highly sensitive power

Raise your hand if you love books. I raised both hands, to doubly demonstrate my love for books and to remove all doubt that I am, indeed, a teacher-pleasing nerd. So be it, particularly if my book radar continues to locate concepts like these:

Book Towns – I can hardly think of a better way to plan a trip than aiming for a book town – a place where book stores and book-related events are uncommonly prevalent and book lovers are proud to proclaim themselves as such. There’s even a book about the first book town, Hay-on-Wye, in Wales. Written by Paul Collins, Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books, is a memoir which my husband, arbiter of fine books, highly recommends.

Bookcrossing – If books are as alive as they often seem to be, it’s not a giant leap to think of them travelling the world like hitchhikers out for adventure. Bookcrossing allows us to keep track of such itinerant books, through tracking codes they’re assigned before they’re released “into the wild,” as Bookcrossing calls it. Anyone can register a book on the site and release it to roam freely, keeping in touch via online messages sent by the book’s successive hosts.

BookMooch – An online book swap, BookMooch facilitates trades through points earned when books no longer wanted are sent to people who request them. The points can then be exchanged for wanted books. Now we can browse the global garage sale for book treasures and clear the excess from our own shelves at the same time.

Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title – Prepare to chortle.

Happy hunting.

Flickr photo credit: Chethams Library and School Exterior July, 2008, Manchester, by terry6082.