Ha @Corrie Henson I remember when I was a kid Archie Comic books were 12 cents. I bought a few of those back in the day, although I wasn't a huge fan. I know all the characters though. I liked Archie Comic books and Batman. Either of those would float my boat when I was a pre teen. However, we mostly read regular books, we liked library books or bookmobile books since we could read them for free, or we sometimes got them as presents.
My grandfather owned an IGA store so I got unsold comic books, magazines and paperbacks, minus half the cover, which is all they had to send back in to get a credit for them. Every month, I'd get a cardboard box of reading material.
We have a Books a Milliion store here, too. It was in a busy shopping center; but now Toys R Us has moved, and BAM is one of the few stores still open there. We used to go there for checkout each week when I was selling newspaper subscriptions, but I haven't been there since I stopped selling newspapers. Do you belong to Bookbub, @Chrissy Page ? If you don't, you might want to check it out. You sign up and fill out a profile of the kinds of books you are interested in, and each day they send you an email with books that fit your profile. If you get too many, you can modify your profile for less books, and if not enough then you expand your profile. I find books on there all the time that I am interested in, and you can also list your favorite authors, and when they come out with a new book, you get a notification of that. It is just www.bookbub.com to check it out, and it is all free.
I have to stay away from book stores. They have been my life long economical nemesis . I like the smell of old books, and the feel of fresh crisp new pages. When other kids wanted toys or clothes, I wanted books. I started collecting books when I was about seven. By the time I was 25 I had an extensive library. At 18, I found a rare book on the Buck Roger's comic series that some of you might remember. In a used book store I also found the complete collection of the Perry Mason series. I even found really old book on hobbits and such. I really liked collecting old school text books as well. I would go bonkers over first additions, whether they were well know or not. I had thousands wound up in all those books. Just so someone who had no idea of their worth as part of history, or their economical worth, could burn them up to get even with me. She didn't mean to, but she burnt down my house too. Her husband wanted her to get a job and work to help with their household expenses, as I was doing for my family. She knew my books were the only physical things I valued. I still have a few really old books that I've collected since then, but I don't put much money into such things anymore, unless you count all my art supplies.
I do, I've belonged to Bookbub for many years now and most of my books are from there. Maybe I need to broaden my profile. I have it down to just memoirs.
@Yvonne Smith Thank You for the link. Thought I knew all those sites, but this one slipped past me. I joined up, very easy and already found some books.
You gave me a laugh with that economical nemesis but seriously, I was also in that same boat during my high school days. My classmates and I would often go the bookstore to browse. Now I remember what browsing really meant - reading one chapter of a book. Our favorite was the Mills and Boons paperback which are not expensive but not too cheap. My parents couldn't say anything with my extra expenses because those books were written in English and it can enhance my knowledge of English... and surely it did help me with my grammar and spelling. My browsing continued until I was in college and I only stopped that habit when I started working.
I always liked buying or borrowing books too. There was no better feeling than coming home with a whole bunch of good books. I've lost that feeling lately and don't know why.
That is awesome, @Tim Burr , and I am glad that you are finding books already. One of my favorite things about the Kindle store is that every day, they put different books out for free; but I usually forget to go on the website and search for the topics I want to read about. With Bookbub, they do a lot of the work of finding these specials, and I really like that. At first, I listed all kinds of books that I like to read, and then I was overwhelmed with a bunch coming in my emails every day; so then I went back in and modified my profile to a more manageabe selection. I also listed all of my preferred authors; so I can be notified when they have new books. If you are not already doing it, Kindle First is also a great way to get a free book each month. You need a Prime account for the free book; but you get to choose from 5-6 of the newest releases, and a variety of books. Each month they send you the list, and you choose which one you want to read, hoping that you will also leave a good review of the book, but that is not required.
There used to be a huge Books A Million store in Potomac Mills Mall, but that is another place I haven't been in the last several years. I always think about stopping but whenever I get up that way, I am usually in a hurry to beat the traffic or it is a holiday or a weekend. I think I am going to check the list of store at P Mills and see if it is even still there. They use to have a delicious coffee section as well as a number of reasonably priced books.
j I have the kindle free too but usually forget to look but sometimes a book I chose on Bookbub is free when I go to Amazon to pay because I have the kindle free. I used to also have kindle unlimited for $9.99 a month but don't anymore, wasn't using it.
What is Kindle free, @Chrissy Page ? I have never heard of that, and can't find the information for it. What i was telling Tim about is different, it is called Kindle First, and gives you first chance to read a brand new book release each month; but only one book. Please explain what Kindle free is, and how you got it , because I would very much like to do that, too ! I also use the Kindle Lending library, which gives you prime books free if you have an actual Kindle to read it on, not just the Kindle app.
Maybe that's what I was talking about, Yvonne. All I know it's free. Sometimes they ask you to return a book you've read. Is that what you were talking about? All I remember is that sometimes if I chose a book from BookBuB, when I went to buy it it said it was free.
Good question. We still have Barnes and Noble in my town. I have to say, I really prefer shopping online. I don't do any E books. I buy paper books. If I go to a bookstore and see something of interest, I'll usually make a note of it and then buy online.
Back in the 90's I went to the bookstore every week looking for James Herriot books. Then I became a fan of Lillian Jackson Braun , the cat who, series. Then our bookstore closed at Ala Moana, now ABC Stores is there at Barn es and Noble. Since I borrowed this netbook, and use the internet computers at the libraries locally. I miss my bookstores I frequent. This is one of my favorite book! (image from https://www.etsy.com/listing/179490988/james-herriots-cat-stories-illustrated)