Renewed Love

Since I can remember I have loved reading. I mean real reading, not just gossip magazines.  I love all genres except sci-fi and romance. One of my earliest memories was Saturday mornings with my mother at this quaint little book store called The Book Rack. You could trade your old books in for new books. It was run by a few older women and they kept track of your account on notecards in recipe boxes. I loved that place. That is where I fell in love with The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley Twins, and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. My affair with books continued all through school with the library becoming my friend.  My work-study job in college for two years was at the campus library so I had full access to any book at any time. Libraries are some of the most under utilized facilities in the entire United States. Our tax dollars pay for these holders of knowledge and imagination yet we rarely take advantage of them. In my quest to become more financially responsible I decided to cut back on the amount of money I spend on books. I have a kindle and it is so convenient to press the “one-click” button and purchase the book I want instantly but is it financially responsible? The answer is no. My best friend and I realized that it didn’t make sense to pay money for books we could get for free.  I devised a plan to help me curb my spending. I first check the library for a book that is on my list and then I check the used book store that I have a trade account with. By the way if you have a 2nd & Charles book store near you I suggest you run as fast as you can and take advantage of their book buy back program. I can testify that I have yet to find one book on my list that was not at the public library. The great part about the county library system is you can have the book you want delivered to your neighborhood branch instead of having to travel across town. I’m in love with the public library again. I missed the smell of books on a shelf and the unspoken silence rule. The library is once again my book pusher.