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Book Crossing ? Giving Books A Second Chance

Book Crossing has made people hunt books and then release them, to encourage others to cultivate the habit of reading and get them to promote literacy themselves. Many became members to make some free space in their houses only to find that they are collecting more and more books to read and eventually to release!

Collecting Books
Members have become so involved with the concept of giving away books and tracking their journey that they end up collecting books by various methods.

Many members have cleaned their bookshelf and found a pile of great books that they find release worthy. Instead of accumulating dust and sitting forgotten in a shelf, they give these books a second chance by making them useful again.

Many members get an amazing number of books from friends and family who have a stack of books that they do not want. Some people buy books to add to the pile of books that they released.

Giving Books Away
Some of the members of bookcrossing.com buy books in order to trade with another member. Some people want to bring joy and fulfill another member’s wish by buying them their most desired book as a random act of kindness. Many people buy books that relate to a theme, begin a theme of their own and include a surprise gift to the bookring members. Some include items that have relevance to the book as a surprise. One member started a bookring with candy surprises for the bookring members! Members starting a bookring will let it be known in the forum about their intention to start a bookring. Club members who desire to be included will soon inform the member and a list will be formed. The book is then posted to the first person A in the bookring. A is expected to make a journal entry stating that she has received the book, make contact with a person in the list who wants the book and send the book to that person. They may also leave a review stating their views about the book.

Some members frequent second hand book stores, garage sales to collect boxes of books that they can utilize. Members release the books in public places such as cafes, coffee houses, restaurants, bus stops, buses, hospitals, doctor?s offices, waiting rooms, museums, park benches, gyms, just about anywhere where the book can reasonably be expected to be picked up. Members are asked not to leave the books in places where they may raise security concerns such as airports and air planes. Releasing books in book stores are also not recommended as it may put the person who picked it up in jeopardy.

Most of the members are women aged 25 to 45 who have formed firm friendships with other members. The joy of the book club was never felt so ?virtually.?

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