Where can books go?

What compels me to buy a particular book? Very often it's the writer because I do tend to read books by the same person, an example being Vikram Seth. It could be the subject, particularly when it comes to non-fiction. It could be the style of someone whom I've not read before. The story, of course, is important but there has to be a certain lyricism in telling it.

Sometimes I would buy a book based on a review and this can be a hit-and-miss affair - I'd either like the book and want to keep it or I don't and would like to give it away. I do buy books, thankfully very seldom, to while away the time, books that I can finish very quickly. Not surprisingly, these books don't have a long life on my shelves.

So what do you do with books you don't want to keep? Where can these books go? An obvious answer is to a charity that can then sell them for fund-raising purposes, as I related in an earlier post. Nonetheless, there are other places. What about to a book swap party? You and your friends get together, bringing books to swap, and have a fun time in the process. Great excuse to have a party, something I might like to do one day.

Alternatively, you can release your books into the world through Book Crossing. In Kuala Lumpur, there's a bookcrossing zone at the One-Utama shopping complex. However, you don't have to leave your books at a particular place; you can pass it to a stranger or you can just put it on a bench somewhere, anywhere. To participate in bookcrossing, you need to register your book, get an ID, and download a label to paste onto your book. Hopefully, whoever gets hold of your book will report that your book has been caught by logging onto the bookcrossing website and registering the ID. Although I love the idea of sharing books with total strangers, the process is rather tedious. 

I decided to initiate a simple version of bookcrossing, what I call a Book Box, at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Centre where I used to ride. I've stopped riding but I still volunteer with the Riding for the Disabled-Bukit Kiara branch. A Book Box is an easy thing to start - I filled a plastic box up with some books, many of which I actually like but am not keeping because I don't think I'd be reading them again, pasted a notice on the lid, and left it at the Equestrian Centre Annexe.

Inside the Book Box

All about the Book Box.

The RDA corner at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Centre Annexe.

You can put a Book Box just about anywhere, such as your office. The 'rules' can be made up to fit your intention. You can have a notebook for borrowers to write down their names and titles of the books they have taken - I don't have one for my Book Box, although I think it's a good idea.

Go ahead, start a Book Box, share your books and do your bit to promote reading. Give your books a place to go.