Sunday, August 19, 2007

Do You Ever Return Books?



Over on the All About Romance List, they're talking about returning books. As in, how often people return books, and why.

Anne Marble, AAR moderator, asks:

"Do you return books, and if so, for what reasons? And are there reasons for which you would never return a book? Is there a point where you will not return a book after reading a set amount -- whether a couple of chapters or a large portion?"

I must admit, I rarely ever return books, even the crap ones. I did return a book earlier this year, but I did have a good reason. I can't even remember the name of the book, but I'd already read it, and didn't realise it at the time. Actually, there might have been another book that I returned, but I simply can't remember what the book was, or why I returned it. In 2006, I can categorically say that I never returned one book, not even the stinkers.

I don't even return books when I accidentally buy two copies. This happened with J.D. Robb's Rapture In Death last year, I ordered a copy from Amazon, then went to Borders, saw it, and bought it there, having totally forgotten that I'd actually already bought it from Amazon. (Does anybody else ever do this?)

I can't remember what I did with the second copy, but I certainly didn't return it. Hmmm...I might have actually given it away on the blog.

Anyway, this comment from one of the AAR regulars bemused me somewhat:

"I returned a book once b/c I hated it. It was about 10 years ago and
money was really tight. I felt that the publishing industry "stole"
what little money I had. Now that I actually make a living wage I
wouldn't dream of returning a book simply b/c it's awful."


If I could be arsed, I would totally return a book that sucked great big hairy ones, the only reason I don't, is because I'm so damn lazy. Returning a book because it's awful is the most sensible thing one can do methinks, otherwise, you just feel cheated.

What say you?

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