chuckography

"Book 'Em, Dano..."

My Mom taught me to enjoy reading.

Thanks for a lifetime (so far) of a very fulfilling habit.

In short, I have LOTS of books lying around.

Often I will have several book-marked to resume reading again when I'm sitting at the kitchen table.

Or another on the couch.

Or pick one up again at my desk.

In the car, I keep an audio book in the CD player.

So, it's no big surprise I found Paper Back Swap, a club where you list books you have to trade and other members pick which ones they want.

Online, I look at their list and request any that interest me.

Paperbacks, hardcover and even audio books.





















We receive a point after we mail them and they are received.

We then use the point to "buy" a book. And this time the sender pays the postage! We pay postage when we send one out.

Ah, but it gets complicated when you meet an author and he signs your book.

David Baldacci wrote a short note to me in the front of his latest book at an Authors Luncheon a few years ago.

I had mentioned to Dave I had reviewed one of his earlier works for The Post and Courier.

His note praised me as a reviewer though I doubt he had seen what I had written for the paper's Arts & Travel section.

Pretty trusting guy.

But wait, it gets even more involved.

Lawrence Block, another writer I really enjoy, sends out a newsletter about specials and new books he's working on.

I saw "Ariel" and noted that the scary story was centered in Charleston, SC.

Well, naturally that was ordered, along with a Matthew Scudder book and one other.

When they arrived, I saw that all three are autographed.

I have a growing small stack of books I will NOT be swapping.


(Click on the photos and links for more details.) I think the best audiobooks are the ones narrated by the author. It's not like songwriters who can't sing. Tina Fey was the perfect reader of her book as was Craig Ferguson.

Who's YOUR favorite author?

Labels: ARIEL, Authors Luncheons, autographs, Craig Ferguson, David Baldacci, Lawrence Block, Matthew Scudder

posted by chuckography @ 10:36 AM