First of all, they really should call it something else. Here is a stack of recent books I’ve received through paperbackswap.com and — to my delight — actual paperbacks are few and far between. Instead, what I’ve been receiving are lovely (sometimes right off the bookstore shelves) hardbacks . Take a look:

I’ve been using the site for about a year now. There are no charges for anything, and the idea is simple: You sign up, then post 10 books you would like to swap with other paperbackswap.com members. Just for signing up, you receive 1 credit for a free book — which you select by browsing the 4 million titles currently listed by others. They are arranged by topics and include both fiction and nonfiction; I like gardening, nature and art. When you find a book you want, you select it and it is mailed to you within 3 days by the member who posted it. When you receive their book, they get a credit to select a free book. And so on.

If someone requests one of your posted books, you mail it to them at media mail rates (for most books, that is $2.23) and then you get a book credit. See how it works? There are audiobooks listed, too… I just finished listening to one of the late Ellis Peters’ wonderful mysteries featuring the wise Benedictine herbalist, Brother Cadfael.
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Tutorial: Botanical drawing with pencil and watercolor
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Hosting an Artisan Cheesemaking workshop May 2 w/ Mark Perez. Bring a gallon of milk, take home a pound of fresh mozzarella. #food #green 20 hours ago
Hooray! Upcoming workshop at beautiful 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on May 22: Draw and Paint Coastal... http://bit.ly/btUfA1 1 day ago
O joy! A whole stack o' free #gardening #books. http://valwebb.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/my-gardening-library-grows-one-free-book-at-a-time/ 2 days ago
O happy day! The pea gods have smiled upon my garden, and I am picking (and eating) as fast as I can. 3 days ago
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