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10 Ways to Decorate Using Books

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Do you love to read? If you are like me, it is a major part of your life, and you have books all over your home. Maybe they are on traditional bookshelves or in cases. Perhaps you stack them on tables, or just leave them anywhere they will fit. You might have even have had to resort to all three in wake of your book fetish, leaving you with no space and a cluttered interior design. You wouldn’t be the only one to have this problem.

But don’t switch exclusively to ebooks just yet. You can actually find some great ways to use those books for design purposes, while saving space. Here are 10 amazing ideas for how to decorate and store your books, all at once. [Read more…]

Which American City Is Most Literate?

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ReadingManiacs
If you ask me this without allowing me to check, I won’t know the answer. I did read an article over at USA Today, and found out that the most literate cities in the United States today are Minneapolis and Seattle. Now, trivia and fact enthusiasts would probably have fared better at “guessing.” After all, these two cities have been alternating at getting the top two spots for the past six years.

These figures are the results of a yearly study that takes a look at culture and resources for reading in the major cities all across the country. There are six indicators to check literacy:

1. Newspaper circulation
2. Number of bookstores
3. Library resources
4. Periodical publishing resources
5. Educational attainment
6. Internet resources

This year’s study couldn’t have come at a better time. Figures for the circulation of print newspapers have declined while online newspapers are getting more hits. Some sectors have hinted that the reason for the decrease in interest in print newspapers is due to the online versions. However, Jack Miller of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut says that this is not true, despite the popular opinion. In fact, he mentions that cities which have high circulation figures also have corresponding high numbers of people going online to read newspapers. The same thing applies for bookstores – both online and offline.

If you live in any of these two cities, you ought to be proud. If not, then perhaps you should start a personal campaign to help increase literacy – if not in your city, then at least at home!

Get Your Hands On These Freebies!

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free
Freebies are always welcome, aren’t they? Even when they aren’t really free – when the price is included in the other item that you buy – people normally fall for the ploy. In this day and age, we should get our hands on all the freebies that we can. Even the smallest of savings can make a difference in the long run. Here are some awesome freebies that you might be interested in.

Free video games
There are lots out there. If you have a PS3, go online to the PS Store and find free downloads. Many of them are demos, but you get to play them for no cost at all. Visit other web sites like PopCap Games, BigFishGames, and OnlineFlashGames for tons of other free software.

Free shipping
So you like to shop online? Who doesn’t? Try using online stores that offer free shipping, though. You can save hundreds of dollars in a year if you shop online a lot. Retailers like Blue Nile, Shopbop, and Zappos offer free shipping. Other big names offer free shipping for certain purchases as well.

Free software
I love the open source community! You can get so many useful programs without paying a cent. Try OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office. AVG and Avast anti-virus work excellently – and they’re free. Picasa is great for photo editing. Just take a look around, and you’ll see that there is not much need to pay an arm and a leg for expensive software.

Free books, music, and movies
Free audiobooks, e-books, and music abound online. I am talking about work being offered for free – not downloaded illegally. You can also go to your local library and start using their resources. They probably have an extensive collection that will delight you to no end!