February 10, 2006
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Catching up on News
 BookCrossing made the news in Maple Ridge, BC Canada, in conjunction with Literacy Day. The article is down now, but perhaps you can email the Maple Ridge News for a copy. Congrats to uppity and all on a project very well done! There's a nice article featuring the Memphis, TN group, found here. Many thanks to kgholderman, ariesgirl29,dancing-dog, nancyluvsbooks, becca-mo, MissLou and mississippimom. Froggirlwendy let us know we made it into an Aussie television show and Cyzaki got a mention for the site in the Beeb's h2g2. ill-iterated and UppsalaK let us know that we're being talked about in Sweden, noting that someone was leaving lots of books by a certain author in Domkyrkan (church) in Uppsala. Hmmmm. Wonder who? Not to be outdone, there's an article from the Netherlands which features FunkyBaby. Read about it here. And finally, author and BookCrosser Faizy was on BBC Radio Shropshire in the UK to talk about his experiences with BookCrossing as an author. He has written and released a few copies of a children's book she wrote. As Faizy tells us, "Anyone who moans that their books are being given away for free is missing the point of writing. It's fun to get feedback from real book lovers!"
Once again, Ron is a Winner! (Thanks to the Greek BookCrossers, that is.)
There is a Greek tradition for the first days of the new year: a family (or group) gathers around a table and they cut a special kind of cake (it's called Vassilopita). The cake has a coin baked in it, and nobody knows where it is! The person who gets the slice with the coin inside is supposed to be lucky for the rest of the year. Luz-de-Luna let us know that when the Thessaloniki BookCrossing group cut their cake at the first BC Meeting of 2006, the piece set aside for Ron Hornbaker got the lucky piece! The Newsletter Team joins the Greek BookCrossers in wishing Ron a happy new year and many thanks for BookCrossing.
BookPlate Artwork to be Auctioned
 Remember the fabulous artwork by Hannah Firmin for BookCrossing and BookAid International? It, along with more than 30 other original works have been kindly donated by well-renowned authors, are going up for auction in the UK with Bloomsbury Auction The event takes place during the evening of Tuesday 21st February and is generously hosted by  Bloomsbury Auctions, Mayfair, London. For more information on this fundraiser for BookAid, click here. Sealed and telephone bids are being accepted by Bloomsbury. Wouldn't Opening the World Through Books look great on your wall?
Kiwi Kickoff: 2006 Convention February 17-19, Dunedin, New Zealand
 Our first Convention of 2006 is just around the corner. A fabulous program is planned by those creative Kiwis, including a secondhand bookshop tour, release walk and flashmob, Dunedin Writer's Walk release and more. BookCrosser Weijun Collins will speak about her book Desert Rose. Plus, there'll be over thirty BookCrossers gathered from all over. You just know it's all going to be grand! Be sure to keep an eye out to the Convention and Meetings Forum for updates!
For information on other conventions (North American/Toronto in April, UK UnConvention in June, Greek in July, Aussie/Adelaide in October and soon to be added to the page, Dresden in May) click here.
14th Edition Book Plates Sure to Bring Sweet Dreams
 Soup and Sandwich, Ham and Eggs, Book Lovers and Cats. It seems such a natural fit. What better way to share your love of our feline companions with the world than with our latest bookplate? Sweet Dreams by Sandra MacDonald. This is a charming watercolor of a sleeping tabby, relaxed in dream land. The cat looks as if he is taking a bit of a nap during his studies, mostly of birds and the culinary arts. Let your books celebrate the regality of the Cat with this lusciously lulling label. If cats aren't your cuppa tea, perhaps there is a cat-loving friend on your Friends list that these limited edition plates would delight. All BookCrossing products are available at our Supply Store. (And while at the Store, why not check out our new Ballycumber Stamp?)
"Show Your Love" Contest
BookCrossers are the greatest! No doubt about it. For example, there is TracyShannon, who has been thinking and thinking of creative ways to show her appreciation for the site. She is sponsoring the "Show Your Love For BookCrossing" Contest and has enlisted the assistance of many other BookCrossers in the endeavor. Interested in participating? According to TracyShannon, all you need are wings and a mouse-click to her profile, where you can read the contest rules and enter. Her goal is to have as many BookCrossers as possible show their love by visiting the Supply Store, where for as little as $5 a donation can be made which will get you the wings you need to enter the contest. Thanks, TracyShannon!
SALCEY FOREST AERIAL WALK
Releasing really wild books for the TV Cameras in Northamptonshire
by weebly
It was a lovely day. I was -- as always when hosting -- slightly nervous, but everyone was so friendly - the new BookCrossers were welcomed and I got to meet again those I already count as friends....
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2157]
A BOOKCROSSING MYSTERY
Oh the Places a Scavenger Hunt Will Take You!
by KarenBC
I survived a BookCrossing mystery! To bring you into the loop I have to step back a few months, and give you a bit of background. ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2161]
BOOKCROSSING TOP 100
Vote now!
by Linda Raven Moore (WhiteRaven13)
The BookCrossing Top 100 started in 2004 when grover3d conceived the idea and asked for help. One of the major newspapers had published a top-100 books list, and we didn't necessarily agree with their choices. We thought we would do our own. ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2166]
BOOKCROSSING - ONE AUTHOR'S VIEW
Is BookCrossing costing me sales?
by Tracey Sinclair (Tracey23)
At first, BookCrossing sounds like a bad deal for us authors. After all, if people are picking up your book for free, they aren�t buying it! Especially for a writer like me, with a small publisher, where every sale counts more than I�d like to admit, this could be seen as a major loss. So why I am so thrilled by the fact that my book is on BookCrossing? ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2171]
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MASS RELEASE
A successful mass release wraps up at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada!
by HoserLauren
The second and third weeks in January saw the University of Waterloo Mass Release in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. There were 240 books released in total, and to date there have been 49 catches! Each of the buildings on campus was assigned a theme to which books released in the building had to match. For example, the health sciences building had books with body parts in the title, such as Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. Of the 49 catches, there have been 7 new member sign ups. There were also two double catches! The Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music was caught on January 17, re-released, and caught again on January 30. Harvest by Tess Gerritsen was caught on January 20th, and then caught again in Buffalo, NY on February 1! The idea of releasing books seems to have caught on, as other catchers have promised to release books in South America, Michigan, Nova Scotia, and even to mom....
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2179]
MEMOIRS OF A BOOKCROSSER�S PARTNER
Book release stories as told by a BookCrosser's husband
by Mr Fleurdelys (fleurdelys)
There I was, relaxing in a hot bath after a hard day at work, looking forward to reading a few more chapters of my book, when my wife came rushing into the bathroom shouting �A book has just been released in the phone box on Belmont road. Can you drive me to it?� And it wasn�t just a case of when I had finished my bath; we had to go immediately, just in case some random stranger was lurking near the phone box, on the lookout for poor defenceless books! So I got out of the bath and got dressed, and drove round to the phone box, where my wife was delighted to find the book still there, waiting to be found. This is what it is like to be married to a BookCrosser. ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2180]
BOOKCROSSING FLOODS OVER THE BOOT
The latest news from �Bella Italia�
by azimuth
A bookquake was registered by seismographs throughout Italy on 1 January 2006! On that day, Europe�s Boot finally had its own �magic mirror on the wall� through which follow all the brilliant activity of the �Boot-Crossers�. The new fully-fledged Italian mirror www.bookcrossing-italia.com saw the light with the new year and it is now steadily supporting the increase in subscriptions to the official website. ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2181]
HANNAH FIRMIN BOOKPLATE GOES ON THE BLOCK
Bidding Book Aid International auction at Bloomsbury Auctions
by BookAid International (BookAid)
 Remember the fabulous artwork by Hannah Firmin for BookCrossing and BookAid? It, along with more than 30 other original works have been kindly donated by well-renowned authors, is going up for auction in the UK with Bloomsbury Auction The event is kindly supported by Jeremy Paxman. It takes place during the evening of Tuesday, 21 February and is generously hosted by Bloomsbury Auctions, Mayfair, London. For more information on this fundraiser for BookAid, click here. The catalogue has a write-up about the project BookAid and BookCrossing did together last year and how proud BookAid International is to be associated with BookCrossing. It also states clearly that proceeds from the sale of the piece will be split 50/50 between BookCrossing and BAI. And BookCrossing is there on the supporters page, too! We hope you'll join us!...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2184]
CALL FOR WRITERS
Want to write for BookCrossing? If your article is accepted, you could see it featured here in the next newsletter. What topics do we need? Anything about books, reading, or BookCrossing — tutorials, release and catch stories, well-traveled book stories, funny BookCrossing experience stories — you get the idea. Write it up, then submit it here:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/submit
Top 10 Countries All-Time
| USA |  198,783 (45%) |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 41,757 (9%) |
| CANADA | 31,331 (7%) |
| GERMANY | 29,030 (7%) |
| SPAIN | 22,407 (5%) |
| AUSTRALIA | 19,824 (4%) |
| ITALY | 14,506 (3%) |
| FRANCE | 8,483 (2%) |
| NETHERLANDS | 6,339 (1%) |
| PORTUGAL | 6,202 (1%) |
Top 10 Countries Last Week
| USA | 562 (28%) |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 391 (19%) |
| FRANCE | 201 (10%) |
| GERMANY | 132 (6%) |
| CANADA | 95 (5%) |
| AUSTRALIA | 88 (4%) |
| SPAIN | 62 (3%) |
| NETHERLANDS | 57 (3%) |
| ITALY | 34 (2%) |
| NEW ZEALAND | 31 (2%) |
Wild books released by our members are being caught all over the world, every day! Our site watch forum is where members post news of great wild book catches. Here are some of the best from the last few days...
 blown away by the idea of a free book
A nice catch for mfetko-
http://bookcrossing.com/---/
I love when the finder shares what it was like to find a book.
by guinaveve
Another three-years-later catch - mislaid during a move...
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/535815 Seems to happen a lot- once something's packed away or shelved with lots of other books who knows when it'll resurface? [I'm thinking that putting the little BC stickers (or other types of labels) on the spines may be of some help in making BC books stand out on the shelves...]
by GoryDetails
"I cannot thank the person who left those books there enough."
Wonderful journal entries. Finder spots book from the bus, and leaps off to make the catch. Finds a pile, takes only the two relevant ones (not too greedy, *grin*), and writes, "Once again, I would like to thank the person who left this book and wish them all the best in the future..." Great release, abreak! (edited to add quotation marks around subject-line.) first read: http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3660021 and then: http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3660061
by Potok-fan
Neanderthals at Work "... like a message from the Universe!"
Neanderthals at Work by Albert J. Bernstein (category Business & Investing) "A co-worker and I were having lunch at a restaurant and discussing how low morale was in our department at work and why we thought that was happening. It was quite a discussion, and we came to the conclusion that the low morale issue was due to some of our co-worker's attitudes at work. I excused myself for a moment to visit the ladies' room and found this book on the wash basin! Talk about "serendipity in action!" It was like a message from the Universe!" http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3659045
by xoddam
AF found a fast travelling book...how did it get from CA to a cruise ship in TX?
http://bookcrossing.com/---/3568780
;-)
by zizzr
Book finds its way to ex-villager!
I just got a lovely message from a bookcrosser who used to live in the same village as I do, and has now got one of my books! It has reached them by a very complex route though! 7th Jan 2005- Book donated to WI in Hartwell Village- Northamptonshire
17th Jan 2005- Sent to Coolboxuk in Chertsey(Surrey) in trade
27th Jan 2005- Caught by SwanofKennet at a BOSH bash (local meet up in Reading)
6th July 2005- Left in a Geocache in Woodley
16th October- Picked up by geocacher MrsZee from Swansea- Wales
2nd February- Picked up by lucid520 at a geocache meet-up in Cardiff And Lucid520 used to live in my very small village in Northamptonshire 15 years ago! What a great journey the book has had- and hopefully it will travel on even more.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/2372521
by weebly
Austrian Spy goes to Russia, then California
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3061015
by mojosmom
My new longest-time-to-catch (and longest journal entry!)
http://bookcrossing.com/---/445507 [This isn't the first book that's been reported as having spent several years in the trunk of a car- do lots of people toss books in there and forget them?] Was tickled to hear back from the book in any case!
by GoryDetails
Great trip for this Bristol, UK release all the way to Rio, Brazil
It took the finder nearly two years to journal and join!http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1376598
by meganh
Perhaps mom is my lucky charm...
My mom had an appt about 45 minutes south of us, so I stopped by her house in the morning to see if maybe she'd release a book for me down there ;o) She said sure and called me later and to tell me where. As soon as she got home, she called and asked if anyone caught it... sadly, not yet. But then the next morning there was a JE waiting in my email box and someone had found it and journaled it! She was so excited :o) As was I for her. http://bookcrossing.com/---/?... Maybe she's my lucky charm? Well, I'll just have to test that theory, heehee!
by TimeEnuf-atLast
A year on and it gets found!
Never lose hope. Books can get found after a year. Here's proof! http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/2039990
by IrishBookFan
Book travels from New Zealand to Poland to USA via Ireland
a world traveller http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3500540
by varykino
never give up on a release
two and a half years later I get a catch,but where did she find it. http://bookcrossing.com/---/662567
by lytteltonwitch
book resurfaces after nearly two years
Found this one on the recently caught list: http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/1584618
by Cpetersky
"Filled with compassion for the abandoned literature"
A book released at the Wildfowl and Wetlands centre in South London gets journalled...
http://bookcrossing.com/---/J_2615971
by londonmet
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