For all avid readers, bookworms, bibliophiles and book nerds, buying and collecting books is one of the reasons of living. And nobody is allowed to mock this act because it is more of a sacred ritual to them than just another hobby.

All these people, however, may also agree that just as their to-be-read list, the to-buy book list is also never-ending. Managing the finances to buy books with limited pocket/spending money is a tough task. So what options does one have? Stop buying books? Never. Overspending on books? Mmmm..., perhaps! Going broke every time you visit a bookstore? Definitely not!

Readers are supposed to be wise people and thus they tend to find work-able solutions. Therefore, I’d share the secret to my ever growing collection of books. It is quite simple: buying paperbacks and used books. You may agree with the former solution, yet you may raise eyebrows at the latter. But hold on, it can be explained. What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘used books’? The battered skin, torn-apart pages, scribbling on the lines and rusty torn covers? Then you’re wrong.

Old and used books aren’t supposed to be battered and torn, for if they’ve belonged to the right person, a booklover, they’ll be in almost new conditions; finding such books again requires a keen eye and lots of searching. Also, old books tend to carry with them a sense of belonging already, the stories written in them aren’t the only stories, and instead the imagination makes you wonder about their previous owners and their countless stories.

The search of buying low-priced, genuine books is a great exercise of the mind and body. You have to leave your reading nook or your favourite couch and step outside to look around for the best shops to find more books. Your quest will lead you towards marketplaces, streets and lanes, shops and vendors till you find the right books at the right prices. In doing so, you’ll definitely expand your knowledge about not just the surroundings, but about books and the variety that exists out there. It’s a break you truly deserve from the virtual world.

What’s more, you save a lot of money or else buy more books in the same amount of money which you’d otherwise spend at a fancy bookstore for hardly a book or two. You can also find a lot of books which aren’t published now, but can be located within these treasures.

Moreover you can cover up these books with your favourite prints and wrapping sheet and give an all new aesthetic look to your book collection and your shelves would truly lit up. And believe me, everyone is surprised as to how you manage to hoard so many books on every visit to the shops and yet you save so much.

There is also a whole new side to buying used books, guess what? Buying second-hand course books or using the ones which are handed down to you by your seniors. It is the wisest thing you can do, for these books not only carry the tips and tricks of each chapter/lesson, you find the important stuff highlighted, a lot of troubling questions solved and generally a whole mountain of difficulties made easier. And what’s more, you save tonnes of precious money which can then be lavishly spent on expanding your personal library.

So take heart in the good news that for real booklovers, there are many, many precious books to be had, and without burning a hole in your pocket. Cheers to the love of reading and collecting books!

Published in Dawn, Young World April 1st, 2017