Friday, August 3, 2012

Share Your Books!

I'm a book hoarder. If there is anything I have too much of, books are it. Multiple bookcases are crammed into my small bedroom, all of which are stuffed two rows deep with novels and sagging from the weight of them. There are shelves on my wall and above my desk that are filled to the brim with paperbacks. I have books in thigh-high stacks along the floor of my room and piled on my nightstand. The backseat of my car has books strewn across it, and there is even a growing pile of books on the half of my bed I don't sleep on.

All of that to say: I have more books than I know what to do with. Now, I'm not one to buy a book and read it just once. I know plenty of people who do this, and I have nothing against them. I just find too much joy in reading a book I've bought to discard it after only one read! But there are obviously books in my collection that are not being read. I may be a quick reader, but I'm not that good. So what do I do with those neglected books? I don't want to get rid of all of them. Yet, it feels wrong to let so many of them sit there whenever I'm not reading them. There are a number of things I do to solve this problem:

1. Donate

I have to admit I'm not very good at this one. I'm loath to part with many of my books. But then I'm reminded of those who can't afford books of their own, or libraries in need of some new inventory, or schools who don't have funding for more books. So, every couple of years I'll do a purge where I give away a portion of my collection. While it might seem difficult at first, it's really not. There are some books that we keep more for sentimental reasons than anything else. If you've grown out of a book, donate it. If you haven't read the book in over a year, donate it. If you haven't read the book at all since you bought it a year ago, definitely donate it. There are so many people who would love to read your old books!

2. Lend

Many of my friends consider me their personal library. They'll ask me for book recommendations, or come over and pick some books from my collection. It's an easy way to share my love of books, and it allows my friends to save some money. This way, my books are getting read and I still get them back once my friends are finished. Just put a name label inside of your book and it's ready to lend out. Not to mention, you'll now have someone new to discuss the book with!

3. Trade

Most towns have at least a few used book stores. I can guarantee almost all of them will have a trade system. You take in books you don't care to keep anymore, and the owner will take the ones they'd like to add to their shop. In exchange, they will either give you cash or store credit (usually credit). With credit, you'll be able to get books from their store! It's a nice way to make a few bucks or get some new reads, just from trading in some of your old ones. I've been trading with my local used book store for almost six years now; not only have I found some gems in the store, but the owner tends to give me extra credit for being a regular customer. You can't beat the hospitality of your local businesses, so go out and support them!

4. Pass It On

A few years ago, I received a letter from a friend. It had a short note and five address labels, one of which was hers. The gist was, choose 5 books you own and send them to those people. Then send out a letter to 5 friends with new addresses, one of them your own. It was a little network of book lovers who could share books with each other. What was even better was that this network was an ever-growing group as labels continually got spread around. BookCrossing.com also has a method of passing on books and connecting with other readers. You print a label with a specific code on it and stick it in inside your book's cover before selling it/giving it away. As the book gets passed on, people can put in the code on the website and you can track its travels across the globe! These are just a few fun ways to get some new reads and pass on your old ones!


There are so many other ways we can share our love of books, too. Keeping a book collection isn't bad, but there is a lot of joy in sharing it with others! Take a few minutes to go through your old books and find a way to give back. It's so very worth the effort.

What are some ways you share your books?

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