A book is not only a friend, it makes friends for you. When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on you are enriched threefold. - Henry Miller

I discovered Bookcrossing back in 2005, when I lived in Dublin, and was immediately taken with the idea of releasing books in the wild. Turn the world into a library, connect people through books and ask them to read (if they so wish) and pass them on. It’s as simple as that - let your books fly.

Dublin as a city was the perfect place for me to start my bookcrossing journey, famously proud as it is of its creative and literary heritage (do the literary pub crawl if you’re ever in town). I left Samuel Beckett beside Patrick Kavanagh’s statue on a park bench (The curmudgeonly Monaghan poet would probably have hated the idea and tried to throw Beckett into the canal). Upper Seats on Double deckers, newly created tram stops (the luas had recently arrived) were popular. One of my favourite releases was JG Ballards ‘Crash’ – which was the same size as a DVD and which I left beside Cronenberg’s film of the same name in a video store (remember them?) I left Dublin a few months later and by that time I had released ten books.

A good reader should always have two books with him: one to read, the other one to lend. - Gabrielle Dubois

The concept is simple – you sign up with www.bookcrossing.com and each book you register gets a code. You include this code in the inside of the book with a message stating what bookcrossing is (the company sell pre-printed labels or you can make your own) and that’s it. You can exchange books on the site with other members, or release the book ‘in the wild’. When someone picks it up, they are encouraged to read it, sign up and pass it on. The fun part is seeing where your book goes – will it make its way around the world?

I have to admit to not having had much success with my ten books – I don’t think they ever made it out of Dublin. A few left comments that they would take them on their travels but they never resurfaced. Ah well. Maybe some ended up in the canal after all, where they are unlikely to resurface. But the joy comes from the sharing of them. For me the possibility of them travelling is a nice bonus.

In the sixteen years since (!), I haven’t released any books. I moved to a village in a rural part of the North of Ireland, and it never seemed big enough. But I have now moved to a big town/small city (it even has a literary festival) so I’ve reactivated my account. I’ve also discovered boxes of books in the attic that haven’t seen the light of day since I left Dublin. I keep the books that I cherish most, those that are gifts or hold special memories for me, but the rest can go free.

I’ve heard the argument that it doesn’t benefit the author. True, but if someone discovers your books in the wild, reads and likes it - you earn a new fan. Who also recommends to their friends this new author they have discovered. And in this digital age of devices and short attention spans, what about the person who discovers a book on a park bench, brings it home - and discovers they enjoy reading? Win-win for authors and libraries, I reckon.

It’s something I probably wouldn’t have done in the North before, as it could have been the bomb disposal squad ‘discovering’ your left behind package, and in a bang and flutter of pages your book would fly into the air but never land. Thankfully, we live in much better times. I would still be careful about wild releases – airports for example, probably not. And moving into the inclement weather of autumn and winter, a small (biodegradable) bag is advisable to protect against the elements. I’m unsure if ‘the Covid’ might restrict the practice but you can sanitise the book and leave a note to say you have done so.

Even better – chat to a local coffee shop or bar owner and see if they’d be interested in providing a free public bookshelf – drop a book off, pick a book up. I’m building up a stack of books to release into the wild, so keep an eye out. Fly, my pretties, fly.

You are not done with a book until you pass it to another reader. - Donalyn Miller