Book Swim: A Bad Idea or Library Resource for the 21st Century?
Posted: March 5th, 2009 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Reviews, spending | Tags: Book Swim, Review | 6 Comments »I’ve seen ads for Book Swim, and frankly, I’ve always thought it was a pretty dumb idea. Then I thought about it a little more, and I’ve decide there is one scenario where it would be beneficial…
The whole idea behind Book Swim is that it is an online book rental club that advertises itself as Netflix® for books. The idea is simple. You create an account, request a book or two and they arrive in the mail within a couple of days for you to read at your leisure and you never have to pay late fees.
The frugal side of me thinks, “Hello… ever heard of a Library?” but alas, my library doesn’t often have new releases I want. I am content to wait until I can get the books I want through inter-library exchange, but I’m the first to admit that while I enjoy reading, I am not the kind who needs a new book every 3 days. I’m happy to get lost on the Internet for the time it takes to get a new book. My frugal side is just stronger than my book loving side.
They offer 4 plans:
Light Reader
This level costs $19.98 per month and lets you have up to 3 books at any given time for as long as you’d like.
Casual Reader
The casual reader costs $24.97 and lets you have 5 book out at a time.
Avid Reader
This level allows 7 books at a time and costs $29.96 per month.
Devout Reader
The big daddy level gets you 11 books out at any time for $39.94 per month.
YIKES!
Sorry. That was my frugal self again. But seriously, even the cheapest level is $20 a month!? I’d be hard pressed to be able to rationalize this one. And what’s with those odd dollar amounts: $19.98, $24.97, $29.96 and $39.94 ?? It must be some kind of code, but I digress…
Still, I know there are people out there for whom reading is like breathing, and so it may be a viable service in the end. I suppose much of the benefit rests in how poor your local library system is and just how addicted to reading you truly are. If you can’t get anything newer than a Gutenberg bible or it’s all encyclopedia’s from the Eisenhower years, this is probably the service for you. I’ll stick to my local library though.
Just for kicks, I checked their BBB (Better Business Bureau) info for complaints. They have a rating of A- with 2 complaints, both marked resolved. It doesn’t look like they’re a scam or shady business venture, you just need to decide if they’re worth the price.
If you’re interested in trying them out, head on over to the BookSwim website.
What others are saying