Do you buy copies of most books for yourself as well as your student?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

This is the first year (8th grade) where I'm starting to get out of my depth in terms of easy discussion based on my own general knowledge. So in looking at materials for next year (health text, history spine, lit books, etc.), I'm wondering if I should budget for buying two copies of most things. I'm thinking I can't really have a successful discussion with my DD if I haven't read the materials myself, and I don't think I can successfully manage the two of us sharing one book if I want her to be the primary user. 

 

Is this what most people do? I'm not sure if I can see how it will work otherwise, and this DD is not the "go off and do your work by yourself" kind of kid at all. We're working toward that, but she really looks for and thrives on the shared experience and the discussion. 

 

I'd love to hear how you work this kind of thing at your house. Thanks!

 

ETA: Of course I can use the library for most lit, but often I need to return things before I'm done with them if the expected timeline doesn't work out, and I'd like to be able to make notes etc. if I have to and not worry about the return condition. And they don't seem to have any of the spines I'm looking for so far!

Edited March 26, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[Guest]

On texts we discuss I either try to read ahead and take notes over the summer or something, or I buy (for regular books) the Audible or Kindle version (or both!) along with the physical book for dd. Then I have no excuse. ;)

[Guest]

Also I never use the library for high school lit. I hope she keeps a lot of it and encourage her to mark it up as she reads, so hard copies for her are a must.

[SilverMoon]

We only get one copy. I read it over the summer or well before the DC need it, reading through the curricula it goes with (if applicable) as I go, making notes for myself if needed.

[TKDmom]

I don't think I've ever bought two copies of a book. The redundancy would pain me. DD and I are both fast readers, and I can usually manage to read a book before or after her, or when she's doing other work. Occasionally, if it's not working to read the same physical copy of a book, I buy a kindle version for me.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Yes.  My husband teaches science to my dd, and he wanted 2 books.  I saw how well that worked, and now I do it, too.  I do try to get them both used, or at the very least, get the one I read used.

[regentrude]

I never bought two copies.

 

[J-rap]

No, I never bought two copies.  I tried to save money however I could, and that seemed unnecessary.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We bought two copies of many books. When we did, we usually bought two hard copies. Sometimes we bought one hard copy and one Kindle version. I think we did two Kindle versions occasionally. Sometimes we both bought the same edition...sometimes we liked different editions, so we bought different ones.

 

When we were finished reading the books, sometimes we sold or donated both copies. Sometimes we kept one and sold or donated the other. Sometimes we each kept our copy. 

 

I like to write in books, my daughter doesn't. Having two copies worked out well. Having two copies also allowed us to take turns reading aloud easily, to take notes while the other person read, and to flip to various passages while having discussions. 

 

Now when I look at my copy of one of those dual copy books that we read and discussed over weeks or months, I'm reminded of one of those necklace charms that's split -- one says "Best" and the other says "Friend". Our split dual book charm might say "Good" and "Times" or "Great" and "Memories."

Edited March 27, 2017 by Woodland Mist Academy

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Also I never use the library for high school lit. I hope she keeps a lot of it and encourage her to mark it up as she reads, so hard copies for her are a must.

 

Oh, I was thinking about library copies for me! No, she'll get good, sturdy, quality copies of her own so she can use/mark them up however she wants. 

 

We bought two copies of many books. When we did, we usually bought two hard copies. Sometimes we bought one hard copy and one Kindle version. I think we did two Kindle versions occasionally. Sometimes we both bought the same edition...sometimes we liked different editions, so we bought different ones.

 

When we were finished reading the books, sometimes we sold or donated both copies. Sometimes we kept one and sold or donated the other. Sometimes we each kept our copy. 

 

I like to write in books, my daughter doesn't. Having two copies worked out well. Having two copies also allowed us to take turns reading aloud easily, to take notes while the other person read, and to flip to various passages while having discussions. 

 

Now when I look at my copy of one of those dual copy books that we read and discussed over weeks or months, I'm reminded of one of those necklace charms that's split -- one says "Best" and the other says "Friend". Our split dual book charm might say "Good" and "Times" or "Great" and "Memories."

 

This is so very sweet, thank you for sharing  :001_wub:

 

 

I appreciate all the responses. I think I'm just going to have to budget for two of some things, because I don't trust my ability to read so much in advance and remember it all and then give the books up to her. I admire those of you who don't need to! I just don't know if I'm organized enough to manage it. 

Edited March 27, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[Alice]

I buy two copies of literature books but not two copies of textbooks. I like for us both to be able to write in our copy, fold down pages, mark it up, etc. I do read ahead but I also like to be able to read along with my son's assignment so it's fresher when we discuss it. I read really fast so I've been able to keep up with that so far. 

[pinkelement]

We faced the same dilemma at the beginning of the year and decided to buy two copies of the textbook. Ahh... In the retrospect, I think we could get by with just one. For me to assign the homework, I need to read the chapter first, then my daughter reads it and works on the problems. So, I would say having two copies wasn't necessary, really. Good, that our texts were under $20, so, no great loss. 

[Garga]

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

 

Last year, for a science history book that I was able to use with both my kids, I bought three copies.  We each had a copy.  We would read the chapters out loud together and we all needed our own copy or we'd get on each other's nerves hanging over each other's shoulders.  

 

I currently have two copies of my son's literature book because (again), I'm reading it out loud to him.  There are soooo many things I want him to catch and soooo many things to discuss, that I realized it was better to just read it out loud and pause 15 times per page to discuss, rather than me reading it ahead of time and jotting a billion notes in the margin.

 

If we aren't reading it aloud, then I get just one copy and we read the book at different times in the day, then come together to discuss.

 

I bought two copies of our history book this year, but didn't need to.  I think I thought that I would be writing teacher's notes in the margins of my copy, and he would be writing student notes in the margins of his, but it didn't work out that way.  I ended up typing up my notes, and he makes notes on a separate paper, but I couldn't have known that was how it would shake out back when I bought the books.  Oh well.  

 

So...if it meets your needs, go for it.  But think carefully if it will meet your needs.  When I get two copies, I get one nice copy from Amazon and one "good" or less condition.  I figure I can handle a book that's all written in for myself.  I give my son the good copy and I will use the not as good copy, though we've had luck where even our "good" or "fair" condition books really aren't that bad.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Garga

[Vida Winter]

Yes, sometimes I buy two copies.

[SparklyUnicorn]

If it is cheap enough.  I have a copier, sometimes I copy pages out I want to read (assuming there aren't too many).  With some stuff it's great when I can find Kindle versions because I only need to buy it once.

 

 

 

 

[frogger]

I have over 1,500 books and I can't imagine buying doubles. We just pass it back and forth if needed.

[EKS]

I read a lot more aloud than most people do because I could never get organized enough to read ahead.  That said, yes, I have bought two copies of books on occasion.

[Lilaclady]

I grew up in a home where we pass books down or have books passed down so I have an aversion to writing in books. I just can't really do it. I have 2 copies of some books because I buy a lot of used books and inevitably buy 2 copies but not intentionally.

[Arcadia]

Not identical books but we have multiple copies of Shakespeare plays as we get them either free from the library book sales free pile or we bought copies from half price bookstore for $1-$3. It is nice to see the different annotations between publishers. My husband buys used copies of classics he like while I grab non-English version of classics I like. So there is a high chance we have many copies of the same title from different publishers. I have the French and German versions of some classics compliments of library book sale free pile.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Arcadia

[elegantlion]

I did for the majority of our material. The way I taught, ds learned, and how I take notes made it almost necessary. Some expensive textbooks, I did not.

Edited March 30, 2017 by elegantlion