How much do you spend a week on books?

Richy165

I have a really bad habit of buying books in bulk which tends to add up, but since Penguin and Wordsworth started releasing classics on the cheap I only spend about €20-€30 a week on books. I As a secondary part to this, who buys books knowing that you will probably never read them? I bought the Bhagavadgita and I'm pretty certain that I will never read it all the way through.

raah!

In hoggis figgis they have plato's republic, and the symposium for like 2:50 each.

Back on topic, I wish I was able to read fast enough to spend 20-30 euros on books in a week. I do enjoy buying books though, apart from actually reading them it's one of the great pleasures one can derive from literature. One can indeed do that. All one has to do is walk into the shop, then one buys a book. One.

claire h

I buy so many books - especially 'classics' - that I intend to read because I feel I 'should', but probably won't. Scared to think about how much a week I spend on books - more than I can afford (though I teach creative writing so I have a terrible habit of going 'oh, this could be useful for a class someday, therefore it is okay to buy it!') I suspect!

Eoin

Wow, that's a lot of cash over a year! I tend to do a bulk buy from abesbooks every few months, and also go to the second hand place in Dalkey occasionally. I do tend to give all the books a go, though I do have some I need to try again.

I really should give an eReader a go, but despite loving gadgets and reading, I'm finding it hard to imagine enjoying it as much as a book.

zenmonk

I have imposed a strict blanket ban on buying books till the end of the summer (except for running books - aim at running a marathon this year-need these for motivation and training advice).
Really it was getting ridiculous with a book or CD arriving every week from Amazon or the likes plus every browse in a bookstore would see me armed with books so I guess on average maybe €15 per week which is €780 per year.
The worst part is that I have in the region of 30 books at home either unread or half read so I will rattle these over the hols.

Manach

The 3 for 2 offers from stores slightly skews my sums, but on average about €20 pw.

turgon

Well due to the Book Depository its only about €7 a book which would usually last me a few days so €10 a week id say.

Ive also joined BookMooch and have received some excellent classic books. All of them are in great condition and it works out at 2 or 3 euro a book.

Denerick

Bookmooch is great, got a lot of books there which costs me comparitively little.

I seem to be in the minority here because I inherited a ****load of books from grandfather when he died about 10 years ago. I was the only 'reader' in the family and I think the inheritence was 'unofficial' He was a lovely man, read widely in all subjects - history, art, poetry, classics. He had a huge collection of all Dickens work in a lovely Green hardback set which I intend to tackle this summer. I'd say I inherited anywhere between 200-300 books from him.

Personally I love going on spending spree's in shops like Chapters. In the second hand section I could pick up maybe ten books for around twenty quid. Also Hodges and Fidges has a great selection of history books so I'm usually snooping around up there. I'm the kind of person who buys in phases, I rarely buy a book by itself so tend to spend around 30 to 50 euro on one of my book buying spree's. Usually heavy on classics but I also pick up the odd Nick Hornby, Ian Mac Ewan or Joseph Heller.

lemon_sherbert

I spend more on books than on anything else... which could explain why I haven't been able to afford to move out of my parents' house yet...

I go on a book-buying trip every couple of months, and could spend anywhere up to €200 at a time. I do share books with my family and friends though too. I'd say I buy about sixty books a year, so about €600, give or take, accounting for second hand shops and more expensive hardbacks.

c - 13

Was spending a fair bit as I used to buy entire series at a time.

Got an ebook reader and am able to find most of what I want to read online to download.

I did buy The Dice Man and Search for the Dice man in ebook form this year though. 9 dollars I think it cost for the two.

zesman

Roughly about €20. I've a mountain of books at home which I'm certain I'll never read. I had to cut down on ordering books from Amazon as things were getting a little out of hand. But as a previous poster has said there's a certain pleasure to be got from buying a book. However when you add it up it becomes something of an expensive pleasure if not a form of addication.

graw

Thankfully Hoggis Figgis offer a €10 discount when you collect 8 stamps so that cushions my book spending habit.
Any money spent on books is a sound investment in my opinion. No value can be put on learning new things.

Eoin

graw wrote: »

Any money spent on books is a sound investment in my opinion. No value can be put on learning new things.

That's not to say you can't be smart about it and buy second hand.

graw

eoin wrote: »

That's not to say you can't be smart about it and buy second hand.

Even better, one could go to a library or download!

Eoin

An eReader is looking like an option alright!

pauline fayne

I buy mainly from charity shops but also buy new if its something I'm too impatient to wait for . usually spend 10 to 15 euro a week but a bit of book swapping among friends lately has enabled me to cut back ...

Denerick

eoin wrote: »

An eReader is looking like an option alright!

Ereaders are everything thats wrong with this generation... Whats wrong with a book? An E-reader to me is just a bit of senseless and pointless equipment that big companies hope will make them a bit of money. And we're the fools who are buying it

Eoin

Denerick wrote: »

Ereaders are everything thats wrong with this generation... Whats wrong with a book? An E-reader to me is just a bit of senseless and pointless equipment that big companies hope will make them a bit of money. And we're the fools who are buying it

I thought the same thing - well, I just didn't think they would be very usable. I don't give a shìt if I make big companies money if I like the product.

There's nothing wrong with "a book". But lots of books in a small house can be a pain, plus the cost of buying new books is way too high IMO. If I can save 50% or so on a new release and be able to read thousands of free books without having to make space for them, then I can see the benefit.

A lot of avid readers are buying them, who would have been die hard "real book" people - but apparently it didn't take too long to convert them over.

Denerick

I can never understand people being so eager to buy 'new' books all the time. Personally I enjoy a good prowl through Chapters huge second hand section, or any of the better charity shops around. Saves a lot on the cost of books.

@Eoin,

I can see where you are coming from, but I just find the whole thing a whole pile of expensive nonsense.*

*Though bear in mind this is coming from someone who doesn't own, and who hopes to never own an MP3 or IPOD.

godspal

I buy a book everytime i enter a book shop. It was at one stage that was buying 4 books a week to every 2 books I was reading that week. So I tend to avoid bookshops until I get a new job.
I love book shops, the smell of new books... mmmm!

And why do I buy new books? Well its a sense of possession. Its my book, its always been mine, and the things I have done in that time are all captured by that book, so if I ever come across it again, it brings back a wealth of memories.
Also if I spill something, get the book wet or any number of accidents, I can remember what happened to the book, not have an explainable stain that you pray isn't disgust!

There is also a ****load of things I cant stand:
-Dogears!
-I hate, HATE people writing on books. Its descrating some elses writing, get a blank page, write down the page number! Make the note there! I only realised how annoying this was when I wen to college, I found myself wanting to argue with the person like "arrow coming out of Nick Carraway's early description of Jay Gatsby: Gay?" NO!
-Highlighting a book! The most heinous crime! Lazy and insulting!

chenguin

godspal wrote: »

I buy a book everytime i enter a book shop. It was at one stage that was buying 4 books a week to every 2 books I was reading that week. So I tend to avoid bookshops until I get a new job.
I love book shops, the smell of new books... mmmm!

And why do I buy new books? Well its a sense of possession. Its my book, its always been mine, and the things I have done in that time are all captured by that book, so if I ever come across it again, it brings back a wealth of memories.
Also if I spill something, get the book wet or any number of accidents, I can remember what happened to the book, not have an explainable stain that you pray isn't disgust!

There is also a ****load of things I cant stand:
-Dogears!
-I hate, HATE people writing on books. Its descrating some elses writing, get a blank page, write down the page number! Make the note there! I only realised how annoying this was when I wen to college, I found myself wanting to argue with the person like "arrow coming out of Nick Carraway's early description of Jay Gatsby: Gay?" NO!
-Highlighting a book! The most heinous crime! Lazy and insulting!

This sounds exactly like me!!

enry

Richy165 wrote: »

I have a really bad habit of buying books in bulk which tends to add up, but since Penguin and Wordsworth started releasing classics on the cheap I only spend about €20-€30 a week on books. I As a secondary part to this, who buys books knowing that you will probably never read them? I bought the Bhagavadgita and I'm pretty certain that I will never read it all the way through.

Richy165 when did penguin and wordsworth start selling classics on the cheap was it well over 10 years ago.

Liquorice

I get my booklists for college at the start of each term and spend upwards of €150 in a week (and that's only my English course), then don't buy anything for 2-3 months after. I'm from a family of big readers and I get a lot of books as presents too so my expenditure on books never quite matches the amount of books in my possession.

Richy165

enry wrote: »

Richy165 when did penguin and wordsworth start selling classics on the cheap was it well over 10 years ago.

Point taken, maybe I should have said: since I realized that I can just get books on the cheap from Penguin and Wordsworth

nitrogen

I'm also someone who doesn't get ebook readers. I have an iPod and can see the advantage of having lots of albums while on the move, but why do I need a dozen books? I couldn't agree more with godspal; I love just having a book with me, and my collection in the book stand. You've got nothing to resell, trade or display in your home with an ebook.

monellia

I get to read all the books my dad has finished with, so usually nothing! Unless there's a new release that I really want, I buy my books in Oxfam or other second-hand shops. I kind of feel guilty about not supporting the author, but it's usually classics I buy in there anyway.

nitrogen wrote:

I'm also someone who doesn't get ebook readers. I have an iPod and can see the advantage of having lots of albums while on the move, but why do I need a dozen books? I couldn't agree more with godspal; I love just having a book with me, and my collection in the book stand. You've got nothing to resell, trade or display in your home with an ebook.

I've read a few ebooks, but it just doesn't compare to the real thing. That incessant whirring of the computer distracts me, for one thing. Call me old-fashioned but there's a certain atmosphere I like when reading a book.

c - 13

Denerick wrote: »

Ereaders are everything thats wrong with this generation... Whats wrong with a book? An E-reader to me is just a bit of senseless and pointless equipment that big companies hope will make them a bit of money. And we're the fools who are buying it

Dont want to derail the thread any more but ... My ebook reader is the one thing I couldnt do without at the moment. I travel a lot for work and it was a nightmare lugging multiple paperbacks with me in my laptop bag.

The best part is there's no wait between switching books either, if you finish a book on the move then you just browse the library and pick something else.

I have about 200+ books with me at the moment taking up no space at all with a combined weight of less than 500 grams

I do have to say though sometimes i miss breaking the spine of a new book, but its a small trade off.

That said I'm not really a collector of books, when I finish one i'd give it to someone else anyway so that's not really a factor for me.

nitrogen

Denerick wrote: »

Ereaders are everything thats wrong with this generation... Whats wrong with a book?

You sound like Grandpa Simpson. Do you really think we'll be reading off pieces of dead trees in a thousand years time... Everything will be electronic or downloaded into our brains. To blame a new piece of technology on the changing styles and habits of a new generation must have been uttered since papyrus replaced a block of stone.

Despite what I previously said about not getting them, I should have said, currently they're not for me. I can see they're advantages. But for the time being, I just prefer a book.

Sorry for going off topic.

Monkeybonkers

I very rarely buy books even though I am an avid reader.
I have been a member of my local library (wherever that happens to be) for years and I think they are invaluable in any community.

hatful

Monkeybonkers wrote: »

I very rarely buy books even though I am an avid reader.
I have been a member of my local library (wherever that happens to be) for years and I think they are invaluable in any community.

Agreed, I only occasionally buy reference books, academic texts, short story collections and the rare author I'm passionate about. I get a lot of books as presents. For every book the library gets for you, you incur the princely sum of 50 cent, the same goes for dvd box sets. You can't argue with that.

Magic.Marker

I tend to spent €20 a week on books... I usually get between 4 & 8 books for that. I buy second hand books or I go to Book Station. I very rarely buy books in Easons or Waterstone's anymore because they are too expensive.