Buying books guide

picture courtesy of inmagine.com

We all go thru those silly phases. For a few days, we might be a cleanliness freak, budget freak, diet crazy, miniature hobby crazy etc..... well for me, twice a year, i get this urge to binge on books. don't ask me why, its the bookworm/nerd in me. especially self improvement/gtd (getting things done)/ productivity /financial books which are popular nowadays. my fren scoffs, yeah right, yr just making the authors richer. well, to me its just leisure reading and if i pick up a tip or two to improve my life and bank account, why not? however, i dont just make a trip to the local bookstore like the average joe. this is wat i do to get the best books (some are just a waste of time):

1. keep a list of links of recommended books while blog surfing.
2. when the list exceeds 10 items, i look each one up in amazon, and read the user reviews (note, user reviews, not the editorial reviews. user reviews are more honest. take note of the number of stars). then search inside the book, the table of contents, the first few pages.
3. amazon also gives u recommended books, so sometimes i add more books to my list. repeat step 2.
4. if i have a relative in the states, i'd go for the used books as they sell for books.google.com, as i can view more pages (and sometimes the entire book!)
6. from step 2 to 5, sometimes books get eliminated (based on my preference, user review), or added (related topics)
7. if i dont have a relative in the states, i now goto: kinokuniya.com or mphonline.com.my
and search to see if the books are available there. unfortunately, our local borders and popular do not have an online catalogue. if its not available, i'll call up and order them (they dont charge shipping, so thats a saving)
8. final step, i schedule an evening alone (no one can stand my book browsing which takes > 3 hours) and goto the bookshop to pickup my books. while i'm there, i'll also scour the shelves for any interesting titles that catch my attention.
9. wrap them up and read them. so far, i havent sold any of my books. might consider this option in the future instead of them gathering dust.

at the end of the day, most of the books i buy are useful and have valuable content and the time spent reading them are well spent.

hope u find these tips useful