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Dear Members,
When I try to pin down the source of my love of reading, there are so many factors, but not least among them was one librarian from my childhood. She was tough on late-returners and she was serious about decorum in the library, BUT...she was a whiz at recommending books! She opened my world to so many wonderful reading experiences. I honestly don't know if I would have become such a devoted reader without having known her. She knew what I liked to read, and she seemed to have read everything herself. Wouldn't we all benefit from knowing someone like that?
Wait -- we DO know someone like that! We know thousands of someones -- we have a whole community of readers in PaperBackSwap!
Haven't we all just finished a great read, or wanted to complain about a much-hyped book we thought was just so-so, or stumbled onto a terrific series of books? We may tell one or two people, but why miss the opportunity to make a bigger impact? Book Reviews are a wonderful way to contribute to the world of reading!
It's easy to write a review at PaperBackSwap - you can do it from almost anywhere you see the book on the site. And while thoughtful, in-depth reviews are great, quick simple reviews are also beneficial! If you really "couldn't put it down" until you finished it, that's worthwhile for others to know. Assigning a star rating gives an at-a-glance commentary in itself. Why not begin by reviewing the books on your own Bookshelf? Move on to your Transaction Archive...next thing you know, you may find yourself a Top 100 Reviewer! Share your reviews on Facebook to spread the love even wider.
You can browse recent Member Reviews from the menu under Search on the site, and vote thumbs up or down on individual reviews to help the system know which ones to show first for each book. Find a five-star, helpful review of one of your favorite books? You can click to read all the reviews by that member, and see what else she or he enjoyed; that's a great way to learn about books or authors! There's also a Share/Like link you can use to let others enjoy those reviews along with you.
Thanks to all of you who review your books - it's such a great thing to do for other readers. And let's give three cheers for all librarians out there!
Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team
Amazon Showcase Book
By popular demand, we're showcasing a "hot" Wishlisted book that is not currently available in our Market, but which is available right now in NEW condition at a substantial savings off retail. Use any of the Showcase links below to go to Amazon, and your purchase (of anything) there will help support PaperBackSwap!
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Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee |
Used Books Currently Available for Swapping
Order these books for credits; repost them when you're done reading and get the credit back!
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If I Stay by In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces ...read more |
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Deep Freeze by Former movie star Jenna Hughes left Hollywood for an isolated farm in Oregon to get away from fame. But someone has followed her . . ....read more |
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Revenge of the MIddle-Aged Woman by After twenty-five years spent juggling husband, career, and kids with admirable success, Rose suddenly finds both her marriage and her career in unexpected ruin... ...read more |
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Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes Capturing all the rueful irony and racial ambiavalence of small-town Mississippi in the late 1950's, Melinda Haynes' celebrated novel is a wholly unforgettable exploration of family, identity, and redemption... read more |
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The Do-Over by Unabridged Audio CD, Fiction. A Generation X'er makes a last ditch stab at previous glory by going back to his alma mater as an undergrad, and gets more than he bargained for in a series of madcap adventures....read more. |
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Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down; needing a place to rest and pick up the pieces of her life, Rhoda packed her bags, crossed the country, and returned to her quirky Mennonite family's home... read more |
Market Spotlight Books
In the PBS Market, available new at bargain prices!
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The Valley of Amazement by
Jumping from bustling Shanghai to an isolated village in rural China to San Francisco at the turn of the 19th century, the epic story follows three generations of women pulled apart by outside forces....read more Retail Price: New in the PBS Market (Hardcover): $4.49+1 credit (save 85%) or $8.39 (save 72%) Browse Historical Fiction currently available in the Market
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10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters by |
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Mother, Daughter, Me by Retail Price: |
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Night Film by Retail Price:
New in the PBS Market (Hardcover): $3.39+1 credit (save 87%) or $7.29 (save 73%) Browse Suspense currently available in the Market |
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The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Medics and Nurses Behind Nazi Lines by Retail Price:
New in the PBS Market (Hardcover): $2.79+1 credit (save 89%) or $6.69 (save 75%) Browse Military History books currently available in the Market |
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The Red House by Retail Price: |
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We Are Water by Retail Price: |
NEWS
You can help the club while you shop! Start your Amazon shopping by clicking the Amazon link at the top of our site (or any of the "buy from Amazon" links on book listings) and we'll get credit for any purchase you make (including non-book purchases). It doesn't cost anything to support the club this way, and we really appreciate it!
School Book Sales.com is helping educators to obtain classroom books at the lowest possible cost. Because of our relationship with vendors (established by new-book purchases for the PaperBackSwap Market) we are able to take advantage of bulk discount book purchases. Membership is free, and checkout options include school purchase orders as well as debit/credit and PayPal. Spread the word to any teachers/homeschoolers you know!
PBS Local Chapter News
We'd love to share your Chapter news - if you have some, please submit it to us!
New Chapter Leaders:
- Michelle L - inkandquill - SE Houston area (La Porte/Pasadena/Deer Park/Seabrook/Kemah/League City)
- Mary S. - mscottcgp - Grand Rapids, MI
Upcoming Local Chapter Meetups:
The DVM Chapter (DC, Virginia, MD) is finalizing the details about their upcoming meetup on July 26th. If you want to get in on the action, see the forum topic or contact Laura (caddieseamus) or Susan P (sneyers11).The North Texas Chapter usually meets the first Sunday of each month to discuss a book. Next up in August: Night Film (see book description above). Check out the group's facebook page! Their meeting schedule is in the Chapter topic; contact Shellie (aylamonster) for more information.
The Laveen Arizona Chapter is next meeting on Saturday 7/19 at 9:00 AM. to discuss The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley. For more details, please see the Chapter topic -also check out their facebook page! Contact lisaparks for location and more information.
The Charlotte, NC Metro Area Chapter has been meeting for six and a half years! They meet monthly, usually the first Monday of every month. Next up for August: A Fatal Debt by John Gapper. See the whole list of books they've chosen for 2015. No need to have read the book to participate! Contact Kimberly (KimberlyN) for details, and to get on their e-vite list.
If you want to be a Local Chapter Leader for PBS, you just need to have a PBS Nickname, a viewable public profile, and enthusiasm! Check the Local Chapter Leaders Forum List of Official Chapters to see if your area already has a local Chapter. If not, and you want to do this, just contact us. There are no formal guidelines for being a Chapter Leader. All of the information is in the Local Chapter Leader Discussion Forum topic. If you are an official Chapter Leader and want us to include your upcoming meetup in the Newsletter, send in a message to us with the date, at least a week before the end of the preceding month.
MEMBER OF THE MONTH
We've been hearing about Debbie for a while, from devoted Gamers who enjoy the Virtual Box she manages, from members who met her on the Cruise... She's been a PaperBackSwapper since 2008 and crossed the milestone of "1000 in, 1000 out" quite a while ago, and she has a really superb record of sending books.
" Not only does she run a virtual box, but she helps out all the players any way she can. She is also the voluntary librarian for her grandson's charter school. She loves to read and is passing that onto her grandchildren and the many many kids at the school by providing books to them using PBS that they could not get otherwise."
"I was nervous about participating in the Game forum - you know, that "New Girl on the Playground" feeling - but Debbie made me feel so welcome. Thanks to her warmth and kindness, I soon felt like an old hand at Games, and I make a point of welcoming new players, remembering how I felt and how Debbie helped me. I love my Games buddies!"
"Debbie has been the beloved hostess of the famous long-running Mystery/Thriller Virtual box. She is by far the best hostess ever. She runs a very tight ship in making sure that everyone sends and receives the books on time. She is like the "mother" of us all as she knows the comes and goes of what's happening to who in the box. She takes care of us. She organized all kinds of games to make the box interesting, e.g., the state challenge, the country challenge. Last Christmas, she sent everyone in the box a book from her TBR. Her generosity is proven and well appreciated. Anyone who joins the box instantly feels like they've got an instant family. "
Wow, that's quite a testimonial! Debbie, sounds like you create that family feeling wherever you go - what a wonderful trait! You are Member of the Month for July. Congratulations!
DEAR LIBRARIAN
Dear Librarian - I'm new to the club. I mailed a book out a week ago to a member just a couple states over from here, and the other person hasn't marked it received yet. What do I do? Should I be worried that the book is lost? What if the other member just abandoned his account and is never coming back to mark the book received? -- Anxious in Arlington
Dear Ari,
Don't worry just yet! Media Mail can take a variable time (as opposed to first-class letters, which is what we may be more used to from our non-bookswapping lives) to arrive. Even if the destination is close, that can sometimes paradoxically take longer to reach than a destination across the country, since the long-distance journey may involve airplane transport, while the shorter distance will be traveled only by ground. Although USPS delivers some packages surprisingly fast (two or three days is not uncommon), seven days would not be unusual.
You also have to factor in the recipient's situation - sometimes it can take a couple of days for the other member to get back to her account and mark a book received. Doing this promptly is a hallmark of good membership here, but of course people get busy. If they get so busy that it completely slips their minds, it's not rude to remind them with a Personal Message (there's a PM button on each request). Just remember that even the most conscientious member can slip up now and then, and be gentle if you have to remind the other person. You can't know what other things are happening in the recipient's life right then. Also keep in mind that the system sends an auto-email reminder on the 14th day after the book was marked "mailed" (and two more reminder emails before the book would be declared "lost") - those reminders can be very useful to jog the memory of a busy recipient.
It the other member is out of town when the book arrives, that could account for a delay in marking received. If the delay is long enough the book could even be declared "lost" by our system. If that happens, you should definitely contact the requestor with a Personal Message. if you don't hear back from him or her within 4 or 5 days you should contact us (using the "send us feedback" button on the Contact Us page), and we'll look into things.
With regard to abandoned accounts - the system keeps track of member activity while a book is en route. If the requestor hasn't logged in for a while and the end of the allotted transit time is coming up, the system will send inquiry emails to the requestor asking him or her to log in to demonstrate that the account isn't abandoned. If she or he doesn't log in, the account will be deemed "inactive" (at least with regard to this book) and the book won't be declared lost - it will be marked received by the system instead.
If you sent the book with PBS Printable Postage and there's a "delivered" scan but the book isn't being marked received - please give it a couple of days for the book to reach the mailbox from the post office, and then it's perfectly reasonable to send a Personal Message asking if the book was received. USPS can scan a package as "delivered" when it's been misdelivered, so if that happens quick action is helpful to track down the book. If you can see that your book sent with USPS tracking was scanned "delivered", and the book is declared "lost" but the other member hasn't marked it received or responded to your message, you should contact us (using the feedback link on the Contact Us page as described above), for help.
Check out the Help doc in our Help Center that has this information and more. (The Help Center is accessible from the top of any page on the site.)
The good news is that books aren't usually lost (fewer than one in one hundred packages are lost by USPS, and you can reduce that risk by wrapping well, using correct postage and a legible address label), and members are really good about marking books received promptly. Some have to be reminded by the auto-emails, or by a polite Personal Message from the sender, but that is really not the rule!
The Last Word:
- Are you REALLY not reading the Blog? You don't want to miss out on Free Book Friday book giveaways, author interviews, awesome book reviews and giveaways, and so much more!
- As always, don't forget to start your Amazon shopping from the link at the top of the PBS site - when you do this, a small percentage of your purchase amount comes to us. So whenever (and whatever) you plan to purchase on Amazon, start from the Amazon link at the top of the PBS site. It's an easy, free way to support the club!