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Voting is now open for the Go Green Earth Day Contest

Monday, April 18th, 2011

It’s time to choose your favorite of the hundreds of practical, creative, helpful, and fun ideas on how to REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE.   The top five submissions have been carefully chosen, and are listed below for your consideration.

After you’ve read each of the top five, select the one that your think is the best idea.  Your vote must be sent in a  Personal Message to Gamester by Thursday, April 21 by 11pm. Please note: Guesses sent in by any other means–email, feedback, PM to any account but Gamester–will not count and will be discarded.  Each member may submit only one vote. The Personal Message should include only the number of the story and the title (for example, #1. Book Swap ).  Please do not include any other information.

The winning story will be announced Friday on the blog and in the Message of the Day on the www.PaperBackSwap.com homepage.

The grand prize winner will win 10 credits & $5.00 PBS Money, and the second, third, fourth, and fifth place ideas selected will win 3 credits each.

NOTE:  Comments to this post will not be considered a vote.  Please send a PM as instructed above.

 

#1. Book Swap

Randi S. says:
April 2, 2011 at 9:39 pm

Have a book swap! :0) I am an elementary school teacher, and I kicked off my “Caring for the Earth Unit” (& culminated my Dr. Seuss unit) by having a book swap with my kindergartners. Students could bring in 1 or 2 gently used books that they no longer read/wanted. I gave them a ticket for each book they turned in (the kind that can tear apart, from the dollar store), on which I had put a Dr. Seuss/ book swap label. I laid out all of the books the children brought in. As the children turned in a ticket, I tore off the smaller half, they chose a new book, & I gave back the half of the ticket that had the label. We had talked earlier about ways to recycle/reuse the ticket, and agreed that a bookmark would be the best idea. We also talked about how the children could have their own swaps with neighbors, friends, etc. (but I cautioned the children to check with their parents first!). Now my students all have “newish” books to read & “newish” book marks to use, and they had A LOT of fun!

 

#2. Plastic Shrinkies

Trisha T. says:
March 30, 2011 at 10:10 am

Reducing, reusing, and recycling is just a part of life for me…so it was hard to pick which idea to share. I like to take #6 plastics and reuse them for shrinky dinks. You can find this plastic sometimes on disposable drink lids, clear disposable salad containers, strawberry containers, etc. Just cut out your shape (they will shrink quite a bit!), punch a hole in the top (optional) and bake on a foil covered cookie sheet in the oven for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees. They will curl up and flatten back out, just like store bought shrinky dinks.

 

#3.  Mailers

Denneane C. (denneane) says:
April 3, 2011 at 9:34 pm

Reuse your PBS mailing envelopes.

The simplest way we can be more GREEN that we all can use is REUSE the mailing envelopes that your PBS books come in. Using the mailing instructions and address label is a great way but if you can just reuse the packaging that books mailed TO YOU come in until they are worn out we’ll all be more green.

Compost everything. Even newspapers can be shredded and used for compost. Worms love it. Mix the shredded newspapers with your kitchen scraps (egg shells, potato skins, carrot tops, etc. just no animal products) with a little garden soil and you’re good to go.

PBS is the BEST recycling plan their is. I love books and love PBS… share, save, recycle with PBS.

 

#4. Re-purposed Books

Connie B. (angelwithoutwords) says:
April 11, 2011 at 12:44 pm

I have an awesome recycling project for you, this project not only has to do with books! which is our top priority here am I right? If you ever have an old book that you dont need anymore, aside from putting it on PaperBackSwap, you can make it into a cute project! You can make hiding places for special objects by cutting out a square in the pages, make a cute scrapbook out of an old book, or simply make an intricate mantle piece to present. You can do all these things by using paper-mâché to attach the pages together. All three of these projects are fun to do with your kids, they’ll surely enjoy using paper-mâché, and the best part is, it’s easy to clean up. (Note: a hardcover book is the best for all three projects)

For a cute hiding place: Open your book to a middle page, and use an Exacto Knife to cut out your opening for your secret compartment. Be sure not to cut every page, only cut a hole deep enough for your object, if you cut too many it wont look like a real book anymore. Once your book is cut just paper-mâché each page together from the back forward. Making a hard casing for your object! Be sure to let your paper-mâché fully dry.

Making a mini Scrapbook: Instead of paper-mâchéing all pages together, simply bunch 20 pages or so at a time and paper-mâché together only those 20 pages, after drying your individual 20 page clumps you can then decorate them just as a scrapbooking page!

Mantle piece: This project is just about the easiest, simply open your book to the center, and paper-mâché the pages starting from the back forward. When doing this project, i actually painted my pages gold to create the look of a golden book, it sits proudly on my bookshelf open and inviting, I have received a lot of comments for this particular project.

 

#5. Re-purposed Yarn

Sheryl S. (bibliocat) says:
April 13, 2011 at 9:59 am

I love to knit but can’t afford the better yarn …. like cashmere, merino….
I go to several thrift shops and look for high quality sweaters that are made from real good yarn. I take them apart and then unravel them. I gently wash the hank and dry it with weights hanging off it to help take out the waves.
I make shawls, scarves, hats, and mittens out of beautiful soft yarn for my family and myself.

I save money and recycle — reuse sweaters that sometimes are very ugly but produce beautiful yarn.
Sometimes I combine yarns to make even more beautiful yarn.

 

 

Voting is Now Open for “Your Love Story” Contest

Monday, February 28th, 2011

The time has finally come: It’s time to choose your favorite of the hundreds of touching tearjerkers, comedic connections, and real romances submitted to the “Your Love Story” contest throughout the month of February.   The top five submissions have been carefully chosen, and are listed below for your consideration.

After you’ve read each of the top five, select the one that tugs hardest at your heartstrings.  Your vote must be sent in a Personal Message to Gamester by Thursday, March 3rd by 11pm. Please note: Guesses sent in by any other means–email, feedback, PM to any account but Gamester–will not count and will be discarded.  Each member may submit only one vote.  The Personal Message should include only the number of the story and the title (for example, #1.  Mr. & Mrs. Librarian).  Please do not include any other information.

The winning story will be announced Friday on the blog and in the Message of the Day on the www.PaperBackSwap.com homepage.  The lucky winner will receive 10 credits!

NOTE:  Comments to this post will not be considered a vote.  Please send a PM as instructed above.


#1. Mr. & Mrs. Librarian

Once upon a time there was a rather lonely school librarian who lived in a small Pennsylvania town where too many trucks sported a gun rack for her taste. Figuring she’d never find a husband in “redneck-town”, she kept herself occupied taking a variety of graduate classes each summer break. But after a decade on the job, she’d earned the right to take a one year sabbatical leave. Where to go? What to do? Why not earn a real master’s degree in library science so she could work in any kind of library she wanted? The summer of 1990 saw her moving away to “college town” and settling into a little apartment with her sweet cat, Buddy. Although she still focused on her studies, she couldn’t help checking out her male classmates. And it turned out, there was one male classmate checking her out, too. Thank God they were both single and ready to start a life together at the ripe old age of 32. Well, that seemed like a late start at the time. Eighteen years later, these married librarians enjoy their comfy Florida home full of books, 2 Kindles, and a small menagerie of rescued dogs and cats. They smile across the table as they sit at their local bookstore on the weekends sipping a coffee milkshake. Mr. and Mrs. Librarian, a perfectly matched set, are sharing a love that will last a lifetime.

#2. 911 Porsche

So what is love? It might be a Koan..what is more like self than other. One’s aim may be to the West, but the arrow can easily fly East.

I started working with my (now) wife 30 years ago at one of those darlings of Wall Street, XEROX. In most of the ‘70s it was the company to work for…especially sales.

M’ was my support person at HQ. Bright and funny, we had a good pull-and-push relationship; I was the salesman (never to be trusted) and she approved contracts (dang administrator).

Things started to heat up at my birthday party. I invited her on a whim, and was surprised she accepted.. .we connected so much while I was cooking and bartending that we finally sat down on the floor of the kitchen while the Nachos and piña coladas brewed and began a marathon conversation; unfortunately we excluded all the other guests but they helped themselves and let us schmooze in peace.

We dated, lived together and then came the ultimate sacrifice…her car gave up the ghost one Monday am and she now had a commute problem to get to work from Marin. I had a 911 Porsche Targa and a VW Camper. She called me from the Bay Bridge one day saying, the wind is so bad I can’t drive the camper!!!

So, she started to drive my 911 to work while I worked in Marin with the camper.

I thought: I have just given my 911 Porsche to a girl friend. Would I do this for any woman in the world? Probably not. I must be in love. So I asked and she said yes. Sometimes the message comes when you are willing to give up that which, ya think at the time, is most precious to you only to discover that the recipient is more precious. Yeah, that’s love.

#3. Love via PBS

I found happiness here!

I came to PBS because of my mom being a member here. I met a member named Tony. He and I became friends off this site, and he told me about his single brother-in-law. He offered to introduce us. We began speaking online, then over the phone throughout the month of November of 2008. He drove 16 hours to meet me in person at Christmastime 2008. It was love at first sight for both of us. We moved in a week later, with me leaving everything I’ve ever known to be with him. We were engaged a month later and married a month after that. It has been almost two years since we married and we now have a gorgeous three month old little girl.

I am living my dream of being a wife and mother thanks to a member of PBS!

#4. His Name is Harry

I met the love of my life when I was six. I remember it clearly – I was sitting on the living room floor, playing with my Beanie Babies, when my mum walked through the door and handed me a book. I was hesitant, but I gave it a chance. I opened the cover …

… And read the entire thing through, right then and there.

Harry followed me through the years. He was a steady spot in the confusion that occurred when I moved across the state at age eight. He helped me through the angst and turmoil that accompanies middle school; he was there for me through my mum’s depression.

I’ll always love Harry. But the truth is, he may be more real than reality inside the confines of my own mind, but his veins are filled with ink and his adorable, messy black hair exists only in the imagination of one J.K. Rowling and all the adoring fans.

Books are wonderful. But there comes a point at which one needs to set them down and begin living life for real. I haven’t met anyone yet, and I don’t really want to. I’m too young to love someone forever. But sometime in the future, a point will come when I’ll walk out into the world, ready to find my other half, head held high … and Harry in my purse. Just in case.

#5. The Crooked Christmas Tree

It wasn’t a Valentine that brought us together, but an office Christmas tree.

No one in the office would ever admit it, but I know it had to be some kind of hazing stunt to make the new kid set up the Christmas tree. I spent hours untangling lights from branches (it had apparently hung itself the previous holiday season) and trying to get that sad excuse for festivity to stand up straight.

I embraced my inner McGyver under that tree, attempting to make a better tree stand out of duct tape, wire, and my now shredded and discarded pantyhose. At least it wasn’t going to tip over. Probably. Shimmying out from under the tree, I stood back to get a better look at my work.

“It’s still leaning,” said the dry voice from behind me.

I had seen him before, but I was the new kid. I had seen lots of people before. I couldn’t remember his name and at the moment didn’t care. Unfortunately, he was also right. It was leaning.

Back under the tree. Tighten, pull, unladylike grunting, and let’s try again.

“It’s still leaning.”

Who was this guy and could I kill him with left over tinsel?

Under the tree. Tug. Pull. Twist. Crawl. Evaluate.

“I think it’s leaning the other way now,” he said.

That was it. I walked behind him, grabbed him by the shoulders and tipped him in the same direction as the offending tree, “How’s that?! Now it’s straight!”

I stomped back to my cube and slammed some drawers around.

Surprisingly enough, the next morning, the nameless guy walked back to my cube and asked me out to lunch.   We’ve been bickering and tormenting each other every day since for the past fifteen years. We couldn’t be happier.

“Your Love Story” Valentine’s Contest

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Happy Post-Valentine’s Day! If you’re in need of a good love story, or in need of PBS credits, look no further than February’s blog contest.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is one of the most widely read books on our site, with 1,426 reviews. Many Nicholas Sparks fans say it is the prolific romance author’s best and most touching work.  Any one of the thousands of members who have read the book can readily explain the novel’s appeal.  It’s a story about real, powerful love that endures over a lifetime, and it’s an intimate invitation to share the likable couple’s journey. A true tale of devotion like this is a welcome reminder of how wonderful life can be when you’ve given your heart to another.

Available to order on PaperBackSwap today!

Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, we’d like to invite you, our readers, to submit your love stories to the PBS Blog. You can tell us how you met, what made you fall head-over-heels, or what has kept the flame alive. If your anecdote involves Valentine’s Day, that’s even more fitting! Just let us in on any influential details that made your journey as a couple special and worth retelling as “your love story”.

Get your submissions in by February 25th in a comment to this post. We’ll choose the top five stories and post them on February 28th. Then, PBS members will have four days to vote for the best one. The winner will be announced on March 4th and that lucky lovebird will  receive ten credits!

Please keep the stories to no more than 300 words. Though you may be madly in love, you don’t need to include every single detail about your other half!  Let’s face it; if it’s that interesting, it’s probably fiction.

Now that you know the details, it’s time to start writing! If you aren’t sure how to begin, think of The Notebook to give you an idea. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? Order it from the site as a Valentine’s day treat, sure to lift even the weariest of hearts!

Newsletter Contest #2 – Thanks Are in Order!

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

The Challenge: Put the following 5 books from the current Top 50 list of wished-for books in descending order of the number of copies posted and swapped in the month of September, 2010.  Arrange them by MOST copies swapped in September to LEAST copies swapped in September.   Then take a moment to give thanks for all of the booklovers here, who share their wonderful books with each other every day!

A. Omnivore’s Dilemma – B. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – C.The Help – D. House Rules E. Dead in the Family

>>>>>> The prize is 10 Book Credits! <<<<<<

Each member may submit one guess.  Guesses can be sent in a Personal Message to Gamester. (Please note: guesses sent in by any other means – email, feedback, blog comments, PM to any account but Gamester- will not count and will be discarded.) The winner will be chosen randomly from all of the correct answers submitted by the time the next Newsletter goes to press, and the winner will be announced in the next Newsletter.

Dear Librarian: flu from a package, credits for sharing, reminder list

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Dear Librarian-  I am so worried I will get the flu from a PBS package. What are the risks? –Cautious in Cleveland

Dear Eve,

It is known that the flu virus will survive on paper surfaces and currency for 8-12 hours at room temperature. So there is a theoretical risk of getting infectious mail (or change at Starbucks!) if someone sneezed or coughed onto your package within several hours of the time it comes to your mailbox. No one knows what the *real* risk is, of course.

In these situations, common sense applies: maintain good handwashing practices as always, and if you are concerned about your mail you can always bring it in, put it into an airtight bin for 12 hours and disinfect your hands (alcohol hand sanitizers kill the flu virus effectively), and then open the bin 12 hours later, at which point you can be sure any flu virus that might have been sneezed onto your mail en route is dead.

Dear Librarian– It seems like you guys are always changing things.  I JUST found out that I can get credits for referring new members!  There’s so much going on that I am not sure how to keep up with it all.  Any suggestions? –Quizzical in Queens

Dear Izzy,

You’re right, we are always tweaking things on the site.  Although a lot of the stuff we do is behind the scenes to keep the site loading fast and everything moving smoothly, we are also constantly upgrading existing features to work better.   When we make significant changes, we will announce them in the Newsletter, but you can also look in the What’s New! section on the site to keep up with changes as they happen.  You can get to What’s New! from the link at the very top right corner of the screen, and also from the Browse Help Docs page in the Help Center.  We try to put updates in What’s New so that new features don’t escape notice; if you check there once a week or so (or if you see something you think might be new),  it can keep you “up to speed”.

Dear Librarian– Can you put the “Convert” button back on the Reminder List? I used that to move stuff from my Reminder List to my Wish List and I don’t know how to do that now! –Boggled in Boston

Dear Tony,

We know that some people used the Convert function on the Reminder and Wish Lists, but on the whole it caused confusion – members didn’t realize that an item couldn’t be on both lists at once, and so they would add a book that was already on their Wish List to their Reminder Lists, and that would take the item off their Wish Lists although they didn’t intend this.   Now an item can be on both lists, and the Reminder List can be a list of ALL the books you want, so you can see it in one place.

It is still easy to Wish List a Reminder List book, by clicking +Wish on the listing on the Reminder List. You can read about the Wish List changes in the What’s New area linked from the “What’s New” at the very top of the site (and on the Browse Help Docs page in the Help Center).

Coming Soon:

  • Updated flyers to help Spread the Word
  • Book giveaways in the PBS blog

New Features: Newsletter – August 2007

Sunday, August 5th, 2007

PBS to Go. Now you can check your booklists easily from your cell phone! PBS Mobile, a basic version of PBS is available for those with web access from their mobile phone. Check your bookshelf, Wish List, and Books I’ve Read lists on the spot. You can add to your Wish List from PBS Mobile too. Bookmark this site, and take PBS with you, wherever you go.

Large Print really means…Large Print. In our continuing efforts to stem the tide of books being incorrectly posted as Large Print when they are not, last month (July 12) we revised the book posting process: if the ISBN you enter is categorized as Large Print in the PBS database, a pink box will appear telling you this on the Book Listing Preview, and there will be links to lead you easily through the posting process to ensure that your book gets posted correctly. We are hoping this will solve the problem once and for all for our Large Print readers–after all, this is not merely a matter of preference, it is one of necessity!

New “tiered referral” system at PBS – the more you refer, the greater the reward.

  • 1 – 10 Referrals = 1 credit for each
  • 11 – 20 Referrals = 1 credit + $0.50 PBS Money for each
  • 21 – 35 Referrals = 1 credit + $0.75 PBS Money for each
  • 36 – 50 Referrals = 1 credit + $1.00 PBS Money for each
  • 51+ Referrals = 2 credits for each

Your previous referrals will not earn the bonus retroactively, but they will count to put you into a “starting tier”, as of July 15, 2007, and your subsequent referrals will earn the appropriate bonus for each. This will continue on a trial basis, so spread the word now, and reap the goodies!

Bullseye! Contest Winner Almost a Dead Ringer!! Newsletter – January 2006

Wednesday, January 4th, 2006

Lisa V. (profile nickname: designforward) came within 3 minutes of guessing when the 250,000th book in our Quarter of a Million Contest. Lisa V. submitted a guess for that day for 9:54 pm. She wins 25 credits! The actual 250,000th book was posted on PaperBackSwap on December 23, 2005 at 9:57 pm by member D.L. D. (profile nickname: Erinyes). Congratulations to both of these members!

Thanks to all that participated in, as well as those that anticipated, our club reaching a quarter of a million book postings. It is exciting and amazing that we’ve come so far in such a short amount of time. Each day thousands of books are being added to the club library. This results in more choices for our members and more fun for everyone!