Memorial Book Release Project

Shakespeare’s Insults: Educating Your Wit, released on a cold and rainy day last November near the art school on Granville Island.

This one was journaled twice this week – first in Vancouver, then in New York. I look forward to christening the new neighbourhood with books. I’d very much like to reach the 100 released goalpost sometime this summer. Anniversary’s on the horizon, that’ll be a good kick-start.

New Masses; An Anthology of the Rebel Thirties – left on some stairs along the Trans Canada Trail on a gorgeous sunny day while hiking with the family… happily, about half an hour later I saw a colourful looking fellow by the beach at the bottom of the trail reading it intently and spoke briefly with him about this project.

Very glad to be back at this now that the weather is getting to be conductive to wild releases outside again, especially since yesterday I found a whole box I’d missed and spent the morning sorting and prepping to register/label a whole new batch.

54 down!

I haven’t had a chance to release many books over the winter, but I’ve heard from a few more that have gone abroad… New Mexico, Colorado, Michigan, Honolulu… plus another found locally in a sky-train station on the other side of town. I’m looking forward to the days when it’s warm and dry out so I can leave them around willy nilly again.

Bookcrossing has been busy lately, with two of these being journaled this week! I haven’t done any November releases – the weather has been dodgy and I haven’t restocked the car bag (reminder to self), but at least the books already out there are making the rounds…

A Fonzie book I left outside of the Aquarium when we visited in August:

^{“I haven’t read this book yet as I’m still reading Winnie-the-Pooh but after that, this is next on my list. I found this book outside of the Vancouver Aquarium. After I read it, I’ll release it again.”}

The Burlesque book I leaned on the wall of the painted pedestrian tunnel in mid September:

^{“Drunkenly found this book on a bench. Decided to take it on vacation and leave it in a different country. Happy reading!“}

And the old Dizzy Gillespie bio I put on the porch at Ioco Village prior to Ghost Town Days in October:

^{“On a lovely walk through the “ghost” town of Ioco where I used to live, perched on one of the remaining heritage (although rater dilapidated and ready to fall to the ground) houses on the town-site I spotted this book. Happily curious, I picked it up and packed it into my suitcase. Last I saw it was perched on a shelf at Fleetwood’s (yes – Mick’s place) Restaurant, Front Street, Lahaina, Maui, waiting for another traveller to pick it up. Maybe Mick himself? Who knows? Good luck on your travels…”}

The last is one of my favorites that a stranger has journaled (the photo was taken by them when they left the book in Maui). So nice to hear something of these little journeys, especially months after releasing the books. Paulie would be so pleased…

More books left behind here and there: inside a historic milk house in Langley, at another lovely park, one has even made it as far as North Carolina…

A little book I left in a wooden mermaid’s tresses on Granville Island last weekend has now journeyed through two more sets of hands, going from Vancouver to Chicago, and from there to Michigan.

Today I hit 143 books registered – my IN box has shrunk considerably.
I’m so glad I’m doing this.

Yesterday I was joy-smacked to find the first of these has been caught and journaled!

^{“I found this book on 08/07/2012, one day after it was left at the suspension bridge on Buntzen Lake. The book was gathered from a picnic bench at the north end of Buntzen Lake. This book has intrigued me for some time so I am happy to have it. It is now on my bedside table. Soon, very soon, it will be set free once again. Bon Voyage A.J.liebling. Thanks Red-Ru!”}

Happy.

I’m now up to 120 registered and a dozen released, adding Burnaby, Crescent Beach and White Rock to places I’ve left books. I had a fun moment when I found a leader board in the member stats section and realized I was #43 (with 43 registered for the week) in the world.

We’re planning on packing a batch in the car to leave along the way when we go camping.

The kids and I went on a 3 hour wander today, a bag of books in the bottom of the stroller. I didn’t release everything I brought, but we had a lot of fun finding good spots (ie. we left Two Buddhist Books in Mahayana in the middle of a Zen garden, Born to Die: A Cop Killer’s Final Message under a rotating red light in a store window) for a number of them. Two were gone by the time we were on our way back. I made release notes when I got back and should have it down pat by our next time we head out with a batch.

As of this afternoon, I’ve registered and readied 110 books. I finished and posted the bio & memorial write up, I found the box of business cards (I’m tucking one of his inside each book until I run out), I’ve even run into a couple of 43ers there on the site (please PM me your screen-name if you’re a bookcrosser!) and found two local meet-up groups. The only thing I haven’t really done is add anything blatant to the covers, but the labels right inside are pretty self explanatory to anyone interested enough to pick up a book, and I can add something to the rest when I have it.

I’m packing 5 to take with me the next time we go out (I aimed for Canadian authors, for Canada Day). I’m looking forward to getting started. Exciting. Cathartic. I’m ready.