WANT TO CREATE A PASS THE BOOK BOOK? Print out these directions and affix them to the book of your choice. Create a READER LIST (as described in the directions) somewhere in the book.
(Make sure to provide your address in the reader list if you'd like the book to be
returned to you eventually.) Then pass the book!
ABOUT US. Debra Hamel, having written a book about a prostitute, spends her days blogging about books, solving (and blogging about) crosswords, and making merry with her two comely daughters. (More about Debra.)
Gypsi Phillips Bates, having not yet written a book, spends her days reading (or at least wishing she were) and reviewing said reads; she is the mother of two fish, two hamsters, and three cats, step-Mom to a Butterfly Girl and wife of her Best Friend.
A NOTE ABOUT BOOK SALES. As an author myself, I (Debra writing here) am fully sympathetic with the view that public libraries are an evil akin to Napster in its pirating days -- not that most would equate the two. One wants one's books to sell, not to be bandied about on the streets for free. On the other hand, I recognize the power of word of mouth in book sales. Everyone who reads a book and enjoys it becomes a potential salesman for the product, and interest in the book may spread virally beginning with any satisfied user. I would urge anyone who has read and enjoyed a PASS THE BOOK book to earn their free read by recommending it to friends and family, by posting a review of it at Amazon.com, or by buying it as a gift for someone.
OTHER IDEAS. In addition to passing the book, there are a number of other interesting things you can do with your used books. I've already mentioned bookcrossing.com. Bookins.com provides people with an elegant means of trading books with one another, at minimal cost. And the folks at Operation Paperback will help you ship your books off to service members.
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Her Year of Meats
See the comments section to my Rule of Four post for an offer from Gwyneth for a copy of My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki. Lest you be fearful of accepting a book from her, know that Gwyneth is a geologist and that she has been known to cook. She also likes children, or at least seems to like my children, which is all that really matters. And she was a good sport when....
You see, we became hooked on Joey Pots & Pans marinara sauce. The stuff is expensive, but it's so good you can eat it straight out of the jar, as if it were a very tasty gazpacho. Say, we said to each other, this stuff is so good we could serve it to guests! (We don't get a lot of company, you see.) Say, we said. We should serve this to guests! We could pretend it's gazpacho. But who...? And then there was a triumphant shout: Gwyneth! We'll invite her over.
So, Gwyneth came over, and I poured the tomato sauce in secret and we all had bowls of Joey's Pots & Pans served as if it were cold soup. Gwyneth finished her bowl and claimed to have liked it. She agreed to a second serving. It was when I retrieved the jar of sauce from the refrigerator and began to pour it straight into her bowl at the table that we could no longer contain ourselves.
Ah, the merriment. So that's why you should ask Gwyneth for her book. She's put up with a lot.
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WHAT IS PASS THE BOOK? PASS THE BOOK was initiated in November of 2004 by a couple of ravenous readers who were looking to do something productive with their books rather than let them lie dormant after a single read. We found the idea of releasing books into the wild via bookcrossing.com appealing, but were annoyed when the released books remained wild, perhaps -- who knew? -- packed away in some Great Lost and Found where they would never be looked upon again by the eyes of man. We thought we'd do something less formal, passing books among friends to form a chain of readers that would delight six-degrees-of-separation-obsessed folk. (Surely one day your copy of The DaVinci Code will end up in the hands of the Dalai Llama!) Feel free to start your own reading chains. You'll find directions below for creating your own PASS THE BOOK books.
The Rule of Four
