How much?

I pride myself on how many books I have and how little I have paid for them.
I thought it would be a neat idea to keep a log of sorts on how much I do spend on them.
It might be more than I think.

If you are wondering that yourself, feel free to log it here.
It always interests me what people will and do pay for their books and seeing if they think it was well worth the money.

It's worth knowing if it was a new, used, or borrowed.

example:

Tom Kipper's Schooldays Memories of a Irish Childhood in Liverpool by Peter Sale

Paid: $7.99
Publishers Listed Price: $35.00
Saved: $27.01
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? New

Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton

Paid: $0.00
Publishers Listed Price: $0.50
Saved: $0.50
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Borrowed

Question:

Does using "points" from one's credit card or other source = $0.00

If you didn't pay anything...you didn't pay anything. :)

Chronicle of Youth: The War Diary by Vera Britten

Paid: $0.00
Publishers Listed Price: $33.86
Saved: $33.86
Worth the money? YES!!!
New, Used or Borrowed? Used

Great savings...Looked up the book. It sounds like one that I would enjoy. Gotta put it on my wish list.

It is the personal diary of the author who wrote: Testament of Youth., covering roughly the same time period Provides a different view of the author since it is so immediate, not that Testament of Youth wasn't terrific in itself.

Sounds real interesting. Do you recommend to read Chronicle of Youth after Testament Of Youth? Would you also recommend in reading both?

Yes, I would definitely recommend reading both, but Testament of Youth followed by Chronicle of Youth probably a year or more later.

Added both on my wish list.

When I was in Pretoria recently Braam van Wyk gave me a signed copy of his new Field Guide to Trees of southern Africa. I expect to use this to death in the next few years.

Paid: ZAR 0.00 (US$1 = about ZAR 10)
List price: Don't know, but would guess ZAR 250--350
Saved: about ZAR 300
Worth the money: Yes, even if I'd had to pay for it.

OP - Are you crazy?! I destroy my receipts the moment I get them. If I had to focus on what books cost me I'd have to go into therapy.

I used to keep a note of how much my books cost. If I hadn't stopped, I'd have been joining Booksloth in therapy.

The most valuable book I own was a gift from a generous book-collecting acquaintance who took pity on my feeble bibliophilic youth. He had bought it decades before, so I don't know how much he had paid for it.

> 12

I destroy my receipts the moment I get them.

What? You don't use them for bookmarks?

> 13 But what was the book's name?

12 booksloth...I don't think I spend all that much money on books as I am always looking for a great deal. More than how much I spend I want to know how much I could have spent but saved.

14 lillithcat...I have found so many books with the receipt in them.

Actually, not just the book I listed above, but in general, I now restrict myself to buying books with my credit card points. And if the books are offered online at a discount, it's that much better!!

Like a number of us, as I've noticed, I have limitations on getting out to bookstores.

17 Diane-bpcb...If I don't go out to a book store in 10 years I may have enough books to last me.

#16 You seem to be labouring under the mistaken belief that I have willpower :(

Seriously though, I have nothing but admiration for those of you who can think about savings when confronted by a shelf of books. While I'm definitely up for grabbing a bargain in every other sphere I am helpless in book shops and if I want it badly enough then I just have to get it. Life has got a bit easier since I gave in and got a Kindle because at least I now read a sample first so don't add to the rooms full of still-unread books that will probably never get read beyond the first two chapters. On the other hand, I now have about a million 'samples' still to read, though at least they didn't cost me anything.

#18 callmejacx - Yes, even if I only was able to reread or finish my existing library, I would be satisfied for the rest of my life.

#19 - :)

/ 19 Booksloth...You only have a million samples. lol. I am not one for reading a bit of a book. Once I get into it 99% of the time I read the whole thing. There have been times I have been disappointed and glad that I got the book out of the way and out of my library but there have been so many times that I have hung in there, page after long page, and found that it was well worth it in the end.

I sit here in my office and have all my books surrounding me, I really mean surrounding me. I think of what all these must be worth and what I paid for it, did I really have to buy them all. I already had enough to do me a life time. It makes me feel a whole lot better when I know I got a good book for a great price. I can`t help but get excited.

There is one I really, staggeringly, over paid for.

Paid: $160.00
Publishers Listed Price: ($2.00) ?
This was a signed copy of Sinclair Lewis's Main Street
Worth the money? No, 16th printing and in poor condition.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

However others have helped make up for it.

Paid: $7.00
Publishers Listed Price: ($40.00) ?
This was a signed, boxed first edition of Sinclair Lewis's Kingsblood Royal
Worth the money? Yes
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

Paid: $10.00
Publishers Listed Price: ($0.50) ?
This was a signed copy of Robert Franc Schulkers's The Gray Ghost
Worth the money? YES! My wife fell in love with this very old YA series as a child and had never read this book. If you have read To Kill a Mockingbird you have heard of this book, Harper Lee mentions it early in the story.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

22 TLCrawford... I think my husband would think I was insane if I ever spent $160.00 on one book. What year was the book written in? I feel so bad for you for spending that amount of money and not being worth it. Do you still own it?

A signed copy only $7.00? That is unbelievable!

You must be a Sinclair Lewis fan.

I read To Kill a Mockingbird and can't recall The Gray Ghost I will certainly have to keep my eyes open for that one. I am sure I won't come across a signed copy.

Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin
Paid: $0.00
Publishers Listed Price: $2.95 CAN
Saved: $2.95
Worth the money? Yes. I would have paid $4.00 for it. lol
New,Used or Borrowed? Used. I normally don't ready fantasy but my friend said that I would like it

#23 Yes, I still own it. It, and the copy of Kingsblood Royal serve as a lesson that, buyer or seller, it pays to have the most knowledge.

There is a section where Harper Lee writes about the YA series popular in the 1930s, Tarzan, Tom Swift, and the Sec'ktary Hawkins book the Gray Ghost. The first to are more widely remembered today.

25...I think most remember Tarzan and Tom Swift. I will keep my eyes open for Gray Ghost

I didn't know about this thread before. And I'm not seeing my messages as often as I used to. Thanks, @callmejack for the link, of this and the other

I do very little book buying now, and couldn't if I wanted to: I know of no bookstores left on this island, other than
Barnes & Noble and thrift shops (from which I do get an occasional book, and almost every one of their books is a financial bargain.)

Holiday Tales is my most recent bargain, $2.83 for the 1929 first edition complete with pretty good dust jacket with no sun damage.

> 27 rolandperkins

Do you not look for books via Barnes & Noble online, from their selections of heavily discounted books from small bookstores or individuals?

>22 TLCrawford: that certainly is a lot of money to pay for a book you are dissatisfied with! :-(

Recent savings for me:

British Bats New Naturalist by John Altringham
Paid: £34
Publishers Listed Price: £20
Saved: -£14
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

Not really right, that list price dates back ten years and this is a reasonably rare volume where secondhand copies usually sell for around £90-100, which makes my copy (in pretty much mint condition) a bit of a bargain! I read a copy of the book from my local library last year and have wanted my own copy ever since.

Empires of Early Latin America (Folio Society)
Paid: £15
Publishers Listed Price: £96
Saved: £81
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

A wonderful set of books and rather expensive when new but thankfully the secondhand prices are a lot lower. I got this set half price from a shop that was closing down, which was very sad as it was a favourite shop of mine. They sold off all their stock half price through the last few months and I went in as often as I could - partly because they had so many fantastic books and they were stunningly cheap but mostly to spend as much time enjoying the place as I could as it was a lovely shop full of very eclectic and interesting books. A crying shame it had to close (owner retiring, no buyers forthcoming).

My best saving has probably been this set:

The Greek Myths (Folio Society)
Paid: £2
Publishers Listed Price: £50
Saved: £48
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

Though it lacked a slipcase it was incredibly cheap - I had no idea until I saw it on the Folio website how much it was new!

#30 At the time I was a huge fan of Lewis, still am, and a novice collector. I was very happy to find it at the time and only by gaining knowledge and experience did I realize that I paid to much. Even today I would be willing to over pay for a Lewis signature but not as much as I did for that one thanks to my ignorance of the market. I am still happy to have it.

For a different topic, I just noticed that I still have a Dell paperback (of Never Cry Wolf) that I purchased in 1971 for $1.25.

Worth the Money? Yes, a fascinating read, and I'm about to start it again.

What an entertaining thread!

Way back on >2 callmejacx:,
Wonderful. What a total heart-warmer.

>12 Booksloth:
LOL!

>32 Diane-bpcb:
Farley's the total bomb. These books (about killing wolves, killing caribou, killing whales, getting killed by Germans) are must-reads, but sometimes just a tad depressing.

As for me, I can't recall. I do curse and seethe every time I see a $5 copy of "my" book at the Goodwill Outlet. I now only pay $0.25 (paperback, textbook, bound journals, any children's' book) or $ 0.50 (hardcover) at this outlet. A traditional Goodwill is considered high-retail and is no longer worth a visit. There are piles of books there; literally cubic yards of books ad the inventory turns every day or more.

Can you imagine? I visit perhaps twice a month. It's like living near a gold nugget-laden stream and only panning once every couple weeks...

28...this sounds like a steal? Where did you get it?

I forgot all about this thread of mine. I forgot to star it.

Now that I am here...

A Year in HineSight by Anne Hines
Paid: $12.00
Publishers Listed Price: $29.95
Saved: $17.95
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

100 Crooked Little Crime Stories by Robert E. Weinberg
Paid: $0.00
Publishers Listed Price: $19.95
Saved: $19.95
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

33...I could spend all day at a Goodwill looking for books and getting so many good ones. I really have to be careful, because I just don't have the room for all of the ones I want. lol

When We Were Young by Stuart McLean

Paid: $9.80
Publishers Listed Price: $32.00
Saved: $22.20
Worth the money? Yes. I have to say that it is now one of my favorites.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

My wife and I both love books. The shelves in our house were about filled up, although we had figured out where we could add a few more. My wife said, "Why don't we hold off on buying too many more books until we can find the shelving that will fit our available space?" So I went out and bought a used bookstore! That showed 'er!

I do love being surrounded by books, as others here have testified. When I look around my house, I can't pick out very many I feel like I overpaid for. Almost all of my books were bought used, often in thrift stores or at garage sales. Anyway, one of my mantras, when contemplating spending maybe a tad too much on a book (or a restaurant meal, a vacation or a good bottle of Armagnac -- basically my only other spending weaknesses) is, "Six months from now I won't remember I couldn't afford it."

But maybe this counts for the purposes of this thread: I just spent $40.00 for a 1916 edition of John Reed's The War in Eastern Europe. I already have this book in another edition, published only a year or so after the one I just bought. Why did I need another? Because the edition I already owned had been edited down to fit into the standard size for a series ("The War on All Fronts") that Scribner's was publishing about the then current war in Europe (WW I). So, that's $40 to be able to read an extra 25 pages or so that had been taken out of the edition I already owned.

And now you can sell your first copy for retail.

#39> What, and break up my set of The War on All Fronts? Ha!

LOL

Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison

Paid: $0.00 (I picked it up at the library when they use to have a shelf of books people would bring in for others to take)
Publishers Listed Price: $36.00
Saved: $36.00
Worth the money? Yes. A great book
New,Used or Borrowed? Used, but it looks brand new.

My girlfriend bought me a book as a gift not long after I lamented that I wanted it, but that it was exorbitantly expensive due to being out of print. She inadvertently gave me an idea of what she paid for it, so I told her I couldn't accept it. She is reselling it on eBay. Her financial well-being is far more important to me than any book could ever be.

Books are forever, girl friends ....

This wasn't even an old book, and I've been with her for 5 years. I made the right choice.

People are more important than books. I agree. She is lucky to have you as a friend monohex

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Paid: $0.00
Publishers Listed Price: $19.99
Saved: $19.99
Worth the money? Well, worth it. One of my favorite reads this year.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

Peter Mansbridge One on One: Favourite Conversations and the Stories Behind Them by Peter Mansbridge

Paid: $3.00
Publishers Listed Price: $35.00
Saved: $32.00
Worth the money? So worth it! One of my favourites
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

Secret Santa by Fern Michaels

Paid: $0.00 It was a Christmas gift.
Publishers Listed Price: My husband must have paid $9.99
Saved: $9.99
Worth the money? It was a nice collection and I think it was worth the money.
New,Used or Borrowed? New

When I Was Young edited by Amy Ehrlich

Paid: $9.00
Publishers Listed Price: I can't find a price.
Saved: Who knows
Worth the money? For sure. Loved it
New, Used or Borrowed? Used

Light Music by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Paid : £4.35
Publishers Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £2.64
Worth the money? Don't know yet, still waiting for first part of series - saw was last copy available and so bought while I knew I could get it.
New, Used Borrowed? New

Sword of God by Chris Kuzneski
Paid : £0.00
Publishers Listed Price : £7.99
Saved : £7.99
Worth the money : It was free so yes, even if I don't like it when I get around to reading it.
New Used Borrowed? Used

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (audio book)
Paid : £0.00
Publishers Listed Price : £14.69
Saved : £14.69
Worth the money : Free, so yes.
New Used Borrowed : borrowed from library

Running Total Spent : £4.35

Another trip to the library and I borrowed another two audiobooks

Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
Paid £0.00
Publishers Listed Price : 11.42
Saved £11.42
Worth the money - Free so definitely
New Used Borrowed - Borrowed

Splintered by A.G. Howard
Paid £0.00
Publishers Listed Price £21.71
Saved £21.71
Worth the money - free so definitely
New Used Borrowed - Borrowed

Then a trip past the charity shops, netted me 9 paperbacks (ouch)

Bought these books The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks, The Mesmerist by Barbara Ewing, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse and The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

For each one I paid : 50 p
and the Listed Price was : £7.99
Saved on each one : £7.49
Worth the money - I think so

Lord of the Flies by William Golding,
Paid : 50p
Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £6.49
Worth the money : hope so

Lion's Head, Four Happiness by Xiaomei Martell
Paid : 50p
Listed Price : £8.99
Saved : £8.49
Worth the money : Should be a great saving, looking forward to it

Travel with Assassins by Henry Etwaroo
Paid : 50p
Listed Price : £17.95
Saved : £17.45
Worth the money: At that kind of saving, even if I don't like it, I'll think it's a good deal.

Total Spent : £4.50

Total Saved (not including books borrowed from library) : £77.37 (I think) Can't be bad! (If you include the library audiobooks it takes the savings to over £100!). In theory, these are all used paperbacks, however at least 4 of them don't have even the slightest crease in the spine so could be new.

Peace2...I also enjoy buying used books. Most that I get look brand new. Everyone I get is new to me.

The reason I started this thread is because my husband will ask if I really need another book. Of course, I don't. I tell him that I could always buy it new. That usually keeps him quiet. He ends up reading some of what I bring home and is always amazed at how little I paid.

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

Paid: $7.99
Publishers Listed Price: $18.95
Saved: $10.96
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? New

>52 callmejacx: Once I've read them, I pass the majority on to either friends or family (although I do warn when I want them back). At times I acquire a lot that way too - particularly from my Dad who since retiring has really upped the amount he reads! I can't keep up at all. I was doing much better about not buying books (new or used) until I decided to try and tackle the vast number on the TBR pile. Unfortunately the renewed concentration on reading seems also to have renewed the buying - in part this was down to realizing I had a number of books on the pile that were #3 in a series for some strange reason (really strange - why were there more #3s than #2s even?) and so I've been actively looking for some of the earlier ones and then the act of looking, piques my interest when I see other exciting titles or covers etc. I thought I was doing well with the reading until I realized I'd brought twice that into the house!

I think I am reading more than I am buying. After I read my books, many I give me to husband and they rest goes to a used bookshop in town that helps the local hospital. There are not many that I keep but I do tend to keep the self help book. I never know when I need them again.

So another one sneaked in through the letter box today when I wasn't looking - honest! Well, maybe...

Mississippi Blues by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Paid: £3.93
Publishers Listed Price: $15.95 (according to xe.com that's £9.63 at today's exchange rate)
Saved: £5.73
Worth the money? Yes given I couldn't track down any copies in the UK so it's come all the way from the US. I think the price is very reasonable - I could easily have paid more than that if it was available on this side of the Atlantic!
New,Used or Borrowed? I'm classing it as used, because although the spine shows no sign of the book having been opened, there's a bit of shelf wear and curling to the other edge of the pages in the front half of the book

Still waiting for the first in this series ...

I must I must I must improve my... no I must stop acquiring books faster than I can read them... But they're just so tempting! The more I read, the more I succumb to the temptation *shrugs*

Returned the Ruth audiobook to the library as I'd finished with it and passed a paperback that I'd just finished on (which makes me feel slightly better about what's to come below!)

Two from the library - in audio

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards read by Lorelei King (this is on my TBR pile so in actual fact is helpful at getting through more books quickly)
Paid : £0
Publisher's Listed Price : £25.52 (according to Amazon no price on case)
Saved : £25.52
Worth the money? Yup - that was definitely nothing spent well ;-)
New Used or Borrowed? Borrowed

The Dark Road by Ma Jian read by Tania Rodrigues
Paid : £0
Publisher's Listed Price : £25.52 (according to Amazon, no price on case)
Saved : £25.52
Worth the money? Yes again as it was free
New, Used or Borrowed? Borrowed

From the local Hospice Shop paperbacks

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Paid : £0.50
Publisher's Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £6.49
Worth the money? Hope so
New, Used or Borrowed? Bought as used, but doesn't look like it's even been opened.

Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden
Paid : £1.00
Publisher's Listed Price : £12.99
Saved : £11.99
Worth the money? I've already got #1, 2 and 5 of the series, so I've been trying to find #3 and #4 - only #4 left to track down!
New, Used or Borrowed? Used

Praying to the Aliens by Gary Numan
Paid : £0.50
Publisher's Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £6.49
Worth the money? I'm curious, so given that, yes, it's worth 50p
New, Used or Borrowed? Again bought as used, but doesn't look like it's been opened.

Money spent : £2.00
Money saved (not including books from library) : £24.97

Returned Splintered (excellent), The Memory Keeper's Daughter (great) and The Dark Road (not to my taste - glad I didn't buy this one) to the library today and put a pile of three books to go to other people by the door. I also posted two to someone from the GreenMetropolis site and put another two into my bag to go to work for someone there. (This is all to make me feel better about the ones coming in!)

From the library
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt read by William Hope, The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King read by Jenny Sterlin and Cousin Phillis by Elizabeth Gaskell read by Kenneth Branagh

All free and borrowed so worth it

Local Hospice Shop
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
Paid : 50p
Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £6.49
Worth the money : I think so - I've wanted to read this for a while so it's worth a try
New Used Borrowed : Used

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Paid : 50p
Listed Price : £7.99
Saved : £7.49
Worth the money : I hope so - I've seen it mentioned a few times and I was curious
New Used Borrowed : Used but looks new

From Amazon

The Dreamtrails by Isobelle Carmody
Paid : £6.00
Listed Price : $9.99 ( converted at xe.com today as £6.12 - wow! That's impressively cheap! A book this big here would be much more expensive! The UK versions of the two books included in this are £7.99 each)
Saved : 12p
Worth the money : I hope so - it continues the series so I hope it lives up to the others
New Used borrowed : New

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
Paid : 3p (it was actually £5.03 but I had a £10 token)
Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £6.96
Worth the money : I hope so - I enjoyed the book when I was younger and wanted to read it again
New Used borrowed : New

The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner
Paid 3p (as above used the other half of the token)
Listed Price : £6.99
Saved : £6.96
as above

Octopussy and the Living Daylights by Ian Fleming read by Tom Hiddleston
Paid : £15.29
Listed price : there is no price listed and the only ones now available on amazon are in excess of £65.00. I'd been watching for weeks as these had been selling at £65, £75, even £80, so when this copy cropped up at £15.29 with postage I decided to take the chance on it
Saved : no idea
I'm hoping it's worth it. I love TH's voice and I've never listened or read any Ian Fleming before, so I only know Bond from the movie - I don't expect they're that similar!

Total Spent : £22.35

Total Cost before Savings : £50.37

Saved : £28.02

Returning Cousin Phillis to the library today with luck and picking up The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in audio

Also received through post (ordered in mid January)

Queen City Jazz by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Paid : £5.35 (Including postage from US to Europe)
Publisher's Listed Price : $5.99 (according to xe.com today that's £3.65)
Saved : Lost? £1.70
Used, New, Borrowed : Used

Worth it : I think the price was okay, the book's not in bad condition although it was classed as "Used - Very Good" and I'd say more "Used - Good" but that's being a little nit-picky on my part. There are no major issues with it. The book wasn't available in the UK and so considering that's the price for both the book and the postage it seems reasonable. The book is the first in a series - I'd already got part 3 and had earlier located parts 2 and 4 so really it was 'necessary'. I'm hoping that it's going to be worth having tracked down all the parts now when I do get around to reading it.

162 - The Almost Epic Journey of a Yankees Superfan by Steve Melia
Paid : $20.00
Publisher's Listed Price: It is not written on the book and I couldn't find the listed price. On Kindle it is $9.99
Saved : I don't think I said a penny
Used, New, Borrowed : New and autographed.
Worth the Money? Yes, this book is a keeper.

You may not have saved anything - but autographed gives extra sentimental value - priceless!

Yes, it is priceless. When the Yankees were playing in Toronto, a group of us were sitting with him. I don't know anything about baseball but I felt the excitement and really enjoyed the day

Still failing relentlessly to stop buying - in fact hanging out on LT seems only to be making matters worse as when I see a book mentioned on here in one of the second hand shops then I'm lured in!

So today - 5 books from the local 'Hospice' shop - Cost £2.50

Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch, The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne. The first three had a published price of £7.99, the next of £6.99 and the final one no price listed on it but according to Amazon it is £1.99. So total published price of £32.95, and a saving of £30.45.

Insurgent, Water for Elephants and 20,000 Leagues all look brand new and the other two read once, maybe twice looking at the spines.

Three of these books are not currently available from the local library - so if I had asked for interlibrary loan they'd have cost more than that and I'd have had to give them back even if I did like them, so I figure it's worth it even if I end up not liking the book.

The Konkan's by Tony D'Souza
Paid : $0.
Publisher's Listed Price: $25.00 but higher where I am, Canada.
Saved : More than $25.00
Used, New, Borrowed: It is used, but it new condition
Worth the Money? Yes, I did. If I had spent $25.00 I wouldn't be saying that it was worth it.

Wild Words: An Anthology of Outstanding Prose from the WCDR Competition
Paid: $0.
Publisher's Listed Price: There is no price on it.
Saved: Who knows...
Used, New, Borrowed: Borrowed. In good used condition. One of the authors name is written in pencil at the beginning of the book.
Worth the Money? Yes, because it didn't cost me anything, but I don't think it was worth my time.

Hit or Myth by Robert Asprin

Paid: $0.
Publishers Listed Price: In 2006, it's price was in the US $6.99, in Canada $9.99, but written in pencil on the inside of the copy I have it reads $2.00.
Saved: Either $9.99 or $2.00
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used

Ooh, hope you enjoy it. I've got Myth-told Tales on my TBR list that I was given as a gift a few years ago and never got around to reading.

I normally don't enjoy "fantasy" books, but these are so enjoyable. It really is worth reading, at least that is what I feel.

>67 callmejacx: I shall have to move it up my pile then so I get to it sooner :D

Paid £3 for them all (not each)

Titles : Hood by Stephen Lawhead, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Fool Moon by Jim Butcher, Acacia by David Anthony Durham and Inside Out by Maria V Snyder.

All of them look okay, NLMG and TBJ were two that I'd been curious about for a while so seeing them prompted me to pick them up. IO was one I think I'd seen mentioned on some LT threads so that tempted me in (even though I couldn't remember whether I'd read good things or not *sigh*), Acacia and Hood just looked interesting and FM was bought because I'd picked up the first a few weeks ago based on a friend's rec and although I hadn't got around to reading it, it was too good an opportunity to ignore if I do like it.

Unfortunately having got them home, Acacia is going to be a hard one to read - it smells so heavily of smoke (no offense meant to smokers but as a non-smoker, I find a very heavy lingering smoke smell gives me a headache when I read - worse than with 'fresh' smoke).

Still bargain price nonetheless and I really need to finish a few more - I've brought 45 actual books into the house this year (as me owning them, not library loans), I've only finished 25 (unfortunately that does include the library loans!). I'm having to count it as a win when the books out is more than half the books in!

The publisher's prices - Fool Moon - £6.99 , Never Let Me Go - £7.99 , The Bell Jar - £4.99 , Acacia - £12.99, Hood - £5.99 , Inside Out - £6.99 = Total of £45.94

Saving = £42.94

Try closing your smoky book in an airtight container with some crumpled newspaper. That sometimes works.

>70 MerryMary: I've never heard that before - but I shall try it out and hope for the best. Thanks for the tip.

I never heard of putting a smokey book in a container with news paper either. One learns so much at Librarything.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Paid: $0
Publishers Listed Price: No price on it. It's a copy from 1954
Saved: $ some
Worth the money? Yes.
New,Used or Borrowed? Used. Although it was an old copy it was in great condition. Going to keep this book in my library.

Spent £1.50 yesterday and came home with

Larry Niven's Ringworld listed price £6.99 - looks like it's been read once
Arkady & Boris Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic listed price £6.99 - another that's probably only been read once
and
Katherine Kerr's The Shadow Isle listed price £7.99 - read a couple of times at a guess but still in good condition

so Total listed price £21.97 - saving of £20.47

The first two are part of the SF Masterworks series published by Gollancz that are supposed to be 'the classic SF titles', so I figured it was worth giving them a try - no great financial loss if I don't like them! I'm building up a bit of a KK collection at the moment as I try to consolidate collections to give some of her series a try. I started several of them years ago - but I stopped probably when I caught up to what was available at the time - I now have just odd copies left and can't remember what happened earlier in the series, so I'm trying to get together enough of them through second hand sources to give them another go when I get chance. Any I can't locate at reasonable price when I get to them, I'll see if I can borrow through the library system - but there's no point worrying about that until I'm ready to start, and if I can locate them for 50p or so - it's cheaper than inter-library loan (even if it does nothing for the shelves/boxes of books in the house!).

Dear Valued Customer: You Are A Loser by Rick Broadhead

Paid: $2
Publishers Listed Price: $9.99 U.S.A, Here in Canada $14.95
Saved: $ 12.95
Worth the money? Yes, sort of
New,Used or Borrowed? Used.

Kids Say The Darndest Things by Art Linkletter

Paid: $2
Publishers Listed Price: ? I have the 1957 copy
Saved: Some money I guess
Worth the money? Yes for sure
New, Used or Borrowed? Used

Copenhagen; a play
by Michael Frayn (pb; good condition).

Price: ca. $1.50. Most of the items at the Thrift Shop I frequent are in that range. I
donʻt pay much attention to
the price of individual
items - - just a glance at the "total damage", which is usually not overly damaging to my fixed income.

I'm not going to go through the whole savings on each title process (it would take a while) but I spent £6.75 in a charity shop sale as they tried to clear a huge number of books (and I helped quite a bit!). These were the acquisitions (listed prices after each title where available).

By Brandon Sanderson - The Alloy of Law(£12.99), Steelheart(£12.99), Legion and the Emperor's Soul(£9.99), Warbreaker(£8.99) and Elantris(£8.99)

By Robin Hobb - Royal Assassin(£6.99) and Assassin's Quest(£6.99) - these complete a trilogy for which the first part was already on the shelf

By Tanith Lee - East of Midnight(80p), The Birthgrave(£1.25) and The Storm Lord (£1.10)

By Trudi Canavan - Voice of The Gods(£7.99), The High Lord(£7.99) and Last of the Wilds(£7.99)

by Brent Weeks - The Black Prism(£7.99) and The Blinding Knife (£8.99)

by Peter V. Brett - The Painted Man(£8.99) and The Desert Spear (£8.99)

by Stephen Donaldson - Lord Foul's Bane(£1.25), The Illearth War(£1.25) and The Power That Preserves (£1.25)

by Jack Vance - The Brave Free Men(75p), Big Planet(65p) and The Asutra (75p)

and the final four individual titles - The Lady of Sorrows (£7.99) by Cecilia Dart-Thornton (missing book from a series I already own), Fires of Azeroth(£1.50) by C J Cherryh (I bought a few last week and thought this might be part of the same collection - but I was wrong), The Shattered Chain (£2.50) by Marion Zimmer Bradley (another to add to the Darkover collection I started last week but haven't read yet and The Wizard of Boland (60p) by B.B. (I'd been looking for The Little Grey Men because I had a vague recollection of it so when I came across this instead I thought it would be worth a try).

So to purchase these at their published price would have cost me £148.50 - that's not taking into account some of these to buy now would be significantly higher cost if available at all. So my savings were £141.75. Not too bad!