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Book Crossing ? A Site That Promotes Goodwill

BookCrossing is a hobby that many people are proud of indulging in as it gives them a chance to do something good. All booklovers will love the chance of being able to discuss a book with another person who has read it. Members of the site are more than 500,000 strong from all corners of the world; this makes it possible not just to find one like-minded person but perhaps hundreds of them!

Books For Free
Books are released by the members without expecting anything in return, yet the number of members seem to be ever increasing. The reason being that people love the chance of being able to share books with others and being able to monitor, if they are lucky enough, the journey of the book as it passes from book lover to book lover, the ?catchers?.

The World?s A Lending Library
Many members release books that somehow touched their lives and hope that those who find it will benefit too after reading the book. The aim of the club is to make the world a large lending library and they seem to be well on their way to make it so as there are members from more than 150 countries in the bookcrossers club.

Members can trade, start bookrings, bookrays, bookboxes etc. with other members, and get to read a diverse collection of books. Some members are generous enough to send other member books that they had requested for. This fosters goodwill among the members spreading the joy of sharing and giving.

The Kindness Of Strangers
Some of the club members love to look up wish lists to determine if they may fulfill another member’s wish. In the event that they find books requested with them, they do a random act of kindness; and send over the book for free without expecting even postage. This has changed the lives of several members who had lost faith in the goodness of other people, giving them a reason to celebrate the reading of the book, the making of a new friend.

The thrill of BookCrossing is to learn how far the book they released wanders, to read the reviews of those who caught the books and to delight in the joy of giving, expecting nothing in return. Some of the books caught were timely for the souls who got them. For example, a women who had a troubled marriage ?caught? a book that gave her sage, potent advice and helped her sail through her emotional low tide!

It is amazing that so many people are united with one common goal, the joy of giving away books that most of them love so someone else can read it. Books have been given a second chance; instead of gathering dust, they are off wandering and spreading joy. Caste, creed, nationality, gender age, sex of the members is of no consideration here, only the fact that they love books and are part of one big community that is promoting literacy, matters.

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