A funny thing happened while I was Bookcrossing

bookcrossing
n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.

(added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in August 2004)

I have been reading and releasing books for a few months now and can't believe I haven't yet written about it. The events from tonight definitely incited a blog post.

The whole idea behind Bookcrossing, like the definition suggests, is that readers of books not limit their texts to a sad existence on a shelf. Rather, we either give them to a friend or leave them in a public place to be found so that they can be enjoyed by others. This is called "Releasing" a book "Into the Wild." Before a release, the original owner registers the book on the web site, plasters a purchased sticker or homemade label inside the book explaining the concept, and typically labels the book on the outside to make it clear that the book is free and up for grabs. My personal method, now that I've purchased a release kit and supported the otherwise free web site, consists of the inside-cover sticker, a bookmark, a sticky note for the front, and a big obvious plastic bag around it that says "Free Book" with a brief deserting of the bookcrossing concept. Before anyone makes the comment, I'll come out and say I know that this is so very utopian and a little bit 'liberal' of me. That's something I have come to terms with.

Upon finishing Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven yesterday, I journaled and registered the book. At approximately 7 p.m. tonight, I "released" it on a table at the local Starbucks. Nine o'clock comes around, and because I hadn't made a note on the web site marking this as released, a Bookcrossing user in Colorado sent me an email and asked to read the book. Darnit! I had just left the stupid thing at Starbucks, probably to be seen and thrown out by whoever cleans the tables. Excited at the concept that someone would actually read it, I jumped back in my car and headed back to Starbucks to see if my book was still there. A quick chat with the genius behind the counter and I discovered that it was still there, next to the register. "We didn't know what to do with it. It said free book, and I thought maybe someone had left it here." Coincidentally, I noticed a Starbucks job recruitment sign on the way out that read something like We're known for our coffee. Our people make us famous. Got that right.

Happily, I retreated with my book to the parking lot and walked straight to my gray Ford Exploder (Explorer was its original name, but this is more fitting). That's funny, I didn't remember leaving it unlocked. Once inside the car - used here a substitute for SUV, vehicle, truck, or any other identifying term - I slowly picked up on some things that seemed different. It smelled like smoke, even though I don't smoke and haven't had any passengers in quite a while who do. There was an ashtray in "my" cupholder. Someone had wedged a Starbucks cup in between the console and the driver's seat. I was in the car for about five seconds, which seemed like an eternity, before it finally registered with me that this was not my vehicle!

I quickly and sheepishly hopped back out of the car, looking around desperately for its rightful owner come barreling toward me and accuse me of stealing something out of his/her car. It was hilariously funny to me, but I contained my inner laughter to merely a smirk while I walked the fifty long feet to where my real Exploder was parked. Once inside my car, I couldn't contain myself. I haven't giggled like that, especially when all alone, in a very long time. I was still slightly relieved when it started and knew for sure that I was in the right place.

The proverbial morals of this story?

For the book: The best things in life are free, but only if you can read the outside of the book to know that it actually is, well, free - Or, Sometimes it's okay to judge a book by its cover.

For the car: If at first you don't succeed to find the right vehicle, try, try again.