CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Mosquito Cove, just outside the entrance to Jolly Harbour, Antigua
17 04.505' N, 061 53.541' W

I wonder what life will be like when we no longer have access to free books. Although we read between 2 and 6 books a week, for the last two years we have not purchased a single paperback novel.

Before we left North Carolina, we stocked our shelves with paperbacks from our home collection (supplemented with a few acquired from used book stores). At many marine locations, marinas and shops will establish book exchanges. Amazingly, this happens everywhere: from big marina complexes in the United States to sparsely populated islands in the Bahamas. These exchanges are merely places where people are free to trade their books for any on the shelves in a one-to-one trade. In this way, we have kept our shelves stocked with reading material. Since we rarely re-read, this is an exceptional way to renew our reading resources at no cost to us. We greatly appreciate all of the business owners who set aside space for this type of exchange.

Sheryl and I often read the same books, with strict rules about the disclosure of any spoiler information. Sometimes, though, we find books that are of interest to only one of us, and we can share a story line with the other. In addition, we often offer each other recommendations. One of us may discover something unique about a book and recommend it to the other. In this way, we have both been exposed to literature that we otherwise would not have bothered to pick up.

Being forced to a limited selection has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes you discover a real gem in the mix of mediocre suspense novels. More often than not, you find yourself reading just another fictitious story about some serial killer, hunted down and eventually stopped by our hero just in the nick of time to save our precious heroine.

Regardless, it really is an excellent system for keeping our coffers full of hours upon hours of entertainment. I will dearly miss the book exchanges when they are no longer available. And, until seriously gainful employment comes our way, I don't see us shelling out $7.99 for the latest from our favorite authors at Barnes and Nobles. I suppose that it will be back to the good old days of library cards and reading with a return due date in mind.