Mar 01
|2008
No
more library books. The sad truth is, we probably won't be able to
check books out of any library while we're on the road since we're not
residents of any of the places we're going. That's been causing me a
lot of heartache. I can't bring a ton of books - we don't have room.
I can't buy them and then get rid of them - too expensive. So what do
I do? We like to read. The kids need to read. Here are a few options
that I found for travelers who love books:
Based on the dictionary definition: "n. the practice of leaving a book
in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do
likewise. At BookCrossing, you can register any book you have on the
site, and then set the book free to travel the world and find new
readers. Leave it on a park bench, at a coffee shop, at a hotel on
vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym
-- anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to
fate, and we never know where our books might travel next. Track the
book's journey around the world as it is passed on from person to
person." There is www.bookswim.com which is to books what Netflix is to movies. As they say: "BookSwim is the first online book rental library club lending you paperbacks and hardcovers directly to your house without the need to purchase! Whether it's New Releases, Bestsellers, or Classics, we've got over 185,000 titles to choose from, with free shipping both ways!
Read your books as long as you want. -- no late fees! Even choose to purchase and keep the titles you love!"
There is also
They are "a group of readers who share books with each other (NOT just
paperbacks) for nothing more than the cost of postage!" And don't forget the Amazon Kindle
, a "convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers."
Lastly, there are audio books available at many different places online like www.audible.com. For those of you who don't necessarily need to see the words and feel the pages, this is a great space saving option.
Each alternative offers something unique at a different price and in the end none of them fit our needs exactly. We need a wide variety of children's literature and not just one book at a time. We often go through 3 or 4 stories in a week, more if they're short. It doesn't make sense for us to pay to ship them one at a time. Our answer came in the form of a local used book dealer. (did I mention we live in a pretty great community?)
Lori Mashburn owns
a place I go to find gently used books for the boys at a discounted
price. When Lori found out about our trip and the challenges we were
facing she jumped on board as our book sponsor! She'll be sending a
box of used books that pertain to what we're studying every month.
We'll read and enjoy them and then send them back for her to sell.
She's like our own personal library-to-go. It doesn't get any better
than that!Thank you, Lori, for the way you serve the homeschoolers in our community (and on the road). Our experience will be much richer, and easier, because of your support.
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