Tips for Getting More Books in 2010

In my hometown, there is an annual adult literacy fund-raiser called the “Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale.” It took place a few months ago and more than 17,000 shoppers attended to purchase books and support the Greenville Literacy Association in South Carolina. A total of $150,000 was raised.

I don’t know about you, but my heart rate quickens at the sight of large quantities of books. Oh, the reading possibilities!

I even get a little rush when I go to my mother’s house – and not because she makes the best cappuccino east of Rome and north of Cuba! No, there’s inevitably a small pile of books waiting for me on a side counter near her kitchen door. My mom is an avid reader, and we share similar tastes in books. She has minimal space for storing extra books, so they get to come home with me to live. Yip!

For those of you who have a crush on books like I do, I offer a list of ways to feast your eyes on a few more this year, keeping frugality in mind. The library is a given, of course.

Merger & Acquisition

• Check out thrift shops. I’ve found some classics there.
• Visit BookMooch.com, a point-based book-swapping website that “lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.” There is no fee to join. Mailing your books is the only cost.
• Post a book wish list in your classroom if you are a teacher (Parents Night) and include the list in your “Note from the Teacher” for each child’s take-home folder.
• Subscribe to Big Universe’s free weekly newsletter, which includes links in each issue for complimentary access to selected children’s books offered online. Follow Big Universe on Facebook and receive alerts for the website’s free book of the day.
• Scout  out local yard or moving sales. There’s always a crate of mix-n-match volumes under a table somewhere.
• Read literacy blogs and other social media, keeping an eye out for book giveaways or contests.
• Give the right answer when someone asks you for birthday gift ideas for your kids. “Anything would be lovely, but books are always a hit” works nicely.
• Start an exchange at the gym. Ask management if you can add a box by the door at the childcare room.
• Swap one of the duplicate books you got for Christmas with a friend.
• Look for post-holiday closeout deals at the book shop or big box stores.
• Do your research. Many reading incentive programs (especially in summer) offer book rewards for reaching goals.
• Get your techie to surf the Net for some deals – Affordabook.com,  Half.com or Powells.com for instance.
• Inquire at churches. Some offer lending libraries.
• Ask to collect books not claimed from Lost & Found bins.

* Let me know if you have any other ideas. I’d love to add to this list, so please submit a comment.