Time to cross books!

Have you ever heard of BookCrossing?

Well, I never - until last week when I went to 1Utama in Bandar Damansara. I was walking through Ground Floor Highstreet and I spotted this bookshelf located at the side of the walkway.



Normally people won't give a care about a random bookshelf in a shopping centre, but being the book-lover that I always am, I walked over to check it out. A big poster caught my attention.



BookCrossing is defined as "the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise." The term is derived from bookcrossing.com, a free online book club which began in order to encourage the practice, aiming to "make the whole world a library."

BookCrossing literally opened a whole new world for me. I love their concept; it's so creative! And what's a better way to get more people interested in books by using such an interesting method?

Also, bookaholics can now have a chance to share their books instead of not touching them anymore after a few reads.

New York Times quoted: "If you love your books, let them go."

So, how do you get started?

1. Find books at home that you'll like to share with others
2. Register at http://www.bookcrossing.com/ for a Book ID number
3. Pick up a free book sticker label at BookCross@1U
4. Write down you Book ID number
5. Leave books on lounge bookshelf
6. Log online to see who has found and read you bookBookCrossing is perfectly described as the modern day "message in a bottle". It's like a mystery when you pick up a book at BookCross and wonder whose book might that be. The owner may turn out to be of someone you actually know!

Furthermore, it's a fun way to make friends with people who has picked up your book. It really supports BookCrossing's mission to connect people through books!



1Utama is proudly the first mall in Asia to have a BookCrossing Zone, so those interested can head on to 1Utama or http://www.bookcrossing.com/ for more info.



“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
The Books In My Life (1969)

Happy reading!