Paperback Swap 2

I realized in the last post I kind of went on a tangent and didn't really get into talking about Paperback Swap itself or why I finally decided to give it a try. So to back up: a couple of months ago I got to talking books with my favorite barmaid, Marion, and she told me about Paperback Swap. (There should be a link above, but just in case: www.paperbackswap.com If you tell them "beanbaleen" sent you, I get a referral, so drop my name, all right?) I check it out online and thought it was pretty neat, but really thought I could do okay by checking out various used bookstores around town and utilizing the library.

I'm sure there are probably some hard-core readers out there that can sympathize, but I exhausted my library. Don't get me wrong, I didn't read every freakin' book there... just the ones I wanted to. After that I was forced to wait for them to acquire new stuff, and this usually meant a ridiculous waiting list.

So I researched used bookstores in town and found an article that reviewed several. One listed was described as having a "large and friendly cat in residence." Hello? Major plus in my book. So what if it was a bit of a drive? So what if the salesperson was rude the first time I went? I'll give it a second chance. He outright made fun of me this time, so I opted that my own 5 fabulous felines at home would have to do and wrote his store off.

Another store was a bit closer, if noticeably cat-less, and they seemed to have a better selection. I don't want to name this store and hurt the business because I was always treated well, I just felt it was a bit expensive for a used bookstore. Emphasis on the USED lady, you can't get away with charging a dollar less that full price for an obviously used book. The last time I visited, which was the clincher, I took in about 40 books. Let me note to everyone at this time that I am very careful with my books and I am not a smoker, so they are in great condition. I selected 11 books and went up to see how much credit I had earned.

"It's going to be 26 and some change."

"Oh, that's what I have left over?"

"No, that's what you owe."

What?! It was time to seriously consider paperbackswap.com again.