Re-stocking a teens bookshelf cheaply

Mr_Toad

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

He doesn't need "plenty of books to hand". He needs only one at a time.

I'd disagree with that. I currently have 5 books on the go, I read whichever one I fancy depending on mood, if I want fiction or something more challenging.

I never have less than three on the go.

sooty&sweep

Hi
If you look on Amazon you can often buy second hand books alot cheaper than the new price.
Id be careful about buying too many books because if he's not interested in them he won't want to read them but you'll get irritated that you've bought all these books and he doesnt want to read them which defeats the purpose. I've been guilty of this.
That would be the advantage of using the library whilst he works out what he wants to read.
Jen

Horace

Rather than buying books in the hope that he will read them, why not take him shopping for books and let him choose his own?

He needs to see reading as an enjoyable activity and not as a punishment. As a family maybe you should all use your local library? Remember that not all books have to be things that you can hold and flip the pages on - some are even available in audio format which may be something else to consider.

Must admit that I have a bookshelf full of books and tend to have about 5 on the go at once - all of them are different so I read according to my mood.

BitterAndTwisted

Mr_Toad wrote: »

I'd disagree with that. I currently have 5 books on the go, I read whichever one I fancy depending on mood, if I want fiction or something more challenging.

I never have less than three on the go.

I'm the same but I suspect neither of us have any problems with written English. This young man does.

pollypenny

Mr_Toad wrote: »

I'd disagree with that. I currently have 5 books on the go, I read whichever one I fancy depending on mood, if I want fiction or something more challenging.

I never have less than three on the go.

Some fiction is challenging.

Gloomendoom

Kindles aren't much good for e-books from the library. At least not in my experience here and in Australia. A Kobo or similar e-reader would be a better bet.

Mr_Toad

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

I'm the same but I suspect neither of us have any problems with written English. This young man does.

Why would that preclude him from having more than one book on the go?

My reason for the multiple book comment is so that if, for any reason, he does not feel like reading a particular book he can always opt for one of the others which is surely better than not reading anything.

rach_k

Does he have a smart phone? I have a Kindle but mostly use the Kindle app on my phone. You can link it to your Kindle account (and disable one click purchases!) and then you can either choose books for him or he can sit with you and choose them for himself. I read a lot of free books on there. Some are of questionable quality but you can normally tell by the cover and from the first few pages if they're bad. Lots of 'proper' authors will release a previous book for free or very cheaply when they bring out the next one so that's a good way to get books for very little money. If you prefer paper, The Works is usually good on the high street or online and The Book People is great online.

Spendless

Thanks for the replies, will be looking into some of the links. I disagree that he only needs one book at a time. His bookshelf is full of books, but they've been read and re-read and he needs new challenges. He sometimes goes and browses for a book and hasn't got much new stock to look at.

Also please tell me where I have said that I am choosing the books for him? I have asked for ideas where to look for them cheaply.

sooty&sweep

Hi
The cheapest way of buying second hand books tends to be carboot sales. Also charity shops but more expensive than carboots. However this option is hit & miss as no guarantees what books you'll find.
To find the cheapest option online have u tried the megashopbot function that links to this website ?
Your initial post didn't say who would be choosing the books but to me anyway it suggested that it was intended to put a selection of age appropriate reading material on his bookshelf for him to pick & choose from.
I personally have been guilty of buying book sets from the likes of the bookpeople that I thought would appeal to my son but he didn't want to read them.
He's now found a book set that he wants to read and he's been getting them out from the local library.
I've been contemplating getting my son a tablet to use as an ebook reader but he loves playing games so I worry he'd get distracted from reading the book and play electronic games.
Jen