The Dewey Tree

It seems as though everyone is in a little bit of a book funk lately. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed with review copies, overwhelmed with life, holidays, shopping, or just feeling a bit unfulfilled by what you've read lately, I understand where you're coming from! I haven't taken on recent pubs lately, instead planning for projects that will pub early next year. No worries. I'm here to look out for you. :-P

I've also taken a little bit of a break. Doing enough work not to let my clients down and using the additional time to immerse myself in some other projects. I'm a sewer (one who sews, not a channel for human waste. heteronyms = fun), so it's been purses and totes all over the place!

To get us through this, I thought about hosting a book swap, but I feel the problem is we're weighed down with too many books. Not having enough to read doesn't appear to be the problem! So in the spirit of the giving season, why don't we clean some shelves out instead? I know it's difficult to give up your books, but think about the people who really need them.

As I write this, I think of a favorite blogger who passed away this time last year. Her spirit lives on in the Dewey Read-a-Thon, Weekly Geeks, and The Bookworms Carnival. She loved reading. She loved books. She supported Banned Books Week and believed everyone had the right to reading material. In her honor, I'm calling this donation project The Dewey Tree. It's a little bit The Giving Tree, a little bit Dewey, a little bit charity. :-D

Here's what you do:
*Gather up the books you can live without. It can be 4 books, 10 books, or 20 books!
*Find a worthy group you would like to donate your overflow books to. It can be your local library, a literacy campaign (mine will go to the literacy center I volunteer for), or overseas. There's a great list of book donation sites here on the ALA. Find a charity that speaks to you!
*Then take a picture of your donation and email it to me (onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [DOT] com). It can be a pic of the mailing label on your package, one of your kids giving a box of books to a librarian, or you handing books over to your literacy center. Be creative and have fun!

I will accept pics (and will post favorites) until January 4, 2010. At that time, I will enter the names of all who sent donation pics into Random.org and choose three. ***AMENDED: PLEASE GO HERE TO ENTER FOR THE GIVEAWAY*** Those three winners will receive custom made totes from me! I will email you pics of my available fabric and have you build one you like. The pic above is of two I made recently.


And here is the official The Dewey Tree donation project button! Please help me spread the word (and the button!) to bring our book blogging community together in the spirit of spreading the love of reading.





"The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow