Have you ever had your eye on a certain book for a long time, but not the funds to purchase it? You hear so many great things about this one particular novel or series, and until you get your paws on it, your reading life is hopeless and inferior. You try and fill the void with other books, but nothing helps, not until you acquire that specific book.
Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic. But I felt sort of like that about John Updike’s popular series, The Rabbit Novels. I’ve wanted to read the series ever since I read Updike’s short story about the grocery store; A&P. I’m sure most of you read it in middle/high school. Updike isn’t the most well-known author and he isn’t in my Top 5 favorites, but I still enjoy and respect his writing style, I was saddened by his passing, and he deserves way more recognition.
This past weekend, with a %15 off coupon at Barnes%Nobles, I finally knew it was time for me to buy the first of the series, Rabbit, Run. I got to the bookstore and instantly faced a pricey conundrum; I could buy the first novel for $16.00 or the first AND second novels in the same volume for $18.95. But even with the coupon, the books were still outrageously expensive. I own a Kindle, and the eBook version would only be $9.99. That was the obvious choice. But walking around Barnes&Nobles, I was growing increasingly frustrated. The book-selling industry is in shambles pretty much, and yet the cost of books is getting higher into “I need to sell blood to buy this paperback” proportions. I see B&N as a conglomerate evil in which I hate giving them my business. The death of Borders continues to pull my heartstrings.
Empty-handed, I left B&N, deep down knowing I made a good choice saving my money, but still upset I wouldn’t own a physical copy of the book I craved for. I headed to a record store on Samson; Long in the Tooth. I’ve never been but read good reviews. The store was clean and impressive when I found it, and although they had no records that interested me, they had books! Used books! I scanned the shelves and look at that:
They had the exact same copy of the Rabbit, Run/Rabbit Redux double volume I saw in B&N. For only $7.50. Cheaper than the eBook version! I bought it and couldn’t be happier. I even saw a book I bought at B&N for $25. Here it was $16 for the HARDCOVER, and I bought the paperback for close to double.
I guess it shows that before you pay money to the big soul-sucking companies, check your local bookstores, record stores, whatever. Hell, I’m usually too impatient for Amazon, but everyone knows that’s the best place for books. Give little shops and stores your money first, they deserve it more. Cheaper is better.
