I just ran across the coolest site today: bookcrossing.com. It’s a read and release program whose ultimate goal is to turn the world into a library.
The way you do it is to go register at bookcrossing.com and label the books you are “releasing” with a code they give you. With that code, the book can be tracked if and when anyone who picks it up goes to bookcrossing.com and gives an update of where the book is (you log in with the book code or something).
Fascinating!! I am going to do this in the near future with some books that I like but are doing me no good on the shelf. You can give the book away, donate it, forget it at a coffeeshop, whatever. Hopefully someone with some web savvy will login and tell you where the book is. Isn’t that the coolest idea? I like the theme of read and release anyway, being a fast reader who usually buys used books in the first place.
I invite all of you guys to join up at bookcrossing.com and let’s “release” some books! It’s good karma!!
[The site is still up and active, but I don’t think this really caught on. I only did a couple before I wandered off. It’s still a great idea, tho. :) -A 5.4.2015]