The Boho Magazine Blog

With September looming around the corner, I know that a lot of people are about to go back to school. For one more year, I am proud to include myself among them. Still, as an environmentally (and sadly, budget-conscious) girl, I am utterly flummoxed by the wasteful and expensive world of college textbooks. I detest having to shove out tons of money for costly new editions, and I hate the idea of all the older editions being discarded. It’s dreadfully wasteful!

Ah, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some of the websites I used this summer in an attempt to avoid the high cost and regretful waste of underutilized college textbooks:

CourseSmart- allows you to buy your textbook as an e-textbook. It costs less (I saved $143 on one book), doesn’t involve printing an enormous book on virgin paper, and is SUPER convenient. They even have a free iPhone app that allows you to read your textbook on the go. Fun fun!

Chegg - allows you to rent your book- either for a quarter or a semester. This is a great alternative to buying a book used and then being stuck with it when nobody wants to buy an older edition.

Campusbooks - allows you to compare prices of textbooks from various sites. For each book, it’ll give you a summary of the lowest prices (for international, used, new, and rentals) and also list various other price offerings. How AWESOME is it to have a site that does the comparison shopping FOR you? VERY awesome, thankyouverymuch.

If you’re not a student, thank your lucky stars you can read what you choose, and pass these sites on to someone who might benefit. If you are a student, happy hunting! It’s nice to have so many options these days, no?

P.S. If you know of an awesome textbook site (for used books, e-books, or rentals) that I didn’t mention, leave a link for it in the comments!

Sometimes, a girl has just got to get acquainted with her roots- in all senses of the word.

While visiting Santa Cruz the other weekend, I had the pleasure of touring my grandfather’s backyard vegetable garden. As an Oklahoma native who survived the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, World War II, and even a plane crash in the desolate mountains in which he was the sole survivor, my grandfather is one tough dude. Even at age 89 he is still working away in his personally designed wood shop, planting and harvesting delicious fruits and vegetables in his garden, and making delicious pies and jams with his hand-picked harvest.

Under my grandfather’s careful supervision, my mother and I pulled up some potatoes and onions to bring home. He also picked some choice blackberries from the vine for us to sample. As we discussed his past on the farm in Oklahoma, I was reminded of just how much we can learn from previous generations. After all, my grandfather was, and still is to a great extent, living a sustainable life- growing much of his own food, repairing tools and furniture instead of throwing it away, and creating his own identity instead of buying it prepackaged from a designer or store.

As I devoured the freshly harvested potatoes back home, I was filled with a vision for a new generation- one that has the sense to use the wisdom of our ancestors, as well as the ingenuity to incorporate it into modern design. Then this summer’s Boho magazine caught my eye, and I realized that this generation already exists.

Thank goodness! I know we’ve got a great future ahead of us.