Won't you mooch with me?

Gotta love it. I joined yesterday and already have swapped two books. It's a marvelous recycling program for booklovers who can bear to part with some of their tomes; the only cost of membership is that of postage! Anyone want to join me in the bookmoochiverse?

It is not a bookswapping site per se; you do not have to give and take on a 1-to-1 ratio, though you are encouraged/required (?) to give away at least 1 book for every 2 you mooch. There's this nifty little point system that protects from overmooching, too. To wit: Every time you give a book away, you get one point; in turn, books "cost" one point each. Additionally, every time you post a new book to your inventory of giveaways, and every time you leave feedback for a book received, fractions of points are added to your account, and they add up fairly quickly. International mooches require more points, but those doing the shipping are rewarded with extra points too.

Tammy, I am gonna call you out on this! I think this website is perfect for you, for the following reasons:

1. You prefer to purchase used books.
2. You never keep books after you read them.
3. You are always interested in obtaining new and interesting books to read.

So whaddaya say? Won't you mooch with me?

Lydia, what about you? Frank? Alison? MarsGirl? Donnamo? Bueller? Anyone?

London 7/12

I bought two books while in London, received one as a gift and borrowed another.

The first book I bought from Metanoia Books, the book shop affiliated with the London Mennonite Centre, where I was staying: and that book is The Human Being by Walter Wink. The human being Wink writes about is none other than Jesus. This promises to be a provocative book which builds on Wink's Powers Trilogy but ventures beyond what some would consider acceptable Christology. I've only read one chapter, but am already intrigued. As soon as I finish (and the title of the book subsequently appears on one of my new sidebars!), I'll let you know what I think.

The second book I bought for a fiver at a second-hand book market near the Thames: and that book is The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson. It's actually a compendium containing the first three books of a 10 book series (only 7 of which are currently published). My friend Vic recommended this series to me as some of his favorite books of all time, so I couldn't help but snap this volume up when I discovered it at the market.

The third book Vic gave to me. It is one of his own: Sign of the Manipogo. (It's also available on amazon here.) Vic has written two novels, the second of which is as of yet unpublished. I very much look forward to reading them both!

A book which I borrowed from my hosts and read in its entirety was Short Cuts, a collection of short stories upon which the identically titled movie is based, which I blogged about earlier. I recommend the collection of stories just as highly as the film. Raymond Carver exudes brilliance.