Take One, Leave One

I've always been a reader, but in the past few years instead of books I've substituted the daily newspaper (which we get virtually during the week and physically on Sunday), blogs, and internet forums.

After one week of sheltering in place I decided to spend less time on the computer, and picked up the book I had been working on for months. In three days I finished it and needed a new one. When we were packing boxes to move to the condo I purged my bookcases, keeping only the books that meant something to me. Now I can't find the box. (It's here somewhere, and based on experience I'll discover it when I stop looking so hard for it.)

My missing books aren't a problem, though. There are two public book exchanges within walking distance of my condo. The first one is at the end of the community by the pool. The other one is a little less than a mile away at the far entrance to the subdivision. BC-19 (Before COVID-19) I would sometimes stop and see what the exchanges had if I happened to be walking right by them. Now I walk to them specifically.

When I need a new book, I start by checking out the closer box. Then I stroll over to the other one to see what they have before I decide. Even though the boxes are close together, each has its own personality. One has a selection of hardcover books recently culled from the public library's stacks, and includes a large handful of thriller and action paperbacks. The other has more religious-themed, teen lit, and romance books.

Each time I return a book I rotate which box I put it in, to help cross pollinate the selection. So far I've chosen, read, and returned a couple of selections from Reese Witherspoon's Book Club. I'm in the middle of a road trip novel, and a compilation of short stories is waiting in the wings. Each time I've visited the boxes they have some turnover, so it will be interesting to see what's there next time.