Two days ago, before I decided to call it a night, I read a portion of the book Saving Graces by Laura Ingalls Wilder and came across a passage that spoke greatly to me. It seemed to go along with my previous post of ages and stages, if not in a direct way then rather in an indirect one. Today I wanted to share with you this beautiful passage by Ms. Wilder. You can find her book Saving Graces: The Inspirational Writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder  by Clicking here.

"The stream of passing years is like a river with people being carried along in the current. Some are swept along, protesting, fighting all the way, trying to swim back up the stream, longing for the shores that they have passed, clutching at anything to retard their progress, frightened by the onward rush of the strong current and in danger of being overwhelmed by the waters.

"Others go with the current freely, trusting themselves to the buoyancy of the waters, knowing they will bear them up. And so with very little effort, they go floating safely along, gaining more courage and strength from their experience with the waves."

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

-Proverbs 3:5-10 

"As New Year after New Year comes, these waves upon the river of life bear us farther along toward the ocean of Eternity, either protesting the inevitable and looking longingly back toward years that are gone or with calmness and faith facing the future serene in the knowledge that the power behind life's currents is strong and good." (Saving Graces pg 90, Laura Ingalls Wilder)

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                                              (Image courtesy of [anankkml] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

One of my favorite all time summer activities is reading. Reading by the pool, reading at the beach, reading on the porch, reading on the couch during a summer shower and even reading in bed on a hot summer's night. Summer was always been a great time for me to catch up on my reading because once school finished I was free to read whatever it was that struck my fancy (instead of those ginormous textbooks that cost a pretty penny too). Even now that I'm done with school though I still find summer a special time of the year to catch up on my reading.

(Is it kind of weird that I found it somewhat exciting when I happened to pass by a mother and her boys book shopping for their summer reading list? ... Ok, maybe a little weird but it sure brought back fun memories!)

Anyways, so far this summer I've read:

1. Chosen By God by R.C. Sproul

2. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

3. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

4. What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace by Richard Phillips (free for the month of July!)

5. Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help it Happen by Candice Watters

Currently I'm reading Aunt Jane's Hero by Elizabeth Prentiss and am working my way through Getting Started with Latin by William Linney. I'm hoping to read more by R.C. Sproul and Elizabeth Prentiss as I've taken a great liking to both of them.

Reading in general is one of my favorite past times but there is something about the summer that makes it extra special for me.

All that reading can become expensive though so don't forget to check out my post on 5 Cost Effective Ideas for Buying Books. These are the five main ways I've learned to save while still being able to read a lot. Click here to read the post!

What are some of the books you're reading this summer?

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5 Ways to Save for the Book Lover

As an avid reader, I've learned to budget (and am still learning) the allotted money I use weekly for books. After receiving a Kindle for Christmas two years ago, which I adore by the way and highly recommend, I was surprised to realize just how much I was spending on books within a months time. Since it wasn't hard to get through some books within a few days, the amount of titles I read within a few weeks certainly added up. One month I think I spent about $100 dollars worth of books! Yeah, I'm not proud of my lack of self control back then. Thankfully though God helped me find ways to properly budget out and spend the money I purposefully set aside for books. And what's great is, it's not as hard as it seems!

Here are five of my favorite ways to keep costs to a minimum when buying books.

1. Buy used

-You wouldn't believe some of the hidden gems I've found at used bookstores. One bookstore in particular has a whole row of vintage books. The old bindings, worn out pages and scribbles in the margins make these books all that much more special. One book I found entitled "Faith Is A Song," was personally autographed for someone by the author herself. Faith Is A Song is an autobiography of Jessica Dragonette a radio singer sensation in the 20th century. A few days ago I found another gem of book called "Prayer Poems." It's chalk full of poems that are prayers by various writers and organized into categories. The wisdom, imagery, and language used in this book is truly inspiring. Buying used is not only cost effective but often times you can find older treasures full of godly wisdom. Also don't forget that Amazon.com has loads of used books you can order; some are even only a few cents! Just keep in mind shipping costs.

2. Search Online

-I know I'm not the only one who has trouble exercising self control when it comes to buying books on the Kindle. Due to the growing number of sites that offer discounted or free books it's somewhat obvious that people are really trying to be cost efficient. My favorites sites to check are Gospel E-Books, eReaderGirl and Free Homeschool Deals. Amazon has lots of the classic books for free online as well. I've purchased Uncle Tom's Cabin, Pilgrims Progress, Aesop's Fables and Anna Karenina for free.

3. Amazon Trade-In

-The amazon trade in program has been a tremendous help for me! It's super easy and extremely cost effective. The books that I've read and no longer need don't have to take up shelf space any longer. With Amazon trade in I now can ship those books for free back to the Amazon headquarters and get money put into my account that goes towards any Kindle or other Amazon purchases. Depending on what the book is worth you may only get a few dollars put into your account, but a little bit adds up over time. I like to send in a few books at once so more goes into my Amazon account. Learn more about the trade in program at Amazon.com.

4. Gifts

-Amazon gift cards and books in general make great gifts! People who know me know that I love books. For birthday's and Christmas I usually ask for Amazon gift cards or books. You really can't go wrong there.

5. The Library

-I know the library seems like a thing of the past now but it actually is a great place to go if you're short on cash and love to read. A lot of local libraries have book sales at different times during the year. Some of the books at these sales are even cheaper than used bookstores too. Don't rule out the good old library when looking to save money on books.

These are only five ways you can save money on books. There are so many more ways to save and still read good books. I encourage anyone and everyone who loves to read to try start with these resources. You may end up finding some hidden jewels along the way.

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