Wild Release #74

It's been a whole month without a catch for me--far more tricks than treats, unfortunately. In a last effort to get a catch in October, I released "The Romanov Prophecy," by Steve Berry, at Panera Bread in Greensburg. I left it on a table outside on the sidewalk--a nice treat for whomever finds it.

Wild Release #73

It's the day before Halloween is celebrated here in the United States, so I headed for Target to stock up on some candy. We only get a handful of trick-or-treaters at my house, but you can never have too much candy. While I was there, I thought it was a great opportunity to release a book. I left Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" on one of the benches on the sidewalk where the employees usually take breaks. This is one of my favorite books and I wish it well in its travels.

Wild Release #72

I went to Goodwill last night and bought ten books, one of which was "Bridget Jones's Diary," by Helen Fielding. Having already read and released my copy, all I had to do for this one was label and release it. I left it on top of the outermost drive-thru ATM at Dollar Bank, Greengate Centre. It's a little inconspicuous because you have to look up to see it; if you're in a truck or SUV, you'll have a better chance of noticing even if you're not looking!

Wild Release #71

Cracker Barrel is a great place to leave books. The one in New Stanton, Pa., is at the nexus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 70, and Route 119, so it gets lots of travelers from all over the country. It's always a hopping place, too, and you usually have to wait for a table. They have a long sidewalk outside lined with benches and rocking chairs for sale. I left a little book called "Reptiles" on one of the benches as we were going inside; it was gone by the time we came out.

Wild Release #70

This is one of those books that just screams "THEME RELEASE!" I left Mary Higgins Clark's "I'll Be Seeing You" in a waiting room at America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses in Monroeville where I had my eyes checked this morning. All is OK with the eyes, contact lenses are on order, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the book finds a new home and a journaler today!

Wild Release #69

I made a slight detour to St. Clair Park while running errands for work so I could wild release "Repair to Her Grave," by Sarah Graves. I left it propped on the ledge of the bulletin board just outside the North Maple Street entrance. It's in a plastic bag, so hopefully it, and the bulletin board "roof" will protect it from the elements until someone picks it up and takes it home with them.

Wild Releases #67 & #68

Another Friday night out at a restaurant was the perfect opportunity to leave another book. I left Machines, a cute little Q&A children's book, on a bench in the vestibule of Giannilli's on Thomas School Road in Greensburg after devouring a delicious pierogie pizza.

I also found out that a book I gave my sister to read is now out in the wild. She left Dead Watch, by John Sandford, on a pay phone at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Greensburg last week.

Wild Release #66

I have been looking for a good place to leave Ken Follett's "Lie Down with Lions." Some obvious places I was considering were at the zoo, or outside a bank in downtown Pittsburgh that has lion statues outside. Since I haven't been to the zoo or downtown in a while, the book has remained with me, biding its time. Until today. I was at Lynch Field in Greensburg eating my lunch and reading a book, and when I looked up towards the running track, there was a helicopter. Helicopters were very important to the story of "Lie Down with Lions," so I had an "Aha!" moment. Perfect place to leave the book. So I did, as you can see.

Wild Release #65

I decided to visit IKEA on my way home from dropping my brother off at the airport. Since I rescued a couple of books from the recycling bin there on my last visit, this time I decided to leave one behind. "A Little Princess," by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was left in the children's area of the marketplace on top of some white and pink shelves. I was looking for somewhere princessy to leave it, but this was as close as I could get.

Wild Release #64

Another breakfast meeting at Eat 'n Park means another release on top of the newspaper boxes outside. I left Laura Ingalls Wilder's "By the Shores of Silver Lake" on my way back to the office. This is getting to be a habit!