Share the love Insatiable love for books and worried that they’re gathering dust once you’re through? The city has many options for you to donate or sell your tomes to spread the cheer around

The smell of a new book, the turning of crisp, unread pages is a thrill for most book-lovers. But once read, no one pays much heed to them, and re-reading is restricted to the few soul-moving keepers. For the avid reader, bigbook.co.in, an online lending library, delivers books to your home or office and picks them up when you’re finished. “Not all books are collectibles, other than a few coffee table ones or special editions, so once a book is read, most people want to get rid them,” says proprietor Rahul Maskara. “We need books to lend out to our members and so we buy books that are well maintained,” he says. “They should be originals, in readable condition and have intact covers,” Rahul adds. If you prefer to donate, the Maharashtra Mitra Mandal library — popularly known as the MCubed Library — is building its collection of adult fiction and is happy to take read books off your hands. “We mostly take popular reads as our shelf space is limited, but pass on the books we can’t use to other NGOs,” says Sonal Bimal, who set up MCubed with two friends. Vacha is a specialist women’s library and research centre with books on and by women. They accept donations of used books that are pertinent to their clientele. “We have over 5,000 books on politics, history, economic, literature and even select fiction books including those from world authors,” says Nischint Hora, project coordinator for Vacha. Prefer the feel of the real to the virtual un-reality? You can sell your books to one of the bookshops on South Mumbai’s footpaths, or your neighbourhood raddiwallah. Or make a list of your books for your friends, allowing them to buy at discounted prices. And with the cash you make, go back out there and indulge in a new read.