Recommendations of the Week:

36 Comments

1. Regarding the 4th turning … resolution of the crisis doesn’t always work out well for the people who created the prior “system”. As predicted by the book, the new system will probably be quite different after the crisis.

2. While I do occasionally shop at Half Price Books, here in Texas the stores are posted with 30.06 signs which prohibit entry while carrying a concealed weapon. I try to limit my patronage because of this.

   1. Exactly, SFW. I do not patronize stores whose policies are counter to mine. Which means I am ‘off the rez’ for almost everything – haha.
      But 1/2 price books fell off my radar due to non-existant service, and a misleading website. In other words – they suck. 🙂

3. The Fourth Turning is a tedious read, but well worth the time. The “schedule” of events-on-the-large is continuing as history projects. It’s important to remember that fourth turnings are frequently “resolved” through total warfare at national and world levels. It won’t be fun. We should all remained prepared.

4. I have a friend who started a used book store business and he has now franchised the business with locations all over mainly the southeast, but one location in Washington state as well. They are a Christian family and have a wide range of categories and they also carry an extensive selection of homeschool curriculum. Very reasonable prices and they will buy your old books for credit toward purchases. The company is Gottwals Books. You can search for them on DuckDuckGo or other search engines.

   Also, Alibris still appears to be an independent company who sells books similar to the way Amarxzon used to when they were just a bookstore. I would of course prefer you send my friend your business, but they don’t sell online, only in stores, so there are limitations. But if one of their stores is located near you, it’s a good way to support smaller businesses as opposed to the technogiants that are trying to run everything.

   1. We know the Gotwall’s owners and shopped there for 10 years. I agree they are a great Christian family. They do franchise and those stores are called Wall of Books. I highly recommend using them if they are close by. All of their stores are linked with a computer system to check for books.

      1. I’ve known them for around 18 years. If you are in the area, I wouldn’t mind having more direct contact with you. JWR or AL, you may share my email address with Dan.

5. Thriftbooks.com is another one. Cheap shipping and books are very low priced. Mostly used books but sell new as well. You can pick up a lot of books for a couple of bucks.

   1. Thriftbooks is good to deal with, I buy a lot of my books from them, and they always are at least as good of condition as described, usually better.

   2. +1 on Thriftbooks.com.

6. Whoaaa! It looks like we really don’t need Amazon at all!

7. Some great links here. Especially for books and the forestry supplier. Thanks y’all.

8. WHAT!!!! Amazon owns my favorite book seller ABEBooks.com I just placed an order, I guess another one bites the dust, will check out your recommendations.

9. Is there a communications advertiser or affiliate that I am missing?

   One like Gigaparts, DXEngineering, Radioddity?

10. HR 127 et al won’t do anything more than turn tens of millions of law abiding citizens into armed criminals with the stroke of a pen. What level of compliance do they expect? What do you suppose the reaction will be to enforcement?

11. I would encourage everyone to use your public library for books, they can usually get you any book you request, even if not in the local system they can order it from another system. And occasionally they will sell books, even if in constant use.
    However, for the purchase of books for your own library we are on our own if we want to have any effect on the socialist tendencies of amazon.
    Most, even small towns have a books store, then there’s always Barnes & Noble and others. And you can often look up books and find the list of dealers books are offered through, then go directly toothier sites & bypass Amazonistan…
    Hey, we’re Americans, ain’t nothing we can’t solve…… Gonna put us inna box eh! Yeah good luck with that!

    And Benjamin, you’re right on HR127, there is no way that will end well….

    1. N S, you library-lovin’ prepper, you. Me, too.

       Much larger selection than any bookstore I know. I keep the money for seeds and silver. And, I don’t have to keep the book when I’m done. If I note reference value, I’l order a copy from Ama…um, abe…um, someplace my friends recommend.

       I have shopped this one, and love it: https://www.tatteredcover.com/

       The Tattered Cover is all about customer service. If you are ever in Denver, it is worth an afternoon visit.

       Carry on

       1. Third on the library. I rarely buy books anymore that aren’t a reference type or one that I really enjoy and will read again and again. We get the vast majority of our DVD’s there as well and our library has a fantastic book barn, well organized, all run by volunteers-hard covers $1, soft cover .50 and very often 2 or 3 for 1 sales. Just waiting for them to reopen it after the pandemic.

          I can’t figure out why more people don’t use the library. One of my former cop buddies used to tease me about it for some reason, as if I was too cheap to rent movies (uh, yeah I can watch it for free!) but another guy came to my defense, saying I was a “real American” for using the library!

          1. I agree on the library as well. I do appreciate the tangible asset that physical books can be, though. Especially if some overzealous tyrant starts deciding certain books are “not allowed” anymore. Libraries won’t be stocking them at that point. I have gained a great deal from the public library all my life. It is one of my fondest memories as a child… my father would take several of my siblings and I to the library after he got home from a long day of physical work. He would often peruse through Clancy or Cussler novels while us kids would either gather at loads of kids books, comic book collections, or reference books to bring home.

    2. I’m going to be in the minority here, but I am NOT a fan of public libraries anymore, after 50 years of serious patronage. I went every Saturday for years, until the government virus lockdowns and restrictions. Finally, after several months, I went back, wearing the required mask (it was killing me not to get more books). Although there was literally NO OTHER PERSON in that large section of the library, a librarian stalked me, then after a few minutes threatened to throw me out because I wasn’t wearing my mask properly. She refused to see reason, either. Also, so many libraries are members of the American Library Assocation, which was great during the attempts to get library patron check-out histories for in the original Patriot Act, but is also the PROMOTER of drag queen story hours (you can see it on their site — how to address protesters, etc.) So even though I am a library hound, I think it’s time to consider starting your own private, members-only libraries when you only have a left-wing, public option.

       1. I am in the minority also. I don’t like libraries and do not use them. My reasons are that every book you take out is recorded and kept on record. I’m a very private person. I try not to leave too many records of what I do. Two, I didn’t like my girls asking very loudly to take out a book or series of books of which I didn’t agree with the liberal agendas found in them: Berenstein Bears is one series, as well as the Arthur books. Further more, because we home schooled, I didn’t want librarians to become too familiar with us. They often have very different views of things than we do. Additionally, I didn’t like saying “no” when everyone could hear me and when the kids were young, they would loudly ask, “But, why Mom?” Three, we lived too far away from the library and only went to town intermittently, thus often having late books. Four, we are rough on books, to Jim’s sorrow, not on purpose though, things would just happen. Five, I preferred to build up our own library whenever we could. As the girls got older, they understood my reasons. They learned to police themselves well, the few times we have been to a library.

          1. Ms Lily & captswife; I agree with both you completely. I hope you understand that I was referencing the use of public libraries as merely another source of obtaining books other than through amazonistan.
             They have become the scourge of bookdom for exactly the reasons you both state. It’s no ones business what I read, how many times, or when. And this recent covid nonsense has pushed it well beyond over the top. I always prefer buying books for my own library unless it’s a book I don’t have particular interest in but merely would like to read what the author has to say.
             It is though your tax dollars at work, might as well get something out of it, you’ll likely get it no other way….
             And thank you both for your insight and opinions, they are valuable.

12. These bills like HR127 are so ridiculous that I think they end up helping us in the end. There are so many unconstitutional provisions in them that even people who don’t care one way or the other think it’s crazy. I don’t see anything even close to that passing, even with the Dumbocrats in control.
    I’ve always thought legislators who vote for things that end up being unconstitutional should be personally liable financially but we’ll never see that I guess.

    1. Sometimes these absurd bills have a purpose: By making alternative legislation (also anti-gun) seem “reasonable”, by comparison.

       1. Funny, after I posted that I started thinking the same thing, start big and take whatever they can get.

          1. Boil the frog.

             1. Or maybe they’re purposely trying to get a war started, a war they THINK they can win.

13. I like seeing the Amazon alternatives of where else to get books. I would love to see an area here where we could post the names/locations of small gunshops that consistently have stock of ammo/mags, but without them being connected to our names for Opsec purposes. For instance, I can tell you of two local stores that have bulk ammo and/or 30 rd AR15 mags in stock consistently with no per-customer limits–one in the northern part of my state and one in the southern part of my state. But I prefer not to post them here as they would be a dead giveaway as to where I live. They would only be of interest to others located near me as they don’t sell their stock online, but for other SB readers close enough to visit in person it could be great info to have. I would be happy to pass their names on if I could do it anonymously. Maybe a column where they could be listed by state?

    1. send us links to anything you want.

       We are slowly building a static page of small private companies that our readers want to recommend.

       E-mail me or Jim with them and indicate if you want to remain anonymous with your recommendations.

       Lily@survivalblog.com or James@rawles.to

       If you want to alert readers of on-going sales, E-mail either of us and we can copy and paste and post your alert in the comments section that day.

       1. Great idea! I was telling my wife how SB had given up Amazon and all the companies people were suggesting in lieu of them and she was saying someone should start a website of mom and pop stores that people can use.

14. We left Amazon as soon as they showed their true colors. While I admit we ordered things that were “easy” the primary pain comes from buying dvd’s. We haven’t had “TV” since 2009 and we have a “good”selection of movies on dvd’s.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love the Duke and Clint, but my DH has watched all of those movies so often, i can quote them in my sleep! Yes, Josey Wales is included. Smiles….

    But it is a challenge of purchasing (preferably) new unopened dvd’s. Has anyone got any suggestions? Before covid, we did purchase a lot of movies via garage sales, etc. However, in this area, they are few and far between now.

    1. Lisa, if there are antique stores nearby, try them. I live in a big city and have antiques all over and often a booth or two feature used dvd’s. I’ve gotten lots of good ones for 1.00 ea. Can’t beat it.

    2. Try pawn shops for dvds. Many in my area have several racks of them.

    3. Les and Sara Lee, thank you! I will check both of your suggestions out!

15. Lisa I get DVDs from my local library. Just like checking out books.

    1. Paul – thank you! Our library is very small but I will check them out.

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