To Mooch is Human

I think this is going to be another of those posts that looks a bit like a sponsored article but which really isn’t.

I wanted to scribble a little bit about a website that I use from time to time - one which I get quite a lot of fun out of.






It’s called ‘Bookmooch’.

(Of course, you guys probably know all about it already and then this post will join the ranks of some of my other patently-obvious ‘discoveries’ which, in their day, provoked such edifying Blog-entries as ‘Breathing is Fun’ or ‘Have you Ever Tried Eating an Egg?’)

Anyway, just in case you haven’t heard of it http://www.bookmooch.com/ is a community for exchanging used books. The idea is that you give away the books you no longer need in return for books that you want.

Every time you give a book away, you get awarded a few points and these points can then be used to ‘Mooch’ a book you want from somebody else.

I find that it’s a bit like being able to nip into a second-hand bookshop online. You get to browse through participant’s book-collections or search for that title that is not available in your country but perhaps can be ‘Mooched’ from somewhere else.

I’ve already received a few good books this way and also enjoyed passing books on to people who have been genuinely pleased to get them.

It’s a 'win-win' kind of deal.

Although it’s not entirely without its downsides. Mainly, the cost of posting a heavy book to a far-away-land can be sizeable enough and the three mooch-points you receive in return can seem like scant recompense. However you can always restrict which countries you will send your books to and if your budget is completely hammered after a few of these overseas forays, you can just shut down the ‘foreign-affairs’ wing of your mooching for a while and sit on your points until a good book comes along.

The other downside is that when a book is popular - it’s popular. Some titles can have a long waiting list for them and some just never seem to appear at all.

But if you, like me, are drawn to books and like being in their company, this little site might be well worth a look.

9 comments:

Catherine @ Sharp Words said...

Oooh. I like the sound of this. I used to belong to something called MyLibraryYourLibrary which had a similar idea but had a subscription fee... and went out of business after about a year.
I haven't looked at BookMooch yet (but I will) but if it's free to join I'd definitely take part as I have a few books I'd rather give to friends than to the charity shop, although since no-one took me up on many last time I advertised them, they're headed to St Vinny's anyway. Unless I join BookMooch of course.
Thanks for the tip, Ken. (And keep breathing, yep.)

Catherine @ Sharp Words said...

Ahem. Make that 'MyBookYourBook' that I used to belong to.

Ken Armstrong said...

Oh yeah, free to join.
(exhale)
:)

R. Brady Frost said...

I've never even heard of that before. It definitely sounds like something to look into though. It sounds quite interesting.

Haley H said...

Looks like a nice way to find good homes for books. I've registered, but haven't listed anything yet. Thanks for the tip.

Dave King said...

I hadn't heard of it, but it sounds like a brilliant idea. I shall certainly try it out. Thanks for introducing it.

CelloBella said...

I hadn't heard of it either and there are heaps of Aussies on the site!

You've chosen an interesting selection... :)

Why did you choose to share those? Or are they just the ones you can bear to let go?

That's what I would find hard - letting my books go... I just like to have them on my shelf. There for me to re-read should I wish to.

btw - loved your DIAH story.
LOL

Cellobella

Fiendish said...

I shall go forth and check out this website. (I used to do BookCrossing, but then I realised I had given away two good books and probably nobody ever even read them).

Also: I had to laugh at "Breathing is Fun" and "Have You Ever Tried Eating an Egg?" 1950s informercial extravaganza!

Rachel Fox said...

Here's yet another person who hadn't heard of it...You see you are not behind the times...maybe you are a trend-setter, a taste-maker..leading the avant-garde!
What was that idea you had about eggs again...?
p.s. Hello - saw you on Jim M's thing