books upon books upon books upon books

I dedicate this post to bookworms constantly on the prowl for a good read armed with nothing but a heavy wallet bursting with pocket change. I have a soft spot in my heart for bookworms on a budget. So drop those cereal boxes and follow my lead. Time to stock your library with books upon books upon books.

Living in the world of the written word does not come cheap. I used to spend an hour reading book reviews online before heading to Borders. Parting with your money to buy a book only to realize halfway through that it is not to your liking is painful, annoying and downright appalling. Borrowing books from the public library is a good alternative, but if, like me, you are often oblivious to the passage of time and on intimate terms with “overdue fine”, you might want to spare yourself the trouble.

I am an advocate of independent bookstores – home of great reads, used books, low prices and fascinating shopkeepers with a voracious appetite for reading and whose heartfelt recommendations do not sound eerily like the NY times bestseller list. But if your meager resources border on absurd, head back to the library and binge your budget on an eclectic collection of obscure titles, rare finds commercially out-of-print, and popular reads of a bygone era.

As you enter public libraries in San Diego, you will oftentimes find a haphazardly stocked bookshelf by the door with a box encouraging you to “Make Any Donation You’d Like!" My favorite is the South Chula Vista library where I’ve unearthed books of different genres from the 40s to the early 21st century that I never even knew existed. And these books are anything but ordinary.

If you’re looking for a little-known book that makes you go “woooow”, the kind of book that you spend a few minutes contemplating about after finishing it with a relish while trying to unhinge yourself from the suspension of disbelief with much difficulty (whew!) – then this is the place for you. The librarian hath spoken and the suggested courtesy donation of acquiring these books is 25 cents for paperback and a dollar for hardbound. It’s an honor system, really, and we bookworms are men and women of honor. This is our just reward.