I'm a pretty voracious reader -- I'm always picking up used books wherever I find them or clearance specials at Barnes & Noble, and I've always got a big pile by the bedside that I'm working my way through. Trouble is, I periodically have to clear out the books to make room for more books...

Recently, I found a web site that facilitates swapping books with other people. It's sort of like an ebay or half.com, except that no money ever changes hands. You just post the books that you want to get rid of; when another person requests a book that you've listed, you send it to them at the Media Mail rate. Then you get one credit that you can use to request a book from someone else, which they'll send to you at no charge. Your only cost is the $2 or so it takes to mail your books out.

The site is called PaperbackSwap.com (http://www.paperbackswap.com/), and I've had great success getting rid of an enormous stack of books in just a few weeks. It's easy to get started, too, just click the link above, sign up, list nine books, and you'll get three credits that you can use right away. Pretty cool!



Doug