Renting or buying, many students now go online for their textbooks

Increasingly, students are staying home and searching the Web when looking for textbooks instead of making the trek to the traditional brick-and-mortar bookstore.

With the rise of Web sites such as Craigslist and Chegg, buying or renting textbooks online at affordable prices has never been easier for students such as Durrance, a 19-year-old finance major.

Traditional bookstores such as Barnes & Noble already are feeling the heat. The company, which is the largest owner of college bookstores in the U.S., recently started its own textbook rental service because of the competition.

"College students are all about being cheap. I think they'd rather shop online than pay more at an actual store," Durrance said. "People will see that online book buying is a better value."

Some of the local brick-and-mortar bookstores that have started rentals provide students with the original price and then the amount they are guaranteed to receive when returning the textbook. Online rentals, however, work differently. For one flat fee you keep a textbook until the end of a semester. You aren't given any money back afterward, but the original price of the textbook is significantly lower. If a textbook is not returned, the company charges you the full price of the book.

Gauchotexts Trailer - Price Compare - Cheap books

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Mead Black Marble Wide-Ruled Composition Book (09910)

MeadWestvaco Consumer & Office Products

List Price: $3.49
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Classic comp book design features 100 sheets of wide ruled, white paper. The class schedule on the inside front cover, and the multiplication table, conversion table, and grammar tips on the inside back cover are tailored to today's busy students. Durable cover with secure sewn binding ensures long-lasting value.

The Cheap Book: The Official Guide To Embracing Your Inner Cheapskate

How

List Price: $9.97
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Waste Not, Want Not

Throughout history, society has shunned those who are cheap--they are denounced as "tight" or "stingy." But no longer will you have to be ashamed of your penny-pinching ways. Cheapskates, cheapos, tightwads, and misers unite! Thrift is in. Times are tough. What better time to be cheap? No longer will cheapness equal shame. The Cheap Book is beginning a revolution!

Inside, find more than 150 money-saving tips, humorous stories and illustrations that show cheapness at its best and at its comical worst.


Auto Record Book, 3 3/4" x 6 1/8", Black, AAG8013505

AT-A-GLANCE

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The Auto Record Book is the perfect tool to keep track of vehicle information.

Eleganta: A novel of Fairykind



List Price: $1.00

Product Description

Enter the 9th century, a time of magic and mystery. On a hidden isle in the seas near England, a young fairy named Ethywyne Eleganta secretly gives birth to the first youngling in fourteen years. She and her child become the hunted prize of the wicked troll general Sunderin. Ethywyne must make the perilous journey across the Fairy Realms, to get her child to the Fairy Queen, the only one who can protect her from the shadow that seeks to destroy all of Fairykind.

Her experience takes her from a humble life of gardening and craft-making to the center of an adventure that grows to involve fickle goblins, giant ogres, magic fairy dust, thieving pixies, an enchanted hedge maze, and even Vikings of the Norse lands who happen upon the isle in their plundering voyages.

This book is intended for a young adult audience, aged 12 and up. However, anyone who treasures fantasy and imagination will wildly enjoy this novel.

Reader reviews for Eleganta: A novel of Fairykind

From Amazon.com:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful find, March 15, 2009
By Amanda Fitch-

“I loved this book. It is too bad that it has not had any exposure. I read twilight before this book and that one was not nearly as good.”

Emails to the author:

Sent: Fri 2/20/09 4:14 PM:
"Hello Mr. Swartzlander,
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed Eleganta. It was so much better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, mostly because hobbits are fictional and fairies are not. It was much more exciting reading and I immersed myself into it completely. Your descriptions of nature the fairies soaked up felt like I was there with them. But, I have to know what happened to Ethywyne. What became of Preen? Please tell me you're writing the sequel. I can't stand the suspense.
Thanks so much, Jason G."

Sent: Sun 5/03/09 12:10 AM:
"I absolutely loved it! The characters and details are enchanting. My 14 year old is reading it now. I caught him up at 2am last night reading. It's really hard to discipline a teenager -- especially a BOY -- for staying up late to read. lol. He has already asked me if there is a 2nd book. I let him know you are already working on one. He says his favorite part so far is the imagery is excellent. We are definitely looking forward to your next novel!
good luck and thank you for such an excellent book!
Jenn V."

Sent: July 18, 2009 5:01 pm:
"IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! Seriously, I loved it! Soooooooo well done! So suspenseful and exciting! I love your descriptions and I totally have pictures in my mind of how things, places and the creatures look. I think Eleganta definitely has the potential to be a best seller. For real. And I can see how you could do a whole series, which I certainly hope you are planning on! Have you started the next because I can't wait to read it!!"

Carissa B.

Sent June 28, 2009, 9:42 pm:
"I don't believe i've read any adult fantasy books ever, but i really enjoyed this one. congratulations on a story well done. of course you've left me wondering about the woman w/ child, this new queen fae, and ethywyne...which i'm hoping you'll pass along to me in the future."

-jk

From lulu.com:

Reads well out loud!

24 Dec 2008 (updated 24 Dec 2008)
by Eugene Ross
"My wife read me this book on our long commute to work over a couple of weeks, and I loved it! I was in suspense often as the heroes faced strange and marvelous challenges. The writing was well done as the story really came to life as it was being read out loud. It's really not a child's story as I thought it might be. It will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. I will definitely buy the sequel!!!

ER"


24 Dec 2008 (updated 24 Dec 2008)

"This is an amazing story that keeps you interested often at the edge of your seat. Eleganta pulls the reader into a magic land of assorted mythical characters with very original and creative plot twists. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a great story."

Curt

Rediform Gold Standard Carbonless 2 3/4 x 7 Inch Money Receipt Book (8L810)

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List Price: $25.99
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Product Description

Gold Standard Money Receipt Book with flexible cover, heavy-duty backer, and carbonless, numbered forms. 300 duplicate forms, 4 per page. Part 1: white; part 2: yellow. Detached size 2-3/4" x 7".