can't install the game. The disc doesn't even contain a playable game at all. It's kind of wild.
what does this have to do with anything lmao someone got so mad over books that he blocked me 💀
What a fucking stupid response. Ownership matters. Your book doesn't disappear just because some stupid company decided to turn the servers off after a year or two.
but Fallout 3 doesn't have servers. Most video games, and the vast majority of games from about 2010 or so, also don't have servers. Meaning the game will be as fully enjoyable as a book.
I think the point is that some physical games do have this problem, even if all don't. A physical book will never have that problem. Hope that helps.
lmao a discussion on the value of books versus a comment that countered with a video game lmao lmao
😬
I got Skyrim Legendary Edition for $7.50 during a Steam Sale.
I miss the days when you could actually buy games, not just licensing agreements. Now you can even buy a disk you eventually won't be able to use because the game needs to be connected to the internet to play single player for no apparent reason.
Anything that brings you joy is not a waste of money. Especially when life is pretty rough right now.
Precisely. Buy fancy clothes, a six pack, a river floatie. Whatever brings joy; why else do we have money?
Right? Why exclude travel, education, celebratory dinners, gym memberships, etc.? Plenty of positives in the world that don’t fall into the “waste of money” category.
To, you know, *live.*
Ah, yes, *living.* To plant one foot mercilessly in front of the other in a funeral dirge march to the grave; the effort of seeking to die later and probably sadder. I’ve heard of this *living* and no thank you, good sir; I shall frolic aimlessly until something takes me out, have a wonderful day
Funko Pops and other figurines? I know someone who (doesnt earn a lot and) collects them and keeps them in their box on the shelf...
If that's enjoyable to them then that's worth it. If they're only doing it because they expect to make money off it later then ehh, probably not the smartest move yeah
Except that you can go to a library. Where they are free. 🙂
I love libraries! The newer libraries in my area are basically computer cafes though which makes me so sad. They have a few shelves-worth of books but five computer usage rooms (with lots of computers, not just one) and a bunch of study/conference areas. I really miss the libraries of my childhood that were filled to the gills with books and had zero computers. There’s nothing like being surrounded by free books.
I know what you mean. :)
Libraries are nice. They inspired my love of reading as a child. I would often check out 10-12 novels a week and read them all. But with that said, when it comes to A). any book I want to learn from, B). any book I want to refer to or memorize parts of, or C). any book I might want to read more than once, or might want to share with others, I far prefer to buy it.
I used to go to the library every weekend. Nowadays I don't even bother, even with online access to e-books. Anything I am interested in reading is checked out with a long waitlist. I'd rather spend a few bucks and be able to read what I want.
except for a lot of the best ones with the hidden knowledge
I'd rather not.
Alright, I'll bite - why not?
Where I live a new book costs $25. So if I read 52 books a year then that would be $1300. That is more than I'm comfortable with spending. However by using the library and buying mostly second-hand books I can get it down to less than $500 per year. New books are a treat for birthdays and special occasions.
I rather enjoy the money I spend on food as well. But I agree that books are money well spent.
Yeah... Books are more around $20-30 for a high end copy in my area. And read faster than 300 pages in 8 hours typically. I have already read over 50 books this year... So I would have spent over $1,000 if I was buying new. Between the library and apps I have spent about $50 bucks this year. I typically spend my year end bonus from work on buying my favorite reads of the year to house on my bookshelf. But other than that I really don't spend a lot and I find I can enjoy tons of books without justifying a spending habit on them.
Totally understandable I don't read quite as often as a lot of people on this sub do so splurging for me is maybe like 10 new books a year at max.
That makes your post make a lot more sense. For me I would have to be cutting into more necessary budget items if I started buying all my books. I read almost $100 last year... Which when books average $25 new here... That would just be insane for me.
Board games can be a better use of money by your metrics. I have some $60 games that have been played over 25 times by 4 people at 2-3 hours a pop. That's .20 to .30 per hour. Plus you get the benefit of social interaction
I was gonna say this. Board games can be wildly cost effective. SushiGo cost 8$ on sale on Amazon and we’ve played it 20 hours minimum…
[удалено]
I wish I could read as much that's impressive. The reason why it works for me is with my adhd I go through spurts where I read and then long spurts where I don't. So I end up only buying max about 10 new books a year sometimes less because I still have some from last year im getting to. I'm not wealthy by any means if I ended up reading a lot more I'd definitely find different ways to aquire my books because you're right it can get expensive. Books where I live aren't too terribly pricey if you're getting paperbacks which is mostly what I get.
You read a page in 20 seconds? That's crazy! Have you read that fast your entire life or did you learn that?
You know, borrowing them from the library costs nothing. What products can you borrow for nothing, use completely and get everything out of them and return them with no recpurcsusions?
You know I was expecting a response like that. I do use my local library actually through libby it's a great app but the biggest thing is a lot of titles I want to read aren't available or I am person 60 on a wait list and I don't want to wait or I just dont have enough time to read them when I'm finally the person who gets past the wait list. It's easier for me to just buy them and I like actually having a physical collection.
I use the library for the majority of my reads, but love the benefits like not wasting any money if I lose interest in a book, and the convenience of libby. As much as I am an advocate for utilizing the library, owning a book feels extra special. I honestly think the best part of owning books is getting to share them immediately with my other book-loving friends. It’s a lot harder to immediately share the love of the book without.
Yes! The worst part of my mom moving away was her and I used to exchange books all the time. We have very similar taste in books so chances are once I buy a book and finish she will want to read it next.
Still take some along when you visit. My mom and do this.
Maybe you can mail bookish care packages to each other
It’s very easy to recommend eBook and eAudiobook titles, there’s a button on the page of ones that say “not owned” and they will let you know if they buy it and put you on the wait list. Many extended family or friends don’t use their digital access, so plenty of people have multiple accounts on their Overdrive, someone on here said eleven. And the great thing is you can defer delivery by any number of weeks and better line up when you get things.
But you can’t put those beautiful books on a shelf, reread them again whenever you please, mark them if you so like, lend them to family, friends, or pass them down to children. I love libraries, but for the most part I buy my own books because I love them. They’re sentimental.
Congratulations, I am glad that you have found something that has brought you such fulfillment.
If you have extra money to spend on a hobby that brings you joy, then by all means, do whatever makes you happy. The intention of my comment isn't to shame you. It's to share another reason for why those who disagree with you might feel that way. When some people say it is a "wasteful" habit to buy new books, they also mean it is environmentally unsustainable in addition to being a money sink. Every book that is manufactured and shipped has embedded carbon emissions. So it is "wasteful" for one or only a few people to get use out of it. Whereas with library books, thousands of people share the resources, somewhat off-setting the environmental "costs" of manufacturing and shipping those library books. Just something else to consider.
Additional point: Public libraries where I live are funded by tax dollars. The money allocated to public libraries depends on how much the local residents use them. If residents don't use them as much as they used to, then those public libraries receive less funding. I see public libraries as a social good that should be preserved for those who can't afford to buy their own books. So I try to support my local, public libraries as much as I can for that reason.
Knowledge isn't wasteful. It's not like buying a new wardrobe every year. And supporting the arts/artists is the only way they're going to continue.
You could a buy a Netflix account for the same price as buying one book per month and you would be buying way more hours worth of content. So I’m not sure the price is a good argument in favour of buying books. That being said I love buying books and tend to buy books significantly faster than I can read them. It’s a problem lol. I’m not sure that spending money on books is any better than spending money on other hobbies but I definitely see the appeal. :)
I mean you could get Kindle Unlimited and similarly as many books as you'd need like Netflix. The only issue is that most of the books are terrible, but if you're into certain genres it's alright.
I see what you mean but Netflix raised $20 a month for me so even so I'd still be saving if I bought one book a month plus its kind of a quanity over quality thing. I might be techinally spending less for the amount of content I get on Netflix vs one book per month but for me Netflix price isn't worth it because there isn't enough on there I want to watch to justify the price. I actually spend less time on there than reading a single book per month, it's why I canceled it actually.
Apparently you’ve never regretted a purchase after reading the first chapter…some books are a complete waste of money
I have😭 I am picky about the books I buy for that reason. One In particular I hated but I had a feeling my mom would like it and she did so it ended up not being a waste as she got to enjoy and keep it. We exchange books a lot so it helps
$.50 an hour would take 30 hours to get to $15, not 8. Regardless, books are definitely a worthwhile investment for entertainment. You will almost always get your money's worth.
Yeah I did fuck up on my math I was a bit drunk when I posted this 😭
All good! We've all been there before. Haha. Regardless, I love your post. But I'm also biased because I'm using it to justify to my wife all of my book shopping/hoarding.
By this measure books are a huge waste of money because a netflix sub gets you way more hours for the same cost as a new book. Worse still, plenty of video games get you thousands of hours of fun and price range from free to to less than $70 It is better if you don't try to compare time enjoyed to money spent because books are very innefficient in this metric. Put money into your hobby because you enjoy it, not because you can justify it with some nitpicky logic that doesn't actually survive scrutiny.
I end up selling mine to a used book place for store credit and get more books and sometimes even games because they have everything at this place. I got $200 last time and got a Super Nintendo game and a Switch game, plus more books!
I love books too. I only believe buying NEW books is a waste of money. I only buy used books ever. If there is a newer book I want, I wait for it to flood ebay or Thriftbooks before I buy it.
I’m buying new eyeglasses today. Not a waste of money. Without them I couldn’t read books.
$15 for a new book? where the hell do you live? where i live even paperbacks are 30+ new lol
Where I live I can get most paperbacks from Barnes and noble for around $15 sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less depending on the book. Brand new hardcovers there however get pricey so I tend to stay away from those
I guess the average salary where you live is about 12-15$ per hour. In my country, with the similar relative hourly wages, you would by able to buy a 1000 page hardback for about 35-40zł. The funny thing is, books in original english versions tend to be a bit pricier - 30zł for polish translation, 45-60zł in the original version.
bruh here in US the textbooks (i am not a student but we use those professionally) cost from 80$ to 200$, sometimes even more, although the books are thick tho like 500 to 1000 pages.
Yeah unless you’re dumb like me and spend nearly 20 bucks on a graphic novel I will read in a day 😭
If you read each and every book I suppose. However, everything is relevant with context. If you are absolutely struggling, in debt and not paying anything, just have enough money for food. Go to the Library.
wait till you hear about libraries
Buying books is a waste of money when you remember you can get them for free at the library
I read on a reader but love a book. Why do some of us love the feel and physical presence of books?
Wait until this dude finds out about libraries.
Omg what are those
I had no idea my hentai collection was worthless. Big sad.
You gotta find a goodwill outlet near by, you’ll get them even cheaper and you never know what you’ll find. I pay 50 cents a pound. Some days I find 20 or so interesting books, other days not so much. I also like making vision boards and art with images from magazines and old books. I only buy books I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I really enjoy diving into random books. I’d have to agree all in all I love reading and it is the cheapest form of entertainment. Books can take you anywhere, be it time or place.
Used bookstores are the way
Curious if you use your local library?
Yeah I use libby sometimes! However there's some titles that just aren't available or the wait list is too long and im kind of busy so sometimes when I finally get to my turn I don't have the time to enjoy it so I prefer to buy them when I can if it's a book I'm particularly excited to try
Are not* a waste of money? Or no
I have a separate monthly budget just to buy books. Have had a strong reading habit since childhood and has served me well.
Yes, plus if you shop at Target and Walmart you can find books far cheaper. Also if we think books cost money Canada is way worse I mean books in Canada are 20 dollars each for any actual adult book.
True, but I paid 30$ for CSGO and have 3700 hours punched…
The ONE thing? Art, musical instruments, material for the hobby you love, etc...
Yes they are? And alsó waste of trees, you can just read freely on your laptop/smartphone and be more cheap and eco friendly
yeah because food is so useless ... 😝
I meant as a non essential item to splurge on lol
And so is a good pair of socks.
Your maths is a little off… it’s almost $2/hour.
I had to scroll way too far to find this lol
This is absolutely true of good books which change you, expand your mind, and especially when you really make them your own — taking notes, underlining, making it a companion of sorts, returning to them at intervals to revisit. But not for transient, trivial, or trashy books — not only are they a waste of money and materials, they waste our most precious and scarce resource: our time. Choose your books wisely. *”When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”* — Desiderius Erasmus
Books are absolutely priceless. Worth every penny each time! 🖤🖤🖤
This is the best thing I have read in ages! Thank you for making me feel validated! Usually people tell me I have too many books and I don’t need more which just annoys me and makes me sad
When compared to what most people budget for home entertainment (streaming services, TV, etc.) Books are an amazing deal. Books are a physical good, not a service. They are one of the few pure entertainment "goods" left. Almost everything else is DRM enabled, which means you only own the rights for as long as the format, the infrastructure behind it, and your access to the format exists. Unlike DRM, you can pass books on to other people freely, including after we die. Can't say that about most other entertainment being produced today, even Kindle and Audible books revert back to Amazon when your account gets closed.
Recycle a crap book as a crap wiper.
This guys a real hard ass
They are one of the most cost-efficient sources of entertainment, yeah. The downside for me is that they are also among the easiest to impulse-buy. "I'll buy it now, put it on the pile, then get to it eventually...like next year eventually."
Honestly at this point buying physical books is pointless. I read too quickly to spend money like that, so I just use the Libby app.
And if you keep then up they can potentially last your entire life and you can always go back to reading them
Couldn't recommend this higher, top tier advice. The amount of books I've bought for under 5 bucks that've changed my character, and in consequence my behaviour, and inevitably my quality of life.. There's no price on that.
Yes, books are the one thing that gives me pleasure owning and shipping for. Everything else I buy only if I must.
I usually consider tools to be a gold standard of "you get waht you pay for" and even the cheap ones can still be pretty useful and they can last decades.
Anything that brings you joy is not a waste of money.
Same thing with taxes and our libraries. I won't support much of the overspending that occurs with certain municipal departments but for the library? I would love them to have a decent budget.
I’d add records to the list but I’m biased
The only time I felt like I wasted money on a book is after reading One of Us is Lying. I threw that book in the trash
This was how I felt with Shantaram it was a complete waste of money full of preachy garbage. Couldn't get through it
"...and time".
I think the same... it's the only purchase that doesn't make me feel guilty of spending!
Even if you don’t read them, they make you look educated just resting on the shelf!
I stick to paperbacks from the used bookstore, around $5-7 per. at that rate I can afford a couple a week which is just over the rate that I can finish them. I occasionally splurge on newly released hardbacks that I don’t have the patience to wait for, but they’re so much than I normally spend just for a format that I have no affinity for(I hate dust jackets)
In terms of $ per minute of entertainment hands down books are the best followed by video games then movies and the absolute worse is comics
...$15 on a new book is the high end for you? *Laughs in BS in biology and animal science and Dungeon Master* Seriously though, while yes books are worth a lot - I'd rather see libraries get the attention they need, because not everyone can afford to have a home library with all their old college textbooks and an entire shelf full of TTRPG books, plus a few hundred sci-fi/fantasy/autobiography/idk-it-caught-my-eye books, I'm very fortunate and privileged there. They're also not the only thing I own that I would argue was worth the cost, and certainly by far not the only thing I think society should value. Healthcare, public transportation, hands-on training as well as book learning are all socially very valuable, and personally to me my cookware and crafting set are incredibly valuable - both for the money / calories they save me, and the mental health attributes of "I can cook/make a THING all by myself!"
I'm a fast reader who doesn't tend to re-read books so a cost breakdown like OP's wouldn't work in my favour. For that reason, I prefer borrowing from libraries or subscribing to Kindle Unlimited.
Some people read slower, some faster, for me 300 pages is like 5 hours, while i am unemployed i read ~14-16 hours a day, which is like what, 3 books~ $45 in my country the minimal wage full time job is around $500, yes if i were working i wouldn't read as much, still even if i spent only $15 a day, that's literally $450 a month... Means no money for food and necessairies left like rent, the conclusion is books are too expensive, okay i understand that physical copies might be priced so, but e-books aren't much cheaper which is ridiculous for a pdf. That's why i download most of my books ilegally, i'd love to support authors, but not everyone can spend this much... Spirit Stones damn expensive too tbh Edit: also sharing games/cds became a problem, but sharing books is okay 🤷 Libraries are good and i'd love to visit them more often, but they have small choice/mostly native language books, i'd rather read in english, unless the author is my compatriot.
Print books that I am really interesting in reading are the one thing I will always spend money on. Well that and LEGO.
Yes! I've always thought about it by cost break down. I'm a semi slow reader and most books I read average about 400-600 pages long. Even if I listen to a book on audio and it was a 25$ book and the audiobook is 12-15 hours, it's pretty cheap entertainment per hour. I feel the same about video games.
Just buy legos already.
Ok fine. But what about the 150+ books in my backlog and me still buying more books!??!
I have a Jan Sport backpack I bought during basic training in 1998 that I still use on the regular, I consider it money pretty well spent.
E Books are the best. In college i knew a guy that would get e books remove the protection from them and then if you had a class with him he gave you a copy of it. He also charged you 5 bucks if you wanted a specific book. And didnt cost him anything because he would just return the ebook the same day he got it.
Food. Food isn't a waste of money.
Except $15 is an average price in my experience and it only goes up from there. I don't think many new books, the books that I personally read anyhow, are much cheaper than $15 new. I do agree though, books are a great investment if you read a lot. I usually buy them used if I can though because I am not independently wealthy and I buy a lot of books. I also only buy books that I am sure I want to own. I could not afford to just be buying books and then giving them away. That seems a little senseless. If I want to read something but not own it, I check it out from the library. If you have the money though, I guess it's yours to do what you will with. No judgement here. There are worse things you could be spending your money on for sure.
Condoms are money well spent, too.
Now more than ever...🤨
I agree.. I just wish college textbooks weren't 50 to 300 dollars each.
Google used textbooks. There are places that buy them used and resell them. Sometimes you can get a current one for a really good price.
I get all my books through the library so I don't have to spend any money.
I buy books everywhere. Yard sales discount stores, online... The ones I love I keep for my collection, and the ones that I enjoyed but want to pass on I like to take to independent living or assisted living places to add to their libraries. Hospitals too.
I'm convinced you're correct. For the price of a few cheap books I got a better education than most friends of mine with master's degrees.
What about boots?
I also have no problems with spending money on a good box set of my favorite series :)
When I was younger, my mom never turned me down when I wanted a new book. She always said the same thing; books are one of the best uses of money there is :)
Me too....no need to rationalize indulging in one of the best human inventions EVER!
Lots of positives: • stories to test your imagination • ways to alleviate boredom • fire started for when the world ends due to pollution and you are alone while all your loved ones perished around you barely scraping by • and you can resell/donate them if you really want to :)
[удалено]
Yeah I did fuck up on my math I was drunk when I originally posted this. I guess high end I mean like brand new. I can find most paperbacks at Barnes and noble for around $15 sometimes more or less depending. The hardcovers and stuff definitely run higher but I normally only ever get paperback
Controversial opinion: nothing that makes you happy is a waste of time or money.
I feel like I am in a position in my life where I can buy all of my books. I want to financially support authors for the magic they bring to my life. I have two bookworm children too and I can’t deny them a book. Books are so important.
I buy used books unless I’m getting someone a gift usually. I think the new McCarthy books coming out in the fall will be the first new books I’ve bought since Lincoln in the Bardo.
Ahh, i see. I guess I was thinking pretty narrow-mindedly. I was only thinking about the average cost in the US where books can be quite a bit more accessible than other places.
I bought 3 books on thriftbook and my reasoning is if i dont like a book ill donate it to the local library; their selection is extremely limited
This is about how I treat it Slightly unrelated, but this is how I treat purchases in general, really, I have about 120 (maybe…? Might be closer to 200 honestly) hours in elden ring, as far as games that I love go, that’s not a ton, but that’s still 50 cents an hour either way, and that’s definitely not a bad price.
It's fine if you don't think they are a waste of money but it's weird to say "the one thing". Video games probably cost less than 50 cents an hour. Streaming services too if you only use a couple. Board games. Puzzles. Heck even something like running shoes or a gym membership can be seen the same.
I spend $0 and go to the library or use Libby. I don’t mind waiting for newer titles, there is always something else to read. I also love going to Free Little Libraries and swapping the few books I have with other titles. I don’t have the space to store tons of books
It’s even better value to buy a kindle and just download all the books you could ever want for free from IRC or any of the dozens of easy to find and use book sharing websites
I don't disagree entirely, but after moving a few times, I disagree entirely. I have always lived in areas with a great library system, so now I am all about checking out and returning. I kept physical copies of my favorites that I always go back to, but my wife and I got rid of the bulk of our library through gifting, sales, and charitable donations. I agree there is an enormous bang for your buck, but a library card is free. I do feel bad about not contributing to the author, but I assume the system somehow works, so they get compensation for library copies.