If you’ve been hanging around here for any length of time, you know by now, it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of books. Books led me to the Catholic Church, keep me in rooted in faith, and nourish my mother’s heart. They also happen to be my favorite way of celebrating the liturgical year with my children.
Before I joined the Church, our bookshelf was void of Catholic titles. In the last 6 years, we have managed to amass a nice little Catholic library. It hasn’t happened over night, and I’ve learned quite a bit along the way. I’m sharing with you today my favorite ways to add to your Catholic bookshelf without breaking the bank!
Rules for building a Catholic Library You Love!
1-Know.
We all have different taste when it comes to books. If you find that a particular author, publisher, or series doesn’t appeal to your taste, quit wasting your money on their titles. My rule of thumb: If I don’t enjoy a book, I don’t read it to my kids.
For me, this means avoiding Vision Saint Books and the Father Lovasik books that are both written for children. This is just my personal preference and I won’t hold it against you if you love these books. However, I know it would be a waste of money to fill our shelf with these titles. I would rather put our money into books we will love!
The converse is also true. If there is a particular author, publisher, or series you enjoy, then shop for those books first!
In our family, after trying out one of the Angel Food for Boys and Girls, we knew we wanted to own the rest of the series. This was a purchase we didn’t regret!
For Husband and me, it is Fr. Jaques Philippe that we find ourselves reading over and over again. We are constantly adding his books to our shelf.
Here are a few ideas:
Must Reads for Young Catholics
Marian Must Reads for Young Catholics
10 Books that Shaped my Conversion to the Catholic Faith
Read Through the Catholic Year Book Lists
2-Plan.
Talk it over with your husband and figure out a plan for acquiring books that works for your family and your budget. Here are a couple of ideas.
- Set aside a little every month.
- Plan on gifting X number of books for occasions: Christmas, St. Nicholas Day, Birthday, Easter, and Baptism Anniversary.
In our house, I know I will purchase 1 Catholic book for each child for Christmas and Birthdays. On Easter, St. Nicholas Day, and other occasional feast days I will purchase 1 new book for a “family gift.”
Combined with our homeschool book purchases (books I purchase for our required reading list), we add an average of 15 books to our Catholic children’s bookshelf every year.
Of course, we shouldn’t forget ourselves as we think about making purchases for our Catholic library. Catholic literature tops the list of birthday and Christmas gifts for Husband. He is kind enough to return the favor and provide me with new reads as well!
3-Suggest.
When birthdays or Christmas roll around, don’t be afraid to tell your family members what books are on your shopping list. Remember your manners and only provide ideas to people who ask for them. Most people are happy to purchase something they know the recipient will enjoy.
4-Borrow.
What are good Catholic friends for if not to borrow books? It is a good way to get a taste for a book, series, or author without actually coughing up the money. If you are lucky, your church may have a Catholic library with books that are available to “checkout.”
You may also be surprised at what you find at your local library. One of the libraries we frequent has quite a few Catholic titles on their shelves.
Sometimes we are content to continue borrowing the Catholic titles from the library, but, if they are a real winner, we often end up purchasing them.
5-Limit.
It is better to move slowly and build a Catholic home library you love! Pick up a few titles at a time and you’ll make fewer purchase mistakes. Even if you have all the money in the world, you don’t need every Catholic book in the world. I know it can be tempting to accrue as many titles as you can, but practice patience and prudence.
While I like to give each child ONE Catholic book for birthdays and other occasions, it would be overkill to gift them more than 2 or 3. The idea gets lost in the sheer mass of books!
A few well-loved titles on St. Therese that span the ages in your home are better than a shelf full of them you barely read!
6-Focus on Re-reads
In the last two years, I’ve found myself reading fewer new books and instead reading and re-reading my favorites. Some books I know I will only read once (like homemaking how-to books). I don’t purchase “one and done books”, but instead invest my money in “classics” I will read and reread again.
I often get my “read once books” at the library or borrow them through inter-library loan (and, yes, you can find Catholic books through inter-library loan!).
I have read The Fulfillment of All Desire (4 times), Searching for and Maintaining Peace (5 times), and Introduction to the Devout Life (6 plus times) over and over in the past 5 years. I am never done mining the treasures in these classics. They will be read for years to come!
This applies mostly to books purchased for adults, but also think about adding the Catholic children’s classics to your home too!
Places to pick up Catholic Books:
1-Library Book Sales
I’ve occasionally been surprised by what I find on the tables at our Tiny Town library’s book sale. While Catholic titles are few and far between, I do occasionally find them! Our local book sale sells titles for less than $.50 each – a real steal!
2-Facebook Groups
Here are a few:
- Amy’s Bookshelf
- MODG Swap (this is the Catholic box curriculum we use, but a great place to find Catholic books)
- Catholic Homeschool Buy and Sell (you’ll find a mix of curricula and books)
(I find Facebook groups unbelievably hard to navigate. If you know of another FB group to buy/sell books on, please let me know via comments or email so I can add it to this list!!! Also, if you have a FB store front that specializes in Catholic titles, I’d be happy to add it to the list.)
3-CathSwap
CathSwap is a Yahoo group where I’ve been able to pick up everything from homeschool curriculum to great Catholic literature. If you find a good deal, act fast, or it will be gone!
4-Amazon and eBay
Yes, you can pick up titles on Amazon for a steal…sometimes. Used books aren’t always a steal once you factor in the shipping!
The trick with eBay is patience – which I don’t always have! Husband has been able to pick up books from his favorite Catholic Bible Study series for a fraction of the cost by waiting and watching.
5-Thrift Stores
Thrift stores are hit or miss. You may be lucky enough to hit a day where some generous Catholic is decluttering their bookshelf! It is definitely a scavenger hunt that doesn’t always hold treasure at the end, but I have a lot of fun searching.
I’ve found vintage Faith and Freedom Readers and other Catholic titles for a song at our local thrift store. I also found the Feast Day Cookbook for $.29 secondhand (it retails for $16 on Amazon!). I’ve also picked up several copies of Rome Sweet Home which is one of my favorite books to hand out to converts. While these deals are few and far between, you never know what you may be missing until you look.
(This is only a good tip for those who frequent thrift stores anyway. It is most likely not worth your time to search thrift shops for Catholic books alone. However, if you are there anyway, it never hurts to look!)
6-Used Bookstores
I don’t have any used book stores conveniently close to me, but I got the chance to visit one this past summer when we visited my parents. I could have spent all day in there!
I erroneously thought the prices would be high, but many of the books sold for $1 or less. A real steal!
What are your favorite methods to stock your Catholic bookshelf?
I love watching for used books at garage sales, used kid items stores, and online at Amazon. I make my list and watch, watch, watch.
Sounds a lot like me!
I actually like to buy the books new, in order to support Catholic authors, but a lot of times books are free with Kindle Unlimited.
That is a noble cause too! We often buy books from ministries to support their cause too! Dr. Mary Healy was in town several months ago and we spent $80 at her bookstand :O
We have the Father Lovasik books. They are easy to read for kids to read and are only $1.50 each. My mother got me started on these. She gave them to us as gifts and I still have my collection from 30 years ago. I am interested in the other books you have mentioned and the facebook groups. I just joined them. Great post!
Thanks, Lindsay! I have to say that it is pretty special to have those books from your childhood. I love rereading my childhood favorites with my kids!
It’s really special to receive Catholic books as gifts…esp if the giver has read them and loved them. I always appreciate a solid recommendation– and even better if it comes as a gift! 🙂
Great article! Thanks for recommending my Facebook book selling group, Amy’s Bookshelf <3 That was so kind of you!
No trouble, Amy! It’s great to have a place to pick up used books!
We’ve found a few saint books at library book sales, too. Although I was disappointed that those books were being weeded out of the collection, I was excited to add them to ours! And at a price of $2 for a whole bag, they were a steal. We’ve also gotten some good titles for a free will donation when our church was cleaning out closets. They were just on a table in our gathering space. I’ve figured out when local parishes host rummage sales and marked them on my calendar. Those are useful for all sorts of regular used things as well as Catholic-y things!
I haven’t heard of churches having rummage sales around here, but it will DEFINITELY be something I keep my eye out for!
I am such a book lover! While I don’t have a great used book store nearby, there is one about three hours away. So I get to it about once a year and when I do, I go crazy! Last year, I got about 50 books on my list (some were Catholic, others were not), and many of them were not more than $1. Some were just a nickel! On a more regular basis, Amazon is my go-to place for books.
Great giveaway! Blessings to you!
Wow! Those are great prices on books! Makes me want to frequent these stores more often!
I am actually quite new to this and am hoping to start a library so I expect I Will look online and at thrift shops! Loving your blog!
I wasted lots of money before I figured out what worked for us! Maybe you won’t make the same mistake!
I occasionally get lucky at the St. Vincent de Paul Society yard sales. Mostly I maintain a public Amazon wish list and direct family members there for birthdays and Christmas. And I have no problem with pre-loved books 😊
Definitely LOVE used books!
I check the book aisles at all thrift stores. Sometimes, I’ll find something great. The library in the neighboring parish has yearly sales ($1 per paper bag full of books). I’ve scooped up some good ones there.
Wow! You are lucky! I’d LOVE to have a parish book sale!
I have found some of my favorite books at thrift stores, surprisingly. My inlaws often give me Amazon gift cards for my birthday and Christmas (score!), so I pick up most of my other Catholic books on Amazon. 🙂
Our family (my husband, myself, and 4 kids) is in the process of converting! We start RCIA & The kids will start Faith formation classes this September. They will also start attending the Catholic school here in a couple of weeks! Our Catholic books are very few and far between as we are just now beginning the process of building our library. This article couldn’t have come at a better time! Thank you!
Been there, Kathy! Slow and steady! I know you want to bust right out and get everything you can lay your hands on – at least I did!
I am starting a Catholic home library based on recommendations from friends and book lists like yours as well as looking through catalogs like Ignatius Press. I request books or gift certificates from Catholic bookstores, Amazon, etc. when people ask what to give as gifts for myself or my children. I love finding used books at thrift shops or on Amazon.
All fabulous strategies!
I haven’t heard of these books, more to add to my list. I’ve bought most of our Catholic books from Amazon, but have found some at book sales and thrift stores as well.
They are new to me too! I was so excited to get them! Best of luck!
I got a bunch of great Catholic books from a “retiring” homeschooling Mom. We also have the used curricula and book fair in our area. I have also found surprises from our library book sale and my latest discovery – the thrift shop!
Oh! Homeschool mama retiring! That is the mother load!
Amy’s Bookshelf- she is a Gem❤️
I haven’t ordered anything from her —–YET!
I haven’t gotten many but I have ordered a couple from a ministry website and I actually won a few books a few years ago! I would love to build a library like this for my girls!
Well I hope you win again!
I look for Catholic books on a FB group I help run, but often find them used on Amazon. I’m definitely a Catholic children’s book addict!
Yeah, me too. It’s hard to hold yourself back sometimes!
I like to get our Catholic books at used book stores, and we also like to borrow books at our parish library.
Thinking I need to start a parish library in our “tiny parish.”
My favorite ways to get Catholic books for our library are from my aunt, who usually gives them to the kids for Christmas, from Amazon, and from the publisher’s websites, like Ignatius Press. We also have a Christian book store in town that carries some Catholic books. I haven’t had great luck at thrift stores or used book stores, but I always look!
I look 10 times before I actually hit the jackpot!
My strategies sound a lot like you. We also try to find books on saints related to our travels. Our kids have loved learning about the world around them on this way!
That is clever and original!
Hey Elizabeth,
I love these ideas! For a Facebook group that buys and sells books, I’ve had the most luck with Catholic Homeschool Curriculum SWAP/CHAT!
A great one to add to the list. Thanks, Lis!
A great way we jump started our Catholic Library was to ask for Catholic books on our wedding registry. I had a friend with and online Catholic book store and she created a special registry for us. It was awesome becuase we got quite a nice start with our books and also some beautiful religuous items like crucifixes and statues!
That is a very original idea – love it!
I have found Catholic books through estate sales. Also, you can find some “gems” at thrift stores.
Thank you so much for the giveaway.
I have mostly just used the library, but I love searching for titles in mom-to-mom sales
St Vincent de Paul, thrift store is a great place for us to buy good used books. Thanks for doing such an awesome give away!!!
Good suggestion!
I love thrift books! Also, I have found great deals at Goodwill or even eBay. Rarely will I buy books brand new.
There are some books that are worth buying new, but I find myself sticking to used or borrowing from the library more and more!
I have recently discovered that our library’s used book store has a children’s religious books section! I found a few great Catholic kids books there that I was not expecting to find!
That is awesome possum! You got to love getting Catholic books from a secular source. Makes me smile and feel like I’m getting away with murder when others don’t recognize the gems that are there!
I’m not sure if I’m entered, but I sure hope I am!
I love going to Catholic Bookstores (Hurley’s in Fargo, ND/Sioux Falls, SD (SF is closed now) or Gloria Deo in Lincoln NE) to buy books! I love being able to flip through the books before I buy them – I want to make sure the books I buy are age appropriate for my son, because if they’re too “babyish” or too hard, I know he wont be as interested in them.
I also have found some steals at thrift stores and garage sales!
I like to peruse before I buy too, but I find this hard to do with kids in tow and they go with me EVERYWHERE!
I always ask for books for baptisms or for Christmas and we’ve received a lot of good ones! I’ve also found some gems at garage sales and at a local consignment store.
GREAT post!!! I, too, have greatly enjoyed Fulfillment of All Desire and Searching for and Maintaining Peace (I read that one 3 times in a month)! I like to read most on my Kindle as it allows me to have several books at my fingertips – sometimes a section will remind me of something in another book and turns into a Spirit guided, scenic side trail 🙂 Kindle books are also slightly cheaper, and non-destructive (except for the actual Kindle). For me, it’s happy medium (bad pun).
I like to use Amazon because I like to read the reviews others have written. I also like to check eBay, once in awhile you can find some good deals.
I like to use Amazon because I like to read the reviews. I also check eBay, once in awhile you can find a good deal!
I am blessed to have a priest that gives me books on a regular basis. I also take advantage of multiple thrift stores! Recently I’ve been using the kindle since with some copywright laws you can get many books for free!
I earn Amazon gift cards from time to time from Swagbucks, Mypoints, and ibotta. Every little bit helps in stretching our book budget!
I’ve been actually going to our Parish thrift store to get books! I’ve found a few good ones and even my kids have found good stuff. I also get books on my Kindle I use my Swagbucks to put a little stash to get some books. Thanks so much for the chance!
Checking local Catholic bookstores (or online ones) and loading up during a sale is how I have acquired books. My favorite one closed last year, sadly, so I am looking out for another online source. Church rummage sales are a great source as well.
I always buy Catholic books from speakers I have heard. I love to support them! I also watch for sales at my favorite Catholic publishing sites (like Ascension Press or Pauline Press). If you’re patient, you can get them at great prices. I also keep a wish list for when relatives ask for suggestions for what to get for birthdays.
My amazon list is a great way to suggest books to family members wanting to buy our children something. I am continually adding to it and then know that anything purchased off the list is something we had hoped to add to library.
We usually receive Catholic books from my mom as gifts for birthdays, mothers and fathers day, Christmas, etc. She orders from Amazon and Ignatius Press. We have a good Catholic book store in the city near us and I can get lost in there. I haven’t seen much in our used book store, but I always look. I taught for 11 years and came across a Tomie de Paola and a Demi book on a couple of saints through teacher swaps/retirement destash. You have some great tips here for our young family (married 3.5 years and have 2 toddlers).
I love finding Catholic books at library book sales and Goodwill!
We are just coming back to the Catholic faith and am looking for books. What great ideas on how and where to look! Thank you!!
I am always on the prowl on Amazon and the discount racks at our local Catholic bookstores. I loved your tip about using eBay and Facebook groups so those are two new sources for me! Thank you!
Recently, we had a fellow homeschooling family over for dinner. They are a few years ahead of us and so I am always picking the mother’s brain for titles! As a thank you for hosting her 9-person family (I guess they don’t get many invites?), she ordered a few books we had discussed and had them sent to my home ! I always buy Catholic books based on recommendations from trusty blogs (like yours!) or from homeschooling friends. Each of our children also receives a book at Easter and at Christmas. I also order a few treats at the beginning of the homeschooling year! Thanks for this great giveaway. God bless you!
Great post with great ideas! I’m just starting out my family’s book collection, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed! The few books we do have I was lucky to find at a parish tag sale. I love the idea of giving a book as a gift for important days to build up our collection over time.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
There are parishes that have garage sales as a fundraising event and I like to attend those because many members of the church will donate their Catholic books, and I also browse Amazon regularly! I did not think about Facebook groups so thank you for that!