Thursday, November 25, 2010

BookCrossing: The Highest Tide

My beautiful wife got a catch recently. She released The Highest Tide on July 30, 2007, and a journal entry arrived in her inbox on October 3, 2010. I'll save you the math and tell you that the book was in the wild for 1,162 days. Well done, SmellyBelly! Less than two weeks earlier I had received a catch for Social Things which had been in the wild for 1,108 days. She beat me, dammit! But that's okay, because just one week after her record-setting catch was when I received a journal entry for In the Green Star's Glow, which clocked in at 1,163 days - I beat her by a day!

Anyway, this post was supposed to be about my babe and her obliteration of her previous release-to-catch length of 340 days (but my competitive side took over). From less than a year to over three years! Congrats, Biscotti! And the catcher's journal entry is great - here it is:
Love this book! My friend Karen gave it to me last summer - and I'm enjoying it now as my late Summer read. She studied Marine Biology, as did I: and passed it onto me as a kindred marine loving spirit. I work at the Aquarium, and am loving the gorgeous analogies that Miles makes about the weird and wonderful animals he collects and discovers in his Bay. Great easy, lovely read. Not ready to part with it just yet!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

sick and wrong and illegal

"I don't want to be here at all." [Wallace Wells]

"No it's cool. Chill out. It's like in Trainspotting." [Scott Pilgrim]

"Okay, first of all, in Trainspotting, remember how he was freaking out and all worried? That was because he knew it was sick and wrong and illegal. Secondly, remember how she was coercing him into dating her?"

"No, dude, it's not like that at all."

"You just said it was like that!"

"Okay, maybe I didn't watch that movie very carefully."

-- Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Vol. 1) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

BookCrossing: In the Green Star's Glow

Hip, hip, hurrayyyyy! Two consecutive super-long-time releases-to-catches! First Social Things was caught after going 1,108 days unheard from in the wild, then just two-and-a-half weeks later In the Green Star's Glow was caught after going 1,163 days unheard from in the wild. I'd released it on August 5, 2007, in an area accessible only by a several-hour hike north of Whistler, B.C., and it was caught October 10, 2010, in a laser tag facility in Richmond, B.C. (the same facility in which Justin Bieber allegedly assaulted a 12-year-old boy just five days after the book's journal entry was made). The catch:
Just found this all the way in Richmond B.C. at my workplace: Planet Lazer.

thanks goes to jblueafterglow, this looks wacky and entertaining. I'll drop it off downtown somewhere when I'm done with it.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

BookCrossing: Social Things

Way back in September 2007 I released Social Things onto the OBCZ (Official BookCrossing Zone) shelves at the Starbucks located at Oak Street and W 22nd Avenue in Vancouver, B.C., and over three years later - on September 22, 2010 - a journal entry made by a new BookCrossing member arrived in my inbox (and the book has since been rereleased):
I'm currently reading this book, and I'm finding it enjoyable. I recently graduated from UBC, and learning about Sociology is helping me deal with my not-going-back-to-school-September-nostalgia. I have no idea where I got this book, though I suspect I found/caught it a couple of years and it's been in my to be read pile since then. Will be released soon!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

BookCrossing: The Naming of the Dead

My wife and I were walking with our two kids in the Olympic Village area of False Creek in Vancouver, B.C., on August 10, 2010, and I released The Naming of the Dead on a chair near the water. The catch (made by someone from Portland, OR, according to the email) came a month and a half later:
Quite the coincidence - found on my way to Europe and a visit to Edinburgh Scotland. Enjoyed reading place names that I was visiting. Plan to read other Rankin books. Let loose in Philadelphia.

Friday, November 5, 2010

BookCrossing Controlled Releases

Last updated on October 15, 2019.

Click a title to view that book on BookCrossing.

6 Rainier Drive -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius -- a loan that became a gift, I handed this to Leluzza at a BookCrossing meetup in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2004 and a journal entry was made.

A Man and a Dog -- handed to my mama in Vancouver in April 2016.

The Art of Racing in the Rain -- handed to my mama in Vancouver in April 2016, then a journal entry from an AnonymousFinder in August 2017

At Large and At Small: Confessions of a Literary Hedonist
-- handed to B&L in Malaysia in February 2010 as part of their wedding gift.

The Beginner's Goodbye -- left at my mama's in Vancouver in March 2013.

Benediction -- left at my mama's in Vancouver in March 2013.

Blackmailed into the Italian's Bed -- hidden in June 2010 in Port Moody, B.C., on my SIL's bed which she shares with her Italian husband!

The Boleyn King -- handed to my mama in Vancouver in March 2013.

Cat's Cradle -- received from Leluzza at a BookCrossing meetup in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2004, mailed to carolyn81 in September 2004, and multiple journal entries have since been made.

Catch-22 -- handed to cexylizziepants in Malaysia in February 2010.

The Catcher in the Rye -- mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to Phyllbabe in Massachusetts in February 2004 and a journal entry was made.

The Choice -- handed to cexylizziepants in Malaysia in February 2010.

Circle of Life: Poems by James Ross Hinds -- received by mail from fanclub as part of a wonderful bookring started by sstich79, and mailed to nwpassage in April 2004 as the ring continued.

City of Glass: Douglas Coupland's Vancouver -- Handed to B&L in Malaysia in February 2010 as part of their wedding gift.

The Communist Manifesto -- received by mail from firrantello - I was the first stop on a bookray - and mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to literarylover in Florida in December 2005 as the ring continued.

The Couple Next Door -- handed to starbytes in Coquitlam on September 12, 2018, and a journal entry was made

The Curious Case of Sidd Finch -- handed to Tias in Vancouver, B.C., in December 2004 and a journal entry was made.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time -- received by mail from ResQgeek, and then mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to seacloud49 in September 2006 to complete a bookring.

The Dark End of the Street -- handed to starbytes in Coquitlam on September 12, 2018.

The Death of Grass -- mailed from Coquitlam to cexylizziepants in Calgary in January 2011.

The Dreaming -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim -- received by mail from ScrappyCat58, and then mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to literarylover in December 2005; multiple journal entries have since been made as part of a bookring.

The Dry -- mailed from Coquitlam to starbytes in Calgary on October 15, 2019

e -- mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to cexylizziepants in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June 2007 and a journal entry was made.

e Squared -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

The Eagle and the Rose -- mailed from Coquitlam, B.C., to Hazellie in Malaysia in November 2014, and journaled in March 2015

Eleanor Rigby -- mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to polliwog on Lopez Island, WA, in January 2006, and put into a BookCrossing bookbox in April 2010.

The Empty Chair -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary in August 2010.

Fahrenheit 451 -- handed to a craigslist book-trade person (who subsequently became new member Elanrmt) in Vancouver, B.C., in March 2005, and a journal entry was made.

Galapagos -- received by mail from sqdancer as part of a bookring started by icekween01, and mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to bandaids in September 2005 as the ring continued.

The Horse Whisperer -- handed to cexylizziepants in Malaysia in February 2010.

How to Be a Canadian: Even If You Already are One -- received by mail from anderal who started the book's ring, and mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to Catwoman in Sherwood Park, AB, in February 2004.

If Dogs Could Talk: Tongues Unleashed! -- handed to my mama in Vancouver, B.C., as an add-on Christmas gift on December 25, 2010.

In A Sunburned Country -- received by mail from sgscarcliff as part of a bookring started by jamesmum, and mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to EMA375 in July 2004 as the ring continued.

Join Me -- handed to PaRo in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2008.

Light on Snow -- handed by me to my mama and then handed by my mama to my uncle in New Zealand in October 2007, and a journal entry was made.

Little White Lies -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

The Lost City of Z -- handed to my mama in Vancouver in April 2017.

The Lovely Bones -- mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to surfenkitten in October 2004, and multiple journal entries have since been made.

The Magicians -- mailed from Coquitlam, B.C., to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, for her birthday in October 2010.

Man and Boy -- I found this at the Starbucks OBCZ at Oak & 22nd in Vancouver, B.C., - released there by hannahsc5 - and handed it to goatgrrl in April 2004; multiple journal entries have since been made.

Me Talk Pretty One Day -- handed to college classmate muppetmania in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2005; multiple journal entries have since been made.

The Mother Tongue -- half-hidden for ifyouknew in Calgary, AB, in August 2010; a journal entry was made and then the book was wild released.

The Natural -- received by mail from perryfran and handed to baseball teammate #7/44 in Vancouver, B.C., in October 2007.

The Night Circus -- handed to my mama in Vancouver in April 2016.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! -- handed to B&L in Malaysia in February 2010 as part of their wedding gift.

On the Road -- handed to Leluzza at a BookCrossing meetup in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2004; a journal entry was made and the book was rereleased.

One Hundred Years of Solitude -- half-hidden for ifyouknew in Calgary, AB, in August 2010, and a journal entry was made then the book was wild released.

Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World -- handed to teacart in Vancouver, B.C., in July 2004 and a journal entry was made.

Player One: What is to Become of Us -- mailed from Coquitlam, B.C., to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, for her birthday in October 2010.

The Pleasure of My Company -- mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to sstich79 in Kentucky in August 2004 and a journal entry was made.

Possession -- handed to cexylizziepants in Malaysia in February 2010.

Riley -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

Roughing It in the Bush
-- half-hidden for ifyouknew in Calgary, AB, in August 2010, and a journal entry was made before it was wild released.

Scruples Two -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

Some Kind of Hero -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

Spadework -- mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to ScrappyCat58 in November 2005, and a journal entry was made.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk -- handed to my mama in Whistler, B.C., in November 2010 as a birthday gift.

Sushi for Beginners -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010, and it's been rereleased.

There's No Toilet Paper... On the Road Less Traveled -- half-hidden for Viks in Vancouver, B.C., in June 2007 - found but no journal entry yet.

Trial and Error -- mailed from Coquitlam, B.C., to Hazellie in Malaysia in November 2014.

Ulysses -- received from goatgrrl in April 2004, then mailed from Vancouver, B.C., to Quez45 in New Jersey in July 2008, and a journal entry was made.

Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: Plunges into Music -- Handed to B&L in Malaysia in February 2010 as part of their wedding gift.

The Vancouver Stories: West Coast Fiction from Canada's Best Writers -- handed to cexylizziepants in Malaysia in February 2010.

Vancouver Then and Now -- handed to my mama in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2010.

Vancouver Then and Now -- handed to my sis and bro-in-law in Coquitlam, B.C., in July 2010.

Velocity --  mailed from Coquitlam, B.C., to Hazellie in Malaysia in April 2016, confirmed arrived early July 2016

Waiting for Godot -- received by mail from carolyn81, and then half-hidden for my bro in Vancouver, B.C., in October 2004 - no journal entry yet.

Walk to New York -- handed to my mother while she visited us in Coquitlam, B.C., in June 2012. Then, "... not sure how the book got from BC to Toronto, but it has had previous readers here & was just passed on to me. I'm about to take it to Iceland! What better tent-reading, during our 6-day trek?"

Whale Rider -- received by mail from KarenBC - I was the first stop on a bookring - and handed to summerbreeze in Vancouver, B.C., in January 2006 as the ring continued.

The Woman in Cabin 10 -- handed to my mama in Vancouver, B.C., in October 2017.

Yellow Rose -- handed to cexylizziepants in Calgary, AB, in August 2010.

You or Someone Like You -- handed to cexylizziepants in Malaysia in February 2010 and a journal entry was made.