another reason to love paying taxes

One of the biggest sources of anxiety for me about doing this "no buy" thing has been knowing that I would not be able to go out and buy a book any time the whim seizes me. Seriously, I was really worried about it. For years I've been haunted by embarrasingly huge overdue fines which have kept me ashamed to show my face at any of our public libraries. I was dubious of my own ability to scout out specific titles at used book stores. So I was really worried that doing the Compact would mean my reading life would suffer big-time.

Books have always been, for me, a great source of joy. I love reading, always have, and books figure into my best memories, one way or another. Our book collection is immense. Last year, in an effort to make space in our house, we started culling our books (a first! We cull everything else, sometimes with reckless abandon, but up until last year, books were off-limits. We kept every book we've ever owned. We're kinda weird about books in this house). But we were desperate for space, so we went through our library, book by book. After a long while we had a pretty hefty stack of books that we could bring ourselves to part with, without feeling all twitchy and depressed.

Dominic and I lovingly boxed up the books, old friends that they were, hoping that they would bring joy, stimulation and information to someone, somewhere....we just weren't sure who. We didn't feel right simply hauling them off to the half price bookstores...it seemed so impersonal. Plus, who can put a price on them? Dominic then had the brilliant idea to donate them to the Stillwater prison. What better place for all of our books to go? We loved the idea of sharing our library with folks who might not be exposed to some of the titles anywhere else, and people who might be inspired to think or act in new ways as a result of reading some of them. He carted off 30 boxes of books for the prison librarian, who giddily received them and assured us they'd be put to good use.

Now that we have kids, books factor into our lives even more than before. Lucy loves reading and Julian is so interested in books, so now seemed like the perfect time for me to face the music. I am happy to report that I now have a new library card, which is free and clear of all debts or overdue fines! And the good people at the fines desk didn't mock me or throw stones at me or anything! One of our new favorite places is the Minneapolis Central Library. When I took the kids there a couple weeks ago, I'm not sure whose eyes were bigger, mine or Lucy's. So many books! (I kid you not...it's been a really long time since I've been to a library...)Their kids area is truly one of the best places in town, with fun interactive exhibits and great colors and textures. Plus, the book collection rocks. Oh, and there's a coffee shop. The mix of people at the library is wonderfully diverse, too. I can't believe it's been so long since I've been to a library. B+N has got nothing on this place. I feel like a whole new world has been opened up.

We checked out 12 books for the kids, and we have read each one about a hundred times since getting home. I explained to Lucy how a library works, and now every time she picks up a book, any book, she asks me, "Are we keeping this one?"