BookCrossing.com

Two years ago I moved out of a five bedroom house into a studio basement apartment. I call it my Hobbit Hole. The problem is space. I had 24 bookcases in the old house.
I guess you might say that I love books. And I do. I have a collection of children's picture books - three bookcases full. I have coffee table books which are really adult picture books of Spanish castles, rural America, animals, etc. - only one bookcase full. I have writing craft books - three bookcases full. A collection of old comic strip books - one bookcase full. Fiction books (mostly Christian fiction) - two bookcases full. And misc. non-fiction - two bookcases full.

I have books.

And I keep getting more. People know I love books, so I often get books as gifts. And I get books for free because I am an author, and publishing houses send me books to endorse. And I have to admit I buy books as well.

But I discovered I don't need to KEEP all the books. So aside from those books that I use from time to time, or my "collections" hobby, I have found a way to share the wealth.

It is called bookcrossing.com. http://www.bookcrossing.com/

This is a fun concept, and I have enjoyed playing the game. Here is the definition:

bookcrossing n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. (added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in August 2004)

Here's what this online book club says about itself:
"You've come to a friendly place, and we welcome you to our book-lovers' community. Our members love books enough to let them go — into the wild — to be found by others. Sharing your used books has never been more exciting, more serendipitous, than with BookCrossing. Our goal, simply, is to make the whole world a library. BookCrossing is a free online book club of infinite proportion, the first and only of its kind. Inside, you'll find millions of book reviews and hundreds of thousands of passionate readers just like you.
Let's get right down to it. You know the feeling you get after reading a book that speaks to you, that touches your life, a feeling that you want to share it with someone else? BookCrossing.com gives you a simple way to share books with the world, and follow their paths forever! "

I found this to be fun and relatively safe. (It is a good idea to check with your parents to make sure they approve of a site you visit.)
One thing I found out is that there is a small percentage of follow up on the books you register. In other words if you release ten books into the wild, you will probably only hear back on one of them. But it is still fun.
Of course you can find books listed that you don't want to read, but I trust you to be discerning and not follow the gay and lesbian or erotica list. Just like your public library, the vast majority of the books are mainstream. There are plenty of good books to learn about. So check it out.

Now, you know I am going to think of a spiritual connection, just because that is the way my mind operates. Out of the abundance of spiritual truths God has given me, I enjoy sharing. However, when I give those gems away, some may never be picked up and some may be passed from sister to sister to brother to brother. You never know what convoluted route a word you've spoken may take to reach the heart of someone God wants to bless.

Be of good cheer, THE LORD IS GOD!