Reading as a cheap hobby

kiss_me_now9

I was a huge reader when I was a teenager, preferring the company of book characters to anyone else in real life. Slowly as I got older drinking and clubbing happened, then I got busy with a full time job and a new found love of exercise, and now I'm at the point where I'm lucky if I read 5 books in a year (which will all undoubtedly be read on holiday around the pool). I'm on a no-buy year for books this year as I have an entire bookcase full of unread books I've hoarded from charity shops. I can't bring myself to pay more than £2.50 for a book, which is ridiculous really. 

When I counted at Christmas I had over 50 books on my bookshelf that I hadn't read yet. 50+! Even at £2 a pop from the charity shop, that's over £100 on 'stuff' that I haven't enjoyed yet. One thing I do struggle with is getting rid of books that I enjoy. Not a problem for books that I don't like reading, but books that I've enjoyed I will keep hold of for years and years, just for the memory of having them and the knowledge that if I wanted to I could read it again instantly. 

button_box

Reading, to me, is one of the great pleasures in life and can transport you away from life's stresses or teach you new things. I use our local library ( 12 miles away!) and stock up on books which we can order. The library is well used with craft clubs and Lego clubs for children, book groups, free newspapers/ magazines, "me time" craft & a cuppa groups for adults. There is usually a jigsaw out as, "a work in progress" and anyone can stop and work on it. They are working hard to make the library a warm sociable space not like the starchy libraries I remember as a child.

I tend to read books in the dialect of the place they are set ( is that weird?) so, disappointed sometimes by film and TV drama adaptations. Big fan of Anne Cleeves' Shetland series but hardly a Shetland accent on the TV series. Just realised I read a lot of Scottish authors. Ian Rankin's Rebus novels, Peter May's Lewis Trilogy and Sally Magnusson's The Seal Woman's Gift ( about Icelandic people abducted in the 1600s and sold into slavery in Algeria).Also enjoyed Kirsty Wark's The House by the Loch.  I got into Neil Lancaster's police novels starting with Dead Man's Grave because he lives locally and has set some of his books in the locality. When I lived in Australia I read quite a lot of Australian fiction. In the Library there staff would insert book marks which said " if you enjoyed this book you may like..." and list books and authors for you to try.

As I child I loved Heidi and the Flicka novels. Loved "To Kill a Mockingbird" at school. Hated Lord of the Flies!!Wuthering Heights is still a favourite as is " A Town Like Alice and The Thornbirds"

I tend to use our Library as a preview service for cookery and craft books and if I decide that they are worth buying I usually  buy them 2nd hand from online booksellers who are recycling books. I have picked up some books which are ex library stock and are in pristine condition with no return date stamps inside which makes it look as though they have never been borrowed which is sad. I sometimes donate books to our Library which they can sell or put into lending stock.

A book gets inside your head and emotions much more than TV or Film I think. I wept when I read Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Marpurgo. Not all stories have happy endings.

I still like a book in preference to my kindle.

I am making a note of books and authors others have suggested to try .on this thread. Loving the suggestions. Thanks to everyone.

Brambling

button_box said:

A book gets inside your head and emotions much more than TV or Film I think. I wept when I read Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Marpurgo. Not all stories have happy endings.

I have to try and separate a book for a film or TV adaption in my head often because the picture of characters in my head doesn't match the actor on screen, lets not talk about Tom Cruise playing Reacher because that's not just a case of wrong colour hair!

I also hate when they make drastic changes to the ending of books on screen for example not killing a main character especially if it is a important part of the plot.  I think that is catching i remember taking my nephew to see the first Harry Potter as a little boy and having to sssh him as he was most indignant about the differences to the book

button_box

There has been some real mis-casting over the years which messes with my head. John Hannah as Rebus was terrible. He might have been Scottish but any similarity to the character ended there. IMO opinion Ken Stott and his "lived in" face was a much better fit. I see that the BBC are going to have a prequel series of Rebus. I hope they have got the casting right.  I thought the adaptation of Kate Atkinson's books went a bit awry although Jason Isaacs I thought was quite good as Jackson Brodie.

I haven't read any Harry Potter or seen any of the films. I am not really into fantasy.

Brie

Brambling said:

button_box said:

A book gets inside your head and emotions much more than TV or Film I think. I wept when I read Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Marpurgo. Not all stories have happy endings.

I have to try and separate a book for a film or TV adaption in my head often because the picture of characters in my head doesn't match the actor on screen, lets not talk about Tom Cruise playing Reacher because that's not just a case of wrong colour hair!

I also hate when they make drastic changes to the ending of books on screen for example not killing a main character especially if it is a important part of the plot.  I think that is catching i remember taking my nephew to see the first Harry Potter as a little boy and having to sssh him as he was most indignant about the differences to the book

Had to do the same with my OH.  We went to see the first Narnia book when it was made into a movie and my indignant darling kept harrumphing and hissing about lamp posts being the wrong colour and Aslan didn't say that but said something else similar.  Silly man has a practically perfect memory for this sort of thing as well as having probably read the book at least a dozen times over a few decades. 

We did both agree that the ending of HP wasn't done that well on screen but did really enjoy Neville.   

-taff

My OH tried to stop me having a bookcase downstairs when most of the books were upstairs [ and stil are] in carrier bags awaiting a forever home [ long long time renovating due to  various things] and had the cheek to ask me in a sarcastic voice, so you're going to have a  book emergency are you. I don't think so my  lovely, my books are my friends, my favourite books even more so so there will always be a book emegency...I do giggle in my head about that phrase though.

Adaptations...The Wheel Of Time springs to mind as well as Game of Thrones and the Expanse, but I suppose at least the last one had a viable story but was pushed for time or something because of the amount of stuff they missed out. Talking of Pratchett, did anyone see the Night Watch adaptation? I really enjoyed it, it was different in a good way.

Brambling

Taff a book emergency is when i don't have a book to read which suits my mood although a full kindle goes help with those

enthusiasticsaver

I never have a book emergency and always have about 10 books in reserve or on my kindle to read. The library is my last resort. 

I have about 250 books (hardback and paperback) which are double shelved which I hate. I am gradually rereading old books and recycling to charity shops, second hand book shop or friends/family. That gives me a bit more space. If I buy books I tend to buy on my kindle to save shelf space. I get bought loads as gifts for birthday, Christmas etc as my family and friends know I love reading. I also belong to a book club so I get one for that every month. This month it is Kate Atkinson’s short stories compilation. 

I read a variety of genres from biographies to psychological thrillers, crime and mysteries to comic novels, classics  and sometimes just an easy romantic fiction set in a place I know. I also read non fiction books about places or historical eras. Currently I am reading Ruth Jones Love untold and Claire McGowan Are you Awake? What i read depends on my mood. 

i like Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, Robert Goddard and BA Paris novels. Kristin Hannah, Khaled Hosseini and Kate Morton also weave great stories. At some point I need to get into SciFi or Fantasy. 

Ebeneezer9

I read about five books per week, commuting to work and most of the evening at home.  I use several libraries, charity shops and World of Books online but my best source of free books is my destination railway station at work where there is a superb book exchange.  In my opinion these books should be on the national curriculum: Under the Skin Michel Faber, Hhhh Laurent Binet, The Book Thief Markus Zusak along with the classics and too many others to mention.  When I’m absorbed in a book I close off from the world and enjoy every word.  I consider myself lucky to love my job, books, and cutting myself off from the horrors of this world.  Selfish perhaps, but the alternative is despair at the way this life is now.

Quasar

I will own up at this point, and say that my absolutely favourite genre is science-fiction. I like the old masters such as Asimov, D.ic.k, Simak, Wyndham etc. I have read loads, and have loads more to read. I have also found some good free audio readings on computer. I find more modern sci-fi is being bogged down by Matrix type plots set in cyberspace, clumsy attempts to work cutting edge science into shaky stories etc. but then I have not read much of it, it's just that I don't find it to my taste.

Non-fiction can also be a good read, not just science or health or politics, but also quirky books. For instance I have a wonderful book called British Humour, and in it are collected hilarious and subtle sayings from great British wits. Ideal for filling in spare moments.

Historical books also are great favourites. David Starkey's "Henry VIII's six wives" is a long book but hard to put down when one starts it.