Got Books?

I love books!

I love the feel of a book in my hands as I read, riffling through the pages and entertaining my fingers while my mind is in another place.

I love the smell of a new book - crisp pages and ink.

I love the look of a bookcase filled to the brim with yummy books waiting to be devoured. My home couldn't be complete without a library in every room.

(we have tons of books in Teagan's room, which is also the school room)

I love the sound of books - the quiet in the house when everyone is completely emerged in a good book. The pages turning. Fingers playing with the unread portion of the book, eager to get further along in the plot.

(There are books surrounding the TV in the front room)

I love the power books have to ease your worries, take you places you've never been, inform you of things you never knew, or just remind you of things and places you miss. (The boys have books in their room, too)

I am not a digital e-book sort of girl! I need something in my hand to tantalize all my senses at the same time.
(Even Emmy has has own book basket for his favorite books!)

So it is easy to understand why I love summer reading programs so much. If my kids do what they love to do - read - they can earn a free book from Borders and Barnes and Nobles...two wonderful bookstores that we never go to because not only am I a book collector, but the other half of me is also a book cheapskate. I can't stand paying full price for books!

Yes, they have so much power and I love getting involved in them, but really....$25 for a book? For the kids, I usually max out around the dollar range, but prefer to keep it under $.50. And for a good hard back, my usual cap is about $3.

There are a few that I have splurged on and paid the Sam's Club price for...but those are few and far between. And there are some that the kids have saved up their own money and bought because they wanted them so badly...but those are also few in numbers. Which says a lot when you think of how many books we really have.

The kids had finished up two of their summer reading programs, so for FHE last night, we went to get their newest books. Taking my kids to a bookstore is like taking other kids to a candy store! They wanted so many books and sat down and read books and schemed how to earn more money so they could buy the books they wanted...it was wonderful to see them so in love!

Introducing the newest additions to our bookcases:
Logically, they should have each earned two, but Teagan couldn't decide between two at Borders and she convinced Emmy to get one of her books because it had a cat on the cover - naughty sister! She didn't give him an option of a book in his age group, only the books she couldn't decide between! So she got three, one by Suzanne Collins (author of Hunger Games) that she was interested in trying, and a series that she has heard a lot of good reviews from her friends about (the Warriors series) and The Penderwicks. Then Garrett picked a book by Andrew Clements because we really enjoy his writing, and a new series that he has been wanting to try out. Owen really wanted a step 1 dolphin book because he loves sea animals, but I convinced him to get books that were more on his level of read, so he chose a Judy Moody book and a Mercy Watson...he had finished the 75 paged Mercy Watson book by the time we got home and was glad he chose that one! And poor Emmy only got one book for himself, but he loves it all the same and doesn't realize the fast one Tig pulled on him!

I loved taking them to get their free books, and loved even better to see the register receipts that showed a $0 balance for over $50 in books! Thank you B&N and Borders!