lomuamart wrote: That's what I was trying to say earlier. I'm really possessive of my books. A lot of them mean something to me and I don't want them to go forever.
I do know what you mean, I had many hundreds of books in the UK, and it broke my heart to get rid of them. I still have several in my sister's attic (if she hasn't got rid of them yet!).
There'd have to be a general (or individual) agreement about whether we were swapping or lending, or a mixture of both. Personally, if I really wanted a book back I probably wouldn't lend it in the first place, unless I knew the person I was lending it to! Seems to me that if we start with a handful of paperbacks, we'll soon work out who can be trusted and who can't.
Most of my books came from Samui or Penang at anywhere between 60 and 200 baht, and since I don't go to either any more I'm starting to get desperate!
Long ago I saw this thing about "books on-line". I've never investigated it. I don't know if you have to pay to read them on-line or not?
I guess a downside is that you have to sit in front of a bright computer screen instead of in a cozy nook to read them. Or, print them out if they let you do that? Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Pete, a whole load of sites let you download e-books off the net, commercially you pay about five dollars for a book but a huge amount of older out of copyright stuff is available for free. If you are into classics the whole lot is out there, this site has literally thousands:http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/
Reading off a computer is something you can get used to and while you could print them off, I think the cost in paper and toner cartridges would be prohibitive.
STEVE G wrote: Reading off a computer is something you can get used to...
Much as I hate to disagree, I can't even begin to imagine this. Besides, most of my reading is done in the bedroom and the bathroom... (in no particular order!)
I learnt the art of reading books off a computer screen whilst sat alone in a windowless office, in an underemployed position as a maintenance planner for an airline. After a few months I was bored with reading, as well as maintenance planning so I went back to fixing airplanes for a living.
I would LOVE to see a book exchange but I need to have the actual book in my hand to tell if I have read it so listing online just won't work for me. I have a bag of books ready to go.
I also very rarely re-read a book. Seems no point in mysteries or even in novels since I usually remember the outcome and many of the details along the way.
Hi Seems to me this could be a brilliant business venture for someone. there is always someone on HHAD asking what kind of business is needed.
Has any one ever been to Barter Books in Alnwick northumberland. it is absolutly brilliant, there must be 20,000-30,000 books easy, set in an old railway station, there is always tea and coffe brewing and homemade chocolate cookies, sofas to sit and browse through books, a kiddies section, antique collectors section, as well as all the other kind of books you might want to read. At any giver time from opening to closing the place is full. People can buy or trade their old books back, for avid readers it's a god send, so much cheaper than buying new. This business started off in a small part of an old railway station and now has taken over the whole building and is known as one of the biggest second hand bookshops in the world.
I love the sound of that place - if only someone in Hua Hin would do something similar. Perhaps there's a bar owner out there with a spare shelf or two to stock some books though how you'd facilitate the swapping I don't know. I've got a few books I'd be happy to lend (no chick lit though - I hate it!)
Reading a book online is tough and a better option maybe to download recording of books and listen to them on your mp3 player. This has the added advantage that you can 'read' the book while doing something useful.
I have a few books that I would like to exchange, some of which I bought from Dawn's shop. I've created a very simple and crude database of which I will post the URL if anyone is interested...
A place to go where there is a library of books to exchange, borrow or buy, comfortable chairs and coffee available would be a terrific addition to the Hua Hin scene. . .though I wonder if there would be much profit to the operator other than providing him/her with a constant supply of reading material. One interesting link ( either for the borrowing or for the lending) would be the big hotels where people on holiday often enjoy sitting in the sun with a good book. True, many are Scandinavian ( The Hilton poolside bookshelf has only two books in English ( out of three dozen) which I just returned.)
I am all set for the foreseeable future though. My spouse works at a hotel and just brought home a couple dozen books left behind by guests.
I'm not in Hua Hin but I have a house there (occupied by a partner) and we both would be interested in getting books in English to read--not really interested in keeping them as some others are---a small suggestion. When I studied in France in the 70's the British consulate hosted a lending library--you got a card and checked books in and out--but really it was done as a service--and most people visiting left a book for lending from the library. Staffed by volunteers. Any ideas on a place like that--a consulate or something?
I visited the library today. OK very few english books - maybe 20 or so but better than nothing. 30 baht to join. I figure any books I have read I will donate to the library, if others did same it might prove a good local source and a service as well. What you all thnk ?
niggle wrote:I visited the library today. OK very few english books - maybe 20 or so but better than nothing. 30 baht to join. I figure any books I have read I will donate to the library, if others did same it might prove a good local source and a service as well. What you all thnk ?
Tell you what. I'll start a thread on Foo about which book you're reading at the moment. The one started by Jaime about music has been extremely popular.
Maybe it might encourage people to share their reading material?
If the two threads need to be merged, we can do that later. For the time being, the "other" one can whet our appetite.
Just a suggestion.
