Community Service 2009

It's a beautiful system: collect unwanted books from colleges and libraries, sell them online and use some of the profits — donating about $7 million to date — to help more people (potential customers!) learn to read. Founded in 2002, Better World Books has 3 million new and used titles. Shipping is free in the U.S., but the Indiana firm charges a few cents for carbon offsets. Talk about a guilt-free read.

See the 100 best novels of all time.