Living Gently With Good Books
My
granddaughter, Dani, age 8-almost-9, thinks the Friends of the Library
Bookstore in our town is a fabulous treasure. I agree. It’s usually a must on
our itinerary when she visits me. Many libraries have similar used bookstores
where “friends” donate books and the proceeds go to purchase extras for the
library.
So last
weekend, we eagerly made our way to the store to see what delicious and
wonderful adventures in reading we’d find.
“How many
books can I get?” Dani asked.
“Well, just
start your stack and I’ll tell you when to stop,” I teased. After all, at 50
cents a book, how much harm could we do? I left her in the children’s section
to go search out my own finds.
Dani began
her search. Our Friends store is extremely well organized, but, of course, it
is not like a chain bookstore. The children’s books are categorized, but they
are not necessarily in alphabetical order by author. The just makes the hunt
more tantalizing!
Dani’s stack
grew quickly. “Well, I think I’m through,” she said as I returned. Looked like
she had about 20 books. What better way could I spend $10? I offered to carry
some for her, but she proudly refused. Scooping them up in her arms, we made
our way from the children’s section in the back of the store to the checkout
desk in the front.
As we
walked, several adults remarked: “Wow! That’s a lot of books!” or “You must be
a great reader!” Dani loved all that attention, of course, and to every person
who commented, she said, “I looooove books!” or “Reading is my very favorite
thing to do!”
Sure
enough, when we got home, she buried her nose in her stack of books and reveled
in her purchases for a couple of hours before she got hungry and wanted supper.
I’ve noticed
that most people who want to live simply also treasure books. This opinion is
not based on scientific study, but what better way to spend some gentle moments
than with a good book?
Of course,
as frugal, simple folks, we want to make the most of our literary dollars. How
can we do that?
*Borrow
from the library; and don’t forget your church library;
*Explore
stores like our Friends store; paperbacks are $1, hardbacks $2;
*Garage
sales;
*Estate
sales;
*Used
bookstores;
*Library
discards. Call your library and see what they do with discards.
*Put out a
Facebook or email request to see if any friends have books to lend or give;
*If you
have an e-reader, there are TONS of free books and low-cost books available;
*Shop the
bargain counters of large chain bookstores;
*If you
live in a small town or rural area and these options are not available, make
use of the next trip to a larger city by doing a little research to find out
where you can find book bargains.
Don’t let a
tight budget keep you from reading!
