My tactic, too, except that our library lets you check them out just like the hardcovers. Lightweight, and the price is right.

My library has paperbacks to check out - but then I need to return them. I'll often start a trip with a dozen or more books and come home with none or 1. That allows me room for shopping, or amenity kits or airline pjs - or simply a lighter suitcase.

I can top that. ;) In the final hours of our library book sales you take a brown paper bag and get everything you can fit in it for a grand total of $1. Who said the early bird gets the worm?

The Economist is definitely my travelling periodical of choice. In fact, even when I'm not flying I often stick it in my backpocket for when I have some downtime while out shopping with the girlfriend or something. Light and plenty of good reading.

Consider the cost of monthly "entertainment"... dinners out, cable, renting DVDs. I would much rather spend my money on books, even if the total is three or four figures.

Have you read "McCarthy's Bar" - featurning the author's Singapore Noodle Index tour of Ireland? ;)

I buy used paperbacks (nice and lightweight) from the library sale tables. I can leave them, give them away, trade with fellow travelers--and if I happen to arrive back home with them--or with new acquisitions--I cheerfully donate them back to the library (getting a donation slip for my taxes). Garage sales are another source. And a month or so ago, I bought several new hardback books at Target for $.25 each. I'm currently reading a very interesting book titled Poison. (which, now that I think of it, might be a good book to be reading on a SW flight when I want to discourage anyone from taking the empty seat next to me)

I only buy books on half.com or amazon's used marketplace.

usually the books are read once and that's it.

Library books are great - but if you are away for a month or two try not to take out popular books - if someone puts a hold on it you won't be able to renew it online or otherwise.

My local library also has that (though it's $5/bag). Usually at that point, the selection is fairly pitiful, eg mostly bestselling beach novels that I wouldn't read because the quality of the writing would bug me too much. However, I'm usually able to find enough books to fill one bag. As kids, we had a library full of the $1 bag books, and that provided ample summer reading. Of course, I was much less picky then about what I read--cliched writing/plots isn't cliched if you've never encountered it before!

For discounted recently published books, I like using bookcloseouts.com. 90% of the (current) books that I want end up there. The books are good quality and shipping is cheap for large orders. Otherwise I tend to use half.com which usually has the lowest price available (though shipping can add up and quality isn't 100% guaranteed).

Renting DVD's is relavitely cheap. I bring my Netflix DVD with me when I fly. I usually watch one on the plane. If I'm traveling in the US, I can then just mail it in any mailbox and a new movie will usually be in my mailbox by the time I come back. If I have time on the trip, I watch the rest, except I always save a DVD for the flight home.

As for reading, I think movies and the internet has reduced my reading time. I used to read a lot of novels when I was in high school, but all the mandatory reading in college turned me off reading. If I have a long flight, I'll usually bring a few magazines and a new novel though. I'll watch a DVD and then read. It's really the only time I read books that aren't related to my work.

I didn't realize I'm not the only one who leaves books behind instead of bringing them home. I travel with novels or other books I know I won't want to reread or keep for research and leave them wherever I finish them. I'm fortunate in that one of my editing jobs is for a magazine that reviews several hundred books a year, and I get about 3-4x that many review products. Occasionally I buy used paperbacks at the library or really cheap ones at the bargain bookstores.

If The Economist would only lose the 20+ pages per issue of want ads for agrarian development advisers in Zambia or for extension MBA programs in Dubuque, the world's airlines would save $millions annually on jet fuel....

I use the library a lot for books to take on the road. Since my trips last 4-5 weeks, I helps some, but not enough. 2 or 3 hard covers is all I want to pack due to weight and space. I don't like to take the paperbacks from the library due to their fragility and the fact that they are not usually current.

I will order a newish book from the library - in SFO they will transport any book you want to a neighborhood branch, and then pick them up before I go. Internet renewal is wonderful. Usually, it is only the books that my wife cons me for that end up with fines. Still at $.10 a day, it is not so bad.

When I go to the Chicago area and stay a month, the Evanston library will issue a temporary card when presented with a letter from my hotel giving my length of stay.

In Switzerland, paperbacks cost Sfr 15.00 to 17.00. Reading for entertainment gets quite expensive when a book last only 2 days. I rationalize it as being cheaper than going to a movie!

Like others, I will also frequent the used book outlets for paperbacks and will take as many as ten if I have the room. At $1.50 t0 $3.00 these are a bargain for two evenings of entertainment.

I'd say that I break even on my travel reading - lots of offsetting factors:

On the plus side:
- I take a lot of magazine supplements with me that I throw away as I go - these are easy reading and cost nothing extra
- I don't buy newspapers as I get them at the hotel or read them on-line - I'd normally pay for them at home
- I probably surf more when I travel - especially with faster connections at hotels - so don't read as much

On the negative side:
- tend to buy a lot of books and magazines if I am in NYC - Borders Union square and the magazine shop across from the W Union Square do very well out of me - though I'd probably buy these if I wasn't travelling
- I always end up buying books at the airport - just in case I run out of reading

I never seem to get through as much reading a I'd hope when travelling - very envious of those that can get through several books in a two week trip.. but as others may have said - I'd probably end up buying a lot of this stuff (DVDs, magazines, books) even if I wasn't travelling as Ijust like to accumulate this stuff!