Showers of Books Giveaway Hop

Posted on by Marlene Harris

showers of books giveaway hop

Welcome to the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop, hosted by BookHounds!

The hop theme may be “showers of books” but there certainly have been showers of giveaways this April. Maybe everyone is looking for something to do while those April showers are falling. Curling up with a good book and a purring cat seems like the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon. An idea that I’m sure all of my cats can get behind. Or sit on top of.

I am frequently visited by actual showers of books. As a member of one of the book awards committees for the American Library Association, I receive between 1,000 and 1,500 books per year. These are all print books, often hardcovers, and are almost never ARCs. And this doesn’t include the books I buy, or the ones I receive for blog tours.

books to be soldWhile this sounds, and frequently is, wonderful, it also qualifies as an embarrassment of riches. As you can see from the picture at right.  I have been on a continual quest to find a place to sell my books, wherever we have lived.

My problem is that I really, Really, REALLY want to sell the books for cash. Not just because they are new books that have been read maybe once, but because there are always more coming in. I expect five more book boxes on Friday, and that’s just one day. Much as I love to read, I need store credit from a used book store like I need the proverbial “hole in the head”.

Seattle had three terrific options for disposing of my slightly used books: Third Place Books, University Book Store, and Half-Price Books. Since we moved to Atlanta, I’ve been searching for some place similar, but to no avail until now. Half-Price Books is opening a store in the Atlanta area next month, and the pile in the picture will be taken there the minute the place opens for buying.

I’m not going to miss those trips north (the nearest HPB until now was in Lexington KY) to sell the pile. We would load the trunk of our car all the way to the sight-line, and hope that we didn’t hit any sudden stops. The one time we did, the weight of all the books pushing forward released the back seat seat back controls, and the books all came flying into the front of the car. We were finding books under the seats for months. Not an experience we’ll have to repeat.

So what do you do with the books that you are ready to let go of? I’ve always had some books that were keepers, and others that were definitely “read once and done”. When you’ve really, truly finished with a book, or when you have to reduce your collection, what do you with the ones you let go?

Answer in the rafflecopter for your chance at a $10 Gift Card from Amazon or B&N, or a $10 Book from the Book Depository. (You must be in a country that Book Depository ships to. The list is enormous but not exhaustive.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for more chances at more great bookish prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop:



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205 thoughts on “Showers of Books Giveaway Hop”

  1. I keep most of my books, but if I read it and didn’t like it I am more likely to trade it or give it away. Sometimes I pass along books I really enjoyed and then buy another copy for my shelves.

  3. I keep a lot of my books and reread (and if I ever see Alas Babylon), I buy ANOTHER copy for my shelves. Books I didn’t adore are donated to be sold to local charity.

  4. Those I dislike or I don’t want to keep I try to exchange them in a library or store. Recently I tried to sell them on a facebook group.

  6. Thanks for the giveaway; I keep the books I love and I donate the ones I don’t in hopes that someone else likes it. 🙂

  9. I used to trade them online, but now I try to keep the physical books I get since that is not many anymore. Ebooks have kinda of taken over… grrr.

  12. On my Kindle, I put them into appropriate collections.

    On my shelves, I keep the ones I will read again and donate the ones I won’t read again.

  14. I lend them to my friends if I liked them and if I didn’t ,I just leave them on my shelf.

  23. I pass them on to my daughters, keep them if they are keepers, and/or we pass them to my nephews/nieces.

  24. i keep them, books are my treasures and i can reread them years later
    however if i really have to part witha book i will give it to a friend/ blogger taht i know will take care of it

  25. I pass them along to my sister, trade them in or take them to our local library or goodwill.

  27. I stock them on my shelf with hopes of rereading if they’re good or trade if I didn’t like them!

  28. Some books I keep, some get donated to the library for their collection or book sale, and others are given to friends.

  29. Sometimes I keep them in my own bookshelves. I might share them or I will donate them to the library.

  31. I keep or pass on to friends. My husband wishes more would be passed on of course since we have run out of shelving space but we won’t go there. lol

  33. I keep those I fall in love with, trade in some for credit at my local used bookstore, and a select few I’ll donate to my kids school library.

  35. I keep most of them but I also pass them on to a friend. I’m also considering taking them to a shelter.

  37. If it is a book I will re-read (and I do re-read a lot) I will l keep it. If it is a book I will not re-read, I donate it. The last few years, I have been buying mostly ebooks and have well over 1,000 on my ereader.

  39. I keep the ones I loved, the rest I give away to Friends of the Library or some other charity.

  40. I’m moving from the U.S. to China in a few months so all my books are donated after I read them of course!

  42. I usually donate my books to the local library or school libraries. If not, they’ve usually been given to friends (who don’t mind that they’ve been read) or to relatives.

  45. Where I’m from, there isn’t really an option of selling your books furthur, which is way I still have all my books 🙂 a few I’ve given to friends but other than that, they are still on my shelve!

  50. I usually keep them on my shelves, unless it wasn’t a favorite. Then I’ll either post them on paperback swap or sell them on Amazon!

  53. I always keep my books, unless I didn’t like it, then I donate it to my local library. :3

  55. I usually pass my books on to friends. I have kept a few that were signed by the authors.

  57. I keep them on my shelf and often loan them to other people to read. I dont like to get rid of any of my books.

  63. I cannot tell you how happy you just made me! I live just outside of Atlanta right now. I grew up here, but lived in California for about 4 years and HPB was my favorite place ever. I had no idea they were opening any out here, so I am ecstatic now. I don’t usually get rid of my books, but with how they are currently taking over, I will be pulling some out to take to the HPB when it opens!

  64. I usually give my read books to my family and friends. If they don’t want them, I donate them.

  65. I put them on a ‘recently finished’ shelf and sometimes if I know someone else might be interested, I lend them or gift them to family and friends. I’m a bit of a book hoarder and don’t know many readers in real life so they usually end up back on the shelf to be re-read in a few years if I liked the book enough.

  67. I am a book hoarder. I pack them in, every which way, until no more will fit. Then I will have a giveaway, make a donation or take them to 2nd and Charles! Thanks for the giveaway!

  70. If they are in fairly good condition I either try and trade at a local book store or give them to the library booksale.
    We also have a giveaway table outside my work’s front door and you’d be amazed at what people take/like

  71. I’ll give them to friends, sell them to a used bookstore, or put them in the Little Free Library near my house!

  72. I keep a few of the very best. There is a bookshop nearby that will buy books (usually for very little cash, but you can get a nice amount of store credit and they also sell video games/records/CDs/geeky stuff). I also take a lot of them to my library because they can either put them in the system or sell them at the Friends of the Library sales and give that money back to the library.

  74. I list mine on Amazon, then if they don’t sell for a while, I take them to either McKay’s (the local used bookstore), or I give them away to people.

  75. If it’s a print book and I loved it, I put it on my bookshelf and if I didn’t enjoy it, I try to sell it on Ebay and if it doesn’t sell I put it in storage or donate it. If it’s an ebook and I love it, I save it to my favorites and if I dislike it, I delete it. 🙂

  76. I usually only purchase books I know I will likely reread. Therefore I add the books to my bookcase to read again. Other books I check out from my library. If I decide it’s a great reread from the library, then I will add it to my purchase list.

    nina4sm/at/gmail/dot/com

  78. If I loved the book, keep it! If not, I’ll do a giveaway on twitter or bring it to my local used bookstore 🙂

  80. I don’t have many physical books. Most of mine are ebooks. I tend to keep them. Occasionally, if it was a freebie that I read and didn’t love, I’ll delete it.

  81. Some get gifted to friends and family, others get donated to local schools or my county library for their second hand bookstore that raises funds for library events, etc.

  82. I write a review and put thrm on my shelf. I do hace a book closet, I’m a bookaholic 🙂

  83. Depends. Some of them I keep, some of them I donate. I don’t have a ton of space

  84. I used to keep them all, but as they grew, well, that became impractical. I keep the ones I know I will read again, give away the rest.

  85. Most of my books now are e-copies so they live “in the cloud” in my Kindle archive. For the physical books that I continue to get, I have a very small keeper shelf and the rest are either traded them on PBS or donated to the library.

  86. I like to trade them so I can free up space AND get a new book to read. Win, win right?

  88. I’ll keep them, give them to friends, sell them to a used bookstore, or donate them to the Little Free Library near my house…

  89. As a book reviewer, it is hard to keep every book I get. I do keep all of the signed ones I get, and if I do not want to keep any of the others, I give them to family and friends and send a lot of them on to Goodwill. I love to share books.

  90. I think I’m a book hoarder. I do loan them out but I gave 3 giant bookshelves I put them on.

  91. I keep most of my books, I like to re-read, it’s always interesting to find how differently I experience a book at a different time in my life.

  92. They usually sit on my shelves (or in boxes) for a long time, but eventually I’ll get around to taking them to used bookstores or donate them to a thrift store.

  94. It depends on the book. Some I keep, and some I either pass to friends or donate 🙂

  95. i keep the really good ones and the rest get purged annually in a yard sale.

  97. I give the “clean” books to my grandmother. She loves to read, especially Christian fiction! I also share books with my sister, mother in law, friends, and coworkers. If no one wants the book, I post it on PaperBackSwap.

  98. I keep them all. Occasionally will loan them to friends but then I want them back lol

  100. I display books that I love in my room and donate those which I don’t particularly like to the local charity.

  101. I either trade them at the used book store. Or donate them to raise money for scholarships.

  104. I keep the books i buy to read again later on. I have a really big tote I keep them in.

  108. When I’m done reading a book I shelf it or give it to my sister or daughter. Thank you

  111. Generally I keep my books for me to admire forever! Sometimes I loan them to people, but I never seem to get them back! Thanks for the giveaway! 😀

  113. If I really like I keep it. Otherwise I try to pass it along to someone who might like it.

  115. If I really loved the book, I’ll keep it. Otherwise I will try to sell it for cash, take it to a used bookstore, or donate it to the library.

  116. Depends, if I liked the book I’ll keep it. If I didn’t like it I will give it away 🙂

  117. I keep my autographed books and books I love I put on my keeper nd rered shelves. There are so many books that I aslso bring them to my Dr’s office where the girls divide them to read nd keep. I never knew you could trade them in or sell them except for Amazon’s program.
    Carol L

  119. I didn’t have as many books as you, but I had a crapton (that equals many, many thousands). I finally got to the point where I had to do something dramatic. . . so I gave away most of my books to the very happy local library last year. I still have some “oh, darn!” moments when I think of a book I let go, but I’m glad the library benefited in some small way and am mostly ok with saying farewell to them. Thank goodness for ebooks, tho.

  122. I share them with my family and friends. People know they are welcome to borrow my books. Two years ago I did a massive clean-up and donated a lot of books. I don’t think I will be doing that again, I still miss those books 🙁

  123. Share them with my friends, and hoard them on my shelf. If I don’t like the book, I sometimes return it to the bookstore.

  129. I keep a lot of them, but I have sold some back (unfortunately not many great places around here to do so)

  131. If I liked it I keep it on my bookshelves to reread later or loan to family. If I didn’t like it I donate it to a thriftshop.

  133. If I enjoyed the book, I keep it on my bookshelf. If I did not enjoy the book, I donate it or give it away to someone who wants to read it.

  134. Once I finish a book, unless it’s something I would definitely read again, I donate it to Goodwill.

    Thanks for the chance to win!

  136. I keep most of them, and I give a few away. I don’t think there are any stores in my country that buy used books from around here (they usually buy used books from the US and ship them here).

  137. My favourite ones stay with me forever! otherwise I swap them or give them to my local library

  138. If i absolutely love it I keep it. If not, I pass it around to whoever wants to read it or a donate it to the library

  140. I think I’m a book hoarder, so I keep all of them. I like to admire them on my bookshelves or re-read some of them or sometimes I even borrow them to my friends. Thanks for the giveaway!

  142. I’m really, really picky about the paperbacks I buy, so I rarely get rid of any, but when I do I take them to a charity shop.

  143. Hi thank you so much for the giveaway 😃 I keep my books, I never knew what to do with them after, but it is a good idea to trade them for others 😊

  147. I keep most of them. Some I offer to others, some I donate, depending on the condition. 🙂

  148. I hold on to them for awhile but usually pass them on to someone else so they can enjoy them as well, and I have room for new ones.

  150. I tend to keep most of the books I have. I am over-crowded and need more shelves, but no room to really put anymore! Hah!

    I do sometimes donate some of my books to our local Library. It’s nice helping them build up their YA section!

    I have a nice pile (boxes) that I’m going to offer to my local high school. A lot of these are ARCs, so I’m hoping some English teacher would like to have them for a classroom library.

  151. It depends on the book. Some I keep, some I pass on to my daughter and others I donate.

  152. If I loved them, I keep them. But if they were just okay, or I didn’t like them, I sell them. Thanks for the great giveaway!

  153. If I like the book they go on a book shelf so I can read it again. If I did not like it I donate it or find someone who wants to read it and pass it on. If I finish a book that I know someone else is looking for or that I think will help someone I will pass it on.

  159. If I really enjoyed and loved the book, I keep them but for all other books I tend to give them to friends or donate it. Thank you.

  163. I borrow a lot of books from the library and try to buy books only if I know that I really want to keep them and read them again.

  164. I keep a majority of the books I read, although I do give a bunch away to friends I know will enjoy them.

  166. I usually keep my favorites which end up being way too many. I donate the rest to shelters, VA hospitals, Nursing Homes, and to local libraries for their fundraising book sales.

  167. Pingback: Giveaways to Enter #3 - Anxious Canadian Mom

  168. I donate them to my library or let my sister borrow them and then her friend reads them. Some I keep for sentimental value, others because I will read them time and time again.

  170. I get 90 percent of my books from the library and I just return them. The 10 percent I buy are ones I want to keep.
    Thanks for the contest.

  171. I usually buy ebooks so when I’m finished with them they just sit in my ebook library. I rarely re-read books.

  172. When I finish a book I usually keep it or give it back to the owber if I borrowed it. If I finish my book and end up not liking it, I donate it to my library or sell it if it’s new and popular.

  173. My free space at home is very limited, so I keep only those very few that I absolutely loved, can’t live without and will re-read at some point again. The rest I put up on BookMooch, and if a book is still not gone after a reasonable amount of time, I either give it to a library or if it’s in a sorry condition then I just put it in a paper recycle bin.

  174. I either give them to friends or donate them to our local library. They sell books in the basement to raise money for the library.

  179. I get most of my books from the library, so I can never really DO much with them, unfortunately. BUT, the ones I do own, I stack them up from the floor and make giant towers..because I…don’t have room for bookshelves, sad. I know.

  181. Depends on the book. I keep the ones I want to reread. I donate some to my mom’s classroom for her students to read on the living units. (she teaches in a youth jail) and some I donate to the library for their fundraiser bookstore.

  182. Typically when I am done with my books, I let my 10 year old have them and as she ends up with a little stack between what I have read and she has read, I take her to a used book store and let her trade them in and get herself more books.

  183. I keep my favorites, I let my friends take what they want, and donate the rest.

  186. If I really love it and/or it’s signed, I keep it. Otherwise, I put it in our condo building’s lending library.

    Thanks 🙂

  189. If I loved the book I keep it on my book shelf, if I wasn’t a fan I donate it to my local hospital’s reading program.

  190. I usually keep them around if I like them. I have a hard time parting with my books which is why I have started buying books for my Kindle instead.

  192. I usually keep them, but I now have hundreds and will soon donate a lot of them.

  194. If I like them, I keep them, though I may loan them to a friend. Ones I don’t like go to the public library for their book sale.

  195. The books that I like I keep them on my bookshelf and the ones that I dislike I give them to my friends or to the public library.

  200. I tend to shelf them when I finish reading them, but I have considered selling them for extra cash!

  201. I usually give my books that I have read to a friend who reads way more books than I ever read.

  205. I dont often buy books. usually just borrow from the library but any that i own that i no longer read get donated to the library!

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