The Book Crossing Tree

The Book Crossing Tree

There's a path near my home where I walk our dog. It is deep in a gully, with a muddy creek running through it and tall trees reaching higher than the houses on the banks above. And along this path is the Book Crossing Tree.

I have no idea who puts these books on the tree. They are carefully zipped into plastic bags and sealed with packing tape to keep out moisture. Most of them are children and young adult books, and in my imagination I see a mother with young children helping small, clumsy fingers tie each book on a branch. The tree is barely five feet tall, and the branches bend with their load, but it seems proud of its role

Have you ever been to the Book Crossing website?  You register a book, label it with a special ID, and then you "set it free." A book lover that comes across your "release" can log in to the site and note where it was found...and then release it again.  It is such a cool concept...sharing books, meeting new readers, making friends.

Of course, the spirit of Book Crossing means I'd have to let go of a book, and I find it difficult enough to do that without tossing it into the wild. I would want to know it was found by someone who would take care of it and appreciate it.

What about you? Could you leave a book you loved in a strange place, waiting for strange hands to pick it up?

---