On buying pre-loved books

Let me be very clear in that I am going to try and persuade you to go the route of pre-loved. Normally, I just offer my opinion on a subject without persuading one way or another but today I will persuade. By the end of this post hopefully you will google used bookshops in your area and have a "me" day with some books that will find a new loving home.

Here are some reasons why you should buy used:

1) They are cheaper. Let's just be honest in the end it all comes to money and it is also a fact that used books are cheaper. Therefore when you have a set amount of money that you can spend on books you can get more bang for your buck.

2) The thrill of the hunt. A new bestseller comes out, you want the book, you go to the bookstore, you buy the book. Easy and satisfying. However, what you did not get to experience is the thrill of trying to find that book in the midst of a sea of books just waiting for you to read.

3) You get to discover new authors. You are standing there at a thrift store and you see a book with an interesting cover so you pick it up and read the synopses. Sounds pretty good and then you see that it is only $1, so you scrounge up some change and voila you have just discovered a book that you might have overlooked at a bookstore that only sells new books. Sometimes the book is not that great, cause you know people get rid of books they don't want and then there are other times when you fall in love with the book. Hopefully, you will fall in love more times than you will be disappointed by your purchase.

4) Used bookstores are generally locally owned so you are supporting someone's livelihood. This is something that I am working on myself because I tend to frequently haunt Second & Charles which is a national chain store that sells used and new books. I do want to support independent booksellers and I have found quite a few near me. I also want to try my hand at garage sale books because if I can get them for a quarter then all will be right with the world. I wonder if they will serve me tea and cakes like the people over in the UK do? I am seriously jealous that you all get food and books!

5) You are giving books a new lease on life. I am always astounded at the books that people just give away, I mean how could you possibly just give that book away? That is the best book ever! I don't care that I already have a copy at home I am going to take you home with me as well because I will love you better than someone else ever could hope to achieve. This is seriously I conversation that I have with the book and then I have to tell myself to put the book down! You don't need more than one copy unless I am replacing an old worn out copy with a nicer edition. In that case please do buy the book.

6) You are saving trees. Instead of publishers having to print new copies of a book for you to go and buy you just buy an already printed edition. I should probably point out that no trees were harmed in the making of this post. :)

Those are just some of many reasons why it is a lot more practical to buy used books. If you are picky about your books please remember that not all used books are in horrible condition and smell funny. I often find hardbacks that are practically in mint condition. So please next time you just want to go browse for some books try to make it a used bookstore. Your wallet and the planet will thank you!

Happy Reading!