My library card saves me money. It is currently the most priceless thing I own. My sister said this before: "the more you read, the smarter you become", so I have been avoiding the Internet and the outside world lately for as long as I could bury my tiny nose into a book. And when I allow my head to be pulled away from its scripted pages, I look for a bookstore. Some kind of literacy addicting enigma had been fed to me that when I walk into Borders or Barnes & Noble, I always feel at home. Although, I must admit, the smartest thing I've done all year was to stop buying random books. The library is currently my heaven.
Seen from my over-scratched library card, I get very overwhelmed by the idea of free books ("Ooohh...I want to read this, and that, and this one too, and that one....."). Hundreds of them have been written for my pleasure, as I had noticed, that even the online database in our public library lists the novels that capture me, a teen once who never thought of picking up a book for fun. Yet here I am, trying to keep a close tight fist around my money every time I walk into a bookstore. I keep whispering to myself that of all the cards I own, at least the credit card isn't the one over-scratched. And certainly, that's good enough for me.
Surely I couldn't do it cold turkey, so more than once I'd scan a bookstore for books I've already read, and that's how I spend my money now--on things I've enjoyed. Buying random ones don't entice me anymore (or so I try), so I keep a list of specific books to buy. If I like it, I buy a copy for my shelf and see what it does for me. If I wasn't borrowing books for free, I was buying them at a bargain bookstore across the street in exchange for the ones I bought years ago that I want go get rid of now (Hah! My previous mistakes. Great trade), and that's how my world spins these days. If I have to, I'd tell my sister she's right. That not only do I feel smart, I'm also getting better with being less broke than usual.
Ahhh....the power of reading. Smart. Indeed.
*Ding!*, my inbox said.
"New Moon" by Stephanie Meyer is currently on the library shelf for me to pick up. That means I need to pull my fingers away from the keyboards now.
My eyes wants to be attached to something else.
5 comment[s]:
Hi Marjie,
We too love our library. You can get any book you want from there, though sometimes not all of the new ones you see in the bookstore.
But there is nothing like curling up on the couch, under a blanket and reading your favorite book!
Great for rainy days especially, even though they are few and far between here in AZ.
Good for you chica! I have to admit that I'm a book store addict with a Bachelor's degree in English... but I hate the library. Weird I know...
However, I'm all about the book trade, borrow and lend system. Yay for bargain book stores :)!
I never spent too much time at the library as a kid. However, my wife takes our kids every couple of weeks so they can stock up. Personally I'm an Amazon guy but the library is a big money-saver for our family overall.
Hey guys...thanks for the wonderful comments. The funniest thing about being a regular at the library is enevitably memorizing my library card number. It might as well be my SSN, my sister jokes. I should have it's barcode tatooed at the back of my neck.
Hmmmm.....intriguing....:)
You totally inspire me to read. I can't remember when I'd sit down and just read. Must have been back in High School. I rarely have time nowadays. Gonna go pick up my Kiran Desai book now.
Thanks a lot :)
Huggies
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