The "classic" bookswap is simple - we meet in a café, you bring the book/s you want to share with the world, put them on the table, leaf through and discuss the books that others brought while sipping coffee (or Kinderkakao or beer) and, at the end of the evening, take a new-to-you-book home! Books/happiness shared are books/happiness multiplied!



This is a great way to give books a new home and make room for new books: that book you feel guilty for not having read even though it's been sitting on your bedside table for the last 5 years, the book you liked but didn't love, the book you somehow own three copies of, that book you absolutely hated even though it won so many prizes, the book you only read because of the movie, etc., etc., etc....



And chances are high you'll go home with an alluring stranger you never would have thought of reading before (OR that book you've been lusting after for years but never enough to actually buy!).



GROUP EXPECTATIONS for PLEASANT SWAPPING



• Please bring a book!



Some people bring more than one, and the organizers usually have a handful, but if everybody ends up not bringing a book, we have nothing to swap, except stories. Which isn't a bad thing, but I assume most people have hopes of finding a new book as well as a new friend.



• Books stay on the table, open for sharing, until you are ready to leave so everyone can have a fair look



See a book you like? Please put your name down as a candidate to take it home (we provide sticky notes!), and wait to see if anybody else is interested before snapping it up, as in, please wait until you are leaving. One of the key aspects of the swap is getting exposed to books outside of our library bubble, so it's important to keep the books as open to sharing as possible.



If two or more people want the only copy of a book, talk it over. Maybe you can swap contact info to share the book one after the other. Or maybe it turns out one of you isn't that interested, or has found another book instead. Or one of you REALLY wants to read it. The best part: now you have found somebody whose taste you can really admire.



When you leave, please let the group know which book you are taking, in case somebody forgot to write the title down on their "to read" list.



• Are you attached to your books and don't want to give them away? Loan them! (Within reason & no guarantees)



We suggest writing your name and email inside the book with a "Please Return." If you're really serious though, it's best to get the borrower's contact info and prod them for it. Discuss when and how they can return it.



Please note, it is NEVER guaranteed you will get your book back. Some people don't come back to the group or won't return your emails. But if you really were attached to the book that much, you probably wouldn't let it out of your house. But if you love something, let it go, as they say!



• Book Swap is 10 times better than a Book Club because you can talk about ALL the books instead of just one! You've read an interesting book, but not necessarily one you want to part with, or not necessarily one you brought with you? Doesn't matter! Tell us about it! Let us hear how excited you are about it. Also, we won't judge you if you haven't read something.



You read a book that you absolutely hated? Warn us! But then again, one person's horror-read is another person's delight (and there's no accounting for taste).



Half the fun of Book Swap is swapping recommendations for reads that aren't even on the table. The other half is meeting other great readers. Another half is taking home that new book!



• NO SPOILERS!



Unless all parties consent.



• Nobody took your book? Place it in the BOOK TREE (http://inhabitat.com/book-forest-fallen-tree-trunks-transformed-into-a-free-book-exchange-in-berlin/book-tree2/?extend=1) just outside the cafe for good swapping karma! Sometimes the organizers will also take orphan books home to bring back to the next swap. Or you can take your book home and try again next time! To every book its reader.



• Major LANGUAGES (and genres) of this meetup



English, German, French; Fiction, Non-Fiction, Serious Reading, Light Fun, Everything!



On average I think it's 60-80% English and 40-20% German/French, and about 70% fiction, but the make-up different every time. One of the best compliments the group has received is the consistently high quality of reading material on the table. You never know who can read what languages! We are a delightful and international group of readers.



We look forward to swapping with you!



☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆



This group is supported by Jaspr Trades (http://jasprtrades.com/). The Berlin Book Swap is teaming up with Jaspr to bring more book lovers to Meetup and offer you more opportunities to swap books, and more!



Jaspr is a free app that allows people to trade things and talents, cash-free, with other people in Berlin. If you finish a book early between Meetups, you can check out what other books are trading on Jaspr and arrange your next read. You can even trade a shirt or a houseplant for a book. Or trade a book for a home-cooked meal.



Download Jaspr on Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jasprtrades&referrer=utm_campaign%3Dbkswp_link_2303) | Download Jaspr on iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1109731368?pt=1387196&ct=bkswp_link_2303&mt=8) | Follow Jaspr on Facebook (http://facebook.com/jasprtrades)