MY NEW ADDICTION is freecycle. If you haven't tried it, the principle is simple: like eBay, only without the money. You join an online group in your local area, and, miraculously, you will discover that people really desire the things you no longer need or want. More dangerously, of course, you may see things that you didn't know you wanted until you saw them (Whoopi Goldberg DVDs, anyone?), which is rather too much like that ancient pastime called “shopping” for my taste.

The real side benefit of Freecycle, however, is one that I hadn't expected - and that is a restoration of my faith in human nature. Last Saturday in The Times, Janice Turner wrote - quite rightly - about the way that Londoners in particular seem to live in a state of semi-suppressed rage, always on the brink of screaming obscenities at each other for almost any reason. Well, if you're looking for an antidote, freecycle's the one. Yes, of course you have to be a bit careful, but basically, use your nous and suddenly you discover that it's quite possible to have happy interactions and worthwhile conversations with people you might otherwise glare at on the bus.

What does this have to do with books? Just that I've noticed how very popular they are, which pleases me no end. I've finally been able to face the fact that I may not be able to keep every book that I have ever read. It's been a long road coming to this conclusion, but the sorrow of letting go of some old friends is allayed by the knowledge that they will go to happy homes. My son now looks with no little scorn on his once-beloved copy of Maisy Tells the Time, but my neighbours have younger children who snapped that one right up. I always get the most replies when I put books on offer, and - I would say this, wouldn't I? - that doesn't surprise me in the least.

I suppose, were I cannier, I could have mastered the ways of eBay and made a penny or two from my books. But although I believe that authors deserve to be properly paid for their work - after all, I'm one of them - I'm glad I never have. I like the feeling of passing along to strangers who no longer seem quite like strangers something of myself, thereby gaining something in return, something without any monetary value. I think once upon a time they had a word for this kind of interaction: perhaps it was...community?

www.freecycle.org

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