Book Sales

I have been a voracious reader since I was very young. I’m sure this trait is inherited from my mother who always found time at the end of her busy day to lose herself in a little good fiction or thumb through a magazine. We were not lucky enough to have a library in our small community so we made good use of the school library when school was in session. In the summer, mom made sure we got to the Bookmobile whenever it was in town. I think the Bookmobile is the coolest thing ever and took my kids to one once just so they could experience a library on wheels.

As I relocated from one community to another, finding the library was always a top priority. I read so many books (2-3 per week) that it just didn’t make sense for me to buy them. Besides, a box filled with books makes a pretty heavy load as we averaged a move every two years or so. Checking books out of library was like shopping with no money.

I have continued to use the library through the years, although recently I have noticed that I do not get through my books quite as quickly and I am more often than not late in returning them to the library. I am constantly paying fines for keeping my books past the due date. I always think that if I had just one more day I could finish. I never leave a book unfinished even if I don’t particularly care for the story. If someone took the time and energy to write the book, I don’t want to insult them by leaving it unfinished. It’s like leaving a performance early which is very rude, not to mention disrespectful.

As a result of my continued tardiness in returning my books, I stopped going to the library and relied on friends and family to pass their books on to me. Unfortunately, my reading supply was sporadic and my taste was not always compatible with theirs. Then, one summer, I stumbled across a book sale as part of a festival. Not knowing what to expect, I walked into a room filled wall-to-wall with books. The price of the books ranged from $.50 to $1.00. A book lover’s paradise! I was hooked.

Recently, I caught the tail end of a book sale. This is the point when they just want to get rid of what’s left and charge $2.00 for a bagful of books. I fit nine books into my bag. When I added up the prices listed on the book covers it came to just under $200. I checked the titles on amazon.com and they totaled just under $125. Wow, makes me glad I paid $4.00 for my bag instead of just $2.00! The titles left at the end of a sale may not be best sellers or even very recent, but every book is worth a read as far as I’m concerned.

If you like to read and are flexible with your reading material, do yourself a favor and check out your local book sale. You’ll be doing everyone a favor, especially yourself.