Easley Library Bookworms discussion

On another thread, some people have mentioned a felt need to reduce the amount of already-read print books they own, which take up a lot of physical space; and mentioned the desire to share books with others. An Internet site that helps with both of these goals --AND is a great place for acquiring free books-- is BookMooch (www.bookmooch.com ). It's free to join, and serves as a network for book swapping.

When you join, you create an inventory of books you want to give away. Every time someone requests, or "mooches," a book from you, and you send it to him/her, you earn a point. (You also get 1/10 of a point for each book you add to your inventory.) Every point you earn allows you to mooch one book from someone else. (That's for mooches in the U.S.; the point costs and rewards are doubled for international mooching, but you can stipulate that you'll only send books to people in this country.) To find books to mooch, you can search the database by title, browse in other ways, and/or create a wishlist. (When books on your wishlist become available, BookMooch notifies you by e-mail.)

Postage costs are paid by the person giving away the book; so new books you get are free to you. (Due to the high cost of mailing hardcover books, I advise only putting paperback books in your inventory; the postage for sending these to someone else is usually between two and three dollars.)

I've been a BookMooch member for several years, and as a result have both acquired quite a few good books, and given away even more unwanted ones to good homes. I definitely recommend it to those trying to reduce crowding on their bookshelves, and share at the same time!

What a great idea, Werner! Thank you!

You're welcome, Paula! Let me know if you join BookMooch; I'll be glad to "friend" you there.