Sunday, January 17, 2010

Cross It Off The List


That list of books you are dying to read keeps growing and the time keeps slipping away to make your way through them. Then there is the cost, buying that many books could put you in the poor house. For some reason you do not use your public library. If this is the case you may just want to check out BookCrossing, a website that has books floating around the world for eager readers to pick up and relish. So the original intention of this site was to follow books on the journey their original owners let them travel on. The original owner registers the book where the site generates a unique code. After the book is branded with this code it is set free to find readers thirsting for a great read. Your book may just end up all the way up on the top of the Empire state building or in the Tuileries of Paris. Then BookCrossing evolved. Taking it into their own hands the members have started a community where trading of great fictions and tall tales is happening all the time. How this now works is you have a book on your list, you then search to see if someone on BookCrossing has it listed in their personal library. If it is not traveling around the world, or part of ones permanent collection you can send them a personal message to see if they are willing to do a trade. If so they can take a glance at your library to see if you posses one of their books they have been meaning to get to. Via mail, you send yours our and they send theirs; in the mail you receive one of those books that you have been craving to sink your teeth in. The system is purely based on honesty, but I have never had a bad experience with the site. All it cost you is postage. Do not forget to send it out Media Mail, it will save you bundles.
Image via BookCrossing

1 comment:

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

I just joined a book club so I'm going to be forced to sit down and finally read a book start to finish again. Having the little dude has gotten in the way of that! ah ha ha