How to get books for free (besides, um, the library)

Sure, there's a part of me that thinks, "Don't we have libraries for this?"

Still, if you're the sort of person who buys a lot of books but has limited shelf space, or if you've bought a title and have reader's remorse, I can see the appeal. At any rate, if you're nodding your head, you might want to check out PaperBackSwap.com.

It's free -- so far -- the web site freely admits that that probably won't last, that annual dues of $10-20 may eventually come about. But the general idea is that you look for books that you'd like, and if you see any, you order one or two, and you can expect them to be mailed to you free of charge.

(Oh, and despite the name, you can swap hardcover books.)