Quote:
Originally Posted by Elsi
I frequent a site called BookObsessed at http://bookobsessed.com/ The members there came from BookCrossing ( http://www.bookcrossing.com/) and set up this complementary site to facilitate book swapping. So, to explain how it works:
There are 3 main types of swaps: - Yankee Book Swap. This is like those "auction" type of Christmas parties you might have attended where everyone brings a wrapped gift. Draw numbers and #1 will pick and unwrap a gift. #2 can then steal the gift from #1 or unwrap another. If #1's gift is stolen, it's her turn again. And so forth until everyone has a gift. We do the same thing with books. The leader will announce the genre and everyone picks a book to swap. From there, it proceeds much like the holiday party. You keep your swap book title secret until you are asked to reveal it -- the online equivalent to unwrapping.
- Virtual Book Box. These were set up to eliminate the cost of mailing a real box of books. So, take the SFF VBB as an example. At the beginning of the round, the leader will shuffle the participants and establish the order. When your turn comes, you take as many books as you want from the box and put the same number back in. Whomever put in the books you take out will then mail the book to you. If a book you put in isn't chosen in 2 or 3 rounds (varies with the different boxes), then you must replace it.
- One-on-one swaps. There are too many styles to describe them. One that I'm fond of is a "pay-it-forward" swap. Within a theme (say "alphabetical"), someone offers a book (say The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood) and someone else will post to the thread, "I'll take The Handmaid's Tale and offer The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry."
Books are tracked on the BookCrossing site. Each book is registered there and assigned a unique ID.
Feel free to check out either site and join in if it interests you. |
thanks elsi for the explanation. that sounds like a fun system. not for me though ; too much pressure !! i love sharing books with friends but i don't want to worry about deadlines or making people wait. already, sometimes i have to return a book lent by a friend without having read it, because it's been 6 months and i haven't been in the mood for that particular one, or have been busy reading other books... (i know i don't have to tell you about unmanageable piles of books awaiting their turn lying around the house...)
i've heard of book crossing before but i thought you just left the books in public places with a note and hoped that someone would find / take the book and leave a note on the site. i didn't realise it was so organised.