What did you do with the last book you read?

I started reading about 50 years ago…I started reading for entertainment about 45 years ago (mostly comic books then); my teen years consisted of titles such as, My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel, Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford and many short stories by John Steinbeck.  Often times, reading for knowledge (science, space, politics, business) is now entertainment to me but mostly, I read story telling books just for entertainment.

Yes, my question is, “What did you do with the last book you read?”  I ask because this question was recently put to me.  I had an answer that was pleasing to the young lady who wanted me to donate books to her cause — the hospital patients reading something, something.

I do have some books that I’ve read, in a box or on a shelf but often, I give them away.  Sometimes, I donate them to doctors offices, libraries, schools, a thrift shop — there are numerous things you can do with them.

When I give them away, I ask the person to sign and date inside the cover when they have finished and pass it on to someone else later.  This all started when I was in the Navy, aboard ship.  I would lend books to other guys from time to time and when I did, I would write my name and the date I loaned it to them so they would know who to return the book.  After I while, I didn’t have anywhere to keep the books and just started giving them away but kept up with signing and dating inside the cover — not when I gave it to them but after I finished reading them.  There was once, some years later, when I got one of my books back and it had several names in it.  I passed it on with a little bit of pride that I had started something, maybe.  I haven’t seen other books with names unless they were a specific gift or signed by the author.

So, I can recommend that you check your local community for book exchange programs; or you could just donate it to someone, something, somewhere, sometime.

Jay 🙂

Just a few ideas:

http://www.moneycrashers.com/where-donate-used-books/

http://www.prisonbookprogram.org/

http://www.childrensbooksonwheels.org/a/donate/?gclid=CM20reTZjMQCFdccgQodXI4Amw

http://www.booksforafrica.org/index.html

http://www.thebookmama.com/how-to-donate-books-seven-places-that-want-your-used-books/

http://www.military.com/spouse/military-life/military-resources/how-to-support-our-troops.html