Never met a bookstore I didn’t love…

Our oldest daughter is a journalist and while we can’t keep up with everything she has published, we try to read as much of her work as possible. She recently wrote an article for a Canadian travel magazine and although we live in the U.S., we had heard that it might be available at one of our local bookstores. Finding the magazine was the goal for our Saturday morning.

We began by going out for breakfast! 🙂

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OK, I hear you saying: “Huh? What does going out for breakfast have to do with it?”

Well nothing really 😉 except we enjoy a leisurely meal at a restaurant and we’ve discovered that breakfast is not only an economical choice (usually less expensive than lunch or dinner) but it’s also fun to have a great big menu of choices for breakfast now and then!

Besides that, we know that making a plan to go out for breakfast on a Saturday helps us to jump out of bed with a little more enthusiasm. Otherwise, we’re tempted to sleep late just because it’s the weekend.

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So after breakfast, we visited a few bookstores and a magazine shop. There was only one copy of the magazine to be found anywhere, and that was in the magazine shop. The owner told us that he only gets a single copy in an assortment of foreign magazines, so we felt pretty lucky it was still there!

With our goal accomplished, you’d probably figure that we’d be heading home next. . .

Well, not exactly. I must confess that bookstores and magazine shops are to me what chocolate or shoes or lottery tickets might be to others – I can’t just look briefly and then leave.

Exhibit A:

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I found this really cool bead magazine that’s published in England. It has some great projects and helpful tips and I know I’ll find it valuable!

Exhibit B:

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Then, in one of the bookstores, I just had to peruse the “bargain books”. I came across this for $5.95! I’ve always loved to read anything and everything that takes place during the time of the Tudor Dynasty in England, including fiction and nonfiction about Henry VIII, any of his wives, his daughter Elizabeth I, her cousin Mary Queen of Scots – well you get the idea. Although I haven’t started it yet, this book looks quite good! I’ll let you know for sure once I’ve read it.

Do you have a weakness for books, too? 😉

If not, what is it that you can’t seem to resist?

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A License to Borrow

Do you remember getting your first library card?

It’s such a milestone in a kid’s life.

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When I was in the third grade, my mother gave me permission to hop on the bus (all by myself! 😉 ) and go to our local library. You can see the building on this old post card.

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It was here that I applied for my first library card. I remember standing wide-eyed at the librarian’s desk while she filled out all the forms in an elegant flowing script. When she was finished and finally handed that little card to me, I felt so grown up!

Recently, I was reminded of all of this, when I read a delightful article about a boy named Cory, who has been collecting library cards ever since he was 6 years old. He’s 15 now, and has accumulated over 3000 library cards from all 50 states and 74 countries!

On his website, you’ll find his story and pictures of his collection. It’s still a work in progress, as scanning the cards is time consuming, but there’s lots to see!

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The cards are listed by state and they’re just amazing! I couldn’t believe the variety within each state. Some are plain; some are fancy. Others are high tech, and still others are old-fashioned. This collection is a wonderful slice of Americana.

You can visit Cory’s website by clicking here. When you get there, click on the “Table of Contents” to view cards from Northern California, Southern California and the Western United States!

I think youll be charmed!

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