January Stats

Wild Releases: 15
Catches: 2
RABCKs: 1

Year-to-date 
Wild Releases: 15
Catches: 2
RABCKs: 1

Wild Releases #1073 - #1078

Sister No. 6's Harlequin Presents books were piling up so I filled a box with them and sent them to The Book Thing in Baltimore, Md. When the box was almost full, I snuck in six Silhouette Desire books she had given me, too (the titles are too embarrassing to list here!). All told, 67 books were sent: I hope we both hear back from some of them!

RABCK #297

Last month, BookCrosser daffodil-2 asked in the Chit-Chat forum if anyone outside England would be kind enough to send a postcard to the children, aged 5 and 6, in the school class where she is a volunteer helper. "They would be thrilled to receive some from abroad," she wrote, "maybe saying that you do bookcrossing in your country too, and a little bit about the area where you live. The cards can then be used as a geography lesson. I have started a bookcrossing box in their classroom and they recently chose their first books, which they are very pleased with." I volunteered immediately, but had to wait until the holiday mail was sorted out before sending my postcard and book. Tomie dePaola's "Strega Nona Meets Her Match" is on its way across the pond. I hope the kids enjoy it!

Wild Release #1072

I was in the mood for Chinese for dinner, so I placed a take-out order with Szechuan Garden and perused the book section at Ollie's Bargain Outlet next door while I waited. I ended up buying a book and leaving a book: Beth Gutcheon's "Still Missing" is in the free literature rack in the vestibule.

Wild Release #1071

If you're grocery shopping at the Shop 'n Save on Route 66 in Greensburg, keep an eye out for "The Other Twin," by Hunter Morgan, which I left pinned to the bulletin board in the vestibule tonight.

New label!

The 2011 BookCrossing Convention is less than three months away! It will be held April 15-17, 2011, in Washington, D.C., and I can't wait to be there. I started collecting books to release while I'm there, and I created a commemorative label for them, so their readers will always know where their BookCrossing adventure began. You can download them here, and find links to other 2011 convention goodies here. The local BC in DC group, who are the hosts of this year's festivities, has a fantastic website at www.bcindc.zoiks.org that provides all the information any visitor to D.C. needs to have a fabulous, fun-filled adventure any time of year.

Wild Releases #1069 & #1070

Sister No. 6 made me drive her to IKEA in Robinson Township today, but she did let me fill up my gas tank at Sheetz in Irwin—on her—on our way there.  Since she was being so generous, I was generous, too, leaving "The Magician's Tale," by David Hunt, on top of the gas pump—on me. After we wandered through IKEA for more than an hour, I was feeling generous again. I left "Weddings Are Murder," by Valerie Wolzien, on the customer survey desk by the exit.

Catch #154!

Two years, eight months, and one day have passed since I left "The Prince of Tides" on the shelf at my local Blockbuster video store. When the store closed a few months ago, I did wonder at the fate of all the books I had left there over the years. Now, I needn't worry about this one, which has earned the top spot in my personal "Longest stretch between a release and journal entry" stats. An AnonymousFinder writes: "I rescued this book a few years ago, but it got lost in the jungle I call a house. Better late than never!" Agreed.

Wild Release #1068

Sister No. 6 was kind enough to pick me up and take me out to lunch this afternoon, so I thought I'd be kind as well and release a book into the wild. I left Patricia Cornwell's "From Potter's Field" on a window ledge outside the side door of Subway on Route 119 in South Greensburg.

Wild Release #1067

I was planning to leave a hardback book on top of the next gas pump I encountered, but as I was rooting through my bright red BookCrossing tote bag for a bookmark and a release bag, I came across this audiobook and decided its time had come to see more of the world. I left "Knock Down," by Dick Francis, in the plastic credit card application holder on top of a gas pump at Snooky's Sunoco on Route 30 in Greensburg. And it's off!

Wild Release #1066

I felt like a real grownup tonight—I went grocery shopping after work and put things into my cart that have never been there before. Then I went home and used those things to cook a delicious meal: spinach and cheese pie. I know people must do that every night, but for me, it's monumental. Takeout and fast food have been my friends for far too long. One of the bonuses of visiting the Shop 'n Save on East Pittsburgh Street in Greensburg is that I was able to leave this themed release: "There Is a Carrot in My Ear and Other Noodle Tales," by Alvin Schwartz, was last seen nestled among the carrots in the produce department.

Catch #153!

Catherine and Heathcliff didn't have to wait long on the wild moors of the Eat 'n Park parking lot! "Wuthering Heights" was logged in by an AnonymousFinder who says, "I found the book at Eat-n-Park just were the last person left it. i'm going to do my beat to read it and passs it on."

Wild Release #1065

I had a breakfast meeting at Eat 'n Park in Greensburg this morning, so that gave me the opportunity to leave "Wuthering Heights," by Emily Brontë, on a light post in the parking lot.

Wild Release #1064

Since many people start a diary on the first of the year, I thought "Bridget Jones's Diary," by Helen Fielding, would be an appropriate New Year's Day release. I left it on a bench outside the door of the Dollar Tree in Latrobe. Happy New Year!

Books Read in 2010

Another year has come and gone and my mind is 80 books richer--that's 11 more than in 2009. Here is a list of the books I finished in 2010. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. My favorite reads this year? Lamb, by Christopher Moore, Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, and The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, not to mention my rereads of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis, and The Giver, by Lois Lowry.

January
1. Lamb, by Christopher Moore
2. Evil Under the Sun, by Agatha Christie (audio)
3. Dinner for Two, by Mike Gayle (audio)
4. LOST: Endangered Species, by Cathy Hapka
5. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
6. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar, by Robert Alexander
7. Thumbelina, by Hans Christian Andersen
8. Memories of the Future, Volume 1, by Wil Wheaton
9. My Forbidden Face—Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story, by Latifa (audio)

February
10. The Horse and His Boy, by C. S. Lewis (audio)
11. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
12. Knock Down, by Dick Francis (audio)
13. Perfume, by Patrick Süskind
14. The Daughters of Cain, by Colin Dexter (audio)
15. Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
16. The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
17. A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord
18. Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis (audio)
19. Finger Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich

March
20. The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett
21. Written by Herself: Volume 2: Women's Memoirs From Britain, Africa, Asia and the United States, by Jill Ker Conway
22. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
23. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer

April
24. Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson
25. Dead Even, by Brad Meltzer (audio)
26. Twenty Grand: Great American Short Stories, edited by Ernestine Taggard
27. Lily White, by Susan Isaacs (audio)
28. Shattered, by Dick Francis (audio)
29. Granny Dan, by Danielle Steel

May
30. A Daughter's a Daughter and Other Novels, by Mary Westmacott (a/k/a Agatha Christie)
31. What You Leave Behind, by Diane Carey
32. The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson
33. A Fortunate Life, by A. B. Facey (audio)
34. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
35. As Time Goes By, by Bob Larbey (audio)

June
36. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
37. Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay
38. The Secret Passage, by Nina Bawden
39. The Lost Continent, by Bill Bryson
40. The Giver, by Lois Lowry (audio)
41. In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden, by Kathleen Cambor
42. Girl with a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier (audio)
43. The Lost Legends of New Jersey, by Frederick Reiken
44. Pearls Sells Out, by Stephan Pastis

July
45. Something Under the Bed Is Drooling, by Bill Watterson
46. Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie
47. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis (audio)
48. Petite Anglaise, by Catherine Sanderson
49. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
50. Summerland, by Michael Chabon
51. The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis (audio)
52. Dial Emmy for Murder, by Eileen Davidson
53. Talk, Talk, by T. C. Boyle (audio)

August
54. The Girl With No Shadow, by Joanne Harris
55. The Good Samaritan Strikes Again, by Patrick F. McManus
56. Life's A Beach, by Claire Cook (audio)
57. Coal Run, by Tawni O'Dell
58. How Nancy Drew Saved My Life, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
59. The Vendetta Defense, by Lisa Scottoline (audio)
60. The Last Battle, by C. S. Lewis (audio)
61. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby

September
62. Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, by Michael J. Fox
63. The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan (audio)
64. Marrying Mozart, by Stephanie Cowell
65. The Boy Next Door, by Meggin Cabot
66. The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, by Roald Dahl
67. Mutant Message Down Under, by Marlo Morgan
68. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen (reread)

October
69. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, by Lorna Landvik
70. Lake Wobegon Days, by Garrison Keillor (audio)
71. LOST: Signs of Life, by Frank Thompson
72. Son of a Witch, by Gregory Maguire

November
73. We Are In A Book!, by Mo Willems
74. Can I Play Too?, by Mo Willems
75. There Is A Bird On Your Head, by Mo Willems
76. Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (audio)
77. At Home In Mitford, by Jan Karon

December
78. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, by Christopher Moore
79. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
80. Stories by O. Henry

December Stats

Wild Releases: 6
RABCKs: 1

Catches: 1
Wild Find: 1

2010 Stats:

Wild Releases: 226

RABCKs: 44

Catches: 36

Wild Finds: 3

Bookrays: 3

Wild Release #1063

I just got back from a delicious dinner with friends at Robokyo Japanese Steakhouse in Greensburg. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is fun, and the hibachi chefs are highly entertaining. I was inspired to leave Kaye Morgan's "Killer Sudoku" behind in the lobby in the free City Paper rack. Please find a new home soon! Domo arigato.

Wild Find #5!

I found a very familiar-looking book today at the Goodwill store in Greensburg: "So You Want to Be a Wizard," by Diane Duane. I released it in Level Green a little over 11 months ago, but it seems to have the instincts of a homing pigeon. It wouldn't answer me when I asked where it had been and how it came to be there; I'll just have to use my imagination. I left it there on the shelf, awaiting its next adventure.

RABCK #296

I had two copies of "Bel Canto" on my shelf, so I was pleased to send one to spoiledrotten in New Jersey so she can read it for her book club. Enjoy!

Wild Release #1062

"Anne of Green Gables," by L. M. Montgomery, is looking for a new home. If you can offer her one, she is sitting on a light pole in the Lincoln Place Subway parking lot.