Avid Reader

This week I discovered www.bookmooch.com. It's a great way to pass on the books you've already read and to possibly receive the books that you want to read. Basically, you list the books that you are willing to give away. If your book is on someone's wishlist, then their information is sent to you and you send them the book. You pay postage to send it...media mail is rather inexpensive. And then of course if there is a book on your wishlist that someone has, they send it to you. Oh, I guess I also need to mention that the amount of books you can receive is based on a points system. You get points for listing books and for giving books away. There is a certain ration to give away and receive that they want you to have, but I don't remember what it is. Anyway, long story short...I'm loving it! What a great way to purge my bookshelves of all those books that i read once and now they are just taking up space. I'd rather see them go to someone who wants to read them as opposed to giving them to the Goodwill where they could sit forever or selling them to someplace like Half Price Books who offer just pennies on the dollr for books you know are worth more then that (and yes, I know, you can refuse an offer they make to you, but if I spent all that time carrying those books in...I don't necessarily want to lug them out to my car.)

A friend of mine also told me about a group called the Travelling Book Club...although I think she meant www.bookcrossing.com. In this one, you read a book, attach a label or tag inside and 'leave' your book somewhere for someone else to find. that person then reads the books and passes it on to someone they know or leaves it somewhere. i haven't looked into that one a whole bunch, but the basic concept is you can trace where your book goes on-line. And of course there is the possibility that your book could travel the world. It would be an interesting project to try with kids. Let them read a book and then track to see where it ended up. Maybe I'll suggest that as a home schooling project for B. How fun!

Happy Reading!