A sustainable wonder: The library

Bookmooch has been great -- give away books you're read, get books you want to read. Free, open to all. Image via Wikipedia

It's a tough year when it comes to books -- LOVESalem HQ is just about overrun with books, books, and more books, shelves bowed in the middle, piles on top of shelved books and on top of the shelves themselves.

It's all gotten to be a real weight, so it was time for drastic measures: the New Year's Resolution for 2009 was to only obtain books through trading (like Bookmooch.com, a wonderful sharing system) or buying books with money earned from selling books. Naturally, the necessitates a lot more use of the library -- and what a wonder. I often use Powells.com and even Amazon.com to read reviews to help select books. Tonight's list would cost a bunch if purchased -- all were available in or with the help of the Salem Public Library, which will let me get a look at them and see which ones are really essential to own and which ones would be "read once, take a few notes, and never read again." A timely reminder that the public lending library is one of the sustainable wonders of the world.

	All new square foot gardening / Mel Bartholomew.
	How to grow more vegetables : and fruits, nuts, berries, grains, and other crops than you ever thoug
	Four-season harvest : organic vegetables from your home garden all year long / Eliot Coleman ; illus
	The vegetable gardener's bible : discover Ed's high-yield W-O-R-D system for all North American gard
	Carrots love tomatoes : secrets of companion planting for successful gardening / Louise Riotte.