Friday, October 12, 2007

Books Worth Buying: A Question for Readers

Rebecca Miller posted a quote in her blog from an anonymous reader, who happened to be a clerk in a Christian bookstore. The woman stated that, if we wanted sci-fi and fantasy on the bookshelves, we and our friends need to buy that sort of book. Once sales go up, the stores will stock those books. Rebecca re-emphasized the main point: fantasy book sales mean more shelf space dedicated to fantasy books.

It makes sense. However, I can't afford to buy every new title that comes out. I usually check them out from my local library, and if I really love the book, I'll save my coins and purchase the work. The most frustrating thing, for me, is that many of the CBA titles I'd like to read aren't carried by my local library.

And I'm not just frugal, I'm downright cheap. There's nothing I hate more than shelling out cash for a book that doesn't beg to be read over and over again. Based on reader reviews, I've recently checked out thirteen titles from my local library, but in the final analysis, the books didn't grip me enough to purchase them for my library. In the past two months, I've only purchased two books from the CBA: Donita K. Paul's DragonFire, and John Olson's Adrenaline.

So, that brings me to my question: What books are worth buying? What books have you, readers, purchased that gripped you and kept your attention, even after you finished the book? What CBA sci-fi/fantasy books belong on my bookshelves? I value your input, as does my pocketbook!

-Sonja

1 comment:

Donita K. Paul said...

Sonja, I was a single mom for years and I learned to pinch pennies too. I am honored that you bought DragonFire. Our library is very good about ordering the books I request. In fact, I've never been turned down. That's another hint for furthering our cause of selling CBA sci-fi/fantasy. Storm the libraries with requests. I know many people think authors would prefer to have individuals buy their books rather than be able to get them from the library. But I find that few short-sighted. I hope to have people READ my books, not just own one.