BookCrossing: Dragonslayer

Another catch! Last July, I made release notes for Wayland Drew's Dragonslayer, noting its downtown placement outside Vancouver Art Gallery. On our recent Friday the 13th (BOO!), I found Dragonslayer on our bookshelves. Oops. I released it - for real this time - later that same day inside a Georgia Straight box on Dunbar, near my parents' place.

On Monday the 23rd (BOO!), a journal entry was made by a brand-new BookCrossing member. Here's what ChrisB12 wrote:

Found on top of that Georgia Straight box on Dunbar Avenue at 18th Avenue, Vancouver, BC. Saw the movie, haven't time to read the book, too busy surviving, finding a job, etc. Would have read it in my 20's, I'm 60 now. I'll set it free in Burnaby. That was Feb 22, 2009 (2/22/09). BTW: This is very cool. I've been reducing my library - I'll release a few gems to the Universe soon.

Here's a link to Dragonslayer on BookCrossing.

engineers and referees

"Time is only linear for engineers and referees," said V.

-- Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson

BookCrossing: In Pale Battalions

Horseshoes up my butt. Yesterday's wild release number 423 - Robert Goddard's In Pale Battalions at a bus stop in downtown Vancouver - received a same-day journal entry catch. Consecutive days with catches - I could get used to this!

My catch rate now sits at 12.05%.

Yesterday's journal entry:

I found this book at a bus stop on Davie and Burrard, and I have begun reading it, not sure where I plan to leave it.

Here's a link to In Pale Battalions on BookCrossing.

BookCrossing: Waking Raphael

On Friday I wild released three books in three different locations. As I usually do after releasing several books at once, I kept checking my BookCrossing profile to see if my releases caught number had increased. C'mon c'mon, don't be 73, don't be 73. BookCrossing does email notifications, of course, but I only get end-of-day summaries and sometimes I'm just a little too impatient.

Sunday morning I checked and, sure enough, my releases caught stood at 74. Yes! I checked my recent releases to see which one it was and was surprised to find that none of my most recent three had received journal entries. So I kept scrolling down the page and it wasn't until I reached the last book on the first page (book 50!) that I saw a "set by [username]" that didn't ring a bell. Waking Raphael by Leslie Forbes was released by yours truly last June during Car-Free Day on Commercial Drive. I released it right onto the street itself, on the yellow centre line. My first thought was that the journal entry was made by a new member, but no - s/he's been a member since last February.

It's appropriate that the book was the 50th on the page, as this was the 50th catch of my wild releases. Today I performed wild release number 423, and some quick calculations shows that as of this sentence being written my wild release catch rate is 11.82%. The aforementioned number for my releases caught (74) includes all my wild releases, but also all the books that I have made journal entries on that subsequently received journal entries by others - books that were mailed to other BookCrossers or given to friends, for example.

Here's the journal entry for Waking Raphael:

I picked this up on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, right where it was left. I have had it since then and haven't had the chance to read it. After I have read it, I will release it.

Waking Raphael on BookCrossing.

love through concern and interference

And she was right. It wasn't that her mother didn't love her, it's just that Janice could only express love through concern and interference, and you can't really apply that to someone who's doing fine.

-- Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson

BookCrossing: Different Seasons

I've been busy and haven't done much BookCrossing lately. I have a whole lot of books that need releasing but they first need labelling and the past few months I've been too work busy to have time, or energy. And, hey - I became a dad on Thursday! One might think that would decrease my spare time even more, but I'm on pat leave for a few months and plan on sending a lot of books out into the wild during that time. There are also a lot of books on my to-be-read shelves.

Last Saturday I released Different Seasons at Metrotown, and author Stephen King got a positive review by the book's catcher (a new member!) in Wednesday's journal entry:

i have not read the book yet, but i admire with the reputation of Stephen king. fubulous! THANK YOU SO MUCN!

Here's a link to Different Seasons on BookCrossing.