Bookstore Getting Expensive? Start Your Own
By Chris Baskind in Living
With budgets getting tighter, even that weekend trip to the bookstore is getting hard to justify. But here’s how to share books — and a little fun — with your friends.
To be honest, this is the kind of idea that isn’t necessarily going to save the wetlands, cut greenhouse emissions, or safeguard energy supplies for the next generation. It might be a lot of fun, though, and a way to save a little cash while putting unused resources to good use.
If you’re like our crew here at Lighter Footstep, you’re probably a book and magazine geek. There’s something incredibly relaxing about browsing the stacks at the local bookstore. Of course, if you spend a couple hours flipping through pages, it’s tough not to take something home. Toss in an overpriced coffee or two, and it all adds up.
Be the bookstore
So prepare to brew some excellent coffee, and invite some friends over. Everyone brings a box of books and magazines that would otherwise be gathering dust. But share the good stuff: recent bestsellers and current magazines in good condition. Rummage sale books get saved for a rummage sale.
Make sure there are enough comfortable places for people to sit, read, and chat. Set aside about two hours for your bookstore event. Once everyone has arrived, spread out the books. Serve refreshments and enjoy and hour or so of browsing. Then everyone takes turns picking a few things to take home.
But leave about half the books on the table. These get donated. Domestic shelters, hospital waiting rooms, and nursing homes are all good candidates. You could even take them to your local used book store — they’re struggling to get through the crunch, too.
A little ambiance
It’s not an accident that commercial bookstores go out of their way to create a living room vibe, so you’re already ahead of the game. But you can take things further. The folks at CoffeeFair have compiled a free ebook of copycat Starbucks-style coffee recipes that can be brewed a lot cheaper that what the barista will sell you, and biscotti is easy to prepare at home. If you’ve got kids on hand, get them involved making bookmarks for takeaways. Use your imagination, and have a good time.
Too busy to host a bookstore party? BookMooch is a new book-swapping service that connects used books with eager readers. If you know of others, please share them in our Comments section.
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You might also want to try Book Crossing. It's one way to liberate your books.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/
What about libraries? Visiting a library can yield huge cost savings, but it is also a concrete way to support your local community. Every visit from a user is calculated in annual budgets. You may even be able to find a space to hold the book group, or get cookbooks to replicate some restaurant, or programs featuring writing, authors, or personal finance.
Yes, I'm a librarian, and I buy a lot of books
I wholeheartedly agree, and I am not a librarian. Of all the ideas I seen regarding green book collections, this is by far the most environmentally friendly. At a book swap, maybe 5 or 6 people (at most) use a book, but at a library that same book would be available to an entire community. I personally have sold my electronic book device and wiped book-buying out of my budget in favor of weekly trips to my local library. It consolidates resources in so many ways.
My girlfriends and I do this now. It is a great way to cut down on time spent researching new interesting books. Everyone brings ideas on new books into the mix.
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Hi, thanks for the great article. I wanted to share this one.
http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php
lol this sounds good but I have trouble letting go of my books. They are like my comfort food