Photo courtesy of bookmooch.com
I just learned about a new website, called BookMooch where people can trade books that they don't want anymore for books that they do want, which another user has posted. Apparently the website is free to sign up for, and all a person needs to pay for is shipping.
How does the website work? People can search for books in a variety of ways: by genre, by recently added, by country (yes! the website is International), by language, by title/author, by topic, etc. Then, once a person finds a book they want, they can swap a book of their own with that user.
Skeptical? Intrigued? Would you be willing to swap your books for "new" ones?
~Kristen
I think people should trade books or donate books or borrow books eagerly and often. I think I would be nervous about the condition of the book being sent to me or what would happen if I swapped and the receiver didn't, but at the same time, I think it's an interesting idea--and it eliminates the problem of lending someone a book that they never return.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even known such a thing existed! Thank you for introducing me to this website.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the book received may not be in pristine condition, there is something thrilling about reading a book other hands have touched, whose sentences another mind has contemplated. I especially enjoy coming across used books with notations in the margins--whether it be insightful commentary or silly opinions. I recently found in my recently purchased copy of Dante's Divine Comedy a folded up, handwritten essay dated 1951. Unfortunately the scholar received a C+!
I used to be disturbed by any disruption of a book's perfection. Now I realize that handwritten notes add character.
Yeah, I might be wary to try this, but it can't hurt to try it just once and see how it works.
ReplyDeleteI think that books can get lonely too, and need to be re-read by a new appreciative reader.
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