Cheap Thrills: Where to find 25 cent books

While I plan to offer my readers an e-book, it's only one of the choices on the new smorgasbord of reading options these days. I love print books too much to deprive myself, if not my readers, the tactile experience of real, as well as virtual books.

I track news stories about libraries and when I see another one going bookless, I'm horrified. But I'm not all doom and gloom about the future of the print book. Too many people love them as much as I do which brings me to the gist of my post.

Our local Friends of the Library had our Spring Book Sale over the weekend. As a member I put in some volunteer time. I sorted and displayed and bagged books. As people dug through the the bottom of their pockets and purses for quarters, some of them told me about their love of books and libraries. There was a quiet passion in their admission, sort of like a confession. Guilty pleasures. Cheap thrills.

While I was enjoying my alter persona as a bookseller, I thought about how in a world of diminishing print books, we might lose the opportunity to offer 25 cent book bargains to the community.

Not everyone can afford or even wants a Kindle. There will never be the same passion for an e-reader as there is for real books and a bookless library would never have a used e-book sale.

I'm sure most writers would consider having their book end up at a used book sale some kind of sad fate. But I don't think so. We had plenty of best selling authors, Harry Potter included, and it just means more people are getting to read them. So I'm hoping that writers who are in the throws of publishing will not stop at e-booking and work to get it into print. You never know where that book will end up.