Comments on: What the hell BookMooch?

by: Pathetic Fallacy » Dept. of Awesome

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:44:05 +0000

[…] I had two really good, challenging sessions on the stationary bike.I scored a couple of finds on BookMooch. My bad mooch karma might be turning around. […]

by: 2fs

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 01:52:24 +0000

Mailboxes around here bear notices saying that we shouldn’t put packages that weigh more than a certain weight (16oz, I think) in them - but I have, and they’ve gone through. I really fail to see the logic here, by the way: let’s say I’m a terrorist, and I want to blow up a mailbox, or set someone up the bomb. (Sorry…) But noes! there’s a sign on the mailbox, warning me that I can’t do it. Curses! Foiled again! I will have to cause terror and destruction via UPS!

I mean, do the people who make these policies actually think them through?

by: Paula

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:45:44 +0000

Wait–I’m fascinated–you’re allowed to drop parcels in mailboxes in Boston?

I didn’t think it was just an NYC thing, but ever since 9/11, you can’t mail packages in mailboxes–you have to bring them to a counter (or one of those machines) at the PO.

I tried dropping one in once, and it got returned to me, which makes no sense. (”If this here’s a bomb, we’re a-sendin’ it back!”)

by: Editrix

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:13:37 +0000

I admit, I have it easy: lots of Jiffy bags and assorted mailers find their way here given the Villain’s glut of review discs, so I recycle those like crazy. And then you can just slap stamps on for the requisite Media Mail postage (BookMooch’s site links to the USPS calculator, which lets you compare the rates for the weight of the book you’re shipping), so it’s as easy as dropping the parcels in the corner mailbox on the way to work. Any logistical inconvenience is more than offset by removing Richard Ford novels from my shelves.

by: Paula

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:53:21 +0000

This sounds like a nice idea, but I’ll tell you what gives me pause (and paws): mailing books annoys me. CDs are so easy–they’re all the same size, they’re light, you can carry a bunch of CD packages to the PO and it’s a breeze. Books are often clunky, come in many sizes so you have to buy different-sized jiffy bags, and they are a pain to carry around unless you have a tote bag and I have sworn off tote bags for life.

Typing this out makes me feel neurotic, and yet purged.

(I have great difficulty remembering whether it’s Amy Bloom or Bender whom I prefer.)

Bender is kinda fun and surreal but a little unemotional. Bloom is kinda smarmy and knowing and fleshy, and writes (or used to write) an advice column in some women’s mag.