Sea Library was born on a sunny June 4 three years ago, when I decided to open the doors of our house and share 100 books I had collected about the sea with anyone who would love to read them. I was so eager to share the salty stories, that I couldn’t wait any longer for some distant dreams about a bookshop of my own to come true. I decided that our old wooden house and a whole room in it dedicated to books was good enough to try.
Would someone come? Would someone borrow a book? Would she or he return it after? So many question marks flew away like birds, when I began the Sea Library. These three years or more than 1000 days have turned out to be marvellous, wondrous. Books started to flow in, the word was spread all over the blue world and Sea Library has become a harbour for readers and sea lovers from near and far.
There are nearly 600 books now in the Sea Library in English, German, French, Russian and Latvian, and 154 of them are for babies, kids and teens. I counted them yesterday with a coffee cup in one hand and books in the other. During the last year I’ve started to work on growing the children book collection about the sea by weaving and selling woven bookmarks. I’m so happy to see so many titles now added! And now I’m also slowly writing a book about it all.
No need for birthday gifts. Sea Library is the best gift I could ever wish for. Happy birthday!
Beautiful illustration is made by artist Katrīna Ģelze. Soon there will be postcards available. I will let you know!
Sea Library 
A very Happy Birthday to Sea Library. Such a fabulous idea! 🥳📚🐬
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Thank you so so much, Paula !
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Happy Birthday Happy Dreams Come True Day!
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Thank you, Anne !
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What a beautiful concept, I love what you have created here, both virtually and in reality. I wish you every success and will enjoy following your reading and writing journey.
I love books about the sea too and especially those written by women, so no surprise Rachel Carson is one of my favourite authors, when she is writing about the sea. I recently read Sea People by Christina Thompson which is a wonderful compilation and history of the polynesian people and the abilities they had to navigate the seas, skills that western explorers didn’t initially believe in, because they surpassed their own abilities!
All the best! Happy Reading and writing.
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Claire, thank you for all your good words! And I love “Sea People”. Christina Thompson – a special fan of the Sea Library btw – has such a wonderful voice as a writer. I learned so much from that book. and how inspiring it is to know that there is so much we – the western people – still can’t explain and fully understand. I carefully pick a lot of books written by women lately. I love them, you are absolutely right.
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