There is So Much Out There to Read

I discovered a used bookstore a few weeks ago in the shopping center I am training at. For a used bookstore I found their prices a bit high, but maybe I am used to buying my books from resale shops and places like Goodwill. These days I don't ever pay much more than $1.50 for a hardcover. There are just too many books out there to read, and being that I am a slow reader, I will only ever read about 6-10 books per year. (Maybe I should take a speed reading class)

Outside of this used bookstore, they keep a small rolling rack of books they know they can not sell. So they have a sign on the front of the cart with the word "FREE" written on it. I have taken about 10 minutes at least once a week looking through this cart. Yesterday I found a few old volumes of "Reader's Digest Condensed Books" I picked up two of them that seemed to be in really good condition. Then this morning, I started reading one of them.

The story is called "The Secret Project of Sigurd O'leary" by Martin Quigley. It was included in the second volume of the 1959 edition of Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It is set up as a journal, written with a month and date for each entry. It is about a boy and his older brother making a life for themselves after both of their parent's died.

The story was set in the 1920's. I am finding a lot of the little things written about fascinating. The boys were punished for low marks on their report card by missing dinner. If they made a B, they missed one dinner. If they earned a C, they missed two consecutive dinners and if they got a D, they missed three dinners. If they failed a semester, they would go all week without dinner. I suppose they would be given breakfast in the morning. I also think dinners were lighter back then. You ate more for breakfast because you needed the energy for the day.

Their main transportation was the Railroad. They hopped on an open car with the hobos. The camped in the woods till they found an abandoned shack to live in. There was no electricity. They heated their homes with coal fires. They ate a lot of beans and bread. It was an interesting time I think.

So, what does this all mean?  I have been told time and time again that I should read a lot if I want to learn how to write. This book has already given me an insight for some of the setting I want to include in a short story I am writing right now. I have found that the more I read, the more I want to write. Just look at the length of this post compared to the posts I have written the last few days.

Also, I really don't like to spend a lot of money on books. I have always thought $28 was a lot of money to spend on a hard cover book. This is why I spend time in the thrift stores in their books section. You will be amazed at what you can find. I find Stephen King books all the time. I found a copy of Anthony, Robbin's book "Unleash the Giant Within." I also found a bunch of Dale Carnegie books. Those are classic and many of them are still relevant in today's market.

If you don't like going to the thrift store, check out the Amazon Kindle store. They always have several dozen books you can download for free. That doesn't include all the public domain books that are available. I recently listened to the "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin". It was extremely insightful. You will be amazed at what you can learn by reading anything you can get your hands on.