10 Money Saving Tips for Book Lovers on a Budget

For many of us, we just don't have an unlimited budget when it comes to being able to buy ALL THE BOOKS! So I thought I'd compile a list of all the amazing ways to get our hands on books while also being able to be frugal and maximizing our dollars!

I personally have used many of these resources over the years and continue to use them even now. Most of these ideas will be based on the fact that I am in Canada, so I won't be linking to American only places. 

1. Use your local library.

This will always be my number one suggestion! Not only can you borrow books from your library for free, but you can also borrow DVDs, CDs, puzzles, video games, and more. Our local libraries even have bicycles, telescopes, GPS units and more. Our library also has inter-library loans (I've used these a few times), Overdrive and Hoopla.

2. Shop The Sales! 

Library book sales, thrift sales and yard sales. I love finding books at the local thrift store as they have the best prices! Next is the Friends of the Library sales - my library has year round shelves to peruse, but also a gigantic annual book sale. And lastly, yard sales - you can find some amazing deals at yard sales, but you have to be willing to dig.

3. Little Free Library 

I'm lucky enough to have a few little free library locations in my city and in the neighbouring towns. I stop by once a month to drop a few books and see what gems I might find. You can look here to see if there is a location near you. Or you can start your own!

4. Swap/Trade

Use sites like BookMooch to trade books (pay postage only and earn points to redeem towards books from other users). Or organize a book swap with family or friends - this could be a lot of fun if you did themed book swaps or just got a fun group of readers together with snacks and made a night of it.

5. FREE! 

Collect loyalty points to redeem for discounts or free books such as Plum Rewards or iRewards via Chapters Indigo. Some sites like Amazon will have free ebooks for download, so why not check out their ebook section! Sites like Project Gutenberg and DailyLit are where you will find Classics for free.

6. Discounted Books 

These you can find via the used bookstore or places like Book Outlet. Book Outlet has amazing deals all the time and sometimes if you're lucky there will be signed editions!

7. Giftcards! 

I always love receiving gift cards for my birthday of Christmas. This way I can buy the books I'm dying to get my hands on without having to spend the money myself and the person giving the gift knows I'll always end up with something I'll love. It's a win/win. Also, I get reward points at work and I redeem mine for giftcards to Chapters all the time.

8. Enter Giveaways

Another great way to get the latest release in your hands is to enter giveaways. Goodreads hosts giveaways regularly so check them out. You can find some great giveaways via Twitter searching the hashtag #giveaway. Another great resource is fellow book bloggers - there are always giveaways being held for publishers, promo groups and blogger hops - so go check out your fave blogs and see what they are supporting!

9. Subscriptions to Audiobooks

Use apps like Hoopla, Audbile and Scribd to listen to audiobooks for a discount or free! I personally still use Overdrive via my local library. 

10. Request e-ARCs 

Use NetGalley or Edelweiss+ to requeset eARC review copies. I've been a big user of NetGalley in the past, but had to step back a little as I was requesting more eARCs than I could review in a timely manner, so just be sure you are only requesting books you will for sure be able to review as it can get out of hand quickly.

As an additional note, you can also write to publishers to request physical ARCs especially if you are a more established blog or have a strong presence online (social media, blog, etc). Each publisher has different requirements to meet for them to approve advance copies so be sure to check out their sites before sending in your requests.

Please feel free to share your money saving tips for fellow book lovers. I'd love to hear how you get your read on while saving money!

Library Wish List - The One Where I Rejoin the Local Library

Now that we've finally settled into our new digs back in town, I finally took the toddler to the local library to renew my library card with them (previously I had to pay a fee to use the library since I lived outside of town). Sadly, when they issued a card for her, I was told that it was one account and I assumed that the new card handed to me was a shared card so I cut up my old card. Only yesterday did I realize that they just meant the new card was hers, but was linked to my account. *sigh* So now I need to get a new library card for myself before I can borrow more books again.

I'll head there this weekend to correct that, but in the meantime, I decided I would start Library Wish List as a way of writing about the books I really am looking forward to borrowing from the library in the coming month(s). Once I have my card, I'll start putting holds on my wish list items!

I think the library is such a great way to read ALL THE BOOKS when you have a limited budget and can't afford to buy all the books your heart desires.

I currently have 277 books on my WANT TO READ shelf on Goodreads and this includes books on my shelves at home that I still need to read as well as upcoming 2019 releases. So I'm going to pick just four books each time I post this Library Wish List post to keep it manageable.

Now on to the first batch!

Geek Parenting by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu

Things to Do When It's Raining by Marissa Stapley

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire

These are all books I'm hoping to borrow to help me complete Around the Year in 52 Books challenge this year.

I'll be posting lists every once in a while of the books I'm hoping to borrow next. 

What are you looking forward to borrowing from your local library?

 

Library Lovers Book Tag

LIBRARY LOVERS BOOK TAG

Found via As Told By Tina

1. How often do you visit your local library?

For a while, I was going weekly, but since going back to work after my maternity leave was over, I generally go once a month? I like to use Overdrive which allows me to borrow audiobooks all the time, so it allows me to use my library when I know I can't make it there physically.

2. Are you the type of person who checks out more books than you know you can read or are you someone who only checks out the exact amount of books you intend on reading before they are due?
I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes I just grab one or two that I know I'll get to and other times I end up grabbing everything that looks amazing and end up returning some unread.

3. How old were you when you got your first library card?
  I don't actually remember when I got my first library card. I know I was young and in primary school, because our Mom would take us to the library every week or so to pick out a ton of books to read. 

4. Do you go to your library looking for a particular book or do you check out anything that peaks your interest?
Both. When I want a certain book I definitely go in search of it at the library, but I also like to browse and just grab something that look interesting.

5. Do you use your library to check out just books or do you also check out DVDs, audiobooks, etc?
I check out lots of items: mostly books, audiobooks and DVDs, but they also have museum passes, bicycles, telescopes, GPS units and more. Our library is full of amazing items to borrow.

 

6. From what section of your library do you check out the majority of your books? (YA, middle grade, adult, nonficiton.)
Adult, YA and children's books (for my toddler - though she has her own library card that we check those out with).

7. What is your favourite part of using your local library? 

Our local library has an amazing childrens play area with a train table, giant Connect Four game, weekly crafts, blocks, lego, musical instruments, puzzles and more. My toddler loves visiting and checking it all out. Oh and they do "blind date with a book" for adults and children and they extended it from Valentine's Day to all year long... kids loved unwrapping surprise books that went with different holidays and seasons so they keep doing them. My toddler loves these and so do I!

Yesterday we stopped by the @landalibrary to cool down and pick up some books for Lil Miss. Joined the Summer Reading Club and played with the train table she loves so much. . . #stayingcool #reading #TDSummerReadingClub2018 #toddlersofinstagram #librarylove #librarynerd #booknerdintraining #CanadaDayWeekend

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Jul 1, 2018 at 4:51am PDT

This isn't this first library tag or library post I've written, but I just love talking about my local libraries that I have access to... to read more click this link.

What are your favourite things about your local library?

Library Lovers | Book Tag

I found this tag over at The Darlings Diary and since I love a good book tag and it's about libraries, I couldn't pass it up. Join in if you're up to another tag.

1. How often do you visit your local library?

For years, I only went once a month. But then I started going almost weekly. Once our baby arrived I started going once or twice a week so get books for both of us and to enjoy some of the activities there. Now that my maternity leave is over, I think we're back to once a month again.

Lil Miss and I were at storytime today! What a fun thing for the Littles and they even have a therapy dog there. (I'm in the purplish-pink shirt on the left.  Can't see Lil Miss bc she's in my lap). Thanks @landalibrary #librarylove #storytime #libraryfun #momlife

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on May 31, 2017 at 5:06pm PDT

2. Are you the type of person who checks out more books than you know you can read or are you someone who only checks out the exact amount of books you intend on reading before they are due?

I do both. Sometimes I will only grab one or two books, and other times I bring home armloads and end up having to renew multiple times to ensure I can read them all. Once in a while books get returned unread, but are added to my wishlist to grab again another time. 

3. How old were you when you got your first library card?

I can't quite remember, but I feel like it was somewhere between 7 and 10. I know my Mom would take us every weekend to get books, but I feel like I only get my own card when I was a little older (and that means my siblings would have gotten theirs at the same time so they would have started even younger then I did). 

SIDE NOTE: One of the first things I did with our new baby was to get her her very own library card - she's almost 20 months old now and she's had her own card since about 4 months old. We check out all of her picture books with her card and she carries them in her own bag. She loves the library almost as much as I do. 

4. Do you go to your library looking for a particular book or do you check out anything that peaks your interest?

Both. Sometimes I go just to get a very specific book and other times I just wander around until something jumps at me. If it's to get the one specific book, I usually reserve ahead and just pop in to grab it from the pick up area, but if I have extra time on my hands I will wander aimlessly until I find a book or two that grabs my attention. I love checking out their displays to see what's new or recommended by their staff.

5. Do you use your library to check out just books or do you also check out DVDs, audiobooks, etc? 

I use the library for books, DVDs, audiobooks (both CD version and Overdrive loans), and now they even have museum passes and bikes to borrow!  Lately, I've been using Overdrive for audiobooks A LOT. It's the perfect way to access my library during my busy work week.

6. From what section of your library do you check out the majority of your books? (YA, middle grade, adult, nonficiton.)

I actually check out books from all areas/genres - from picture books to share with my toddler to YA and from romances to cookbooks. I just love books!

7. What is your favourite part of using your local library? 

I actually wrote a post about this back in October for Ontario Library Week - pretty much access to free books, the fun activities they have for children, and the different ways they help people find great books to read (Blind Date with a Book, Graffiti in the Margins, setting up displays for different topics each month). They also have a great sense of humour.

Not sure how new these are, but it's the first time I've seen them at my local library! 😂😀 @landalibrary  #librarylove

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Oct 14, 2017 at 9:46am PDT

For all of my library loving friends, I hope you'll do this tag and leave a link in the comments so I can come back and check your post!

Reasons I Love My Library! | Ontario Library Week 15-21 #GetTheCard

It's that time of year again where we celebrate and promote out local libraries! It's Ontario Library Week! I've decided this year that I'm going to make a post about all of the amazing reasons that I love my library.

My most recent reason for adoring my library is the children's area. Our library has an awesome play area with a train table, a giant Connect Four game, infant toy section, computers, craft area with weekly crafts, Lego/Mega Blocks, musical instruments, puzzles, colouring pages and more! And of course an overwhelming selection of board books, picture books, middle grade readers, DVDs, audiobooks, and video games to borrow!

Fun at @landalibrary today! #bookstagram #booknerdintraining #10monthsold #librarylove #librarybook #reading #booklove #momlife #books #library #bookish #babygirl #growingup #traintable #veryhungrycaterpiller #blocks #musicalinstruments  I'd love to get Lil Miss a set of the music shakers they had at the library. She just loved them and they're really colourful and fun.

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Apr 28, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT

Lately, I've been using the Overdrive application on my cell phone to listen to audiobooks and read ebooks. I love that I can download the books I'm wanting access to right on my phone and not need to run to the library to get them. I've been finding it easy to listen to books while I go for walks on my lunch hour or cutting the lawn. They have a wide selection of titles.

Hoopla is the newest application that I want to try, but I've heard amazing things from friends. I think it's going to be a handy way to watch TV shows and movies. I already have Netflix at home, but I think since there are a lot of shows missing or that have been retired from Netflix, that perhaps I'll be able to find them on there. I'll be giving it a try this week actually.

My local library hosts an annual Local Author Showcase in summer with used book sale. It's a host to a wide variety of authors from children's picture books and memoirs to both fiction and non-fiction. I've met quite a few interesting people when attending - like author/illustrator Peggy Collins.

Each week the head librarian writes an article for the local newspaper. The topics vary from new releases, upcoming programs, tips on picking the right book for you, etc. I love ripping open the paper to see what she'll write next. It's how I found out about Blind Date With A Book years ago.

They also attend the Farmer's Market and have a booth for kids to listen to stories and play games and make crafts while their parents are shopping the booths. Sometimes they even have surprise guests like Belle!

Our library has an amazing YA section and graphic novel selection. I know they are trying to appeal to the younger generations and I think they are doing a great job in our town.These sections keep growing and they are sure to bring in the hottest new releases.

There are some really fun programs that our library has started and continues to run each year. Some of my favourites are Graffiti in the Margins (I still need to try this, but I've been donating books to use), Blind Date With A Book for both adults and children (my first and second years participating), Teen Paint Nites, lending of telescopes for use at the viewing center, bicycles to use around town, museum passes for local places and in bigger cities and GPS lending for geocaching in the area. Our library is so much more then books!

Unwrapping the "bunny book" from @landalibrary the other day! She gets excited to unwrap things. We found counting books! #booknerdintraining #librarylove #childrensbook #reading #books #bookstagram

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Apr 6, 2017 at 7:01am PDT

I love that there are multiple branches to reach as much of the community as possible. I've attended three of the locations and they are all different. The one closest to me just closed down as it was tiny and not visited enough (which made me sad because it was a five minute walk), the main branch which hosts many of the exciting events they have during the year and another branch about a 20 minutes drive from my home that seems to be the children and teen hub (it happens to be located at the community centre where the swimming pool and arena are located).

Our library has a very active social media presence and they are interactive with those that reach out to them. I follow them via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I love interacting with them whether it's to ask a specific question, to find out upcoming events or discuss a great new read.

Overall, I love their dedication to community involvement both in person and via online avenues. It just shows their dedication to their clients and their understanding of the changing needs in our society. I'm hoping to pass along my love of reading and libraries to my daughter and they are already making my job that much easier with all that they do.

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Jun 14, 2017 at 4:15pm PDT

I also have access to another library system close by in the city that I work and I've been lucky enough to check out some of the amazing things they do as well, including a traveling exhibit about Anne Frank. But since we moved five years ago, I only visit this one a few times a year now.

So tell me what you love most about your local library. Do they have any interesting or unique programs that I should ask my library to try?

Blind Date With A Book: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn | Review

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Published: September 26, 2006

Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books

Pages: 254

Received: borrowed from library

Find Online: Goodreads | Amazon

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows, a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.

This was my Blind Date With A Book that I picked up from my local library for Valentine's Day. Guess this is a little late being written, but it's not like the book was very romantic anyway. This is the second time I've borrowed a Blind Date Book over the last few years and I really love that you are really going in blind. 

The three little notes on the wrapping said: I will keep you guessing. I'm a thrill a minute and I'm a sharp read! 

Little Miss and I picked up some "Blind Date with a Book" books from @countylibraries today! I'll be reading Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and little miss had a surprise of two books: I Dare You Not To Yawn by Helen Boudreau and Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues by Kimberly & James Dean.  These "Sweet Dreams" 🌛⭐surprises are just in time for nap time this afternoon. And I'm super excited about my Blind Date as it's an author I've wanted to try for sometime. 📚

A post shared by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Feb 11, 2017 at 8:50am PST

I was pleasantly surprised to find a Gillian Flynn novel inside. I'd only seen Gone Girl as a movie and not read any of Flynn's work. 

Camille, a journalist, is sent to her hometown to cover breaking news regarding a missing girl. She is so hesitant to go back, because she does not get along with her messed up family, but she can't pass up the chance to prove herself in the journalism world. She recently had been released from the hospital and is pushing herself to move past the horrible things in her past. Sadly, going home makes her nervous because that's where many of her problems began.

Camille's mother is insanely messed up. She keeps her daughters at arms length and only shows them affection when it suits her. She's obviously suffering from some major mental issues. Her younger half sister, Amma, is a master manipulator and head of the mean girl squad at school, but portrays the perfect dutiful daughter in front of her parents. Camille starts out writing words on her body, but soon progresses to cutting the words into her skin to try to cope with the madness, just like she always has. This family is by far the most dysfunctional I've ever read about. There is also another sister that passed away when Camille was a young girl, which is one of the things that causes such a strained relationship between Camille and her mother.

While Camille is back home to cover the current events, she starts to uncover some horrible truths and details about the missing girl, a murder the previous year and her own family that make her want to run. She only stays in hopes to help solve the mystery and maybe just save Amma from this insane family dynamic.

It's filled with some disturbing scenes, shocking twists and the most unbalanced characters I've read about in some time. Be prepared for dark, creepy and graphic story.

About the Author:

Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master's degree from Northwestern University. -source

Website

 

Stacking the Shelves: Amazing Bookmail and Library Haul

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

This week's #bookmail and #libraryhaul - thanks to @simonschusterca and @countylibraries ❤📚😄

A photo posted by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Feb 11, 2017 at 10:25am PST

Bookmail

All from Simon & Schuster Canada! 

The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie

The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie

The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie

Promises To Keep by Genevieve Graham

The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer 

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

Library Haul

Blind Date With A Book - My surprise date is Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and Spencer picked up a double date with I Dare You Not To Yawn by Helene Boudreau and Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues by Kimberly and James Dean.

Also, Spencer picked up three board books:

Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard 

Wow! Said The Owl by Tim Hopgood

Splish, Splash, Splat! by Rob Scotton

A photo posted by Chrystal (@snowdropdreams) on Feb 11, 2017 at 8:50am PST

What did you get this week?

My Anne Frank Experience - the book, the traveling exhibit, a Holocaust musuem and a concentration camp visit.

This post was originally started back in November, but was delayed. So without further ado, my thoughts on A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

Be warned this will be a long post, not only a review for A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, but also a post about an exhibit at my local library and my visit to a concentration camp at age fourteen. It will be both inspiring and emotional as the journey was for me.

My first experience with anything related to the holocaust was when I was fourteen years old and I visited France with my graduation class. We had been part of an exchange program for four years and in our graduation year from primary school (grade 8) we finally met our pen pals. During our two week trip, we visited the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. It haunts me still because we visited on a very foggy, dreary day. We saw the grounds, the gas chambers and crematorium - it's a museum and you learn an awful lot if you visit.

Tower of Faces

My second experience was visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC last year. My husband and I spent hours there, walking the rooms, absorbing as much information as we could and letting the experience sink in. The image to the right had a big impact on me - Tower of Faces is a collection of photos depicting the town of Eishishok, that consisted of a Jewish community that had survived 900 years, until 1941 when the SS came in and slaughtered the entire town in two days. It's devastating to look at.

And my final experience with this topic is reading Anne Frank's book and visiting the traveling exhibit at my local library a few weeks ago.

The exhibit is a handful of panels with the details of Anne's life leading up to the war and and ending with her father making the musuem, Anne Frank House. It's very detailed and filled with a ton of information and images of important documents. If you've read her book then some of these pictures would make a lot of sense to you.

The reason I finally picked up A Diary of a Young Girl was that it was a book in the Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge and I've wanted to read it for a very long time. Alsom I'm not going to lie, but seeing Hazel and Gus visit the Anne Frank house in The Fault In Our Stars movie/book also encouraged me to finally pick the book up and read it.

Image of Anne's diary on the library exhibit.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Published: October 19, 2010

Publisher: Everyman's Library

Pages: 320

Received: borrowed from library

Find Online: Goodreads

 In Everyman’s Library for the first time—one of the most moving and eloquent accounts of the Holocaust, read by tens of millions of people around the world since its publication in 1947.

The Diary of a Young Girl is the record of two years in the life of a remarkable Jewish girl whose triumphant humanity in the face of unfathomable deprivation and fear has made the book one of the most enduring documents of our time.

The Everyman’s hardcover edition reprints the Definitive Edition authorized by the Frank estate, plus a new introduction, a bibliography, and a chronology of Anne Frank’s life and times. 

I really am not sure if I have the words in me to describe the feelings I went through while reading Anne's diary. How terrifying it must have been to live during this time. I cannot imagine having to live they way they did - to be cautious of noises made, rations of food so as not to go hungry and to keep yourself entertained while living in hiding.

I find it endearing that such a young girl could write about the horrible things going on around her, while trying to make sense of it all. It would have been hard enough going through your teen years on any given day, let alone stuck in an attic somewhere trying to make sense of the world and yourself.

I think this book should actually be taught in school. I know the subject matter is hard, but at the same time it's a story of a girl coming of age and struggling to figure it all out by writing in her diary. I believe that if Anne had survived she would have ended up being a well known writer/author and would have gone on to great things.

Honestly, here are quotes from the diary that just made it all come together for me.

“I've found that there is always some beauty left -- in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.”

“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.” 

“I wish to go on living even after my death.” 

found on the TWLOHA Facebook page

Have you read Diary of a Young Girl? What are your thoughts on it? Have you visited the Holocaust Museum in DC? Share your memories, thoughts about any of the above.

Giving Back!

For those who have been watching my Library Love posts lately, I'm donating a TON of books (ARCs) to my local library this week. One pile is from my own shelves and the other is a book of ARCs from my BFF (she doesn't blog anymore).

These are all ARCs for donation to their Graffiti in the Margins project. I still want to borrow one to see what others have written in the books, but I'm going to wait until close to the end of the summer so that I can pick one up that has been to a few readers. Really looking forward to being a part of this.

What do you do with your ARCs?

Library Love - ABEA 2015

This is a funny topic for me, because I recently started a feature on my blog called Library Love! How convenient.

I use two different libraries - one in the city that I used to live in, but still work in. And one in the town that I live in now. I think it's great to have access to two library systems. They also both have multi-locations. 

My first library is Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL). And the other is County of Lennox & Addington Library.

Lately, I have been writing a lot of posts about the great things that County of Lennox & Addington Library as they have been coming up with some great events and programs. Check out the posts:

-Blind Date With A Book

-Graffiti in the Margins

-Local Author Showcase

I've also just been in contact with the Manager of Library Services in regards to donating some of my ARCs to their Graffiti program. She is absolutely lovely and I am looking forward to working with her and the other librarians.

Tell me about your library and what you love about it!

Napanee Local Author Showcase

Today I popped by the Local Author Showcase at the Napanee Library. They showcased 24 local authors. I had no idea that there were that many writers in my area (most self published). I was on a time crunch so only spoke to two of the authors in depth and swung by the used book sale as well.

source

First, I spoke to Mary Mathieson who is a 95 year old woman who just self published a memoir titled, Stories of my Century. It's a culmination of the stories of her life. She was a wonderful woman to speak with.

Mary Mathieson has had an eventful life spanning almost a century. She has lived in small town Ontario, in Northern Ontario including the James Bay area where she was an itinerant nurse, and in cosmopolitan cities. She has spent time in some of the most interesting cities in Europe and the United States and she has been witness to the most momentous events of the 20th Century. Told in bite-size vignettes and longer tales, this is her recollection of a lifetime. -source

The second author I spoke with was author/illustrator Peggy Collins. She was a delight to speak with and even encouraged me to start writing myself. Her illustrations are amazing and I even was able to look through a stack of watercolour originals that are for the books she illustrated before switching to digital. I really wish I had brought my camera or that my phone was not dead so that I could have taken pictures of them. She gave me her card and some fun swag. She has written some children's books herself and will be promoting them at Word on the Street in Toronto this September. And she also teaches some classes at a local college! Amazing! You can find her on twitter @peggysbooks

And lastly, they had a used book sale - 5 for $1!

I only picked up four books though (one for hubby) and these lovelies.

How was your weekend?