With so many teachers in the family these days I’m more aware of the return of kids to school these days, although being walking distance from both a high school and a middle school generally alerted me pretty promptly though the influx of school buses on weekdays. Those who aren’t back in classes already await their imminent return to their desks and their books. I wanted to take this opportunity to recommend an amazing online community called Paper Back Swap.
Over a year ago, an old friend of mine suggested that I check it out. At the time I was packing up my life in boxes before I headed back to Japan for my final year of my Master’s studies. A year and two dozen swaps later I am a total junkie for this service! It is so great! Instead of donating unwanted books to the thrift store, my previously preferred disposal method, I can make sure I’m sending the book to someone who actually wants it! Whenever you send a book, you pay shipping and receive a credit in return. You can then turn around and use that credit to order books you want to read from other users, or even apply the credits for a discount off of amazon! If you have books you want to get rid of, or a collection you want to round off, or something you need to read for school, check out Paper Back Swap! (And you can even check out what I’m offering on my bookshelf now – my username is sylviaplath!)
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.