Buy Used Books

I absolutely love to read and I am a book fiend. In my bedroom I have books stacked on the floor and all across my window ledge and my dresser. I have books stacked in neat piles in the living room and tons of children's books occupying all available shelving. If I had paid full retail price for these books I would have spent a small fortune. As my bargain hunting instinct would have it I've found a way to feed my addiction that doesn't break the bank: I buy used books. I frequent several used book stores throughout the city. I also visit stores more known for their gently used clothing, that also offer sections devoted to used books. And from these sources, I find my copious treasures.

When we were kids, my grandmother would buy used books at yard sales that she came across on her two hour drive from Toronto. She would generally pay no more than a quarter and in no time our book shelves were overflowing with books and more books to our hearts content. Good thing too, for our love of reading developed when we were very small children. Our mother taught all three of us to read between the ages of three and four and we were all reading chapter books before age six. When my grandmother would take the time to buy used books she definitely saved my parents a lot of money and kept us occupied for hours on end.

I buy used books for my two children on a regular basis. And once my nine year old son is finished with a batch of books, I move that pile up to my four year olds shelves, so that she can enjoy them when she gets a bit older. If I couldn't buy used books for my kids I don't know what I would do. I'd never be able to keep up with their voracious appetites for reading.

Recently I joined our local Freecycle network. I found out that there are many people in our city who don't even have the monetary resources to buy used books. So, I was more than happy to turn over several of my children's gently loved books to some of the less fortunate families in our community.

While one of my hobbies is to buy used books, I'm still a huge fan of Amazon.com and I do buy brand new books from time to time if I'm having particular difficulty locating a particular title or if I want to buy a gift for a friend. However, for day-to-day use and to feed my family's addiction I am very happy to buy used books and keep us all well stocked in reading material!