What's the best alternative to buying an actual book?
| I want to know what people think about this, First of all when I say book I don't mean a comic or manga, or any other piece of work that has drawings. Second of all, I'd like to say that most of the books I've read are long pieces of literature which are meant to be read once and ONLY once. Furthermore, with the endless possibilities of the internet, not to mention a library, you could always read a book for free rather than buy it. So having said that, if you read a book only once, and it doesn't have any "collector's value", is buying it a waste of money? EDIT: I have changed the question, since the other one was not properly worded or for that matter not what I really wanted to ask. |
--ALEX--Oct 10, 2010 5:03 PM
alexcampos said: I want to know what people think about this, First of all when I say book I don't mean a comic or manga, or any other piece of work that has drawings. Second of all, I'd like to say that most of the books I've read are long pieces of literature which are meant to be read once and ONLY once. Furthermore, with the endless possibilities of the internet, not to mention a library, you could always read a book for free rather than buy it. So having said that, if you read a book only once, and it doesn't have any "collector's value", is buying it a waste of money? Read Fahrenheit 415... But for me, I only purchase "books" related to Physics and Mathematics. I, for one, don't think it is a waste at all. Although I have pdf files of them, I much prefer the physical copy. The money that I "waste" is put to good use, what I get in return is knowledge. |
| I say no as most of what I buy, I end up reading more then once anyways.....I have a large collection when it comes to literature outside of comics and manga, and most that I've already read I end up re-reading a year or 2 years down....good example is Musashi which I bought when I was 16, I'm reading it again for the fifth time whilst reading Vagabond(the manga) just to see the differences....anyways, I don't see waste when it comes to my purchases....well apart for the packet of cigarettes I purchase every day |
| Generally, I don't think buying books is a waste of money (although some books are really not worth it). However, if it's a book which you know you'd probably read only once or if you're the type who hardly rereads books, then I'd say it's better to just borrow it from a library or something instead of buying it. |
| What do you mean books are only meant to be read once? That's ridiculous. I regularly read books two or three times each and find many new things each time I read them. As for whether or not you should actually buy a book, I would recommend buying them just because I love the feel of a book in my hands and I don't like the feel of reading literature on a screen. It's worth the money to me to have the actual book. |
| Not for me, no. I like to own books and have them available to me whenever I want, just like music and movies and any other medium. |
| Not at all. I don't own many books outside of manga to begin with, but most of the ones I do have are re-read. Why would it only be read once? Do you only atch movies once or listen to songs/CD's once? Although I do think college textbooks are a waste of money, they're so ridiculously expensive and usually only read once, if at all. |
| Why would buying a book be a waste? and what do you mean read once and only once? Almost all of my books I re-read several times, just to relive the experience. Even if you do only read it once, a lot of people prefer physical copies of things, if even just to take with you on a long trip or something. I also hate the fact that you threw the 'you can just get it free' argument, do you not wish to show your appreciation to the author who spent their time writing the book? I'll admit I'm no fucking saint and I've pirated before and will again, but if I wholeheartedly enjoy something I will make the effort to purchase something to help the people who created it. I answered no, obviously. |
Confucius said: Read Fahrenheit 415... I think you mean Fahrenheit 451, and yes I have read it, it was pretty good. BUT, I'm not encouraging people not to read or to stop buying books altogether. zharnotczar said: As for whether or not you should actually buy a book, I would recommend buying them just because I love the feel of a book in my hands and I don't like the feel of reading literature on a screen. It's worth the money to me to have the actual book. Yes, I know what you mean, it's sometimes annoying to read a book on a screen, it's much better to feel the actual book. BTW, I should've mentioned Kindle as another alternative rather than buying the actual book. |
alexcampos said: My mom's always trying to get me to buy one of those things... She just doesn't understand how much I hate reading books on a screen like that.BTW, I should've mentioned Kindle as another alternative rather than buying the actual book. |
| What you can't spare 5 bucks? Paper Back novels are FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR cheaper then Manga even more so if you go to a used book sale, at college they get rid of old books or extra copies all the time and you can get books in great condition for the less then a dollar and buying on the internet is even cheaper still. Also how would one read a novel on the internet? that just seems moronic to me. I can't even be bothered to read long forum posts I dunno how some one would read an entire novel on the computer and even if you printed it out, the amount of ink and paper you wasted would cost just as much to just gone and bought a copy. Also E-readers are a fucking joke as well. the amount of money spent on a decent E readers could easily net you over a 50 + novels, and even then you still have to pay for books. I read maybe a book ever 2 to 3 months, I could never imagine throwing away money for an e-reader and even if you where an avid reader and read every day. I highly doubt anyone that into books would want anything other then a novel in their hands. |
JigeroOct 10, 2010 5:11 PM
| It doesn't think, it doesn't feel, it doesn't laugh or cry..... All it does from dusk till dawn is make the soldiers die. |
| I enjoy buying books, I kind of think of buying books as buying games. Like you buy a book read a few hours a night until you finish it in amount of time and put it back. Sometimes you might go back and read it to enjoy again, Like an RPG game... |
| Does it matter if you only read them once? It might be because I'm a elitist snob, but I love the though of having a personal library full of classics, even if I do not intend to reread them. Besides, when you are supposed to read a book, having the actual thing in your hands beat reading it on a screen any day. |
Baman said: Does it matter if you only read them once? It might be because I'm a elitist snob, but I love the though of having a personal library full of classics, even if I do not intend to reread them. I must be in the minority, even with the manga I have, I feel annoyed when they're on the shelf collecting dust. There are so many books I own that I will never reread, I've had to sell them or give them away. Anyways, I usually read it once and then I'm done, although I have reread a few, and YES I do learn more the second time around, I still prefer not to buy them. |
| I'm fairly a cheap and poor guy, so I don't even buy books. Collection is good and all, but for a guy who haven't even worked yet, that's out of my grasp. I don't like a screen to read texts off either, since it makes me much more tired than actual paper. I also tend to avoid paperbacks in general, since the texts are small. But if I did have money, I'd like to buy some non-paperbacks books I really liked. For the sake of memory (since I totally suck in terms of remembering what books I actually read) and possible reread value. |
| I don't know, I'd have to know what the book is for and what its about. If it is just for passing time internet or library it. But if its for something impotent i would probably buy it but make sure that it is for the most part correct in its context as far as what it is giving information on first. After that you can always sell it on ebay or something if you know your not going to read it or need it again. (if you wanted to anyway) |
Speed is Life - 1st ID... patch on my shoulder. |
AthenianMonty said: Baman said: Does it matter if you only read them once? It might be because I'm a elitist snob, but I love the though of having a personal library full of classics, even if I do not intend to reread them. Besides, when you are supposed to read a book, having the actual thing in your hands beat reading it on a screen any day. This. I mean, are you going to show off your flashdrive from a pocket or are you going to point to a wall-of-books? Although I do re-read my books time to time. I prefer an actual book in my hands, as compared to something like Kindle, for I can write notes/underline in physical books. That's really my biggest concern. If that became supported in Kindle though... Oh dear god. I HATE when people write in books. It's so distracting for me. I just need a clean copy. I always had arguments with my teacher who insisted it would help me focus on the story more or some nonsense. She hated me. I'm a total bookworm. I'm very proud of my book collection. It makes me feel cool. Whether this is true or not, I don't care. It's just satisfying having my own library. Especially since I've been banned from every library near here for consistent late returns. I can read online but it's much harder to focus. Nothing beats a real book. |
| what does 'a waste of money' mean anyways? if you think it's worth your money, then it's not a waste. even if some other people think otherwise. |
| I love to buy books, especially from my favourite authors. I re-read most of them, so I never feel as if it's a waste of money. I also spend quite a bit on second hand books - that way, if they are rubbish, I don't feel as if it was a waste. Also, the library is your friend. I always prefer holding a book in my hands as opposed to books on a PC via the Internet, and downloading and printing would be a waste of paper and ink - actually, with the cost and time involved in printing, you may as well have bought the damn book. |
| Not. Even i having read the death note serie on internet, i buy all the mangas. There are people don't have a laptop something like it to take for anywhere and to do their things like for example to read your fav series and it's very good to feel a book on hands. |
| "The second place is the first place of the losers" "God is big, God is strong and when He wants there isn't who wants" "Everybody has a limit. My limit is over the others" Ayrton Senna da Silva ------------------------------------------------------------------ Brazilian, Rio, Soccer, Geek, Gamer, Vivaldi Browser mod and beta tester |
| I use to read a lot of books. Sadly, I don't anymore. The only thing I do read are my math textbooks. |
| I've only bought a few books and they're the ones I read so much that I figured I owed the author something. I usually take books out of the library and take them out again if I want to reread them. |
Akimoto_KimuraOct 11, 2010 7:06 AM
| is buying a manga a waste of money? it always depends on the person some people buy everything and some people just lurk around on the internet and read their stuff there since im working in a library i got plenty of stuff for free so i dont really need to buy books^^ |
| yes if you don't plan to read |
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| can't stand to read anything on a screen for hours on end. plus i like how i don't have to plug something in every night either. while e book things are handy, i still prefere the good old paper back. just something about having it in my hand that makes it worth while |
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No silly, books are for newbs  |
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| I have a childish respect for books and, consequently, I refuse to read them behind a screen unless that was their release form. I also don't write on them, highlight them, bend them or anything else. The only valid option for reading a book and not buying it is to borrow it. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
| I like that we now have a moral standing regarding "books". |
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| Library man; nothing beats some good old pages. I'd hate to be reading off a monitor for hours (though I do anyway for forums like this), but yeah, for a novel. I want a good book I can sit down in the lounge and read from. So if I didn't want to buy the actual book, I'd head down to my library. Stuff printing it - what a waste. |
| Nah. It's not a waste of money. But it is a waste of resources! |
| Buying books is a waste of money, but I prefer the feeling of holding a book in my hands. Sure there's the library, but I like to have a copy of the books I like because I reread them when I don't have new ones. |
| Not really.. |
| ''Those who opposes the will of the Creators shall be deleted..'' - Ultimate Messiah |
| i like buying more than anything, but otherwise I just go to the library |
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| Nope, it's not a waste. Of course, this is subjective, but I have a pretty damn good feeling I'm gonna read Cryptonomicon again someday. |
| well, some books definitely aren't worth buying. (like one of my college computer science textbooks. I haven't opened it once.) others are great to buy, so that you can have them on a shelf to look at so you come back at them. They are also much easier on the eyes than a laptop. I can't say much for my local library, it's selection is rather poor as well as outdated but about 20+ years. So I think if the book is worth reading, it's definitely worth buying. |
| "Improbable? Perhaps. ... But let us hesitate to say impossible. These and other strange blessings may be waiting in the future—which after all, is the Twilight Zone." |
alexcampos said: So having said that, if you read a book only once, and it doesn't have any "collector's value", is buying it a waste of money? such a silly question, of course its waste of money, not only that your killing the trees of the amazon that you are, you horrible person you. FORGIVE US MOTHER NATURE!!!!! |
veni vidi vici |
| It is if you're buying it so you can burn it to make a 'point'.lol No, books in hand a collection of them,like a miniature library. That's a good thing for me. And if the books you bought are only worth reading once then it means you've probably bought the wrong book(s). E-books and stuff are okay and I guess I can read them in lenghts but I'd prefer having a physical copy of something I read on hand rather than access it from a hard drive. |
| Omg, there is NO alternative for me. If I borrow a book, I still HAVE to buy it afterwardsm except it was really horrible. I'm just a collection freak. My whole room is crampes with books, comics and mangas. I don't even want to count the numbers. It doesn't really have to do with being able to re-read them (though that is a nice side-effect), but I just have my collection and I want it to represent every piece of literature that I ever enjoyed. Simple as that. |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| I voted Kindle, but I think I voted too soon. A library is a good place to get your reading fix. I only buy books if I plan on re-reading them again. These fall under the Non-Fiction categories. Fiction are "one-and-done" for me. |
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| Of course it isn't, you can pirate everything else but If you want to read a book you must hold it in your hands. It doesn't count if you have the will to go through more than 200 pdf pages, you must be crazy then. |
| Books are just a waste of time and money ,, people who read them waste their live in bullshit ( most of the books contain bullshit ) and the people who write them waste their miserable live on them |
Sonic_Moronic said: It doesn't count if you have the will to go through more than 200 pdf pages, you must be crazy then. Sonic_Moronic It doesn't count if you have the will to go through more than 200 pdf pages, you must be crazy then.[/quote said: Did that once, my eyes were pretty sore for some days, it takes a completly different kind of focusing on the screen than when playing games and watching video. So thats really not a option. Always worth the money when it comes to books. |
| I read many books on screen, I can do that all day long. But having a real thing is obviously better. It's not a waste of money to buy books, but I wish they were cheaper. And what is this greedy practice with releasing hardcover only and no paperback for like, a year? It's not even just a matter of price, I like paperbacks better since they're more comfy to read. |
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