Well, if you're here you are probably a little like me - your desire for books is much bigger than your monthly budget for them. I feel your pain. I have had a run of good luck with inexpensive books recently. And I thought I'd share my fortune with you.
If you've visited my blog before, you'll have gathered I live in sunny SA. The land of great beauty and really expensive books. Coupled with an exchange rate that doesn't help. Our most famous bookstore stocks paperbacks that sell for an average price of about R320 (around $25 or £18) - it could be a bit more, I haven't bought one from there in ages.
My strategy? I browse the expensive book shops for ideas, but find them elsewhere. Yes, like the cartoon.
So, for those overseas visitors, I apologize. This post has links to the physical copies in SA that are helpful to poor us. But the e-versions are all on Amazon, so no worries there. I know you probably want the "real" book. But sometimes, your reading passion is higher than your need to hold it in your hands and feel the pages, so a compromise is in order.
One last point. Cheap books do not have to be poorly written or badly plotted. These are all worth a read. It's not like they're discounted because they're not as good. My reviews are (mostly) available by following the links.
Let's get started.
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I've just finished Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris. The review is up, if you click the cover. It's a fast-paced psychological thriller. The paperback is R149 from Loot.co.za, the ebook is R31 from Takealot.com and it trades at $3.36 from the Kindle store on Amazon. I think it's a four star read - and certainly value for money.
Another recent thriller is See how they run by Tom Bale, which is $3.41 on Kindle (not on Loot or Takealot). Try not to notice that its subtitle is "the ...thriller everyone is talking about" and it's a great read. Click the cover for my review.
Then there's Between you and Me by Lisa Hall. This will take you an afternoon to read. And it's wicked - such a surprise. No, of course I'm not telling. Read my review by following the cover. Price: $5.69 on Kindle, R149 off Loot.co.za and R65 off Takealot.com as an ebook. Yes, really. I told you they were cheap.
If you need a great reasonable historical fiction why don't you try The Whip by Karen Kondazian? It's $5.26 on Kindle, and I haven't found any copies in paper format here. I read the Audible version, which is great, not that cheap, but if you sign up for a monthly rate - it's $14.95 for every book, which I think is usually better than the prices on offer. (Audio versions are more expensive, generally.)
My latest indulgence is thanks to a recommendation from a friend...BookBub.com. They have "deals" on all sorts of books - some for free, some for $0.99, and some for $1.99. Here are some recommendations:
- The Common Lawyer by Mark Gimenez is $0.99
- Once we were Brothers by Ronald H Balson is $2.99
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is $1.99 and
- Fires of Alexandria - I haven't read it yet. It is free and downloaded and waiting for me.
Still uninspired - try a second hand bookshop. Or what about your local library?
I'm off to read.
1 comment:
Yea!! Thanks for really great recommendations AND where to find them. Will go check them out.
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