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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 12:10pm | IP Logged
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I know that some of you ladies are AMAZING bookfinders. And, I have found some gems at used book and library sales!
But, is it just one of those things that will forever just feel random and rely on instinct? Or is there a method to your madness?
Do you keep lists? A binder you take shopping?
Do you painstakingly make your own lists of authors or do you print the lists you find as you see them and compile them?
Do you just study these in your "spare time" so that you can be sure to recognize a good name when you see one?  Like studying for the "good authors I want to collect" bee?
I'm going to check out a new to us used bookstore this afternoon. The boys have saved their money, and they will get to do some shopping.
Any advice, tips, a pep talk? It isn't quite the same as a book sale where you can pick up so much for so little. From what I've heard, this place is priced competitively with Amazon used books.
But still, I got a little overwhelmed thinking I would peruse some lists of good authors and series here. We make a lot of lists of books and authors, ladies!
I thought I could use some instruction from the Pros 
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
I know that some of you ladies are AMAZING bookfinders. And, I have found some gems at used book and library sales!
But, is it just one of those things that will forever just feel random and rely on instinct? Or is there a method to your madness?
Do you keep lists? A binder you take shopping?
Do you painstakingly make your own lists of authors or do you print the lists you find as you see them and compile them?
Do you just study these in your "spare time" so that you can be sure to recognize a good name when you see one? Like studying for the "good authors I want to collect" bee?
I'm going to check out a new to us used bookstore this afternoon. The boys have saved their money, and they will get to do some shopping.
Any advice, tips, a pep talk? It isn't quite the same as a book sale where you can pick up so much for so little. From what I've heard, this place is priced competitively with Amazon used books.
But still, I got a little overwhelmed thinking I would peruse some lists of good authors and series here. We make a lot of lists of books and authors, ladies!
I thought I could use some instruction from the Pros |
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I do "study" up. I read lists and recommendations all the time. I put some in my Amazon cart to remind me of the titles and authors.
I also make some lists of series, so I don't duplicate. But I now have a 9 year old who can rattle off the titles we don't have, so sometimes I don't even worry about that.
It has become instinctive. Sometimes I grab a book by its cover, the look, the age, the press. And often I'm right on the money.
I also like bringing my boys to see what interests them, so we can be on the same page -- enourage/discourage.
Bring your iphone and check prices if in doubt.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 12:17pm | IP Logged
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I used to make lists that I carried with me of just those specific authors or titles that I knew I wanted to buy. Because even if it's a "good book" it doesn't mean I either want or need it. And, of course, I could add other things for me to remember to that list that I just wanted to peruse. But that meant I wasn't worried about missing something I specifically was looking for and I could relax and browse other stuff and rely on recogniztion and instinct (oh wasn't this something someone thought was good) and considering how long ago this was.. I'd also like to add on... you should also rely on prayer.. pray before you go into the stores that you'll find things you need, that you'll recognize good books when you see them.. things like that. 
I'm not around many used book stores these days so I stopped carrying a list.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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MaryM
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 12:57pm | IP Logged
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Great questions, Lindsay. This is an area I want to get better at - develop a system. I don't feel like I have very good luck and I know that if I planned a little it would pay off better. Thanks for your tips, Jenn.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 1:34pm | IP Logged
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I thought some more on this. I'm a big bibliography reader. If I like a book or an author, I read what did he/she use to research and what does the author recommend for further reading. I do this with illustrators also. This applies more to non-fiction, but there are ways with children's books, too.
For older books, I have read many "books about books." If there's a book i like, I will see if its part of a series or more in the same genre by the same publisher. I've really try to find out about different childrens series to be familiar with the spine imprints and publisher names to make it easier to recognize when hunting.
When I see a book mentioned online, I immediately take a note, either sending an email, jotting down a note. I check my library catalog first and request if they have it. Then I'll go to Amazon and check the price and rareness of the book. I keep a long list of books in my cart, not necessarily organized, but just little reminders to keep my eye out for certain books. Amazon usually has book images, so that gives me a visual, also. B
It's hit or miss, but since I've been doing this before I was even married, it is force of habit. It sounds like I stay awake studying, but its not like that.
It's not necessary to know all and do research on old books. most good books will stand the test of time and get recommended currently by people whose opinion I usually concur.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 2:28pm | IP Logged
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I mostly do what Jenn does. I have two strategies when purchasing used books:
1) Keep eyes open for treasures at thrift stores, flea markets, goodwill, and used book stores...and...
2) Make considered purchases of specific books based on our planned reading for the year.
I'll share my strategies for both:
Eyes open for random surprise book treasures
** I use two apps on my phone - Notes (I have an iphone and this is an app that comes on the phone, but any notepad type app would do), and another called Cozi and make lists of books and authors that I have come to have a really treasured relationship with over the years. I have multiple lists on Cozi:
:: Authors by last name
:: Series names
:: Recommended books by genre
** My big kids are very aware of books we have, books we've read, and books of interest and often recommend things.
** Like Jenn, at this point, I can almost shop by "look". I know the type of illustrations I like, and don't like. I can often skim TOC and first/last page of a book to get a really good sense of it. And, I DO judge a book by its cover. It really hasn't failed me. So, I guess this would be something that develops over time, but I bet if you look through (or think about) your favorite picture books, you will begin to see some common points in terms of look that can begin to inform decisions.
Books needed based on booklist plans for a particular child/year
** MOST....ALMOST ALL...of my used book purchases are made online. I buy all of our school reading books one term at a time from my booklists that I build at the beginning of a year. I have preferences for buying used - I prefer::: hardcover
:: with dust jacket (that I then cover in mylar)
:: solid binding So, I really pay attention to book descriptions. If this is a book that I think will probably be a passed-down book, I'd be willing to spend a little more for a used book in good+ condition, otherwise, I might be willing to take a chance on "acceptable" condition for a penny. I average spending between $4 and $10 per book, and that includes shipping.
FAVORITE ONLINE SOURCES FOR USED BOOKS:
:: AddALL - fantastic site which searches several used book databases for a particular book. I love their format for listing books when found, which link to a vendor, and list books available in order of lowest price to highest. Almost all of my favorite used book vendors (Loome, Alibris, Abebooks, Biblio, Powell's, etc) all show up in this database search, so it's very efficient.
:: Fetchbook works well. I don't like it as much as AddALL, but I have found a few rarer, OOP books on Fetchbook that didn't show up in a search on AddALL, so it's worthwhile to check here.
:: Amazon is an obvious mention and works well for us because I use it in a specific way for purchasing our books.:: At the beginning of the month, my husband and I have a set amount that we agree to use for books for the month. I purchase (and email) myself an Amazon gift card in that amount, and then apply it to my account. So, let's say the budget for the month is $50...I purchase a $50 Amazon gift card, apply it to my account, and now I have that amount as my book budget for the month. Some months, I may roll over an amount I don't use, other months, I use up my gift card, and I won't make other purchases until the next month. I usually receive an extra amount at the end of a term (we plan for this in our budget) because I will need to purchase used books for the term. :: Etsy - etsy results do not show up in any used book database, yet I have found some great, affordable treasures there when searching for a particular book, so it does pay to go there directly and do a quick search for an author or book.
:: ebay - and especially ebay saved searches for books that are elusive. Ebay will email you if the book is ever listed on their site. Also, do several searches - sometimes people don't know how to list their books, and don't list by title, but list an author's name and some description...especially if they don't know what they have. So search for book name, and then do a separate search using just the author's last name to see what you get.
:: Abebooks - even though Abebooks selections show up in database searches, sometimes a book is elusive, and Abebooks, like ebay, has a good saved search feature which will automatically email you if a particular book is listed in their store. I've found a couple of hard-to-find books this way. On Abebooks, this feature is called, "Create a Want" and it's down at the bottom of the search page.
:: ebook sources - sometimes, I can find a book for our ereader, and though it STILL isn't my preference, especially for books on our daily schedule, sometimes it's the most affordable and accessible option. Almost ALL of our books can be found used very affordably, including the OOP choices on my booklist, but a few OOP books are unreasonably priced and this option sometimes makes the book available to us. For example, I'd love to have a bigger Chesterton library on our home shelves, but we only have a few. However, I found many, many Chesterton books free for the ereader and this has given us instant access to him, which my high schooler loves! For ebooks, I check:
That's it. Those are my used book strategies. I buy almost everything used, and since we don't use curriculum or expensive workbooks here, I have almost all my homeschool budget to use on good books and building a wonderful home library which I will one day be able to share and pass on to either my sister and/or my children.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 2:38pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| I'm a big bibliography reader. If I like a book or an author, I read what did he/she use to research and what does the author recommend for further reading. I do this with illustrators also. This applies more to non-fiction, but there are ways with children's books, too. |
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THIS!!!
I have found so many treasures this way! Read book flaps, bibliographies, search for an author's bibliography online - and you will easily add to book ideas!
One of my favorite author-rabbit-trails like this was in reading and searching for Gene Stratton Porter's bibliography after my dd read A Girl of the Limberlost. Often, it allows us to get to know an author, and the search uncovers treasures I had not anticipated and can then look for. We discovered so much that was truly charming and interesting about Ms. Porter, and quite by accident, I discovered what a tremendous naturalist she was, realized she wrote many books with a specific focus on natural history, and built an entire year's worth of natural history around her books, which are still some of my kid's favorite and most talked about books! ALL....from a simple bibliography search on Gene Stratton Porter to see if she wrote something else besides Girl of the Limberlost and Freckles.
So...DO CHECK author's bibliographies!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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SeaStar
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| Posted: March 01 2013 at 2:55pm | IP Logged
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I will often put books that are OOP or not at my library onto my PBS and BookMooch wish lists. I have been able to get copies of several OOP books this way.
BookMooch allows for unlimited wish list items. It's always a nice surprise when one pops up as available.
Not very scientific or predictable, but every little bit helps.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Shopping for Used and OOP Books
