Friends of Montclair Library

“Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” — from The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Just for fun, I decided to release a few of the leftovers from our most recent book sale around the Village through BookCrossing.com, a website where you log a book, write an ID number in the front and release it into “the wild.” Hopefully, someone finds the book, logs its location on the website, reads it (or passes it onto someone else who will enjoy it) and then leaves it out for someone else to find. (It’s similar to the Where’s George website that tracks the travels of dollar bills.) It’s a really interesting experiment — some books travel around the world; others disappear and are never logged again. I’m curious to see where our books end up.

Here are the books I’m releasing today and tomorrow – if you pick one up, please log it at the BookCrossing website so we can see where it’s been. You don’t have to log in or create an account or anything, it can be totally anonymous.

The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
This magical realism tale is set largely in a spice shop in downtown Oakland. Released 5/25/11 at Nelly’s Java.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf
A “lovely, rough-edged book” set in a small town on the edge of the Colorado plains, according to Amazon. Released 5/25/11 at the Montclair Post Office.

Breeder edited by Ariel Gore & Bee Lavender
A collection of fresh, honest essays about modern motherhood by Gen-X moms, edited by the founders of the Hip Mama zine that originated in Oakland. Released 5/25/11 at Tulip Grove baby store.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
A sweet epistolary novel set just after World War II, where the action is set in motion by a name in a used book. Will be released 5/26/11.

Boonville: A Novel by Robert Mailer Anderson
A strange, entertaining tale of the characters who populate Northern California’s Anderson Valley. Will be released 5/26/11.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
A funny, angst-filled modern take on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Will be released 5/26/11.

Want to find out what other books are on the loose in Oakland? Click here or use the “Go Hunting” search feature at BookCrossing.com to find books around the world.