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I'd gladly spend more on books if our customers (major Western IT and technology companies) paid us Western rates. Since they pay us Eastern European rates, and since most things (clothes, electronics, food, never mind translated/local books, which are much more expensive than books in English) still cost the same as in Western Europe, that leaves me with considerably little money to spend on anything not "essential". Reading (+ perhaps a week's holiday in Europe every other year, because otherwise I'd go stir-crazy) is currently the only "not essential" thing I spend on at all - it's been a while since I've bought or watched DVDs, I don't have a car, I don't drink alcohol or smoke, and I rarely buy new clothes other than T-shirts or socks.
Buying a coffee or eating out (outside travelling when that can't be avoided) is something I can afford to do maybe twice a year as a special treat, so that is ... really not a good comparison as far as I'm concerned.
I'm just fortunate I had one very good year of work a few years ago, with 16-18-hour days and no weekends off for months, which meant I could spend extra on the gadgets to read on and have some savings.
I'm glad so many people here have no problems spending whatever they wish on books. I don't consider a $5-10 price for a book unfair in any way, and I don't think books "should" cost next to nothing, but on the other hand, those prices are still too high for me and my budget to deal with on a regular basis (I'll pay it for the "must read immediately" books, but not for every book I read).
There is no way I could afford the 2-3 books a week I read at those prices, and libraries are useless for me, so I actively look for deals, discounts, coupons, legally free books, "travel virtually" for a deal whenever possible, etc. It's really simply either that, pirating or not reading books at all for me, and I'd rather avoid the last two options.
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