Reading books on the cheap by trading them online

It's no secret that the book business is on the ropes. Partly, it's because the self-publishing sites -- iUniverse, Lulu and others that Clark has previously mentioned -- have taken their toll.

But you don't even have to buy a book anymore if you don't want thanks to the power of the Internet! O, The Oprah Magazine recently ran a story on websites that will let you read for little or nothing by swapping books with others online.

These sites include BookSwap.com and BookMooch.com. The only cost is the $2.23 expense of media mail to physically swap a book with someone else.

There's also a "Netflix for books" called BookSwim.com where you pay a monthly fee to continually get more books sent to you. Also of interest may be an e-commerce site with a socially conscious angle called BetterWorld.com.

In related news, users of the iPhone and iTouch now have access to free Kindle software that allows them to read more than 240,000 e-books.