Tuesday, January 26, 2010

BookCrossing: Fine Things

It's a catch catch catch. It's a catch catch catch. I released a book and got a catch catch catch. My last catch was a short entry, which is fine, but I released Fine Things in October in the States and received a much longer journal entry yesterday. As a result, my catch rate got bumped to just over 13%. I like it. It appears the book was taken to Hong Kong to be released, but was brought back to Canada instead and will be released in Japan in May. Happy to read that, and also happy because I'll be releasing books in Asia before then, so I won't be beat! Here's the catch:
I am a Canadian leaving in Vancouver, BC. In October 2009, I went down to Seattle with my colleague to do some shopping. Got this book from Seattle Premium Factory Outlet while I sat on the bench waiting for my colleague to do her final shopping before returning to Canada. A lady (shopper) was sitting beside me. Later she left and when I looked around, I found the book by my side. Firstly I thought somebody has forgotten to take the book. But when I saw its cover, there was a sticker pasted on it. Writing on the sticker was "I'm not lost. HELP ME TRAVEL!
I planned to take it to Hong Kong in December 2009. However I got no time to finish reading it. So I brought it back to Canada again. Right now I have read throug it and found that it's quite good. I decide to leave it in the boat as I have joined a cruise in Japan coming May 2010.

It's a lot of fun - reading and circulating the book.

Monday, January 18, 2010

BookCrossing: The Sisters

A quick catch. Nothing like a quick catch. There are some free-newspaper boxes inside which I've released many books and received very few journal entries, if any. On Friday evening - after leaving Metrotown after watching Up in the Air, great movie - I released The Sisters inside a Georgia Straight box that I'd never used before. And I got a catch within twenty-four hours! The catcher hasn't yet read the book, yet they rated it 7-stars. Maybe they're rating the idea behind the website. My catch rate now is now sitting pretty at 12.840466926070038%.

I'm taking some books to release in Malaysia soon (in addition to the books that are part of the wedding-gifts package for the wonderful couple), and hope to be enjoying some international catches soon thereafter, or years thereafter. Books of mine have been released in the States (by me), in New Zealand (by my mom), and in Europe (by catchers of my released-in-North-America books), but I am unaware of any of my books being released anywhere in Asia. I've never been to Asia. I'm so excited!

Here's the catch for The Sisters:
found inside newspaper stand plan to read....

Friday, January 15, 2010

if I really liked her

"Why don't you just pay all three and send the other two away?" Yossarian suggested.

"Because then mine will be angry with me for making her work for her money," Nately replied with an anxious look at his girl, who was glowering at him restlessly and starting to mutter. "She says that if I really liked her I'd send her away and go to bed with one of the others."
-- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Why not simply not pay the other two? Won't they then leave and try to find a guy who'll pay them to go to bed? If his girl threatens to leave with them, he can offer to pay her double or even triple; that shouldn't be a problem since he had lured all three there with promises of $30 each - which occurred pre-excerpt. She gets all $90 for $30 of work, and the other girls get nada.

Friday, January 8, 2010

BookCrossing: The Venetian Playboy's Bride

Yesterday I released three books in Vancouver. This morning I discovered an email from BookCrossing. Great, one of the three books received a quick journal entry! That's what I thought, but I was wrong. I'm still happy though - a caught book is a caught book regardless of how fast the entry comes in, and this is a very good entry. I released The Venetian Playboy's Bride outside Save-On-Foods in Pinetree Village in November (mere moments after releasing also-been-caught Blue Belle). Here's the catch:
This book is a Harlequin Romance so there was not much depth to it. It was entertaining to read and the setting was Venice, so how could you not love the great descriptions. It certainly made me want to take my next vacation there. I feel like I learned a bit of the history of Venice as I escaped into a fairy tale world of romance. I have always been a sucker for a great love story. I hope that it brings a little culture to the next reader. I will find a wonderful spot to leave it for another reader to find.