Today's post is all about the services I use to obtain my reading materials. Like many people, I much prefer to have physical books to read that I purchase for my collection, but lately I've been looking into different services to use that could help me save a little more money. So here is a list of services that I currently use that I think are really awesome (well besides regular bookshops of course).
Physical Books:
- Local Libraries: I've joined a couple of the different local libraries over the last couple years and have found that libraries generally have a really good selection. I use the online catalogues of my libraries to check if they have books that I have been meaning to pick up but just haven't and most often they do have them. This is a great way to save money as memberships are free and there is always new books being added to the collection. Libraries also have book sales of ex library books which are usually really cheap. One library I use, constantly has a table out the front of the library that has books for sale on it. They usually are about 20 cents each which is awesome when grabbing out of print books or hardcovers.
- Op Stores: I love to go op shopping! Around where I work, there is a lot of different charity stores that sells some pretty good books for around $2 - $5. I usually try to go when there is great deals such as fill a bag full of books for $10. I don't usually visit second hand book stores because the books are usually priced higher so I try to avoid them unless I'm really looking for something.
- Ebay (http://www.ebay.com.au): I am always shopping on Ebay for secondhand books that people are selling. There are some pretty good books that are in decent condition that you can find on Ebay. I have bought complete series as well as old editions from the website in the past without any issues. Although I must add that I don't bother trying to look for new titles as they are usually priced higher than getting a copy from the store.
Ebooks:
- Kindle (http://www.amazon.com.au): I got a kindle for my birthday last year and have been obsessed with it ever since. Now whenever I am searching for a book to purchase, I usually look on the kindle store to see if it is cheaper there. There is usually some great deals on popular titles, so I like to check there first before considering buying a physically copy for like $20. Being from Australia though has some flaws compared to the American kindle store such as pricing but a main one is the unlimited service. We have yet to have the option to use Kindle Unlimited which is a subscription service that allows readers to have unlimited access to the books. It's been said to be in the works but there is yet to be an update as of late. Other than that I really like using the service.
Audiobooks:
- Audible (http://www.audible.com.au/): A great service for audio books with a reasonable subscription fee. This is a subscription service where you pay $14.95 a month. With this you get access to a large range of audio books for the fixed price of $14.95 per title rather than the regular price of $20+ per title. You also get a credit each month that you can use to get a title for free. I really enjoy this service as the quality is great and the range is vast. I love listening to audio books alongside reading as I feel like I am more emerged into the story by using the two different mediums. Although like the kindle store there are differences between the Australian store and the American store with the main issue being the range of titles as well as the release dates of new ones. Other than that I would still recommend this service. I am still on the look out for an unlimited audio book service but for now this is a great outlet.
Digital Graphic Novels:
- Comixology (https://www.comixology.com/): A fantastic digital comic reading collection for all the different publishing groups. I love to read comics and so when I found this website/app I was over the moon. So this is a digital reading app where you can purchase single issues or collected volumes for cheap prices (from US$0.99 - US$3.99 an issue). They also deal with a wide range of publishers from DC to Image to Titan which is awesome. Another positive thing about this service is that their collection is constantly updated with the newest issues every week. You can also use their automatic subscription service where you can subscribe to certain series and they will be bought straight away as soon as new issues are released. The only negative I have to this app is that pricing is in US Dollars which requires you to do the conversion yourself when purchasing titles. Other than that it really a great service with a really awesome collection of graphic novels and comics.
- Marvel Unlimited (http://marvel.com/comics/unlimited): An essential subscription service for any comic lover. I have heard only amazing things about this service and have just recently started using it myself. This is a subscription service where you pay US$9.99 (roughly $15 in AUD) and you get unlimited access to a bunch of new and old series/issues from Marvel. I was actually surprised by how big the range actually is. Although it is worth noting that the issues are not completely up to date on what is currently available but in saying that, Marvel have stated that there are always new titles added to the service each week to keep the collection growing. So if the issue you are after was just released, just give it some time and it should be up eventually but in the meantime you can enjoy one of the other awesome titles that are available. I will definitely be using this service more over the next few months.
- Google Books (https://play.google.com/store/books): I love using Google books mainly to be collected editions of comics as they are usually much cheaper than through Comixology. They have pretty much any title you can think of and at a reasonable price. I can usually find a DC or Image Comic collection on this store for about $8 - $9 where it would be around $14 on Comixology after the conversion rate. Book wise it is an okay outlet to use but I would mainly use it to buy graphic novels.
Overall Digital Services:
- Overdrive (https://www.overdrive.com): Connect your library account and have endless choices. Overdrive is a service to obtain ebooks and audio books through your library account. Most libraries now have an account with Overdrive you get the added bonus of a large range of titles from the comfort of your home as well as your regular membership to the library. The range is also pretty amazing as there is both ebooks and audio books available for you to choose from. There are also new titles added to the catalogue every couple weeks which is great when looking for a particular title. I've been using this service a lot especially for audio books as it is almost an unlimited service without even paying a cent. Check if your library has an account, trust me it is totally worth it.
- Scribd (https://www.scribd.com): A subscription service that is still trying to work things out. Scribd is a service that has been through a lot of changes over the last few years. From having unlimited audio books and ebooks to just unlimited ebooks and a credit a month for an audio book; the service has been through a lot of adjustments. Up until this point I have been content with the service and use it a lot for both ebooks and graphic novels, so the audio book situation didn't bother me so much. They have a decent range of books that is constantly growing and they are always adding new titles once they get publisher authorisation. They also have a fantastic range of audio books with a select amount being free each month. In saying all of this, I'm not entirely sure if I will be staying with this service due to a new update that will be active in March. The price is still the same at US$8.99 (roughly $13 AUD) but instead of the unlimited service you only get a choice of 3 books and 1 audio a month. I am not entirely sure how I feel about the service yet and I definitely have a lot of questions and so I will keep you all posted once I learn more about this update.
So those are all the services I use to get my reading material. Sorry if this was a bit of a random post. I have seen booktubers do similar type of things on their channels and found it very helpful in finding resources. I hope you guys will check some of these services out and if you do, let me know what you think. What other service do you use?
I hope you are all having a wonderful day!
~Louise
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