Creative ways to recycle old books.

Okay, everyone has them, those books picked up at a yard sale, second hand book shop or given as gift. Read and forgotten or just shelved, boxed and forgotten. You find your self not wanting to throw the books away, but not wanting to read them either.

Instead of letting the books molder, why not try out some of these great recycling ideas?

1. Those big, old, useless textbooks getting you down? Tried selling them, but they’re too old. Why not make bookends? Click here for simple instructions. Or use those old encyclopedias to make a free standing bookcase.

2.Got some old cookbooks with recipes you still use? Tear out those good recipes and cover with Plexiglas for a unique backsplash for your stove. Or just frame your favorites and use them as decoration.

3.Make a secret hidey-hole for trinkets, by hollowing out a book.

4.Need a new case for carrying all those DVDs? Use a book! Here’s how!

5.Make your own audiobook by turning a book into an mp3 player case.

6.Have a favorite passage from an old, falling apart book? Cut out the section, laminate it and use it as a bookmark.

7.Decorate a room by framing covers of favorite children’s books or make an eccentric clock.

8.Use a stack of books to make an invisible book shelf

9.For a unique wedding gift make a scrapbook of your best recipes for two. For an added touch include helpful hints and notes. This is one gift that will never go out of style!

Need a new lamp shade?

Trade your better looking old books for new ones or donate them to your local library. There are a numerous websites where you can trade books.bookmooch.com, paperbackswap.com, and bookins.com are just a few.

Set a good book free and watch its progress at BookCrossing.com Over 680,000 people in over 130 countries have participated. Simply register your book, then leave it at a coffee shop and track it online.