# Books in English



## Seattleman (Jun 29, 2012)

I have read quite a few comments about finding books in English and I thought I check something. I have been in many cities in Mexico and I always found the latest books to read. I love reading and read quite a bit so when I saw that it is difficult to get books I though I better check.

I do most of my reading in Kindle and will bring tons of books there but I also have an extensive library that I want to brink with me.

Is this a regional thing or is this because the books are pricier since they are imports. Any thoughts would be appreciated. From your input I will decided if I want to have my books shipped to Cabo.

Thanks!


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Given the large number of expats who either spend part or full-time in Cabo San Lucas and its environs, I've wondered (before now) whether the expat community has created an English-language lending library similar to ones which exist in other enclaves where we see many expats. The Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City and the Biblioteca in San Miguel de Allende are the largest such libraries in Mexico, from what I'm recalling, but there are smaller ones such as what we find in Oaxaca and I believe in the Lakeside area at Lake Chapala. I'm interested in reading responses you'll receive for the Los Cabos area. Regarding the shipment of your books ... think long and hard about whether the expense of shipping the books to your new home will be worth it. Best of luck with the planning ... and answer-seeking.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Seattleman said:


> I have read quite a few comments about finding books in English and I thought I check something. I have been in many cities in Mexico and I always found the latest books to read. I love reading and read quite a bit so when I saw that it is difficult to get books I though I better check.
> 
> I do most of my reading in Kindle and will bring tons of books there but I also have an extensive library that I want to brink with me.
> 
> ...


There is a small library of books in English in the Crucero Club shack in La Paz in the La Paz Marina. Not Cabo, but not too far away.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Seattleman said:


> I love reading and read quite a bit so when I saw that it is difficult to get books I though I better check.
> Is this a regional thing or is this because the books are pricier since they are imports.


All new books are extremely expensive in Mexico, even Spanish ones.

Also, you will not find anything remotely like a good selection of English books in Mexico, only _a few dozen_ best-sellers and (even harder to find) a random assortment of _even fewer _other books.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Longford said:


> Given the large number of expats who either spend part or full-time in Cabo San Lucas and its environs, I've wondered (before now) whether the expat community has created an English-language lending library similar to ones which exist in other enclaves where we see many expats. The Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City and the Biblioteca in San Miguel de Allende are the largest such libraries in Mexico, from what I'm recalling,


The Benjamin Franklin library is not an expat-created lending library but rather a service of the US Embassy in Mexico City. The collection consists of lots of books about US history and politics with some American literature but nothing very recent. I've found more books of interest to me in the dusty stacks of the many used-book stores in downtown Mexico City near the Cathedral.


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## La Osita (Oct 31, 2010)

The ability to find books in English does depend on where you are located. Where I live there are no English books to be found/no book stores either. Although there is a very small expat community here, it is European and not American/Canadian.

TrailRunner, who lives somewhere near Lake Chapala/Ajijic has told me that there are numerous used books stores where she finds many English books of all kinds for 5 or 10 pesos each. Over the last few months she has sent me boxes of 15 books at a time... and with shipping its been somewhere around 160 pesos.

Otherwise, I have taken advantage of Better World Books. This is a really fabulous website and they ship free to Mexico. They sell both new and used books. I've been very happy with them.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Isla Verde said:


> The Benjamin Franklin library is not an expat-created lending library but rather a service of the US Embassy in Mexico City.


Okay, I should have said: 



> The Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City and the Biblioteca in San Miguel de Allende are the largest *English-language *libraries in Mexico, from what I'm recalling.






Isla Verde said:


> The collection consists of lots of books about US history and politics with some American literature but nothing very recent.


The collection is added to regularly, with new titles. The love novels may be missing :eyebrows:, but there are enough books there to occupy the avid reader for years on end. Though, for most expats in Mexico it's not relevant. I don't know if it still exists, but there was, for many years, a English-language book exachange at an American Legion post and at one of the churches over in the Bosques de las Palmas neighborhood.



Isla Verde said:


> I've found more books of interest to me in the dusty stacks of the many used-book stores in downtown Mexico City near the Cathedral.


I've found it difficult to find many English-language titles in "booksellers row" on Doncelles and at used booksellers elsewhere in the city. New books can be expensive, even at the paperback level. I know people throughout the country who purchase new books online and have them sent to their homes in Mexico. I've read many comments from Rolly Brook about his doing that.

It would be good to hear if there's a book exchange at Cabo San Lucas. :clap2:

Thanks.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Amate Books for mail order ... but mostly about Mexico

Amate Books

Bienvenido a Sandi S.A.
We have access to the largest book databases in the world. If we don't have the book you are looking for, we can get it for you and deliver it anywhere in Mexico.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Longford said:


> The collection is added to regularly, with new titles. The love novels may be missing :eyebrows:, but there are enough books there to occupy the avid reader for years on end.


When I was there, a couple of years ago, in the fiction section there was little of interest to me. And, no, I'm not a fan of romance novels  though I am a big fan of literary mystery novels. One problem for me is that most of my favorite authors are British, not American.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

TundraGreen said:


> There is a small library of books in English in the Crucero Club shack in La Paz in the La Paz Marina. Not Cabo, but not too far away.


100 miles or so. It's more of a book swap than a library, but it's free. The collection is pretty heavy on romances and spy novels. Some mystery, some thrillers, not much in the way of nonfiction. If you enjoy Tom Clancy and/or Danielle Steele, you'll probably be thrilled. 

In San José del Cabo there's a nice bookstore called Baja Books and Maps that might be worth checking out. It's owned by a friendly couple from the US who have been there for many years. They maybe able to order books for you.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

itnavell said:


> Otherwise, I have taken advantage of Better World Books. This is a really fabulous website and they ship free to Mexico. They sell both new and used books. I've been very happy with them.


I just checked them out and ordered five used books for a grand total of $30! The free shipping and handling makes a huge difference when having books shipped from overseas. Thanks for the tip, itnavell.


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## edgeee (Jun 21, 2012)

i feel better already.
the law of supply and demand rules commerce, but it also affects society.
if i bring my best books with me, that becomes an easy way to get to know my fellow expats.
the ones who don't read won't care, but that's ok.
the ones who love reading are the ones i want to meet the most.
and i will gladly loan books to those who wish to read them.
just leave your left arm and first born son at the desk.
no really, i love trading books, only my most treasured are off limits.


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## PatrickMurtha (Feb 26, 2011)

Seattleman said:


> I have read quite a few comments about finding books in English and I thought I check something. I have been in many cities in Mexico and I always found the latest books to read. I love reading and read quite a bit so when I saw that it is difficult to get books I though I better check.
> 
> I do most of my reading in Kindle and will bring tons of books there but I also have an extensive library that I want to brink with me.
> 
> ...


Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that there is no import duty on personal books coming into Mexico. So if you are relocating permanently and your personal library matters to you, as mine does to me, I'd bite the bullet at some point and have it shipped, piecemeal if that's more convenient. Right now I'm paying for storage in the States for my books, other physical media that I collect like CDs and DVDs, and the clothing I didn't bring with me initially when I "went international" two years ago (first to Korea, now here to Mexico). Now that I have established that I can settle in for a long gig at my current teaching job - they are happy with me, and I with them - I can plan to bring all my stuff down over the course of the coming year, which will be a great relief (both to have my belongings with me, and not to have to pay the storage fees anymore). I turn 54 this year and don't plan to live in the U.S. again; I'll probably retire here in Mexico.


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## PatrickMurtha (Feb 26, 2011)

itnavell said:


> The ability to find books in English does depend on where you are located. Where I live there are no English books to be found/no book stores either. Although there is a very small expat community here, it is European and not American/Canadian.
> 
> TrailRunner, who lives somewhere near Lake Chapala/Ajijic has told me that there are numerous used books stores where she finds many English books of all kinds for 5 or 10 pesos each. Over the last few months she has sent me boxes of 15 books at a time... and with shipping its been somewhere around 160 pesos.
> 
> Otherwise, I have taken advantage of Better World Books. This is a really fabulous website and they ship free to Mexico. They sell both new and used books. I've been very happy with them.


The Book Depository (UK) also ships worldwide for free, but they don't handle used books.

When you have ordered from Better World Books into Mexico, how long have the shipments taken to arrive, on average? And have they all arrived, or have any gone missing (as happened to me once here with a Book Depository order)?

In Korea, shipments usually got me in 10-14 days, 21 days at the outside. My average wait here has been 45-75 days, which seems really long.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

A few years ago we ordered 5 boxes of books from Powell's in Portland (used to ship free) and Amazon. 2 of those shipments I had to pay at the post office. Might have been because not marked BOOKS ... or insufficient postage. I didn't pay attention


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

sparks said:


> A few years ago we ordered 5 boxes of books from Powell's in Portland (used to ship free) and Amazon. 2 of those shipments I had to pay at the post office. Might have been because not marked BOOKS ... or insufficient postage. I didn't pay attention


Since moving to Mexico in 2007, I've had several boxes of my own precious books shipped here from the States. They may have taken a while to arrive but none were lost, and I never had to pay duty on them at my local post office. I've also ordered books from Amazon and alibris and never had to pay duty on them.


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