To swap...or not to swap?

I went wild at a book swap today. Some of you may know that I am on a self-imposed book-buying moratorium. I have only slipped twice since last September, both times buying books related to my new career path. The main reason for this moratorium is that I already own many, many books - including a large number that I have never even read. I figured if I focussed on reading the books already waiting for me on my shelves, I could save a bundle. Plus, the clutter. Oh, the clutter! Did I really need any more?? Indeed, it seems I had problems walking out of a bookstore empty-handed.

The transition has been easier than I expected. I use the public library more, and I seek to borrow books rather than to automatically buy them. And of course, there are still all those un-read books of my own. However today, at work, they organized a book swap. You could bring in books that you no longer wanted, and pick up books given by others. All for the price of a non-perishable food donation for the local food bank. What a great idea! All those months of non-acquisition mode were wiped out in a single 20-minute period. I walked out of there with 12 books, some of them for me... some to offer to others. Here's a sampling:

• Lucky Man: A Memoir by Michael J. Fox (got this one for Hubby - I've already read it and I loved it...)
• Farriers' Lane by Anne Perry (I'm not much into the mystery genre, but I do enjoy the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt stories by Perry...)
• Safety and Security for Women Who Travel by Sheila Swan & Peter Laufer (in preparation for my trip to Italy in July...)
• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (because I'm told it's a fun summer read...)
• September by Rosamunde Pilcher (for mum-in-law...)

and the award for "Most Unusual Title" goes to...

• How to Shit in the Woods: An environmentally sound approach to a lost art (for Sis and her boyfriend in preparation for their upcoming camping expeditions... :-))

All that, and more. All in all, a very good haul! Now, about that clutter...
PAX,