Wild Release #43

My latest release is Agatha Christie's "The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories." I left it at a new drop spot where I have been wanting to leave a book for a long time. If you're lucky, you will find it on a table outside The American Coffee Shop on North Main Street in Greensburg. Stop in and have something refreshing while you're there. Happy hunting!

Wild Release #42

"G is for Gumshoe," by Sue Grafton, is another book I rescued from the paper recycling bin at IKEA-Pittsburgh. I left it at the Senator John Heinz History Center, on Smallman Street in Pittsburgh, in the streetcar on the first floor. It was a fascinating place to visit. If you're ever in the area, you should definitely put it on your itinerary.

Wild Release #41

I found Mary Higgins Clark's "The Cradle Will Fall" on Tuesday evening in the paper recycling bin at IKEA-Pittsburgh. I couldn't bear to leave it there and since it was in good condition, I rescued it and brought it home. After registering it on BookCrossing, I released it today at Wal-Mart in Greensburg. Its location is a little gruesome--I left in in the Infants section on top of a box that has a cradle in it. I hope whoever finds it enjoys the "theme" release!

Catch #5!

I'm doing the happy dance because "Kentucky Rich" was found and journalled by snottub. Congrats on the catch! I hope you enjoy the book. FYI: I went hunting for the book you left at St. Clair Park on Sunday, but it was gone by the time I got there. I hope you get a catch and journal soon!

Wild Releases #39 & #40

It was a beautiful day today--sunny and cool--so I decided to eat lunch in St. Clair Park (after fetching it from Burger King, first!). What better place to leave a couple of books, especially when Greensburg's "Summer in the City" extravaganza starts tonight and lots of people should be out and about. I left "Kentucky Rich" on the bleachers facing the Robertshaw Amphitheater, and gave "A Long Way Down" to General Nathanael Greene to keep safe.

Wild Release #38

It was back to Lowe's at lunchtime for me. I needed to get some outdoor paint for what is left of our basketball hoop--just the pole. My mother wants to hang banners and flags from it, but not until it is painted a gleaming white. So, while I was there, I decided to drop off my latest wild release, "Mount Vernon Love Story," by Mary Higgins Clark. I left it on top of a coffee table in the Garden Center where all the outdoor furniture is now on clearance. It was a lucky release spot for me earlier; hope the luck hasn't run out!

Wild Release #37

I'm hoping the third time is the charm for the Amtrak Station on Ehalt Street. "Three Fates" is the third book I have left there and I'm hoping this one will get caught and journaled. I left it on the table in front of the ATM where there were a couple of magazines left as well. Happy hunting!

Wild Release #36

Another gas station release for me, this time at the Sheetz in Murrysville, Pa. I left "The Chin Kiss King" on top of a metal box that contained gasoline spill supplies, right next to the gas pump. It's in a plastic bag to protect it from the weather, and hopefully someone will find and journal it quickly!

Catch #4!

Another catch from the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival! I left "Amy and Isabelle" in the split of a tree between one of the stages and some of the booths. I wasn't sure if anyone would travel the same path I did to put it there, but thankfully the karma of literature was working that day. Welcome to BookCrossing, dducoeur. Enjoy!

Wild Release #35

There is something very satisfying about leaving a book in a video store next to its movie version; it gives the DVD renter a choice, or a bonus. I left "The Shawshank Redemption," by Stephen King, next to two copies of the movie my local Blockbuster had in stock. The movie is in the Drama section near the back of the store. Happy hunting!

Catch #3!

My mass release idea seems to have been a good one as I already have one caught and journaled! Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence was picked up by kimsgranny. Congrats and welcome to BookCrossing!

Wild Releases #26 - #34

One of our local used bookstores was having a sidewalk sale yesterday, so I bought some books to release at the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival being held at Twin Lakes Park this weekend. Thousands of people attend every day of the four-day festival, so I thought this would be a great opportunity for a mass release. I left five of them myself on assorted benches, walls, posts, and trees; my niece, who was volunteering for the day, said she wanted to release one in her booth; and my sister took my last three with her when she decided to go to the festival. The books that were released today were: Ordeal by Innocence, by Agatha Christie; Billy Bathgate, by E.L. Doctorow; Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler; She's Not There, by Mary-Ann Smith; Pot of Gold, by Judith Michael; First Wives Club, by Olivia Goldsmith; The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck; Shane, by Jack Schaefer; and Amy and Isabelle, by Elizabeth Strout.

Catch #2!

It's very exciting to get an e-mail from bookcrossing.com titled "New BookCrossing journal entry for Vendetta (Revenge of the Sisterhood)!" I'm so glad someone caught this book, read it, and journaled it. According to the journal entry, they plan to release it so the book can continue its journey. BookCrossing is such a great idea.

Wild Releases #24 & #25

I had to go to Lowe's at lunchtime to get a gift card for my brother-in-law (Shhhh! Don't tell him!) and I thought the Garden Center would be a great place to leave books--tables all over the place, tons of people, and little chance for me to be discovered! My first drop was done outside when I left Colleen McCullough's "Morgan's Run" on a table display of annuals. I went inside to get the gift card and came out through the Garden Center again. They had a really nice display of outdoor furniture and sun shelters (I even tried a couple out) and I decided to leave Fern Michaels' "Vendetta" on one of the coffee tables.

Wild Release #23

"Scarlet Feather" was another book I was carrying around all day yesterday intending to release it somewhere, but it never quite happened. I decided this morning that since I needed gas (yes, desperately again!) I would leave it on top of the pump at Sheetz and go in and get a sandwich for lunch while I was there. I never made it into the store for the sandwich because it was just easier to drive away after making the drop. I didn't want someone coming up to me and saying, "Hey! You left your book!" Crazy, I know, but that's me.

Wild Release #22

My 22nd wild release was Agatha Christie's "Sparkling Cyanide." I carried this book around all day with the intent to release it, but somehow it didn't work out until I met my sister and her family for dinner at our local King's Restaurant on Route 119 South. I saw the newspaper boxes on the sidewalk outside the restaurant and thought that would be a good place for the book. It seems it was. By the time we came out again, the book was gone.

Wild Release #21

My third and final release for "Release Patricia Cornwell" day was "Trace," which I left outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on North Main Street. I needed to take some photos of the Courthouse for a project I'm working on and it was a pretty smooth drop on one of the planters that is near the sidewalk.

Wild Release #20

My second release on my self-declared "Release Patricia Cornwell" day was "Isle of Dogs," which I left in the Amtrak Train Station on Ehalt Street in Greensburg. I accidentally disturbed a couple of men who were eating their lunch at the table I intended to leave the book on; when I went to use the ATM behind them, they very gallantly excused themselves and gave me some privacy. Perfect for leaving my book behind!

Wild Release #19

Today is a "Release Patricia Cornwell" day. My first release is "Blow Fly," which I left in the Apartment Rental Guide box on the sidewalk on North Main Street in Greensburg, Pa. I'm happy to report that the last book I left there, Robin Cook's "Shock," is gone. I hope some journal entries start coming my way soon.

Wild Release #18

"Motion to Suppress" was left on top of the newspaper boxes on the sidewalk of the Helman-Ghrist Parking Lot on North Main Street in Greensburg, Pa., around 12:40 p.m. The parking lot is one of the busiest in the city thanks to its proximity to the Courthouse and the fact that it has meters--not just permit parking. Now, if only someone would pick it up before it rains!