Free books!

I heard about a great new web site on the “Inside the Net” podcast and after telling Melanie about it, I think I’ve created a monster. The web site is called Bookmooch and it is, in essence, a book swap site. Here’s what happens.

You list books you don’t want any more, ones you’ve read and you know you won’t read again, books you’ve picked up at a garage sale, books your kids have outgrown, what have you. Then you enter a list of books you want. When someone “mooches” a book from you, you wrap it up and mail it to them and when they get it, you get 1 point credited to your account. You can now use that point to mooch a book from someone else. It doesn’t have to be the same person who took the book from you.

The web site charges nothing—it’s a labor of love by a dot-com millionaire—and your only cost is the expense of sending out the books mooched from you. At media mail rates, that’s not much at all. And the site makes it very easy to make your lists. It will automatically import your Amazon.com wishlist. And for listing books you’re giving away, you just enter in the ISBNs.

Melanie has gone crazy with this. I think she said she listed about 70 books to give away. Did I mention that for every 10 books you list they give you 1 point? This lets you get started mooching books without waiting for someone to take on of yours first. That’s okay though because she’s already sent out 4 books to moochers.

Meanwhile, I’m kicking myself because two moves ago I threw out several boxes of paperback books because I didn’t have room for them and I couldn’t find anyone to take them. So now I’m left posting books I found in a closet in our spare bedroom, all stuff that Melanie’s roommates left behind when they left. I can’t imagine what people seeing my inventory must think I’m like. I hope romance novels are popular mooching books.

Anyway, if you’re one of those people who doesn’t just read books, but consumes them (like my wife), here’s a way to clear out the clutter and get new books while you’re at it.

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