Dear Members,

Well, 2017 is here -- the start of PaperBackSwap's 12th year -- and it's starting off with a bang! You're really getting into the swapping spirit, posting books to share and requesting books and discovering new authors. Members have told us that when they hear about a book they might want to read, they come to PaperBackSwap first to order it or add it to their Wish Lists. We love being your go-to book source!

Next month is February, which means a lot of you have started getting renewal notices for your Annual Membership enrollment. We hope you're enjoying the benefits of annual membership. Why not make today the day to enroll -- either to renew your membership or to subscribe for the first time?

For those of you who are considering which Annual Membership to choose:

  • If you like to keep things simple, you'll want Standard Membership. At $20 per year, it allows you to swap without ever thinking about Swap Fees -- just using Book Credits to request books. It's the easiest membership -- and it also comes with the biggest Wish List (500 items). A lot more features come with Standard Membership -- you can read about them here.

  • If you don't swap that often (you plan to request fewer than 2 books a month), Limited Membership at $12 per year may be your choice -- it comes with 30 fee-free swaps so you can use Book Credits only for your first 30 requests, and a 200-item Wish List. Read about the other features that come with Limited Membership.

Membership enrollment fees help to keep the site running-- it takes constant maintenance to keep the database and the servers updated and online all the time, so that we can always be here for you.

And don't forget the advantages of referring friends. People you refer will get a discount for their first year (Standard Membership for $17/year or Limited Membership for $11/year) AND you get paid (up to $5 per friend)! That means if you invite 4 friends who enroll, your own Standard Membership will be free. You can make referral cards and give them out to that person you see reading at the coffee shop or on the bus. About a dollar a month and the cost of postage means unlimited book-sharing across the country. What avid reader wouldn't want to join?

We wish you all the best in the upcoming year, and thanks for being a member of PaperBackSwap!

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 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!

 

Dry by Jane Harper
A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper
Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend his best friend's funeral. Is there more to the death than there appears? As he investigates, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies.... read more
Order at Amazon


Used Books Currently Available for Swapping

Order these books for credits; repost them when you're done reading and get the credit back!

 

Further Out Than You Thought by Michaela Carter  In the Neverland that is 1992 Los Angeles, where make-believe seems real, three dreamers find themselves on the verge of transformation....read more
Browse Women's Fiction currently available for swapping

 

The Collector by Nora Roberts When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. ... read more
Browse Romantic Suspense currently available for swapping

 

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick The Kern Secretarial Agency provides reliable professional services to its wealthy clientele, and Anne Clifton was one of the finest young women in Ursula Kern's employ. But Miss Clifton has met an untimely end--and Ursula is convinced it was not due to natural causes.......read more
Browse Historical Mysteries currently available for swapping

 

The Glass Ocean by Lori Baker 1841: Leo and Clotilde meet aboard the Narcissus, on an expedition led by Clotilde's magnanimous, adventuring father. Leo is commissioned to draw the creatures of the deep sea, but is bewitched instead by golden Clotilde.... read more
Browse Historical Fiction currently available for swapping

 

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks Audio CD, Unabridged.  When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, to conserve a priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding only begin to unlock its deep mysteries.....read more.
Browse audio books currently available for swapping

 

The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer Stan Bertolli, a Cairo-based CIA agent, has fielded his share of midnight calls. But his heart skips a beat when, this time, he hears the voice of the only woman he ever truly loved ask why her husband has been assassinated.....read more
Browse Suspense currently available for swapping


Market Spotlight Books

In the PBS Market, available new at bargain prices!

 
Early One Morning by Virginia Baily
Two women's decision to save a child during WWII will have powerful reverberations over the years....read more
Retail Price: $26.00
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

 

 

Monarch Beach by Anita Hughes
When Amanda Blick, a young mother and kindhearted San Francisco heiress, finds her gorgeous French chef husband wrapped around his sous-chef, she knows she must flee her life in order to rebuild it.......read more
Retail Price: $14.99
New in the PBS Market (Paperback): $2.29+1 credit (save 84%) or $6.19 (save 58%)
Browse more Women's Fiction currently available in the Market

 

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.. ...read more
Retail Price: $18.00
New in the PBS Market (Hardcover): $2.29+1 credit (save 87%) or $6.19 (save 65%)
Browse Young Adult books currently available in the Market

 

The Right Thing by Amy Conner
On a scorching August day in 1963, seven-year-old Annie Banks meets the girl who will become her best friend: skinny, outspoken Starr Dukes. Then, as suddenly as she appeared in Annie's life, Starr disappears.....read more
Retail Price: $15.00
New in the PBS Market (Paperback): $2.29+1 credit (save 84%) or $6.19 (save 58%)
Browse Contemporary Fiction currently available in the Market

 

Snow Play by Birgitta Ralston
Calling all snow lovers―young and old alike! When you’re surrounded by the white stuff, it’s time for Snow Play! With crazy creatures to build, challenging games to play, and outrageous spaces to sculpt, author Birgitta Ralston, a Europe-based designer, has imagined the most creative ways to play in the snow. .. ...read more
Retail Price: $14.95
New in the PBS Market (Paperback): $2.79+1 credit (save 81%) or $6.69 (save 55%)
Browse Crafting books currently available in the Market

 

Savory Sweet Life: 100 Simply Delicious Recipes for Every Family Occasion by Elisa Strauss, Christie Matheson
Contains projects for every skill level: from gorgeous, sugar-dusted heart cookies to delightful billiard-ball cupcakes, to sculpted cakes in the shape of wine bottles and Chinese takeout boxes, to the extravagantly beautiful, three-tiered embroidery cake showcased on Sex and the City ....read more
Retail Price: $29.99
New in the PBS Market (Hardcover): $3.39+1 credit (save 88%) or $7.29 (save 75%)
Browse Cookbooks currently available in the Market


NEWS

New Kiosk items...We've added several pendants for book lovers, made of sturdy zinc alloy. Choose from Book Lover, So Many Books/So Little Time, Books, Just One More Chapter, and Once Upon a Time. Only $9.99 and quantities are limited, so take a look now!

Savings are just a click away...National Brands Coupons offers you hundreds of printable manufacturer's coupons every week, as well as links to coupon codes, discount gifts, and other money-saving opportunities. It's free to print out coupons for products you already buy.  Using National Brands Coupons helps to support the club, while saving you money!

   Don't forget to start your Amazon shopping from the link at the top of the PaperBackSwap 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 PaperBackSwap site. It's an easy, free way to support the club! 


PBS Local Chapter News

Upcoming Local Chapter Meetups:

We'd love to share your Chapter news - if you have some, please submit it to us

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

(Annakanga)

Annakanga has been a member of PaperBackSwap since February 2007! She's sent over five hundred books without ever having one "lost in the mail" -- she and USPS are an unbeatable combo!. She's a former Tour Guide Leader and has been a great help to many members.

"Annakanga is fantastic! She is frequently helping new members out in the forums and manages to be pleasant no matter what. I just adore her and would love to see her become a member of the month. "

"I've gotten more than one book from her and it's always a great swap -- book arrives quickly, in excellent condition!"

Annakanga, PaperBackSwap is better because you are in the club!  You are our Member of the Month for November. Congratulations!

Do you know of another PaperBackSwap member who just seems to go above and beyond? One who makes you smile, or helps you figure out something about a swap, or who simply makes you glad she or he is part of the club? You may just have found yourself a MoM (Member of the Month)!

MoMs are special members, ones who put a little extra effort in for the benefit of others, even when they think no one may ever notice. Maybe they send their packages well-wrapped bearing cheerful stickers on the outside, or they post interesting topics in the Discussion Forums that get people thinking and talking, or they work behind the scenes to correct book listings or upload images to book listings. Maybe they're Tour Guides and help other members navigate swapping, or maybe they create extra-fun games in the Games forum, the kind after which everyone feels like they've made new friends.

If you believe that you have encountered a MoMsubmit your nomination to us here. Tell us why you think the member is a MoM -- the more details, the better! The Member of the Month gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who's helped you in the Forums, who's been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to the club. Who knows--the next MoM might just be YOU!


DEAR LIBRARIAN

Dear Librarian - When I printed the wrapper for my book, First Class postage printed out. I thought this site always uses Media Mail rate. My package weighs 3.4 ounces. -- Inquiring in Indiana

Dear Indy,

Good Question! The system is designed to print the best mailing rate for the weight of the package. If you are NOT using Printable Postage, the "cutoff" weight is 4 ounces (although the rate is currently $2.64, which is 3 cents more than Media Mail at $2.61, First Class service comes with a lot of benefits, including faster transit time, forwarding and return service, so we thought our members would want to pay the 3 cents for all that). So if you are mailing a light book, First Class postage may print out. If you do use Printable Postage, the First Class discount is significant: it's $2.60 for any package up to 8 ounces, so it really is a great deal.

Again, if you're NOT using Printable Postage, the system will still print out First Class for light packages (those under 4 ounces). Although the price ($2.64) for that weight is 3 cents more than Media Mail ($2.61), members have told us in the past that they'd prefer to pay the 3 cents to get the advantages of First Class (with faster transit and forwarding and return services). So if the difference between the Media Mail and First Class cost, is less than 5 cents, we've programmed the system to print out a First Class wrapper. For a package that weighs 4 ounces, the cost jumps to $2.83, and that 22 cent difference is too great, so wrappers for those packages (without the Printable Postage discount) will print out as Media Mail.

If you aren't using Printable Postage and you don't want to use First Class Mail, you can simply write MEDIA MAIL on the printed wrapper and apply the Media Mail postage amount ($2.61 for a package weighing less than a pound) on the package.

Don't forget: You should always check the "estimated weight " on the screen before printing, and adjust it, so that the correct postage and postal rate prints out on the wrapper!

Dear Librarian - I recently requested several books for my wife. Two of them came rather quickly. But the third waited a long time for confirmation from a member. The request apparently was passed along several times, and finally I had a reply from a member that it was shipped. When I got the book, I thought I recognized the name of the sender!  Upon checking, I found this was someone I knew-- it had been over 3 years since we had any contact. Now we're reconnecting. What are the odds of this happening?! -- Amazed in Alabama

Dear Al,
Thanks for writing in! What a great story. We have heard some similar, but they never fail to delight. Book friends are the best friends, aren't they?
 


The Last Word: