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Archive for March, 2010

Dear Librarian: Missing Emails, Books On Hold,

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Dear Librarian-  I got a “second notice” about a book request, but I never got the first one!  I am getting my other PBS emails, so I know my email provider is not blocking them.  What happened?  -Out of the Loop in Lancaster

Dear Loopy,

We’re sorry that you are missing emails.  Actually, they were blocked by your email provider.  Email providers sometimes choose specific types of emails that they consider “spam” for various reasons, and we don’t know why but the first email notification of a book request (and Wish List offers!) are the emails that most frequently get blocked.  You can see the emails that we sent you (that were accepted by your email provider, even if they weren’t delivered to you) by looking in your Club Communications file, linked from the top of the My Account page.

You can prevent missing emails by adding the PBS system email addresses (librarian@paperbackswap.com, noreply@paperbackswap.com and market@paperbackswap.com) to your email account address book, and removing us from your “blocked senders” list, if we appear there.  This should fix the problem. You can read more in the Help doc “If you think you aren’t getting all your PBS emails…” in the Help Center.

We hope this gets you back in the loop!  Reliable email reception is key to managing an account here.

Dear Librarian – I was looking at my Wish List, and I see there is a book “on hold” there.  How did that happen? – on Hold in Hackensack

Dear Hacky,

An item goes on hold on your Wish List if:

(1) You put it on hold. You can put individual items on hold using the buttons on your Wish List if you are not ready to accept those items when they are offered to you. This will preserve your “place in line” for the book but will hide the wish from the system. This is useful if you have no credits in your account and don’t want to decline a copy of the book (and lose your place in line) if the book becomes available while you have no credits.

or

(2) When a Wish List book is offered to you, then alternate versions of that book will go on hold on your Wish List. This prevents you from being offered two different versions of a book and having to choose between them.  When the first version arrives, you can remove the alternate versions from your Wish LIst.  If the first version is lost in the mail or arrives damaged, then you can re-activate the wishes for the other versions without having lost your place in line.

or

(3) When you order a book from the PBS Market and it is mailed to you, if the book is on your Wish List it will go on hold, so that you are not offered a second copy while your Market book is on its way to you.   Again, when the first version arrives, you can remove the alternate versions from your Wish LIst.

To take the item off hold, you just need to check the box to the left of the item, then click the “Unhold” button at the top of the Wish List.  That will make the wish active again.

COMING SOON:

  • Spring! And we can’t wait!

Book Club Member of the Month

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010


LeAnne G. (Gracious-Granny)

Unfortunately, this honor is being given posthumously to LeAnne.  She was a tireless “giver” to the club, and brightened everyone’s day. Everyone who interacted with her was better for having done so.  She sent almost 700 books, with never a problem swap; she was one of our Tour Guide Assistant Coordinators and helped other Tour Guides and members alike; she had many, many friends in the club.

In LeAnne’s honor, we have set up a special Book Donation page for a school of LeAnne’s family’s choosing.   We love the idea of such an ardent reader continuing to foster the love of reading in children who will grow up and carry that love forward into their lives, to pass along to children of their own.  In that way and so many others, her spirit will never die.

We will miss you, LeAnne!  Thanks for gracing the club, and for all you did each and every day.  You will be deeply missed.

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

PBS Local Book Club Chapter News

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
New Local Club Chapter Leaders:
  • Mollie L. – scoutrmom – Milwaukee/Southeast WI
  • David  T.  – BooksNBears – Richmond/Chesterfield, VA
  • Richard W – ncbears – Eastern North Carolina (Onslow Bay area)
  • Mary S – kilchurn – Northwest GA

If you want to be a Local Chapter Leader for PBS, you just need to have a PBS NIckname, a viewable public profile, and some organizational skills…check the Local Chapter Leaders Forum List of Official Chapters to see if your area already has a local Chapter.  If not, and you want to do this, just contact us.  There are no formal guidelines for being a Chapter Leader.  All of the information is in the Local Chapter Leader Discussion Forum topic.    If you are an official Chapter Leader and want us to include your upcoming meetup in the Newsletter, send in a message to us with the date, at least a week before the end of the preceding month.

The Swappin’ O’ the Green.

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

It’s the color of the day!  All of these books are available for swapping right now:

Life Story of Keith Green

No Compromise: the Life Story of Keith Green He was only 28 when he died in a plane crash with two of his small children, but singer/songwriter Keith Green had already created a legacy of music and inspiration that would outlive him. He touched people through the vibrant lyrics in his songs, and Last Days Ministries, which he and his wife Melody founded, went on to challenge thousands of people to take to the mission fields of the world.  See other biographies of religious figures currently available for swapping.
The Green Mile Book The Green Mile Cold Mountain Penitentiary prison guard Paul Edgecombe has never seen anyone like John Coffey, a man with the body of a giant and the mind of a child, condemned for a violent and shocking crime.  Edgecombe discovers the terrible, wondrous truth about Coffey, a truth that will challenge his most cherished beliefs…and yours. Browse other Stephen King books currently available for swapping.
Fried Green Tomatoes Book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe This gem of a story is told in various women’s voices. Readers are set down in the corner booth to eavesdrop on the comings and goings of an array of eccentric, ragtag characters who drop in for buttermilk biscuits, Big George’s barbecue, and, eventually, news about their own hometown murder mystery…. See other Southern Fiction selections currently available for swapping.
Green Girls Green Girls A writer, a father, a husband, the owner of a strictly ordered life, Jacob Winter is not a man prone to violence — until the day he walks in unexpectedly on his wife’s affair. Awakening in a small-town Maine jail with no memory of his alleged rampage, he is pulled into a twisted game of dark deceptions and psychological terror, one that could destroy his sanity and his soul.   See other Suspense books currently available for swapping.
Mr. Maybe Mr. Maybe Taking romantic comedy to a hip, sparkling new level, author Jane Green’s Mr. Maybe is a classic tale of what happens to one girl when her heart and her head aren’t looking for the same thing. With a laugh a minute and a heroine whose struggles in the dating jungle will remind you of your own, Mr. Maybe was a smash bestseller and highly rated by PaperbackSwap members.  See other popular Jane Green “chick-lit” novels currently available for swapping.

Lamb and Lion – One of these highly-rated books is sure to strike your fancy!

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

All are available in The Market right now:

A Lion Among Men Since Wicked was first published in 1995, millions of readers have discovered Gregory Maguire’s fantastically encyclopedic Oz, a world filled with characters both familiar and new, darkly conceived and daringly reimagined. In the much-anticipated third volume of the Wicked Years, we return to Oz, seen now through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion. …   See other general fiction offerings currently available in the Market.

Look Both Ways 14-year-old twins Meredith and Mallory are still getting used to their gifts: Merry can see the past and Mally can see the future. The story is told from both of their perspectives.  Mally sees a vision of a white lion swiping a cheerleader’s shoes; Merry witnesses a cheerleader injured and hospitalized. As Merry tries to find the culprit, Mally tries to figure out who or what the white lion is… Browse other Teen books currently available in the Market.

The Lion in Autumn: A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football The Nittany Lions had losing seasons in four of five years; there were boos at Beaver Stadium and increasing calls for the aging Paterno to step down. Award-winning sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick followed legendary coach JoePa as he struggled to save himself and his storied program, building a team that would win the Orange Bowl and compete for the national championship.  See more books about Sports currently available in the Market.

Life’s Golden Ticket:  At the behest of his fiancée Mary, who is clinging to life in a hospital bed, a man takes a mysterious envelope from her and makes his way to an abandoned amusement park. When he steps through the rusted entrance gates, the park magically comes to life. What follows is a journey of personal transformation as he overcomes his past, uncovers what happened to Mary, and, finally, discovers what is inside her mysterious envelope.   See more Inspirational books, currently available in the Market.

Bye-Bye, Black Sheep . The newest arrival in the bestselling and wildly funny Mommy- Track mysteries!  Their fledgling detective agency has spread its wings-and now Juliet and Al are finally flying high. They’re used to seeing many people come through the doors of their garage-turned-office, seeking their help. But they’re about to realize that they ain’t seen nothin’ yet…   See recently-added Mysteries available in the Market now.



PBS News: IE8 Accelerator, Market Notifications

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Do you have a need for speed? If you use Internet Explorer 8, you should try the new accelerator plugin for IE 8 that allows you to get around the internet more quickly than ever before! After you install the plugin, all you have to do is highlight some text (a title or ISBN, for example) on any webpage to bring up the accelerator icon.  Click it to reveal a menu of choices, including how to find the book on PaperBackSwap.  You can download the IE 8 Accelerator here, and see a video of how it works here.

Red Alert. Now, if you receive a new Personal Message (PM) while you are using your account, an alert will appear at the top of the page, no matter where you are on the site.  The alert will indicate how many new PMs you have; clicking the alert will take you to your Message Center so you can read your messages.  This new feature also cuts down on the emails we send you – if you read the PMs while you are online you will not be sent notification emails about those PMs.  (If you log out without reading the new PMs, then notification emails will be sent out to you, one for each message.)   You can read more about this feature here. Market Alert emails. These emails will let you know if a book on your Wish List becomes available in the PBS Market.  You will also get an alert if an alternate version of a book you are wishing for becomes available in the Market.  You can opt out of these emails by clicking the appropriate links in the emails themselves, or from your Account Settings page.  Read more about the Market Alert Emails here.

Dear Members

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb… If you’ve been snowed in and are going stir crazy waiting for spring, we recommend taking a mental vacation, with a great read.  A good book can absorb you and make the cares of the outside world fall away.  No need to put on winter gear to go bookshopping, of course – your next great read is no farther away than the PBS Market.

We’re really pleased by the feedback we have gotten from members since opening the Market, which offers NEW overstock books at discount prices.  Members especially love the ability to use a credit for each book, to reduce the prices even lower.  You can find the Market under the Search option in the grey menu bar at the top of any page on the site, you can see Market books during your regular book searches, and you can also browse Market books on your Member Homepage by clicking the “New Books for Purchase” link below the lower sliding display.  There is also one Wish Listed book currently available in the Market at the top of your homepage, which changes every hour.  Take a few minutes to browse the Market, and remember that each purchase supports PBS and helps keep membership free.

On a sad note, a very dear member of the club has left us – LeAnne Grant (Gracious-Granny) passed on peacefully after an illness.  Many of you knew her, had received books from her, or had been helped by her in her Tour Guide role here in the club. She was a truly kind and lovely person and she will be sorely missed.  Working with her daughter, we have set up a School Book Donation campaign in LeAnne’s memory.  It seemed a fitting tribute to one who touched so many lives, and to whom books and reading were so important. We hope that all of you will visit the donation page to leave your comments about LeAnne, which we will share with the family.
We also hope that everyone will hug a loved one a little extra hard today, or tell someone how much he or she means to you.  The few seconds you take to say “I love you” to your parent, partner, child or friend are never wasted.

Take care,
Richard and the PaperBackSwap Team