Read the Latest Bestsellers....For FREE!

You really can stay on top of all the latest bestsellers, and there's a way to do it where you don't pay a dime. The only thing needed is a bit of patience and due diligence and you're golden. Here's how.

• Buy a small spiral notebook (you should always have one of these in your purse to begin with)

• Take a trip to your nearest bookseller, such as Books-a-Million or Amazon; or browse online
  

• Browse the aisles and books and write down titles that interest you

• Make sure you have a library card to your local library

• Our library here in Florida makes it easy to access your account online and make book requests for the books you would like to put on hold

• Our library does tell you what your spot is in the queue; with that being said, I have NEVER had to wait more than two months to get a book (for DVDs I have had to wait up to four months for the most popular titles)

• Find out from your librarian how to do Interlibrary Loan (ILL); our library does not make it simple simon on their website; you have to know exactly where to go; we then get notified by email or phone (your choice) when our titles come in

Following these steps will really cut down on your spending, not to mention the clutter in your house! I still buy books now and then, but it's always a book I have already read, and it's one I plan to use again and again.

Here are some great books from our local library I have recently read:

• Richistan - Pry into the lives of the super rich...find out how they got that way and what their day-to-day lives entail; it also gives an interesting peek into a butler school (yes, there is a shortage of household help these days)

• Army Wives - the TV series "Army Wives" is based on this book; it provides a look into the life of a few Army wives at Ft Bragg; unfortunately, this book does dwell on all the negative aspects but it does provide a glimpse of what life can be like

• Supper Swapping - The title sounds risque, but it's not; there are some nice and easy recipes in here; my next thought was that you'd have to have a pretty good friend to swap suppers with, but I liked the concept

• The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me - this is a shockingly simple book riddled in common sense, but if you have no clue how to get on the road to riches but want something simple and easy to read (and want to bypass all the other books out there), then this is the book for you

• Dixie Before Disney - I had always wondered what happened to all those roadside attractions of my youth; you'll find the ones from the South in this book; it's like walking down memory lane with a hint of sadness 'cause the book tells you what happened to those places after the boom; lots of photos; nice book

• Air Travel Tales from the Flight Crew - a collection of tales, tips and gossip from a flight attendant; he gets vomited on, got food poisoning and gets hassled by angry passengers; the book isn't the most well written thing, but I did have to laugh at many of the stories; I always wondered how things went "behind the scenes" on an airplane at 35,000 feet

If you have any tips to share, please drop me a line.

Photo courtesy of freefever.com