Whole Lotta BooksWhat can I say, I love to read…

Ever since I was a child I have loved to read.  I remember fondly growing up in St. Louis and walking 3 miles to the library during the roaring heat of summer just to enjoy the air conditioning (because we didn’t have any!) and to read.  I would spend hours reading about everything from chemistry to cars to cooking. 

My love of books never faded — even with the advent of the Internet and e-books.  Sure, I’ve thought about buying a Kindle from Amazon, but there is something about electronic books that just isn’t “real” to me.  I think it is because I can’t share it with others, throw it in my backpack or just throw it into the backseat when I’m in a hurry to get to work!  I like the feel of paper and I love the fact that if I should lose it, or someone wants to borrow it, I can just go get another one or give it away without worry.

In a month I’ll read between 10-20 books depending on how much reading time I can fit in.  You can even head over to Amazon to see some of the reviews I’ve written on some of my favorite reads.  If you are really nosy, you can even check out my visual bookshelf over at LivingSocial.com.

The thing is once I’m done reading a book I just don’t want it to sit around and gather dust.  I want to share it with others.  So I started putting a card in my books and giving them away so others can enjoy them.  The only things I ask in return is:

  • You continue passing the book along to other friends to read.
  • If you can’t think of anyone who would like to read it, donate it to a local library.
  • You add a comment below so I know how far and wide the books are making it!

I call this my “Read It Forward” approach.  Now if you are reading this and thinking, “Man, what a great idea — I wish I could get a book from him to read it forward!” you are in luck.  Just contact me and let me know what topics you are interested in and I’ll find something to send you.  Just remember, pass it along when you are done — and add a comment below to let me know you read it and where you are geographically.

Happy reading!