So Many Books; So Little Time!

Books. I love them! I've spent some of the past year collecting a home library. It was a lot of fun while I was doing it, but I eventually came to the point of realizing that I now had enough books to last the rest of my life. So, I slowed down a bit.

I acquired a bookcase from an old middle school that was no longer being used as a school. The case measures about 8' x 8'. Lots of room to fill with wonderful reading materials! So...how to fill it?

First, I joined an online website called Paperbackswap.com (which can be found at http://www.paperbackswap.com , of course). This is a site where you begin with 10 books you want to swap. You have a page of your own where you list your books. After listing your first 10 books you get two free credits to use right away. Most of the books on the site cost 1 credit. You find a book you want and you request it. The person who owns the book sends it to you media mail and they pay the postage. When you receive it you mark it received and they get a credit so they can get a book. When someone requests a book you have you pay the postage. So, basically, each book costs you about $2.50 or so, which is the average cost of media mail. I found quite a few books through Paperback Swap and they have an active message board and other features.

Secondly, and best of all, was our local library booksale. I've gotten tons of books this way, and it's like one big treasure hunt! I usually spend $5 or $6 dollars and go home with bags and bags full of books. I redonate many of them after I read them. Gotta make room for more!

So, right now I need to pick a new book to read. It's so HARD to single out one book from a bookcase full of wonderful choices!! But, I guess it's a job that has to be done...