|
|
| Home | Search for Books | Member's Account | Testimonials | Contact Us |
Dear Members,
2016 is starting off with a bang! We've got a happy surprise from USPS (see below), Books for Schools is finishing strong, and our Invite Friends program is going well.
Have you invited your friends to join the club? Remember that you can get up to $5 for each friend, with no limit! Tell your friends and family and neighbors; spread the word at the library. You can share to Facebook (easily done from the Invite page); you can also send Invite emails directly from the Invite page, or copy the link from there into your own emails or email sig. If you're feeling creative, you can make a YouTube video about the club and put the referral link in the video info! Inviting them means they get a discount on membership, and you get $! You'll be happy, they'll be happy, the club will be happy to have more participants sharing books. It's a win-win-win! You can read more about the referral program on the Invite page.
As for the USPS surprise...you may have guessed that it's time again for postage rate changes. It's never a huge increase, but it usually means you will be paying a few cents more for each shipment. Not this time, though! USPS has decided to simplify, and REDUCE its First Class postal rates for light parcels. Now it will cost $2.60 to send a package of up to 8 ounces (compared to $3.54 before) using First Class postal rate. Media Mail rates will NOT be affected by this change. So: after January 17th 2016, your (up to) 8-ounce package will cost $2.60 to mail by First Class; and for packages over 8 ounces and up to 1 lb, the Media Mail rate will remain $2.72. Remember that choosing PBS Printable Postage means that the least expensive postage/postal rate will print out for you automatically, for convenient mailing from home (and with tracking you can follow from your My Account page)! See a full table of the new postage rates that will take effect on January 17th here.
Thanks to all who have donated to Books for Schools! You're helping to give these kids a lifelong gift: the wonderful love of reading that PaperBackSwap members all know so well. There are only a few schools left taking donations. You can donate here, and if you don't know about Books for Schools, you can read the FAQs here.
We've got more news in the NEWS items below.
We think it's going to be a great year!
Richard and
The PaperBackSwap Team
Amazon Showcase Book
By popular demand, we're showcasing a 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 -- remember, your purchase (of anything) there will help support PaperBackSwap!
|
|
When Breath Becomes Air by |
Used Books Currently Available for Swapping
Order these books for credits; repost them when you're done reading and get the credit back!
|
|
Testimony by At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller...read more |
|
|
|
Slow Burn by An unpretentious beauty who radiates kindness, Kate MacKenna doesn't have a bad bone in her body -- or an enemy in the world. So why are bombs igniting everywhere she goes? ... read more |
|
|
|
Resurrection by A suspenseful and eye-opening tale of love, war, and murder, set in Cairo during the tumultuous aftermath of World War II, and drawing on the actual events surrounding the findings of the lost gospels at Nag Hammadi, Egypt ...read more |
|
|
|
The Historian by When a motherless American girl living in Europe finds a medieval book and a package of letters, all addressed ominously to 'my dear and unfortunate successor,' she begins to unravel a thread that leads back to her father's past, his mentor's career, and an evil hidden in the depths of history... read more |
|
|
|
The Lake Shore Limited by Wilhelmina (Billy) Gertz was small as a child, fiercely independent, and now is powerfully committed to her work as a playwright. Her latest play is is about an imagined terrorist bombing of the Lake Shore Limited train as it pulls into Union Station in Chicago, and about a man waiting to hear the fate of his estranged wife, who is traveling on it.....read more. |
|
 |
The Perfect Witness by When Teresa Casali was young, she discovered that she could read people's memories. But this strange gift became a curse when her mob boss father used Teresa to gain the upper hand in his world of corruption and violence...read more |
Market Spotlight Books
In the PBS Market, available new at bargain prices!
|
|
The Midnight Witch by
Lady Lilith Montgomery is the daughter of the sixth Duke of Radnor. She is one of the most beautiful young women in London and engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. She is also a witch. ...read more Retail Price: New in the PBS Market (Hardcover): $3.39+1 credit (save 86%) or $7.29 (save 71%) Browse Historical Fiction currently available in the Market
|
|
|
The Violet Hour by |
||
 |
Nocturnal by |
|
|
|
Perla by |
|
 |
Great North Road by |
|
 |
Lookaway, Lookaway by |
|
|
|
Someone Else's Love Story by |
NEWS
Gutenberg rules! We know you won't be surprised at the latest report that shows a continuing trend upward in the sales of printed books (a trend that established itself last year), and ebook sales are declining. We think we understand why: while ebooks can be convenient in some cases, there's really nothing quite like the printed word.
Update your software, protect your computer! Because of a known serious vulnerability in older system software, everyone needs to be using the most current Security Protocol when on the Internet. PaperBackSwap is required to update too, and older, vulnerable browsers will not be able to access the site after Jan 12, 2016. So if your software is old, update now! It's a quick task that will protect your computer and your personal information. If you are using Internet Explorer, go here to update. If you are using Mac, upgrade your MacOS for free on the Apple site. Read more here.
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!
Upcoming Local Chapter Meetups:
- The North Texas Chapter usually meets the first Sunday of each month to discuss a book - this month, though, they're doing two meetings (and will be skipping February). They had a great time earlier this month at their meeting, proving that you're never too grown-up to enjoy a coloring book! Next up on January 31: The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks. Check out the group's facebook page! Their meeting schedule is in the Chapter topic; contact Shellie (aylamonster) for more information.
- The Charlotte, NC Metro Area Chapter has been meeting for seven years! They meet monthly, usually the first Monday of every month. Next book is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Check out their Chapter topic and see the list of books they'll be reading in 2016! Contact Kimberly (KimberlyN) for details, and to get on their e-vite list.
- The Laveen Arizona Chapter plans to meet Saturday, February 6th at 9 AM to discuss So Long, See you Tomorrow by William Maxwell in February. For more details, please see the Chapter topic -also check out their facebook page! Contact lisaparks for location and more information.
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
Joy (vintagejoy)
Joy has been a member at PaperBackSwap since we were about two years old - so she's known us since toddlerhood! She joined the Tour Guide group in the first wave, and has been a wonderful ambassador for the club ever since. She's just recently joined the Book Data Correction and Image Collection teams also. She's super kind and helpful, and members are enthusiastic about how glad they were to "meet" her in the club:
“I was having trouble posting a book, and just did not know what to do! Joy helped me to get the book posted, and it's been smooth sailing ever since. She explained everything so clearly!"
"I was nervous about joining a club online and she was the first member I met. I asked her some questions and she was so nice. She put me right at ease."
"All of us [Tour Guides] love Joy. She is the best!"
Joy, your parents evidently named you accurately! You are Member of the Month for January. Congratulations!
DEAR LIBRARIAN
Dear Librarian - I can't get into the PaperBackSwap site! I know my computer is not brand-new, but it worked just fine until this week! -- Confused in Carmel
Dear Carrie,
We had to tighten our security on the site recently, to exclude access from insecure systems. There is a known serious security flaw with older browsers, and in order to continue operating, we are required to provide a secure environment. Members who are using old system software must update in order to access our site -- and you want to do this anyway, to protect your computer and personal information.
If you are using a Mac running OS 10.6.8 or later, you can upgrade for free on the Apple site.
If you are running a PC, Microsoft has stopped supporting all older versions of Internet Explorer. You'll need to update Internet Explorer to version 11 or use a different browser (Chrome or Firefox). There are some extra tweaks you should make with Internet Explorer version 11 to tell it that PaperBackSwap is a trusted site.
Upgrading should fix the problem accessing PaperBackSwap - and keep your computer and personal information safer during all of your Internet use.
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!