bookcrossing

2007-01-21 | Permalink

##BookCrossing##

I know this is kind of off-topic here, but I wanted to share this anyway.

Once or twice a month I walk up to my mailbox (it’s a bit out of my normal route, since I usually enter my building from the back of the apartment building, and the mailbox is at the front door). Because of this, I am used that there are quite a few letters and overdue bills stacked up in there. Which is another reason to delay fetching my mail. Maybe i need some real life mailbox alert system, but I digress.

Today I went down there and what I found just made my day. Between the usual notices, spam, and misdelivered mail (which might be another story worth telling), I found something that just made my day.

I often order books and movies online, but hadn’t recently, so I was quite surprised that in the stacks of letters, there was a book. On the cover there was a dutch label congratulating me for receiving what translates as a ‘stray book’. The label told me to check inside the cover and there I found the following message:

Howdy! Hola! Bonjour! Guten Tag!

I’m a very special book. You see, I’m traveling around the world making new friends. I hope I’ve met another friend in you. Please go to www.BookCrossing.com and enter my BCID number (shown below).

You’ll discover where I’ve been and who has read me, and can let them know I’m safe here in your hands. Then… READ and RELEASE me!

(BCID CODE)

I had never heard of BookCrossing; it is like a global book club where people who have finished a book register it, then ‘forget’ it somewhere, passing on the book and giving a random person the chance to enjoy the book too. Their goal is making the whole world one big library.

This book was left in a random mailbox which just happened to be mine.

By registering and labeling a book, you essentialy free it to explore the world, giving it the chance to make someone else happy, instead of letting it collect dust on your bookshelf.

Great idea. I’ve got some reading to do.

Jelte