The power of Bookmooch

When you put a book into a trading system like Bookmooch, what happens to it? On a whim I decided to track two of the books I gave away very early on and see whether it was still circulating.

I got Grant Stoddard's WORKING STIFF: THE MISADVENTURES OF AN ACCIDENTAL SEXPERT for free as part of a book club I joined last year. It was the second book I ever gave away on Bookmooch and was mooched in February of 2007 by Erica in Indiana. In June she gave it away to esazama in Florida who turned around and mooched it to Jess in New York last September. It went in a circle to return to someone in my native state! I love it.

Here's an international example: It's harder for books to move across borders, so I wouldn't have faulted Chris in Japan for keeping my (unread, sigh) copy of Grace Paley's ENORMOUS CHANGES AT THE LAST MINUTE. I had to buy it for a class and never really got into the book. I hope he liked it more than I did when he got it in December of last year. He ended up sending it back across the pond to tobiejonzarelli in Massachusetts in March. Chris is a true power user with over 1500 books mooched as of this reading and over 600 given away.

Consider this post this week's attempt to get you to join Bookmooch. I've already converted two readers (or will take credit for such, anyway) and you could be next!