January 25, 2006
[This occasional newsletter is sent to members of BookCrossing.com. See the bottom of this newsletter for simple removal instructions.]
A Tip (or several) from BookCrossing Support
BookCrossing is a site designed to track books released in the wild. Some members like to trade books and others dislike the practice. It is perfectly okay to say "no" if someone PMs and asks you
for a trade; you do not have to send books to people just because they ask for them. While many BookCrossers have had
wonderful experiences with trades or with just sending their own books off without any compensation, others have had
less enjoyable outcomes. What we advocate is to grab a book (read it first or not!), register it (if it isn't already registered),
and release it in the manner with which you are most comfortable. For more "Tips of the Trade" click
here.
Stamp, Ballycumber, Stamp!
 Announcing our newest addition to
the Supply Store — The
Ballycumber Rubber Stamp. This one-of-a kind wooden and rubber stamp is a great addition for all your BookCrossing
activities! Measuring 2.25" X 2.25" (image measures 2" X 2"), send Bally running across books, notes, presents, envelopes
and much more! This stamp is mounted on quality solid wood. Ink pad not included.
And for those who missed
our fabulous new features to share feathers with friends (or in other words, how to wing a bunch of buddies at once, click
here.)
Announcing Conventions in Greece and Australia
Wow! BookCrossing has really taken off in Greece. Our wonderful Greek members just announced the first Greek Convention in Thessaloniki on July 14-16
of this year. The event is still in the planning stages, so further details on any activities and venue are all pending. What information is available is
here and here. All you old hands at
convention planning are invited to share your ideas and experience with the planning committee. Contact
Luz-de-Luna with ideas and information or send a PM (with "Convention in the subject line)
here for further information. The next Aussie Convention will be held
over October 20-22, 2006 in Adelaide, South Australia. We are told Adelaide is widely recognised as one of the most "liveable" cities in Australia (and indeed
the world, as evidenced by the recent Economist survey) and has plenty in the way of beaches, hills, wineries, gourmet food, nightlife, culture ....and
bookshops! Both interstate and international BookCrossers are invited (and encouraged!) to consider making the trip. More information and links for your Down
Under adventure will be on the Convention Info page shortly. In the meanitime, you can contact contact
running-gal or one of the other organizers
(Wirigerie, Arrietty,
newk, grooble,
Aussie-Rose, flitterby)
directly. (P.S. Remember, the New Zealand convention is approaching fast. Any contributions you might have volunteered to send need to
be there pronto!)
In The News
 Just a few quick things for the avid BookCrosser
to check. First, the Open University Students Association (OUSA) in UK has linked to BookCrossing. Check it out here.
Many thanks to Molyneux and all the others involved for their efforts at joining BookCrossing and
Open University. As Molyneux says, "BookCrossing has really taken off with the OU students — and the regular monthly pub meets for OU have successfully
turned into a joint BC/OU meet. We have had lots of converts to BC! It helps that we have an OBCZ in the pub where we meet too."
Many
BookCrossers were surprised to find a letter from founder Ron Hornbaker in their mailboxes recently, introducing
propsmart, BookCrossing's new little sister. PropSmart made its debut recently and is featured in a number of
Internet articles. Click here for links.
"READING FOR RELIEF" PROJECT - A PERSONAL STORY
A personal account of my encounter with the "Reading for Relief" Project
by bothynights
Well, I almost made it through 2 years of ignoring the �Call for Writers� that has faithfully appeared in the numerous BookCrossing Newsletters that have graced my inbox since joining BookCrossing
in March of 2004. I even did so relatively guilt free -� after all, I�ve never really considered myself much of a writer (there are millions of those out
there, so why try to compete!) and even more importantly, I had nothing to write about! However, in October of this year, this excuse (at least the one of
having nothing to write about), came to an end :) So now, I�ve decided to share my story�...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2133]
A RESOLUTION FOR 2006
or, other things to do with books besides reading them
by hotflash
As I write, there are two books within reach on my nightstand. They beckon. They plead. My fingers are already twitching and fighting to feel the smooth
comfort and contours of the hard-back covers, but I must persevere in my quest for self and order. ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2136]
SEVEN BOOKS FOR SEVEN DAYS OF HAPPINESS
How death can release books and bring a smile
by workaholicgr
Grandma was seriously ill. Although she was 84, she refused to accept the fact that she was quite old. Her face without the wrinkles could belong to a ten
year old. Grandpa had passed away eight years earlier and she said that she wasn't looking forward to meeting him. He was always grumpy then, and he wouldn't
change in the Afterlife. She moved his picture from the table across her bed to another one because she complained that he visited her every night, hugging
and kissing her. "That old grumpy man wouldn't hug me when he was alive, what on earth does he want now," she would complain over our weekly telephone call....
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2146]
ITALIANS DO IT SINGING!
How to merge BookCrossing and Karaoke
by Introoder
In order to properly celebrate the 40th Roman meetup, the Roman BookCrossing community decided to organise a Karaoke night, giving some of the members the
chance to show their singing skills to the rest of the community....
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2147]
IN PRAISE OF THE OBCZ
Wild releasing in a tame environment
by LizzyUK
When I first joined BookCrossing just over a year ago, I found it difficult to leave my books out in the wild when it seemed like they only rarely received
journal entries. This all changed when, within a few weeks of each other, two Official BookCrossing Zones (OBCZ) opened up near me. Since then, although
still carrying out the occasional wild release, a great deal of my releasing has been done in �private�. I would like to extol the virtues of the humble
OBCZ....
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2153]
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
A few words about trading books on BookCrossing
by BCSupportTeam
Right there on the home page of BookCrossing, our founder, Ron Hornbaker, says:
You've come to a friendly place, and we welcome you to our book-lovers' community. Our members love books enough to let them go�into the
wild�to be found by others. Book sharing has never been more exciting, more serendipitous, than with BookCrossing. Our goal, simply, is to make the whole
world a library. BookCrossing is a book exchange of infinite proportion, the first and only of its kind. ...
[read it all at http://www.bookcrossing.com/articles/2160]
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 |  197,391 (45%) |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 41,105 (9%) |
| CANADA | 31,098 (7%) |
| GERMANY | 28,729 (7%) |
| SPAIN | 22,284 (5%) |
| AUSTRALIA | 19,554 (4%) |
| ITALY | 14,409 (3%) |
| FRANCE | 8,196 (2%) |
| NETHERLANDS | 6,219 (1%) |
| PORTUGAL | 6,157 (1%) |
Top 10 Countries Last Week
| USA | 597 (34%) |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 239 (13%) |
| GERMANY | 117 (7%) |
| CANADA | 96 (5%) |
| AUSTRALIA | 87 (5%) |
| FRANCE | 60 (3%) |
| SPAIN | 58 (3%) |
| ITALY | 55 (3%) |
| HUNGARY | 49 (3%) |
| NETHERLANDS | 40 (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...
 Two and a
half years later, book is caught on a plane:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/870593
by mojosmom
What an ingenious wild
release and catch!
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/1372411 I'd get a kick out of opening a drawer and finding a book!
by IrishBookFan
Traveled far enough
I got this journal entry on one of my books today http://bookcrossing.com/---/3206833
by reddragonlady
While this was being caught
downstairs...
http://bookcrossing.com/---/2646469 ... the London Renegades, Semioticghosts and WistfulDragon were upstairs, having a meet-up in honour of visiting BCer
FloraFloraFlora. Perhaps the BC ambience somehow influenced this new member to pick up and journal his first book.
by londonmet
Helsinki to
Prague to London - a new member and a re-release
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3559990 It's also worth clicking on Jaskatvuohta's profile page to see what the name means.
by Potok-fan
AF is helped finding a book
he/she always wanted to read!
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3517050
by Katti
Another AF loved the book - even though
it wasn't their preferred genre...
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3351549 Nice catch for sundryideas...
by GoryDetails
Never expected to hear from it
again
But now, two and a half years later: http://bookcrossing.com/---/854747 I hope larae keeps on BookCrossing!
by mssaver
A long-time-member-gone-quiet is inspired again!
Hi all, after several months of practically NO wild releases, apart from at an OBCZ, I decided to "wild" a couple at the end of last week. Would you believe my surprise getting to work today to find a journal entry? Woohoo!
http://bookcrossing.com/---/3590545
Thank you TroubleKitten, may you be inspired to get back on the wagon! C.
by Littlemave
His second find in the wild within a month!
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3504464
by mojosmom
Kids' Christmas Catches
This one was caught twice (both anonymous) but it seems to have gone to the right reader in the end- http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3526697 (Max's Christmas Stocking) The catcher
of this one enjoyed the BookCrossing experience of catching and releasing the book- http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3329208 (Garfield's Night Before Christmas)
by aleonblue
It took them 3 years to journal it...
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/ This was one of the first books I registered.
by LarkOnapost
Great Narnia book catch for pinkozcat!
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3472071
by nicolesinger
WOW ~ Three firsts in one book, totally
brilliant!!!
Spilly�s first book registered, is their first book wild released *&* then their first book journalled anonymously! How cool is that!
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/3600034
by rainbow3
A great Bookcrossing story!
My sister was at a party yesterday and a friend gave her a Bookcrossing book. The friend had picked it up at a shopping centre in Mackay and was raving about the concept! My sister lives 1200 Kilometres away from me, on the Gold Coast
(Queensland, Australia).
Who registered the book and wild release it- ME! And it found its way to my sis. Of course, neither my sister or the friend have journalled the book so I'm not even sure what it is, but I still think
its a great story!
by felicia-fairy
SSM 32: Celebrating the Year of the Dog
January 29, 2006 is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog. For SSM 32, we suggest that you find a book that releates
to this event, and release it on the 29th at a spot that seems to cry out "Happy Chinese New Year" to you: Chinese restaurant, pet shop near the puppies, next to the champagne in the store. It's really up to you!
For more information on SSMs, click here.
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