It was my intention
to make a list of 'classics which I should have read and havent' and borrow them all from the library, reading one a week.
Thus far I have borrowed 6 books which I have failed utterly to read and now owe about £7 in fines.
(berk, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:43, 4 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

I've done a similar thing
but on my phone because the books are out of copywite they're often free.
I now have 22 classics I haven't read in my pocket at all times, I tend to play Tetris instead of reading them.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:47, Reply)

It's bad enough trying to browse b3ta on my phone
I would really, really struggle to read a whole book using it.
(berk, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:50, Reply)

It's not perfect on mine but it's fine for train journeys and things.
It's actually quite nice in bed as well because it's backlit I don't need any other lights on.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:53, Reply)

I signed up to my local libary about 2 years ago and got out a couple of books, I still have them.
About a year ago I decided not to return them 'cus I really can't afford a grand or whatever it is now.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:47, Reply)

Just go in and say you found them when you moved into a new house.

(PsychoChomp, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:49, Reply)

Won't they still charge me like ten grand or whatever?
Is there a limit to how high it can go? 'cus I'm pretty sure if there is, I've hit it.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:51, Reply)

well, see the problem is, you already owe that.
Whether you give them back or not doesn't change that. And not giving them back is, well, theft.

Usually you just say you "forgot".

The limit, incidentally, is the value of the book. So probably about a tenner each unless they are textbooks or rare or obscure.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:54, Reply)

Oh god, I don't even like Dickings, I don't know why I would think taking home a first edition autographed version would be a good idea, I can't even relate to WW2 stuff, let alone victorian.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:56, Reply)

Oh win, the back of the book says it is 4 shillings, that's a turn up for the books.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 14:00, Reply)

just return them
in my experience they'll be reasonable and cut the fine down to some suitable amount.
(Zoz prayed for twink on, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:57, Reply)

This, too.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 14:07, Reply)

Haha!
Try The Book People. They do sets of books quite cheaply and there's no lower limit on how many books you need to buy like the other book clubs. There's quite a lot of crap but you can get some good deals.
( girlinthehole, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:49, Reply)

Oooh! Cheers, I shall have a browse of that when I get home.
There's a really good Oxfam bookshop a few minutes walk from me, I tend to get most of my books there or on ebay. I just can't get rid of them once I've bought them, even if I didn't enjoy it or actually read it.
I also have considerably more books than I do room for them which is why I thought I'd get them out of the library, but since I now owe them a fuckton of money it hasn't really worked out so well...
(berk, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 13:55, Reply)

I got about 1/3 through "A Confederacy of Dunces"
and two chapters into "The Master and Marguerita" before deciding classics weren't all they're cracked up to be.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 14:09, Reply)

I was quite selective in the ones that I picked, to be fair
most of it is traditional classic stuff (Dickens etc) but anything that looked tedious got left out.
(berk, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 14:13, Reply)

I'm quite fond of Confederacy of Dunces.
It's one I re-read from time to time.
( girlinthehole, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 14:22, Reply)

Reading about a fat autism who lives with his mum and hates his job
was a bit too much like hanging out on /talk.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Mon 24 Jan 2011, 14:32, Reply)