The joys of the book exchange – both literary and karmic – are finally being brought into the 21st century with the oddly named but brilliantly conceived Bookmooch.com. Bound to become a favourite site of eager readers everywhere, the concept and execution of Bookmooch are delightfully simple.
After joining the site, you list the books you want to give away, and then send on the books you receive requests for. Then you search for books you’re interested in reading, and get in touch with the owners to request them. What’s to stop anarchy reigning and everybody keeping books instead of sending them on to other Moochers? Well, users gain points for all these transactions, and you need to give away at least one book for every three you receive. You can then keep the book, or send it on – remooching, to coin a new word. Think of it as a mix of Amazon and Netflix, but the only cost being the price of postage. And the karma of the bookswap continues . . .