Book Karma?
Read a good book? Then release it!! Share it! Don’t let it sit on a shelf gathering dust! This is the idea behind a world wide phenomena called BookCrossing. It has even become an entry in the Oxford dictionary:
Bookcrossing – n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.
Bookcrossing.com has over 500, 000 members, and has recorded the release of over 3 million books since April 2001 when it first began. By registering a book on the website, it is possible for many to be tracked, sometimes even across the world as even books travel!
There is a ‘biggest book release in one day’ planned in Australia on October 21 2006, so you could be part of this! Here’s what you do before then:
- Check over your bookshelves for a book you have enjoyed
- Log onto bookcrossing.com and join as a member (perfectly safe as no personal details are viewable by others)
- Register the book(s) you are going to release
- Print off a bookcrossing logo – the Australian one is available at: http://www.byokids.com.au/content/view/31/57/
- Label your book
- Then release your book on October 21 – in a park, café, bus stop, shop, somewhere a booklover might pick it up.
- Check back to the website from time to time to see if your book has been ‘caught’ and ‘released’ again.
Even if you miss this date, give the idea a try anyway – you never know who will come across your book, and what pleasures you will provide for others. What do you think of the idea?
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November 9th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Yes, but not a library book, I hope!!
November 9th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Of course not!!! Who would think of such a thing???
The idea is to share books you personally own – but as a booklover, it is so hard to give up the favourite, isn’t it?