BookCrossing: Brat Farrar

My wife and I took our kids to Seattle for a couple of nights—"three glorious days and two wonderful nights in the Emerald City!"—and while the main purpose was to see the Blue Jays vs the Mariners, we also did quite a bit of walking around. One visit, of course, was to the Space Needle. Or the Space Noodle, as the kids renamed it. At the base of the Noodle I wild released two books and one of them, Brat Farrar, received a journal entry catch before I could even make release notes. Admittedly the release notes weren't going to be made until 31 hours after the release time, but hey, a quick catch should be celebrated regardless, and a same-day catch is a quick catch in my books, and should be in your books too.

Speaking of books, here's the same-day catch of the aforementioned wild released book:

haven't read it yet but it looks interesting

BookCrossing: Dead Solid Perfect

I'm posting this the very same day this book got caught, because I'm just so damn excited! It's been a while since I've had a wild catch and this entry for Dead Solid Perfect was a welcome sight, especially with its revelation that in less than 3 weeks the book has gone from Canada to Australia! After learning that the book was caught, I noticed that the date of release was 11 years to the day after the date of registration - 11 years of just sitting on my shelf gathering dust. And now, just 15 days after being freed, let's hope the book enjoys its new lease on life thousands of kilometres from home.

Here's the catch:

I picked up the book on a table in Starbucks located on Parkway Blvd in Coquitlam, BC Canada. On May 24th. It was days before our family vacation to Australia, so I decided to take the book on my plane ride and leave it in Sydney Australia.
I found the book to be very easy reading and as a golfer myself it was very funny!
This book is now left on a table in a Sydney Starbucks!

BookCrossing: Room

I wanted to wild release Room but I was slightly hesitant. It's a popular book and I wanted it to find an appreciative reader. It's a hardcover and there was a threat of spring rain. I decided to release Room onto a sheltered public bookshelf and I'm glad I released it when and where I did because it sure did find an appreciative reader, or at least an appreciative finder as there hasn't been a post-reading update since the catch was made last July.

Here's the bookshelf:

And here's the catch:

This is my first book crossing book. I loved the film, and as I usually enjoy the books more than I do the films that are based on the books I was ecstatic when I saw this in the little "take a book, leave a book" house in front of the Port Moody Arts Centre. I am going to begin reading the book tonight and will let you know what I think of it, and then I will pass the book on.

BookCrossing: Last Summer At Barebones

There's not much to say about this catch, so first allow me to mention that you can see a list of all the catches from my BookCrossing wild releases – which also includes links to the books at BookCrossing – by clicking here. There we go, thank you for allowing me to do that. Back to this specific catch..

Last Summer At Barebones was released inside a Georgia Straight newspaper box one Vancouver evening in January 2016 and was captured from said box the next day, according to the journal entry that was made a few days later.

Here's the catch:

Went to get a Georgia Straight out of the box the afternoon of January 3rd, and was delighted to find this book waiting there. Looking forward to what looks to be a good read!

BookCrossing: Man Crazy

As of today, of all the books I've wild released and have also heard back from, Man Crazy has stayed in the wild the longest, for a total of 2,910 days – almost exactly 2.5 times as long as my second longest in-the-wild book, Daughters and Mothers. (You can see how I copy-and-pasted from that post from earlier today!) Daughters and Mothers was in the wild for 1,195 days.. 1,195 X 2.5 = 2,987.5

I released Man Crazy at Vancouver's PNE in August 2006 and it remained MIA until August 2014 when this journal entry was made:

I found this book today on the Bargain Books shelf (donated books) at the Richmond Public Library (Brighouse Branch) and I bought it for twenty-five cents. I was delighted to find this book. I really enjoy Joyce Carol Oates' writing. A few years ago, I met her at the Vancouver Public Library when she was on a book tour to promote her non-fiction memoir: "A Widow's Story". After she read out a part of her book, I bought a copy and got her to sign it. Since then I have been reading her books which I mostly get from the library. She is a prolific writer and even though she is in her seventies, she is still writing books. I particularly liked "We were the Mulvaneys". I am looking forward to reading this book.

BookCrossing: A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali

I released A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali on a gummy day in June 2014 and a journal entry catch was posted before I had a chance to do release notes.

The catch:

I found the book this morning outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. Looking forward to reading it and I'll leave it in the next city to which I travel. Perhaps on my next trip to Idaho!

Then a year and a half later a short new entry:

San Francisco is not listed in "City"

BookCrossing: Daughters and Mothers

Somehow I forgot to continue posting my catches from wild releases, even though I was occasionally doing excerpts from books I've been reading. Therefore, this is the second catch-post of the day and there might be more to come.

As of today, of all the books I've wild released and have also heard back from, Daughters and Mothers has stayed in the wild the second longest, for a total of 1,195 days, barely beating out In the Green Star's Glow's 1,163 days.

Daughters and Mothers was released at Seattle Premium Outlets near Tulalip Resort Casino in September 2010 and the following journal entry was made in December 2013:

been holding onto this book for a while (apparently longer than i thought based on its original release date, oops) been meaning to read it, but haven't gotten around to it seeing as its a sequel in a series and im a stickler for reading books in order. so instead of keeping in any longer in hopes of getting around to it i will be releasing it back into the wild soon.

BookCrossing: The Book and the Brotherhood and The Sisterhood

Two books in one post because they were released together and they were caught together. How could I not release those two books together – look at their similar titles!

Both journal entries were similar as well, with identical beginnings and different endings. Here's the beginning both entries shared:

Picked up from the bench at Lafarge Park. I knew about this because of the email alerts from last night, so I went out around 1 pm today to see if it was still there, and it was! When I first found them, there was a family sitting beside the books (there were 2) on the bench, so I walked around the lake, hoping they wouldn't take them, and when I got back they were still there alone! I'm probably a little too excited about the idea of this site, but it seems so fun!

Here's the ending to The Book and the Brotherhood's entry:

Book sounds interesting, if a little outside my usual genres, but I'll give it a shot!

Here's the ending to The Sisterhood's entry:

Not sure about this book, but I'll give it a try. Might be more the taste of a friend of mine, though, so I might pass it along to her!

It seems the person who caught those books – way back in September 2012 – was a fairly new BookCrossing member who has since deactivated their account, with those two books being the only books on their shelf. That's too bad, because I really liked their enthusiasm for the website.

BookCrossing: The Prince of Deadly Weapons

I wasn't too eager to release this book in public. The reason: the words Deadly Weapons featured prominently on the cover. However, I was able to overcome my hesitations and release The Prince of Deadly Weapons in Coquitlam's Town Centre Park in mid-August 2012. Any guilt I might have had thereafter didn't last long, because the book was caught the same day!

Here's the journal entry I received:

Found the book on the bench at Town Centre Park shortly after it was released. Will read and release back into the wild!

BookCrossing: Tuesdays with Morrie

One afternoon in July 2012 I executed the best themed release of all time. The idea came to me during a moment of clarity (those usually occur as I sit cross legged, eating a grilled cheese sandwich) and it took a great deal of planning to pull off. I am immensely proud and have been riding a delicious wave of self-satisfaction ever since. You must now be very curious, and I don't blame you - this buildup of anticipation must be torturous. With your well-being in mind, here's the juice: I released Tuesdays with Morrie on a Tuesday! Yes yes, I know I know. Please calm yourselves and sit back down. We don't have all day.

It was a beautiful summer's day and my walk through the park was very calming, except for the small fact that my heart was beating exceptionally fast, for I knew even then that I was about to perform an extraordinary act that would no doubt alter the course of the universe. Sorry, butterflies. I saw an empty bench ahead of me and I knew what needed to be done. After a slight hesitation (could I really go through with this? am I the right person for this role?) I placed the book on the bench and breathed a huge sigh of relief. What was done was done.

A journal entry came in later that same day:

Just picked up this book on a local park bench while I was out walking with my 11 month old son. Look forward to reading it and sending it on its way!

BookCrossing: The Telling of Lies

I released a few books in Town Centre Park last summer (now you know what I did then), and had some success with catches. One such release and catch was with The Telling of Lies, which I released next to Lafarge Lake on the Trans Canada Trail. A very important characteristic of this particular catch is that it was my 100th catch from all my wild releases! Woohoo! The release photo is pretty sweet, and I am not biased at all. TToL had been in the wild for a mere five days when I received this exhaustive journal entry on July 11, 2012:

it has been moving

BookCrossing: Silence Speaks for Love

I'm so behind on these caught-book posts! My BookCrossing activity the past couple of years has been very minimal, which means I haven't released many books, which means I haven't had many catches, which means the trigger to post here about earlier catches doesn't occur, which means the catches for books that happened in June 2012 have yet to be posted! I released Silence Speaks for Love in November 2009 at Coquitlam Centre and a journal entry came in on June 18, 2012:

Found in the return bin of the New Westminster Public Library.

BookCrossing: Fear The Worst

In mid-August of 2011 (August 15, to be exact) I was at the Seattle Premium Outlets, located just north of Seattle in Tulalip. While there I released Fear The Worst. A week later - a journal entry by a new member!

I am at Cultus Lake BC sitting in the sun and reading the book. I can't wait to finish the book and pass it on. This is a great idea.

The book followed me back to Canada. A few days later release notes were made for the book's release on a bench at Cultus Lake's main beach. And then, two months later, another journal entry by another new member!

Found book at Main Beach, Cultus lake, B.C.

Took it home to Delta, B.C.
I really enjoyed it and I am happy to pass it on.

I left this book at the Ladner Leisure Centre in Ladner B.C. on Oct
31,2011.

BookCrossing: Death du Jour

On June 22, 2011, I was in Las Vegas and released Death du Jour during the Fremont Street Experience. On July 24, 2011, my inbox received an email alerting me to the fact that the book was caught! In fact, two journal entries were made on that same day. The first:

i am about half-way through the book, and like it so far

The second:

the book is now in Anaconda Montana

BookCrossing: Don't Cry Now

I'm waaaay behind! Welcome to Slackville, population me! Over a year ago I was in Las Vegas and during my time in Sin City I did some releasin'. Some *wild* releasin'! One book that was left to fend for itself was Don't Cry Now - it was released right next to the lion habitat in MGM Grand on June 23, 2011. Mere days later, on June 29, 2011, I was notified of a journal entry. Here is that journal entry, in all its long-winded glory:

Will be reading soon

BookCrossing: Courage, Dana

On April 12, 2011, (just over five months ago) I was at Brentwood Town Centre in Burnaby, B.C., and I had with me a few books primed for release. There is a children's play area there, and I left the children's book Courage, Dana near the shoe rack at the play area's entrance/exit. The next day, a journal entry - written by a new member! - arrived in my inbox:

Just wanted to let you know that I picked up the book today. I plan to read it and make an entry. I never knew this existed! What a fun find!

BookCrossing: The Best of Eric Nicol

A long, long time ago (January 27, 2011), in a town far, far away (Vancouver, B.C.), I released The Best of Eric Nicol inside a Westender newspaper box. It was mere days later that a journal entry catch was made.

The catch:

I was walking home from work one night at around 1:00am when I saw that a friend of mine was on the cover of the Westender. When I went to pick up a copy out of the newspaper box, I also found this book!!
I was delighted. I have not read it yet, but will do so and pass it on.
=)

BookCrossing: Lonesome Dove

I released Lonesome Dove at Metrotown mall just before Christmas, an hour before releasing the also-already-caught Riding the Iron Rooster. The catch from an anonymous finder came on January 13, 2011:

Found this book on the bench while last minute Christmas shopping...

BookCrossing: Pawleys Island

Biscotti and I had an appointment in the Yaletown district of downtown Vancouver the morning of November 3, 2010. After the appointment we went for a wee walk, during which I released Pawleys Island in a park. Two months later a catch was made!

There is nothing like a retreat to an Island, away from it all. I like the sound of silence.
It was well written; a book of kindness amongst folks and strangers. I'm glad I found and read this book.

Two months after that, another journal entry was made:

I enjoyed it very much, but it couldn't compare to a Fanny Flagg book (as has been done). Ended up a little too 'girly' and predicti;ble for me.

BookCrossing: Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China

I was at Metrotown mall with Biscotti, finishing up some Christmas shopping loose ends, and had some books to release. Releasing books at malls during the month of December is fun. There are lots of people, so surreptitiously leaving a book or ten goes unnoticed, and it's likely a shopper will pick up the book before a mall staffer scoops it in an attempt to keep the mall tidy. Plus it's a nice pick-me-up for shoppers feeling stressed during what should be a joyous time. I'm not just imagining that, that's what I've read in the catches for books I've released in malls at Christmas time. This leads me to Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China. I released it on December 22, 2010, and the catch came the very next day:

Picked up today. Saving the book to read on plane to Malaysia Jan.22.

Of note: I had flown to Malaysia almost exactly a year earlier.