Give gently used books a new home - swap them!

Justyne Edgell

Attention all readers! Looking for a new read? Have some books you’d like to pass along? Durham Region Book Swap is gearing up for its next in-person event.

Durham Region Book Swap is a group created by Madison Holder, a young woman who recently discovered a passion for reading.

Holder is a fixture on the Uxbridge theater scene, with a lifelong interest in on-screen and on-stage entertainment. But it wasn’t until a favourite TV show got canceled that she discovered a joy for reading.

“When doing some research on the show, I found out it was based on books! Growing up I wasn’t a big reader, but when I started reading the books that the show was based on, I was immediately pulled into the world of reading, and wanted to find a local book community,” says Holder.

After a bit of thinking, Holder decided she should start her own group. “I know Uxbridge has a strong community of readers, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to create a community where people can exchange their gently used books, while making new friends with similar interests!”

Holder created the Facebook group, Durham Region Book Swap, and holds a poll each month to organize a meet up date. Once group members have voted, she creates the official event page and all members are invited to the parking lot meet-up, with their books, for the swap.

The swaps functions like a trunk sale, in a local, accessible parking lot, where members open up their “book stores” from the back of their vehicles.

“If we share our books at a low cost in our group, or for free at our in-person swaps, so many more people can experience the world of reading who may not have had the desire to before, or who have wanted to explore different genres,” says Holder. “It also provides an opportunity for people to re-home their gently used books they have previously read and are ready to pass on.”

Outside of the monthly in-person swaps, many members post collections of books in the Facebook group and smaller buy and sell or swaps are able to happen throughout the month.

Their next in-person swap will be held on March 26, 7 - 8 p.m. in the Uxbridge Secondary School parking lot.

Interested in joining the group? Search “Durham Region Book Swap” on Facebook.