Have you discovered Bookcrossing?

Quite simply, Bookcrossing is fantastic. Do you have shelves full of books you’ve only read once and aren’t likely to read again? I know I have. Most of my paperbacks come from my grandad, who reads like it was going out of fashion and passes his books onto us. After we’ve read them, they go onto a shelf or are passed onto friends. We have amassed hundreds over the years and the shelves are groaning!

Some have gone to charity shops (especially the ones in the best condition), but some have gone for Bookcrossing. What is Bookcrossing? I hear you cry – get to the point. Well, Bookcrossing is a project whereby you register your book on the website and are given a unique number to write or stamp into the book (with a short explanation). Then you release it. It doesn’t matter where, lots of libraries have Bookcrossing points, but some people like to leave them on park benches and other ‘wild’ places.

When your book is found the unique number is entered into the website and registered as ‘caught’. After the finder has read it, they can release it somewhere else to be found again. The website keeps track of the book so you can see where it’s been (some even go around the world), and a comments section means you can see what they thought of it.

If your local library doesn’t have a Bookcrossing section, ask them to start one. We have a great one at our library at work which always has a good selection of books to catch.

Apart from anything else, Bookcrossing is thrifty and great for promoting that good karma!

Beccy