We all know that there is nothing better than settling down with a good book, but if we are being honest, they can be bloody expensive! My bookshelves definitely expanded during my English undergraduate and I’ve definitely bought loads during lockdown too, so I think I’ve got a few helpful tips on buying/reading affordable books. So here are my top 6 tips:
1. Charity Shop Buying
Charity Shops are great for so many things, books included! If you have any charity shops near your house definitely check them out. Of course they are second hand, so the condition may not be pristine but a couple of creased pages aren’t that bad when you’re saving money (and that’s coming from me who is extremely OCD about my books!). If there are no charity shops near you, there are a couple of online charities such as Oxfam. Their website is here!
2. Borrow Books from your local library
Libraries are totally underrated! Depending on your circumstances it may be difficult to get to a library (I’m not sure if they are open yet) but this is a good tip for the future. Libraries have such an extensive collection of books and of course it is free, what more could you ask for? If you are a university student take advantage of the fiction section at your university library, you will not be disappointed!
3. Free audiobooks on YouTube
This is definitely a tried and tested method from myself as I have listened to SO many audiobooks during the course of my undergraduate! There is a wide range of audiobooks available and they are particularly good for classics too. Just type in the word audiobook after the title and see what comes up!
4. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is one of the best websites that I found during my undergraduate. It is a collection of 60,000 free eBooks and I’m sure that there would be something for you to read. Another great thing about Project Gutenberg is that you can access it in English, Portuguese, German and French which is amazing! You can find Project Gutenberg here.
5. Kindle Unlimited & Kindle Deals
If you have a kindle then you need to make use of the deals. I have definitely been sucked into the 99p deals plenty of times but they are such good value for money! The average paperback costs me around £5, which would work out as 5 books on your kindle. So if you’ve got one, what are you waiting for!
6. Become a book reviewer – NetGalley
After starting up my bookstagram a couple of months ago I found out that a few accounts were reviewing books on NetGalley. You can use NetGalley to find new books and audiobooks for free in exchange for an honest review of the books you’ve read! It sounds like a win win situation to me! You can find NetGalley’s website here.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post on affordable ways of buying books! If you use any of these methods and if you have any more affordable ways of reading please let me know in the comments!
Books and Baking 