Please check out your local library!!
I volunteered at a library this summer where my main tasks were returning books and organizing. Hereβs some common books I saw tons of in the library that you can get for free!
Cooking. So much cooking. All kinds of foods, dietary limitations, and cultural specific.
Crafts (sewing, crocheting, knitting, painting, decorating, pottery, drawing, and cross stitching are what I can remember just off the top of my head. So many)
Foreign language learning
So many β___ for idiotsβ
Mental health / disorders (and recovery)
Music (including sheet music)
Classics (the ones you see read in high school)
Test prep (including SAT, ACT, PSAT, ect)
Gardening / how to grow stuff
Illness information / coping
Disability information / coping
Both specific and general historical topics (From just the history of America in general, the history of a certain group of people, to history of certain events, ect.)
Audio books and movies are usually available in the hundreds. Popular books and movies are accessible.
Itβs usually disability friendly and most are also offering free games and devices to borrow.
Most also have computers where if you are looking for a certain book, it will tell you where it is in the library or which nearby libraries do have that book.
Fiction books are also abundant and usually the genre is labeled on the spine.
Even if you donβt want to take a book out, you can sit there all day and just read a book. Itβs a good, quiet place for those stuck in a chaotic situation. It usually has AC/heat, bathrooms, and water fountains too. As long as youβre not a snorer, no one really cares if you even take a nap.
Overall, I cannot recommend libraries enough. People really think why go when you have the internet, but it really has everything and an immediate option so you donβt have to search. And, once again, free!
Libraries, especially in more conservative areas, are getting less and less funding and more and more restriction on books with content regarding LGBTQ+, black history/authors, and safe sex. Donate to your local library. Visit. Check out what is there. There literally is no negative!!
