– Tell us your story in America, please. Where did you live and work before moving to US?
We moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2017 from Moscow following a promotion my husband received at work. Before that, I worked successfully as a marketing research manager for a large agency and taught sociology at universities. Of course, life in the capital was exciting and eventful, but we decided to try something new. So many people envied us then, and we envied ourselves, although our new life did not develop like in a fairy tale.
– Was Portland your choice, or was it a coincidence? What do you like about Portland the most?
Portland was not our choice, but you can’t call it accidental because everything happens to us for a reason. We did not immediately accept and feel the atmosphere of this place. After Moscow, it wasn’t easy even to call Portland a city. But now, after almost six years, I am very grateful to this city and the country for all the new opportunities we have found here and for what other people we have become here.
– What difficulties did you have to face in America?
I will tell you one story that happened to me. The first time I went grocery shopping in America, I experienced a real culture shock. I had a stroller with a younger child in my hands, and the older one was running beside me, but I was sure I could handle everything. But when I was standing at the checkout with a bunch of products to pay for, I realized that my Russian card was not working (though it should have been!), and I began to rummage through my bag in search of cash, which I did not have, and my children already started to get nervous. The situation was getting worse and worse. I didn’t know enough language to explain myself; the children were cranky. I was blushing and sweating when the American woman standing in line behind me handed the cashier her card to pay for my purchases. I can’t even say anything. I was embarrassed and couldn’t believe this had happened.
Moving here was not easy. In Moscow, I had to leave everything – friends, relatives, social status, an established life, and successful work. For a socially active person, this is a challenging test. In an instant, I was just a mother, just a wife. At that time, my children were two and five years old. I, like everyone else, had to start from scratch. At this time, I also started to have health problems. The only thing I could do then was to read books in Russian to children all day long, which I brought in my suitcases.
– And then you had such an unusual idea – a library with home delivery?
Generally speaking, yes. I looked around – my house was littered with children’s books. I leaf through and delve into these books with pleasure. I could not imagine that this pastime would turn into a business project.
Thus was born Booklya – a service for renting children’s books in the United States, in other words – a library with home delivery (booklya-lib.com). Readers order books on the site, and I send them to them. They read the books and return them in a box already paid for.
Everything started spinning on its own. There were friends, like-minded people, and new projects. The pandemic played a significant role when we all ended up at home, and we had to support ourselves somehow and create a new circle of virtual communication. The largest was and still is the Bilingual A to Z online forum project for parents who raise bilingual children and support their native language in their families. https://bilinguals.online/ is an educational project in which we organized webinars, inviting various experts on bilingualism. Unfortunately, after February 24, 2022, we had to curtail our activities – to put it mildly, it was not up to it. But Booklya – a service for renting children’s books – continues to work.
– Tell us about the catalog of books? How many do you have, and what is the composition?
Now the catalog contains about 1500 books. There are books in the catalog for all ages up to 15 years old, but our favorite age is 3-8 years old when parents read to their children the most.
There are domestic and foreign classics, modern literature, prose/poetry, many collections, fairy tales, series, encyclopedias, and thick and thin books. There are even issues in children’s magazines. Although all books are of excellent quality from leading publishers, we do not have books with cheap illustrations, incomprehensible texts, etc. It makes our service more profitable compared to buying the same books.
The service has been operating since 2019. We have already worked out the mechanisms for delivering books, packaging, and various tariffs so busy parents feel comfortable using the service. You can view the book catalog here.
– How do you select books for your catalog?
I select almost all the books myself and buy them. Now I use several sources: reviews, ratings, and lists on already proven portals (such as papmambuk), on the websites of leading libraries, professional bloggers; recommendations of “ordinary” mothers in social networks/blogs; bookstore ratings. It happens that books are given to us as a gift. But we can only offer some of the donated books to our readers.
– Who uses the services of your library with home delivery?
If we are talking about who decides to rent, then, of course, the parents of children from 2 to 12 years old. And these are, first of all, busy parents who are interested in preserving the Russian language.
We offer book selection and delivery services, so our service is primarily of interest to those who read a lot to their children and/or the children themselves read, but who are not ready to spend precious time choosing and buying books from Russia, for example, or who do not have places and desires to keep reading books at home. In addition, some families take books only for the holidays.
– How can I borrow books from Booklya? How much does such a service cost?
We have two rates – 5 or 10 books for two months. The cost depends on the number of books, but on average, it starts from $5 per book with free shipping. Conveniently, all books can be renewed an unlimited number of times for only $ 2 per book.
– Tell us more about the return mechanism? For example, were there cases when the books were not returned?
Returning books is very easy. When the rental period ends, the books must be packed in a box with a return label (which we send with the order) and put in the post office (or handed over to the postman) should be glued.
To my surprise, the books were always returned and in good condition. In case of non-return or damage, we take a refundable $50 deposit. Sometimes subscribers buy a book if the child really likes it!
There were cases when books were lost. Once I lost a whole box of chic books somewhere on the way to the reader. Of course, we covered all the expenses, but it was a real tragedy because I have all the books in a single copy!
– What is the goal for this project now?
The most important goal for this year is to register Booklya as a non-profit organization (non-profit), i.e., soon, Booklya will work solely for the benefit of the Russian-speaking community in the United States and not for profit. It will give Booklya many new opportunities, such as getting grants to buy new books, starting a free book club, organizing educational webinars, etc.
– What alternatives do parents of Russian-speaking children have? Where else can you find children’s books in Russian?
There are many opportunities in the USA, and everyone chooses what suits them. For example, you can order books from Russia with delivery to the United States, buy in stores in the United States, participate in joint purchases, buy used books, exchange, etc.
The difference between our services is that you don’t have to go anywhere; we have a large selection of books worth reading. So with us, you can be sure about your child’s book experience!
– How are your relations with your homeland? Do you miss any aspects of life in your home country?
Yes, I miss it. For my mother, who was left alone, my grandmother, who recently turned 95, and for friends with whom I have been friends for more than half my life.
My relationship with my homeland has never changed and is unlikely to change. Because for me, the homeland is the school that I went to, it’s the path along which I ran to my girlfriend, the candy wrappers that I collected for the collection, my mother’s pancakes on weekends, the smell of my grandmother’s morning garden in the village, the first love in kindergarten and many, many more little moments, smells, associations, memories…
Relations with modern Russia are complicated. We keep in touch with relatives and friends both in Russia and Ukraine. But we have lost some relatives and friends. It’s all difficult now; society is split, and there is too much pain and, suffering, uncertainty. So we’ll be tinkering with this for a long time to come.
– What do you do outside of work? What are your interests and hobbies?
I was blown away in the US by the culture of trails, camping, national parks, and parks in general. Oregon has mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, and even deserts. I have not walked as much in all my life as we have walked here over the past five years. In the summer, I row on dragon boats; in winter, we go cross-country skiing with the whole family. We have beautiful Mount Hood nearby. On Tuesdays, we go to the bathhouse with the girls. Although I love intellectual games, we have this kind of game in Portland – IQ Battle. It is cool, relieves stress, and does not rust the brain.
– What are your favorite books and films?
Lately, I like to watch movies with happy endings. It’s hard for me to watch tragic films. My husband and I love to sit down for some already-filmed series. We looked at “Shantaram” from the latter, very nothing, even after reading the book. I generally watch many of our domestic bloggers – Dudya (I studied with Yura at the same school in Moscow, so I especially sympathize with him), the Editorial Board, Shulman, and Shikhman.
As for reading, I read children’s books almost all the time, but sometimes adults also “slip through.” Now I am reading the memoirs of Prince Felix Yusupov. He is known to many as the murderer of Rasputin. The prince himself, the author of memoirs, died a natural death in the late 60s in Paris. His memoirs cover a tragic period in Russia – the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century and beyond. The Yusupovs were incredibly rich. I could not even imagine how much (they could not imagine, probably too). Reading these memoirs, I learned a lot about the fate of Russia, so I read very slowly. I love reading what makes me think.
– What would you like to wish the Russian-speaking residents of Austin and Texas?
I wish you all good health, both physical and psychological. In our difficult times, it is very important to “collect” yourself again, “reflash”, and understand who you are. I am convinced that the preservation of one’s cultural roots plays a big role in this process. We must remember our traditions and language, which connect us to our past and help us define our present and future. Therefore, teach your children the Russian (native) language, and keep cultural customs and traditions in your family. Our efforts in preserving the cultural heritage will help to raise a new generation that will bring a brighter future to the world, no matter how pathetic it may sound. Even if we do not live in an ideal time, we can contribute to the future, which is very important.
Thank you for inviting me to the interview. I enjoyed it.
Contact information:
Julia Voevodina, the founder of the service for renting children’s books in Russian in the United States – Buklya.
www.booklya-lib.com – Booklya is a service of books by mail, a library with home delivery.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/voevodina.julia
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/julia.booklya/
E-mail – booklya.lib@gmail.com