WHY build a home library?
Thomas Jefferson once said, "I cannot live without books." I concur with my whole being. I also read recently that Thomas Jefferson also said“When I have money, I buy books, and if I have anything left over, I buy food.”
Okay, so it turns out that it might have been Erasmus who said those words. (But if my husband asks, it was Jefferson. This makes him feel all warm and fuzzy about me delving into our food budget when I go overboard on books at the local thrift store!)
I've always liked books, but it wasn't until about this time last year that I truly began to appreciate books as they deserve to be appreciated.
You see, we don't use any set curriculum. "Homeschool", for us, isn't something we do from 7:30-3:00.
It's a way of life, and a mindset. It's Sunday through Saturday, holidays included. We don't take "breaks" and we don't need to "catch up". Ever.
A large part of our "curriculum" is BOOKS. Classics.
"Reading can keep us grounded and raise our dreams to the heavens at the same time. It can teach us success as well as lead to significance. It provides and inspires thinking but also spurs one to action. And so much more!" -Chris Brady
What exactly is a classic, you ask?
I believe that a classic is a book that changes you. You come out better on the other side. It's a book you will revisit again and again, learning something new each time."You don't go through the classics. The Classics Go Through You"
-Oliver Demille, author of A Thomas Jefferson Education
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| This book! What an incredible classic in US revolutionary history and mathematics! We learned how to tell time using the stars! |
My first epiphany came after our divergence from public school life. It was with Little House on the Prairie.
I know, I know, how prudish.
But seriously, what other way is there convince you of the amazingness it could be to raise and kill a cow and make head cheese from the "leftovers"? (I don't recommend you Google "head cheese". Or do. Your choice, because - LEARNING)
That series made our whole family want to start a mini farm, or move far away to a secluded wood, raise our own food and learn to play the fiddle.
Actually, halfway through the series, we did end up moving from the busy city out to a rural country community, where we have a 1/2 acre of glorious dirt and weeds. A good classic can CHANGE you.
We acquired chickens and planted a garden and we make candles from our earwax! (actually that last bit is false. That is our NEXT project. Look for those on ETSY starting this summer.)
We followed up LHOTP (little house) with books such as Little Britches, The Hobbit, and Chronicles of Narnia. I know, very different worlds- Early1900's Colorado, Middle Earth and Narnia! But I digress. We have fallen in love with reading.
Why not just visit the public library?
One BIG reason: I believe in writing in my books.
"As you take note of the important things you are learning, you increase your own level of understanding and lay the groundwork for future readers."I'm cultivating a lifestyle of reading and continual education in my home. This means I want many great books available at any time. This has proven itself time and time again as my children randomly pluck a book from the shelf and tuck themselves in a cozy corner and read.
-from the book, "Turn the Page", A LIFE Leadership Essentials Series Book
I just coined a phrase! Tuck and Pluck!! POINT MADE! *mic drop*
HOW Do I Build a Home Library?
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| My husband built these GORGEOUS bookshelves for me for Christmas/My Birthday! I need like SEVEN more for all my classics collection! |
Once upon a time, we joined a charter school in order to get funds for supplies, such as books. The caveat, or so I came to discover with our particular charter, was that they would ask for the books back at the end of the year, or when you withdraw. We withdrew pretty shortly after enrolling(that's another post!), but not after I had ordered a plethora of books. Getting those books on my doorstep was nothing short of exciting, and felt I was getting a pretty amazing library put together in a very short amount of time. But at the same time, I was also spending my own change here and there getting used books at thrift stores and the library book store.
As I came to find out, the used books I was slowly acquiring were so much more special to me than the brand new shiny books I had received via the charter school. Perhaps it was the actual treasure hunt that is a used book search, or maybe it was the smell and the tattered edges of the books themselves...I found myself wanting more of THAT.Here are a few tips I have learned over the past year of collecting:
Tip 1: Be PATIENT and build your collection over time.
Thus, the BOOK HAUL was born. Over the past year, the thrift store people have come to know me and my children on a first name basis. They know exactly what we are there for. (Books and Legos!) I keep cash in my glovebox specifically for the library bookstore, which only accepts cash.
Tip 2: Choose a couple of thrift stores and library bookstore you will frequent.
After a couple of thorough scans of the shelves, your eye will be trained to locate quickly any new books that have been added. I recommend visiting once a week if you can swing it. Once I was lucky enough to get there just as the employee brought in a cart full of new books to be organized. I asked her if I could peek through them first and she happily obliged. That was the day I found a book I had been searching for forWEEKS. Happy, happy day!
3: Keep a list in your wallet of books you know you want to have.
I have a list in my wallet of the books in a series I still need and I also keep my eye out for any classics I know we will want. If there is someone at home, I will even call to have them check our collection to see if I already have a certain book. Yet, I have ended up with duplicates. I choose the one I love most and gift the other to a friend. At .39 to .89 a book, it's not a big deal.
4: Budget for books
I think this is one big reason people don't have a home library. There is this idea that it will cost a fortune. Not so. I have actually added a book savings to our home budget. I put $10 away every couple of weeks and I don't even notice it's gone. That's not to say I haven't gone over it on occasion, but I also keep all loose change for this occasion.
5: Have a place to put books, or NOT!
Prior to my fantastic man building me those incredible shelves, I had piles of books pretty much everywhere. And guess what? My kids actually plucked and tucked way more! (I used it in a sentence!)You don't need a fancy bookcase! Books can go anywhere and I firmly believe they should be everywhere! If I could encourage the world to throw out their big screen TVs and replace the empty space with BOOKS, I would! (yes, I totally went there!)
Books are amazing. Book haul days are my favorite days!
Now let's go on a book hunt and follow it up with donuts! Huzzah!
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