For years now, Americans have been reading less, according to polls and studies. Books sales have been flat. And with the latest surges in the cost of living, it’s a good bet these trends will continue as our discretionary incomes shrink. But even if book sales decline further, it’s possible that reading for pleasure is poised to make a comeback. After all, humankind cannot exist on television and the Internet alone… at least we hope not. Enter Novel Action, an online club that lets avid readers clear their shelves of the books they no longer want in exchange for books they’d like to read. For $25 a year, members can receive as many new books as they’re willing to donate to the centralized library. You select the titles you want by searching the database, order however many titles you like, and then send an equivalent number of books from your personal inventory to the library in exchange. Once they are received, your “new” books are sent to you. Other book-swapping clubs, such as Paperback Swap, which is free to join, have members ship directly to each other. A credit, or “point,” is earned every time you ship a book to someone; these points can be spent on books you want sent to you. Shipping fees are paid by the sender. Just for listing your first 10 titles in the database of over 2 million books, Paperback Swap will give you two points. And in case you were wondering, Novel Action is not just for novels; there’s plenty of nonfiction to choose from. Similarly, Paperback Swap is not just for paperbacks. Still not sure? At Novel Action, nonmembers may purchase books, but there’s a $2 surcharge on each order. If you decide to join, all of the charges for that calendar year (up to $20) can be applied to your account. Love the concept? Check out Swap a CD and Swap a DVD for the same swapping action applied to music and videos.

If you know diddly-squat about Bo Diddley, now’s a good time to find out. Diddley, who died June 2 at 79, was one of the founders of rock and roll who, like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, felt slighted that he didn’t get more recognition – and more money — for the music that Elvis Presley popularized. Like James Brown, Diddley was one of the hardest working men in show business. He toured almost to the very end, giving it his all. I saw one of his last concerts, October 7, 2006 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. Though diabetes and old age had taken its toll and rendered him unable to perform except while seated in a chair, he gave an energetic, sexy performance and elicited squeals from women in the audience when he sang his hit “I’m a Man” with full-blooded, bravado. He was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Hear Bo play “Bo Diddley,” the song with the syncopated rhythm he was known for, in this clip from his debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. One of the best collections of his work is 20th Century Masters the Millennium Collection: Best of Bo Diddley ($9), which includes remixes of original recordings of “Bo Diddley,” “Who Do You Love” and “Road Runner.” For those who already know Bo, this amazing CD ($23) has various versions, alternate takes and mixes (scroll down on the site to hear snippets) of many of his early recordings for the legendary Chess label, including “Diddy Wah Diddy.” See the man behind “I’m a Man” in Bo Diddley and the All Star Jam DVD ($11.49), which includes Bo and friends Ron Wood, Mick Fleetwood and Mitch Mitchell (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) at a concert filmed live at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in 1985.

Given the heat that respected documentarian Ken Burns took when he devoted nearly 20 hours to the history of Jazz, only to be criticized for numerous omissions, today’s fans may take for granted that even the most epic documentary could never do justice to a broad history of music. Try telling that to Brit Tony Palmer, who in the 1970s attempted to wrap the whole of popular music’s history into the 17-episode series All You Need Is Love, just released for the first time in a $100 DVD set. (Too pricey? A narrower, ’60s-centric version called All My Loving is also available.) Naturally, it’s an incomplete story, and Palmer’s sometimes over-educational, sometimes eccentric tone makes it occasionally more amusing than authoritative. But whatever their reaction to its presentation, viewers will have to be impressed by the scope and quality of material contained here: long chunks of performance, highlights from 1,000 hours of concert and interview footage, and script contributions from authorities like Leonard Feather and John Hammond. (In the first hour alone, we see everyone from traditional African drummers and American hillbillies to legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler.) Viewing pop history — from Africa through blues, vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, et cetera — from a Beatles-era seat and trying to make sense of it all produces some unusual theories about “what it all means,” and some of the examples proffered here may be less vibrant than those available elsewhere — but what a rich time capsule of long dead or retired artists whose sounds still reverberate today.

Neil Diamond — megastar, legendary showman, stage target for who knows how many female fans’ undergarments — must be accustomed to seeing his records hit Number One whenever he releases them, right? Actually, no. Turns out, that has never happened. In fact, despite the three dozen Top 40 songs he’s written and the 125 million albums he has sold worldwide, he has never occupied the top spot. That all changed this week, when Diamond’s Home Before Dark made its debut in Billboard’s top spot. Produced by hitmaker Rick Rubin (the man behind Johnny Cash’s late-career revival), the album deserves its success — stripped down and pensive, alternating between nostalgia, humor and frank soul-searching, it’s just the kind of record Diamond should be making right now. One wonders how those quieter songs will go over on his next arena tour. But while we’re waiting for that, here’s hoping similar success greets the May 27 debut of Al Green’s Lay It Down, which deserves to sell like Soul-slathered hotcakes. Where Rick Rubin coaxed Neil Diamond into a sober, age-appropriate mood, co-producers Ahmir Thompson (of the Roots, whose new Rising Down continues their streak of smart, politically charged but musically compelling hip-hop) and James Poyser have returned Green to the sound of his heyday. Though the record offers guest spots for contemporary stars like Anthony Hamilton, its sound is so spot-on vintage that you wouldn’t have a hard time convincing friends that it actually came out in 1975. The songs are strong, too — perfect, romance-filled settings for a voice that remains one of the best pop music has ever been lucky enough to hear.

Back in the ’90s, offbeat indie-rock heroes They Might Be Giants put a series of mini-songs called “Fingertips” on their album Apollo 18. Many of them were little more than a single phrase, adorned with a musical treatment that was just strange enough to lodge them permanently in your head. They’ve applied a bit of that technique to their two recent addictive kids’ records, Here Come the 123s and Here Come the ABCs; the musical versions of these were mentioned here a while back, but recent versions pack each CD with a must-have bonus — a DVD in which the little learning tunes are accompanied by animated films and introduced by adorable sock-puppet versions of the bandmates John and John. Elsewhere in the DVD aisle are three more restrained pleasures for youngsters, short movies from the ’50s and ’60s that have become such classic fables that one recently inspired a critically praised feature-length remake. Each centers on one object of a child’s devotion: The Red Balloon (the one that was remade) is self-explanatory; White Mane is about a beautiful horse; and Paddle to the Sea is about a little canoe and rider, carved out of wood, who make their way from the Canadian mountains to the ocean, encountering everything from frogs to wildfire along the way. Kids who haven’t had enough of the alphabet after They Might Be Giants’ version should pick up The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!, another curious celebrity effort. Here, comedian Steve Martin pens memorable alliterative rhymes for each letter, while New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast does illustrations for each. Book-lovers on the other side of the preschool/high school continuum, meanwhile — and maybe their parents — should hunt down The Film Club, the nonfiction account of what happened when a novelist made an unusual deal with his teenaged son. He would let the boy drop out of school, which he hated, on one condition: He had to watch three movies a week, ones Dad chose, and be available to discuss them afterward.

Remember those concert ticket stubs and posters you misplaced some time after college? Well, they’re worth money now as cultural artifacts. These days, collecting rock memorabilia may be akin to building a fine art collection that appreciates in value – the market for it is strong and here to stay, according to a recent New York Times article. If you think you might have something of value, the Rock and Roll Trust offers appraisal and authentication services that can be used for legal, insurance, estate and tax purposes. If you want to start collecting, this historically significant note written to a fan by Brian Jones after the Rolling Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show is so expensive that you have to e-mail or call American Royal Arts to get the price. Take a look at these framed concert posters for shows at the legendary Fillmore West from 1966 to 1971, such as the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead poster (pictured). Again, if you have to ask how much, you can’t afford them. If you want something that has at least a range of prices, check out Wolfgang’s Vault, a go-to place for it all, where you will find photos of John Lennon before the last concert in San Francisco, Jimi Hendrix at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, or the youthful and cocky Bob Dylan ($1,400 to $5,000). For $535, you can nab this 1978 Bruce concert poster, and for just under $26, you can get this Springsteen Amnesty International backstage pass suitable for framing. Once you register at Wolfgang’s, you can go the Concert Vault and listen to the Who play at the Fillmore East in 1968 and Springsteen playing at Max’s Kansas City in 1973 for free. At the Rock and Roll Emporium, you’ll find Jim Morrison’s autographed 1969 laundry ticket ($6,000), a guitar autographed by Brian Wilson ($1,200) and this autographed Nirvana album ($5,500). Always wanted a pristine copy of Introducing the Beatles (on vinyl!)? The opening bid at eRock Auctions is $2,500. Now, don’t you wish you hadn’t thrown out that KISS lunch box?