If you really love books and can’t get enough of them then you really should try Bookcrossing. Bookcrossing brings together an international community of book lovers who share the books they read.

As a Bookcrossing member what you basically do is to register a particular book with a unique identification number (supplied by the site) and then release the book into the outside world. Anyone who picks up the book can then go onto the site and using the special identification number learn about the book’s previous travels and also post a message about it. You can release books into the wild or to someone you have already been in contact with. The real thrill is when you release a book into the wild and it gets picked up by someone who then posts on the site. I have had this happen in a couple of cases and the people who found the books had previously not heard of Bookcrossing. Otherwise, you can try Official BookCrossing Zones (OBCZ), where there’s a good chance of your book being chosen as BookCrossers make sure that these dedicated areas are well stocked with books for other members.

Having fun with Bookcrossing

There are a few rules and some etiquette to follow about what and what not to do on Bookcrossing, which are shown on the site, but the members are easy going and friendly and will point you in the right direction if you’re not totally clear about what to do next. There’s also a whole additional angle beyond just sharing books with other people, as you can make new book-loving friends across the world. Sometimes there are even conventions and meetups advertised which bring people face to face. If you look through the forums you will see how books can bring people together and make the world a happier place!