The joy of reading a book can only be matched by reading another and another.

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So begins an endless quest all about the journey of readership, that is underwritten by the acquisition of new material.

Over time the reader acquires a personal library and will often read a book again many times.

They may even lend a favourite to a friend or pass it on to a particular type of person that will appreciate its contents.

Many readers resort to a local facility such as Coffs Harbour City Library to lessen the burden of cost.

You may find interesting titles at second-hand bookstores or opportunity shops.

Alternatively, at the Palms Centre and Moonee Market there are book depositories where the gift economy is in full swing.

A veritable oasis for the weary reader in search of reading refreshment.

A treasure chest of discarded booty no less for some who happen upon an old favourite.

“(One older lady) leapt into a dance of joy as she twirled around hugging a 1950s Australiana children’s story she had not seen since childhood,” said Deborah Perry, a depository volunteer and unofficial librarian.

There is a certain “serendipity” Perry has witnessed many times while attending the shelves.

“I get the greatest pleasure when I see a toddler selecting a book from the shelves, wandering back to a parent and holding it up for their approval,” she told News Of The Area.

The range of books is phenomenal, all gifted to the shelves by the community, from creative nonfiction, to chick lit., romance, crime fiction, self-help, spirituality, cooking, gardening, sport, classics and genuine literary genius.

There are even numerous foreign language books such as German and French books that find their way into this virtuous circle.

These book exchanges offer a lens into and out of our community, the ambiguities and the mysteries of the secret lives they share.

By Kim SATCHELL