Do you have permission to waltz?

"Johnson’s Books might not be the first stop a sailor made in Portsmouth–the brothels likely had a better claim to that distinction–but it was popular among the officers and seamen who could read. A good book, like music or games, helped to make the voyages pass more easily. She’d seen men who were seamed and scarred by flying shot and timber caress a book of poetry in anticipation of long nights and little to do." --The Bride and the Buccaneer


I sent some books off yesterday to Operation Paperback, an organization where volunteers mail gently used books to soldiers serving overseas. I was sorry I couldn't send more. There were quite a few requests for military histories and biographies, but I'm still holding on to all my research books so I couldn't send those. I could fill a request for paranormal romances, and I'm thinking I need to catch up on my suspense reading so I can send those paperbacks along.

I still find books that end up on my keeper shelves, but I've gotten better about "recycling" other purchases. They either go to the Friends of the Library for their book sale or they go to the Books for Soldiers bin at the library, or now I send them directly to soldiers through Operation Paperback.

There's also SOS America, which recently was sent a set of my books to be distributed through their program. All of these are great organizations, so the next time you're thinking of cleaning out some of your non-"keepers", you might consider donating to organizations which pass books along to our men and women serving in the military.