Monday, August 11, 2008

Tuesday Thingers: Book Buying Habits


Today's question: Favorite bookstores. What's your favorite bookstore? Is it an online store or a bricks-and-mortar store? How often do you go book shopping? Is your favorite bookstore (or bookstores) listed as a favorite in LT? Do you attend events at local bookstores? Do you use LT to find events?

I do most of my book shopping online, especially since I joined Paperback Swap last week. I've mailed out over fifty books, and have gotten about 10 so far, with more coming. Before I made the PBS plunge, most of the online books I purchased were from Alibris and Book Depository. Many of the books I enjoy are by UK authors, and Book Depository is an excellent resource--free worldwide shipping, and I usually have my book(s) within a week and in pristine condition!

I've gotten so turned off on brick-and-mortar book shops because there are so few independents, and when I walk into most chains, I can't find the books I want to read. (I didn't think I was that weird when it came to reading! LOL) The one brick-and-mortar exception that I make is the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale. It's one of the top independent mystery book shops in the US, and I have to ration my visits there because I usually need a forklift and a bank loan in order to leave. It's a marvelous place, crammed full of gems and has one of the most knowledgeable and friendly staffs that I've ever run across.

As far as how often I shop...I try to ration the Poisoned Pen to two visits per year. It doesn't sound like much, but I usually walk out of there with at least twenty books. I would imagine that, with PBS, my book buying is going to be cut way down, and that's something I need to do, since my husband and I need to put more money away for our next trip to the UK.

The last time I looked, the Poisoned Pen wasn't listed as a favorite in LT, and I seldom attend events because they're usually held on days that I work. Events at the Poisoned Pen are well attended and usually in a rather small venue. Since I don't do well in crowds, I tend to avoid that sort of thing.

11 comments:

  1. Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! You sound like my kind of book shopper:)

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  2. I feel your pain on the html thing. I thought I had it down pat and had to give it 2 tries to work. This helps me - http://www.echoecho.com/htmllinks01.htm I hope that worked.

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  3. You've had that much activity in a week at PBS? :-o Wow...

    I've not heard of Book Depository, I'll have to check it out.

    I know what you mean about not finding what your looking for in the "Bricks and Mortar" store. I often have to order what I'm wanting. They didn't have Kafka on the Shore (which I haven't even read yet, but couldn't live without), Middlemarch (ditto), and a lot of other books I've wanted. But I love shopping there for the people, not so much the inventory :-D

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  4. PBS is a great site! It does cut down on your book buying, until you find out that you can purchase credits - then watch out! =)

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  5. Sounds like a great bookstore. Here in LA we have lost a lot of our independent stores.

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  6. At one time I did the swapping...got too many books back. :) My Tuesday Thingers is here.

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  7. Wow, you've been busy this week! I'd hasten to bet that your reading tastes aren't so much weird as just unusual for your area...I work in a bookstore, and we get requests all the time (or I go looking for something I want) for things I think we should have in stock...but there's only so much room on the shelves, so we only keep in stock those things that sell regularly...thank goodness for special orders!

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  8. Ms. Onion, you know...I have that URL bookmarked, but I'd just spent about four hours (and me being a newbie) working on bad HTML code, and I just wanted to post mine and run! LOL

    Koolaid: You're very fortunate with your brick-and-mortar book shop. Almost every time I walk into a chain here, I wind up helping the other customers with their book questions. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I grew up working in a library! I also would've had more activity at PBS if I'd kept listing books. I probably have hundreds, if not at least a thousand, that I intend to list, and I guess my reading isn't all that mainstream so others like me are snapping up the books I list. As for Book Depository, I found it after becoming fed up with Amazon UK taking forever to send books and having them arrive "all beat up" when they did.

    Elizabeth: I can see where that would be a danger, but I haven't had time to do much roaming around at PBS, so perhaps I'll stay out of danger a while longer. ;-)

    J. Kaye: So far I've listed a lot more books than I've requested. I hope it stays that way! LOL

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  9. Readerville: You may've hit the nail on the head. My tastes may just be "different" for this area. I'm a member of Netflix, and when I look at the section labeled "What's Hot in Phoenix", I just crinkle my nose and think, "Yuck!" I think that's why I resort to online book shopping so much. Yes, I miss actually touching and looking at the books, but it's much easier online to find folks of similar mind who have the books I want to read. Sad, really. I feel personally responsible for the deaths of so many independent book shops! :-(

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  10. I'm becoming annoyed at the chain store here also, there are at least 6 Chapters stores within a half hour of me, but once inside you can't tell one from the other. Which is why I enjoy used bookshops so much.

    Sounds as if you've been super busy with PBS, I cannot wait until it's open for Canadians!

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  11. Wow 20 books at a time, no wonder you only go twice a year. Sounds like a great store though :)

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