romancing the book

I am a romantic. That’s putting it mildly. No, not your teenage crushing on stars and the pumps in the store window kind of a romantic, but the other kind. That doesn’t mean I don’t crush on some spectacular set of abs or the pretty elegant non-flashy sari costing a neat chunk of my husband’s salary. I do. This is a different kind.

The kind where you add a soft glow to reality. Cushion it to make it look pretty, so you can tuck it under your arm and race into nowhere-land with it.

So on occasion, I also dream about doing things that go with the romantic trip.

Like messages found in bottles along the beach (am always searching!) handwritten little notes (not necessarily lovesies) in the most unexpected spots, and stuff like that. I’ve always wanted to at least drop a bottle with a message in it. Just for kicks to see if it would reach anyone, anywhere at all, or would it just sink and perish undersea or among some rocks. Or to take my fantasizing a step higher maybe there are some unknown creatures who live down under and who’d take one look at my bottle and go “whoa, all hail the scribbles” – I know, I’ll stop.

So, with that little background in my head, when I can across a tweet proclaiming what a fine thing folks here (bookcrossing.com) were doing, I had to peek and hey presto! all the right musical instruments went off in my head. What a fine initiative and to think that folks actually took it to the level they did. Just check the number of folks from so many countries participating! They must be on to something?

So here’s the deal.

We go buy (own) a book.

Then we register it at the site – bookcrossing.com

Then I suppose we would read it.

Then we go quickly and silently give it away. Either to a friend or someone who also shares similar reading passion, or leave it at the library or mail it out.

In some weird ways that the world would work in, they will also do the exact same with that book.

Read, Register, Release

..and each “owner” will run to their system and login to the website and see where their book’s been traveling.

It’s exciting? I think so.

What I think would be cooler would be add a little signature or a handwritten note on it, each one of course, so there’s a personal something on that book. I think it would be cooler if it made its way back,but that’s probably pushing it if left to chance. If its staged, yes, that would be fun!

I snooped around the site a bit, and was quite amazed to see the large numbers of people who actually play this game. There must be a charm about tracking and knowing where a book’s been I guess.

So who is in? Anyone? I will do one book, and I may just do an Agatha Christie, just coz I love her and believe its a genre almost anyone would like, except for some nerdy guys who read non-fiction.

Go ahead and let me know below if you want it. The only promise I will want from you is that you pass it on to someone who will treat this teeny exercise as seriously as well, I do. Yeah?

ps: No, this is not an endorsement and neither did I get paid to write this. I wish i did, but no, just really liked the idea.