Is the flailing economy drastically impacting your book-buying budget? Are you sick of waiting for your growing list of interlibrary loans to come in? Last weekend, USA Today Magazine featured a solution to these woes: PaperBackSwap.com. The 100% free site facilitates the exchange of books amongst readers based on a credit system. The more of your own books you post as available for trading, the more credits you receive- it really is that simple! There are no hidden membership fees or monthly dues; the only cost to you is the shipping you might pay to trade your books for new ones.

The best part is, aside from the obvious cost-saving perks, upon creating an account you are prompted to enter your three favorite genres for easy searching. Now, if you are thinking, “well I only read chick-lit, I don’t need three genres”, well you, my friend, are living in the dark ages. Women’s fiction is no longer limited to just that, there are subdivisions; stories about friends, stories about sisters, and stories about love are all equally important facets of the chick-lit world.

Along with old, but reliable, standbys like Marian Keyes, Candace Bushnell, and Sophie Kinsella, your new go-to for all things book related (in case you haven’t caught on to the gist of this article, that’s PaperBackSwap.com) is home to tantalizing novels by authors whose depths you have yet to explore. So forget saving your pennies for the latest bestseller, and cancel all those holds you have at the library- there’s a new kid on the block. Free books at the click of a button; where will this crazy world of gadgets and gizmos take us next?