Libraries are my favourite thing to exist. As a reader, it’s not unusual for me to go through dozens of books a year. As you can imagine—the costs pile up quickly. With a new release hardcover (because new releases are never in paperback) hovering around $25, reading is, unfortunately, a very costly hobby.
I love a new book as much as the next reader. I also love buying and owning books just as much as reading—it’s incredibly satisfying to see my home library grow, but that didn’t stop me from still using the library services. I especially used it in the summer, when I liked to read more contemporary romances. Those don’t usually require lots of time to read, and I always felt bad paying lots of money for a book I finish in a day or two.
Eventually, I found that the library also provides e-books and audiobooks.
I used to be adamantly against reading e-books. I just loved the feel of paper, the smell of ink on the pages, and the sounds of pages as I flipped through them. An e-book didn’t offer any of those sensations… but what it did offer is an easier way to read.
When my backpack became filled with binders and textbooks, I no longer had space to fit my book. It became a hassle to carry around these heavy books and pull them out whenever I had a chance to read. My phone is so much smaller and more accessible; I can have access to thousands of books with a few taps. Slowly, my hardcover and paperback books were replaced by my phone and the library’s app, Libby. Reading on my phone became my new normal while reading physical books was awkward and counted as my arm workout for the day.
The best part? It made reading free.
I no longer have to pick and choose between which books I want to read because I can’t buy them all. If certain books are available at the library, then I can read them all. Yes, there are long wait times, but there are plenty of other books to fill in the time with.
With this switch, I noticed that I’ve been enjoying reading more, too. If I’m not enjoying a book, I can easily return it and pass it to the next person in line, who might enjoy it more than me. I don’t feel bad or like my money has been wasted.
Reading from the public library turned my very expensive hobby into a very reasonable one. You don’t have to make the switch to e-books, though; if you prefer physical books, the public library has lots of them to choose from. While all my holds might come in at the same time, and I do have to wait months for a popular book to become available, using the library has made me enjoy reading more than ever before. So the next time you pass by your local library, go in and see if you can find that book you’ve been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to.