The Joy Of Post
by LyzzyBeeMay 5, 2009
I was curled up in bed on a Saturday morning, reading a book about reclaiming the simple joys in life, which was extolling the virtues of the handwritten letter. Now, I'm one for the handwritten letter anyway, and have a fine collection of fountain pens
and different coloured inks, but as the post thudded through the door (and I thudded down the stairs to collect it) this musing was on my mind.
One of my pieces of post was a bookring book, sent to me by a friend of a few years' standing who I see at varying intervals through the year (for those of you not familiar with the idea, a bookring is a book that passes through a set list of BookCrossing hands; there are many on my profile and archive pages if you need examples). Anyway, with the book was a pretty card with a note inside. And this is one of my favorite things about BookCrossing.
I have a great collection of postcards and greetings cards that accompanied books that I've traded or shared in bookrings. Just a short note in the person's handwriting and a postcard of their home town is a lovely thing to receive.
Of course, I love to send cards and notes in the books that I mail. I have a collection of postcards of my home town which seems to be especially nice for people who don't know about it or a good reminder for those who have visited it. I also have notepads from various UnConventions to jot down a note for those BookCrossers who've collected all the Birmingham postcards. On occasion, I receive (or send out) a bookring which specifically asks for home town postcards. This makes for a whole new collection to sort through.
BookCrossing is so much more than leaving books in the wild (though I love that aspect too and have liberated over 2,000 books since joining). Meetups and making new friends are great but those little cards and letters from new and old friends (or even someone you may never hear from again)...well, that's just the icing on the cake!
One of my pieces of post was a bookring book, sent to me by a friend of a few years' standing who I see at varying intervals through the year (for those of you not familiar with the idea, a bookring is a book that passes through a set list of BookCrossing hands; there are many on my profile and archive pages if you need examples). Anyway, with the book was a pretty card with a note inside. And this is one of my favorite things about BookCrossing.
I have a great collection of postcards and greetings cards that accompanied books that I've traded or shared in bookrings. Just a short note in the person's handwriting and a postcard of their home town is a lovely thing to receive.
Of course, I love to send cards and notes in the books that I mail. I have a collection of postcards of my home town which seems to be especially nice for people who don't know about it or a good reminder for those who have visited it. I also have notepads from various UnConventions to jot down a note for those BookCrossers who've collected all the Birmingham postcards. On occasion, I receive (or send out) a bookring which specifically asks for home town postcards. This makes for a whole new collection to sort through.
BookCrossing is so much more than leaving books in the wild (though I love that aspect too and have liberated over 2,000 books since joining). Meetups and making new friends are great but those little cards and letters from new and old friends (or even someone you may never hear from again)...well, that's just the icing on the cake!
