A Book Farewell

I'm sure that it's happened to all of us. We're told by friends and fellow book bloggers to read a book. They say that it's stellar and that they think you'll enjoy it. So you buy it. Why not add another beautiful book to your collection, right?

Wrong.

I haven't really fallen for the book trap many times, but I have. You buy a book (or an entire series) because people assure you that it'll be the next book you'll fall in love with. Then you read it, and you're upset because you feel like you could have spent that money on something else.

Today, I will tell you the tale of my latest adventure in book selling. I'm sure many of you have thought about it or have even done it. It is sad to let go of something you purchased, but when it's all done, you have a few extra bucks.

Me... I'm not really one to list my own books up for sale on Ebay or the Amazon Marketplace. It's just not for me. I feel like it would be too much of a hassle to make a few dollars. Instead, I usually donate or sell my used books to Half Price Books.

There have been times when I have been offered very, very little, so I take the books back home and wait for another day. But yesterday, I needed to clear some space from my shelves. I took a few failed recommendations and some books that I've had sitting around since some college classes.

Alright... so the books I just had to get rid of that made me upset:

The whole Matched trilogy was a bust. I'm really not sure how anyone liked them because nothing happened. I was even unfriended on Goodreads by the person who recommended them to me! You can see my review of the whole series here. I couldn't have them wasting space in my house any longer.

I'm just glad to be rid of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This was a thrift store find from my grandma, and she let me borrow it after she read and hated it. I tried to read it, and was disgusted, so I put it down. I felt guilty about it, so I finally read and finished it. It read like a really bad Lifetime movie. I finally called my grandma to see if she needed it back, and she said no, so I sold it.

 

The last of the books that I really just needed to get rid of is Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins. I didn't like the narrator at all, so I hated the book. I felt like way too much was being pushed on me and I was more confused by her lack of explanation of things in the book.

 

After unloading all of my books, I only made $11.25, but in the end, it was worth it. I was never going to read the books again, and now I have some money that I can put towards new books that I hope I'll enjoy. 

I've had one really successful offer from Half Price Books, but that was when I sold the whole Mortal Instruments series back to them for more than I paid. Yeah.

What about you? Do any of you take advantage of selling books you disliked? Do you donate them or let them sit on your shelves? Let me know in the comments.

Series Review: Matched

Title: Matched

Series: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 30, 2010

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.