Beyond the Public Library: 10 ways to feed your ravenous reader
- Barbara Hawley
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
As the child of missionary parents, I spent months at a time without public libraries, bookstores, books shops or secondhand bookstores. And it about killed me.
We lived in remote regions of the Philippine Islands. Places without TV, telephones, or shopping, and often no other American kids nearby. Reading was my one source of entertainment and joy. Within a few months of arrival to our island home, I had read every book my mom packed in the missionary barrel—and yes there is such a thing— and we packed 35-gallon drums to last us for four years, and because books are heavy, not too many made them in the barrels. So I'd scavenge the libraries of neighboring missionaries and end up reading parenting guides, war histories— even encyclopedias. Stuff that was boring or beyond me, just so I could keep reading!
Our family made a monthly trip to a neighboring island where my parents banked and shopped. We took an overnight ferry, spent the day in the city, then traveled back overnight again on the ferry. The city had a bookstore where I'd spend my allowance on the newest Hardy Boys. On the return voyage, I fought the temptation to read it before getting home. But before we docked the following dawn, I'd devoured it whole.
I remember feeling almost visceral hunger pangs for a good book, left unsatisfied because I didn't have access to one. For years, I've wondered if my memory has exaggerated that ravenous sensation. Then I recently read a memoir of Frances Hodgson Burnett. Of herself as a child in the Victorian era, she wrote,
"She was a starving creature in those days, with a positively wolfish appetite for books, though no one knew about it or understood the anguish of its gnawings." (1)
Reminding me of my Hardy Boys fervor:
"She always galloped through her books, she could not read them with reasonable calmness." (2)
After speaking of the moralistic intent of books for children in those days to instruct, warn, or guide, Frances said,
"Remembering these ill-satisfied hungers, her own childhood being a thing of the past, and the childhood of young things of her own waiting for its future, she gave them books as she gave them food, and found it worthy of note that, having literature as daily bread and all within reach before them, they chose the 'improving' things of their own free will." (3)
Perhaps my early starvation for books has compelled me to write the types of stories I always longed to read: mystery, adventure, and action. I guarantee it's why I keep a sizeable collection of Hardy Boys on my bookshelf!
10 Ways to Feed Your Ravenous Reader (cheaply!)
Book swap Organize a fun gathering where everyone brings their used books.
2nd hand bookstores and thrift stores Make a day of it, or plan it into a vacation, or along the route.
Little Free Libraries Find them in town and make a habit of stopping. Don’t forget to leave books too!
Gift list Start early in the year before birthdays and Christmas. Make a reading wish list to give to grandparents and other gift-givers.
Birthday party Ask every guest to bring a book instead of a present.
Library sales Find out your local library’s annual sale. Mark the date, bring along snacks so you don't have to rush home, and let each child pick out a certain number of books. Be sure to donate books too!
Audio books Expand reading options with Playaways (a small device offered by many libraries) and digital audio.
Digital libraries Many public libraries offer an app that uses your library card to open an account. You can get free ebooks and audio books.
Online freebies Look for websites or forums where books are given away.
Community centers, churches, and schools Check for free libraries, donations, and book exchange programs. On vacation, many resorts keep a freebie bookshelf—just ask!
Frances Hodgson Burnett The One I Knew Best of All, copyright 2019 Blount County Friends of the Library, Southern Appalachian Studies Edition, p.69
p. 71
p. 73
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