Spring is coming. The light is getting brighter. The wind doesn't have that cold bite to it anymore. It's an excellent time to build up some good juju. But how are you going to do it? By buying books of course! But there's a catch. You have to give them away. At least that's what the creator of Buy a Friend a Book would like you to do. The rules are easy to follow.

Just get yourself to a real-life or virtual book store during Buy a Friend a Book Week (the first weeks of January, April, July, and October) and, well, buy a friend a book (or e-book)! But here's the fun part: you can't buy your friend a book because it's their birthday or they just graduated or got engaged or had a baby or anything else. You have to give them a book for no good reason. In fact, this present out of the blue from you should shock the pants off of whomever you decide to give it to. And it'll make them happy. And that's the point: promote reading, promote friendships.

I've participated in this a couple of times and I am to try to do it at least twice this year. I like surprising people, particularly when it's a book that I loved and they can't get it at their local bookstore (this happens a lot when you are a Canadian with a lot of American friends). Who doesn't love getting a gift "just 'cause"?

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.