Reading as a cheap hobby

Brambling

I worked with a girl we were both about 21/22 and she announced she had never read a book since she left school at 16, when she did read it was a magazine I was horrified, but then again I had to explain banking cash points and cheque books to her as she believed she could only put money in her own bank branch and it would be her money (the same notes) they gave back to her when she drew it out.  We were paid in cash so she would have to go back to her own town to bank it! 

Heaven as a lowly paid hotel worker was the 4 storey second hand book shop in the nearest town which would give you back half the price of a book if you returned it in good condition of the price of the next book. 

cbsexec

Another who has always loved reading.  I think it started with Milly Molly Mandy.  The library was my second home and I particularly remember one school holiday where I borrowed and read every James Bond book.   I will read anything except horror (too scary).  I usually have more than one book on the go because I listen to audiobooks at bedtime.  If I am really into a book I have to finish it in one sitting 😀 and then I’m disappointed that it’s ended. 

Rowan9

Just loving this thread and have noted some books for future reading. Thank you all!
I’m reading All My Mothers at the moment, passed on to my from DD. I hwve a pile of library books sitting by the bookcase and have two more to collect today including the new collaborative novel Fourteen Days and includes Margaret Atwood. Collecting that today. 

I have always loved reading. Use the library mostly now and exchange books with DD. I do love a charity shop browse and we have a really good book one up the road, also the fabulous Toppings book shop. There’s a little free book exchange cabinet up the road too so this has prompted me to look out some of my grandchildren’s outgrown books that I keep pop them in there today 
Happy reading all!

PipneyJane

Brie said:

Sad but true story from a friend of ours that my OH used to teach with.

When he was a lad he was given a bit of money for Christmas, probably no more than a pound or two, and when asked by a relative what he was going to spend it on, our friend said he was going to buy a book.  The relative responded with surprise asking "Why would you do that?  You already have one!!"

That is so sad, @Brie.  Such inverse snobbery:  “Reading isn’t for the likes of us!”.

One of the boys in my 6th grade (primary school) class encountered this.  He’d borrowed some books from the school library and was caught reading one by a relative, who demanded “What are you doing wasting your time on books?”.  Our class reading group were horrified.

- Pip

Brie

Another great discount programme I took advantage of decades back was with the Ontario lottery (apply named "Wintario") where for every non winning ticket (sold at $1 each) you could get 50c off a long list of books by Canadian writers.  Given the number of people who weren't readers there were always a glut of nonwinning tickets available that one might pick up to help buy some books.   A great use of lottery money in my opinion.

annieb64

If anyone watched "The Marlow Murder Club" last week - the book is avaliable on todays Kindle deal for 99p.

sheilavw

I am 62, been a reader all my life. I still use the library and my kindle. As a child I loved Milly Molly Mandy too, all the Enid Blyton. I also remember reading books by Malcolm Saville?  I mostly read in bed!

annieb64

I used to read Malcolm Saville too-The Lone Pine series. 

bouicca21

I loved the Malcolm Saville books and joined the Lone Pine club.  I must try and find some and reread them to see if they really were as good as I thought.

MrsStepford

I read Milly Molly Mandy in primary school !

There was a series of books featuring Peter and Jane. Peter would help pipe-smoking Daddy in the garden and Jane would help Mummy in the kitchen. They seemed old-fashioned and sexist to me, even before I got to double digits Did anyone else have these at school ?

I loved Biggles books as well as the Tintin books. I'm unsure whether I read any Malcolm Saville  books. Bells aren't ringing. Brat Farrar was a set book at secondary school along with the Flambards series by K M Peyton and Cider With Rosie. 

As for the inverse snobbery stuff, my husband won prizes for English at secondary school and his mother threw the books away ! She told him that "booklearning" was a waste of time and he was to leave school at 16 and learn a trade. I was proud that my husband went to uni part-time and got postgrad ! 

When we spent a week in Wiltshire, we found a village which had converted the red phone box into a book swap facility, which was cool.