How I Survive Living in a Book Desert

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As you may have read that I mentioned here before, I  moved back to my parents for a while due to health issues, ala Psoriatic Arthritis. Even though this area has improved dramatically over the years, there is one significant negative to living in central Appalachia. That is, the area is one big colossal book desert. The books that the local Wal-Mart has is about all that is available. Yes, we have libraries and the Inter-Library Loan if one knows it is available.  The libraries here lack resources, but they will order the book thru ILL  If you ask. There are other ways that I have cultivated over the years to feed my insatiable book habit. I will list them here, hoping that it will help someone else.

Services that will make living in a book desert better

 

The following all require a small amount of money to access the books. All are around ten dollars or less. I understand that not everyone has the means to pay 10 dollars for a service. However, for those that, the following can be a huge saver when you are far away from a sound library system.
 

Scribd

I have to admit that I am in love with this service. Scribd has saved me on many occasions, especially in audiobooks where I might have gad to bankrupt myself buying all the audiobooks that I listen to. I love that there is no limit to what you can borrow, and for books you read with your eyes, they have a pretty good backlist catalog. 
 

Kindle Unlimited

 
 I mostly get this for bloggers who publish on this platform. I found out fast that 5.99 and .99 cents add up quickly when you buy many books at once. If you get the Kindle Unlimited that most bloggers publish on this platform, you can get a low price on books that you may have spent a lot of money on.
 

ComiXology

 
 I love reading comic books and Graphic novels, but my local library does not have a good selection. I can usually get the first few books of a series and decide if it is a collection. I want to go thru the hassle of getting the rest of the books in a series.
Libray
Yes is nothing like your sound ole public library when you need a book. The problem is some libraries are way better than others. But if you know about how the libraries work the,n you can still get the books you want even if you live in a poor area, 
 

Internal Libray Loan (ILL) 

 
One way to get books s have your library order the books from another library. Some libraries, such as the one near my parents’ house, do not make it obvious that this is a service. If you are unaware that you can even do this, then you cant take advantage of this. If you know that this is an option, you can ask your local librarian to order the book for you.
 

The Books the Library Already Has

 
This is the easiest way to get books. You get the book that is in the library and check it out. But as I said above, sometimes, ok, a LOT of times, the Libraries are underfunded, so you will have to look for alternate ways to get a book.
 

Bookmobile

 
I have never had any luck with a bookmobile here in the Mountains, but I know some people who truly cat get to a library and lack the funds to get a kindle or such have been very happy with the bookmobile. I am sure that if this was my only option, I woof too have a higher opinion of it,
 
 

Pangobooks

I have only found this recently, but I have had an excellent experience with them that I feel is worth mentioning here.  The prices are dirt cheap, but everything I have ordered has come in perfect condition.

 

 

 
 
I can tell you that it is not easy being a bibliophile living in a book desert. It isn’t easy to get books if you don’t have a car or know about the library’s service.  ” quote=”Often the very people that could benefit the most do not have a Kindle or a phone that they could use to access overdrive or even Libby. We must work harder to give the truly underprice, including the books THEY want to read. Economic status should not dictate what a child or even an adult reads.”]  Every solid democracy started with citizens having equal access to quality information 
 

2 Comments

  1. I grew up in a book desert, so I can relate. The library was tiny, there was no internet at home, and the closest bookstore was not close at all. I didn’t read a book series in order until I was a teenager. I just had to read whatever books I could get. It was nearly impossible to find a complete series.

    1. I feel you… It was discovered that I was Deaf and the family had to drive three hours to Lexington a LOT, and my mom would always take me to a bookstore so I could stick up. The virtual library was and still is not very good. I know the librarians try, but it gets annoying at times.

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