Read, Register, Release

How often have you given away old books to the raddi wala or just sold them to the newspaper vendors as they were taking up too much space?

For booklovers this is tantamount to a hanging offence.

There is, however, a solution to this. Aiming to make 'the whole world a library', is a free online book club called BookCrossing.

Here one can ‘release’a book for people all over the world to read. The exchange takes place in the form of direct swaps with other members of the websites, or 'book rings' in which books travel in a set order to participants who want to read them.

Seventeen-year-old Luqmaan Siddiqui from Little Flower Junior College says, “My mom got me into reading whatever books I could lay my hand on, for as long as I can remember.

And now I have my own personal collection ranging from fantasy to fiction. BookCrossing sounds like a novel idea. I mean, you have this vast collection to choose from and for avid readers like me it means a paradise of books.”

A modern day ‘Message in a Bottle,’ the books must be registered with the website. Users can then ‘go hunting’, this is where a member will log on to the website to view a list of books that has recently been ‘released’, they then go to the location where it has been left to ‘catch’ it.

People interested in BookCrossing in the city can find whatever books they want with the help of members on the website http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/PanjimInn-OBCZ/.

Books may also be left at Official BookCrossing Zones. Panjim Inn, Goa’s heritage hotel is India’s first Official BookCrossing Zone. You can either leave them here or can write to the in-charge of Panjim Inn at thefrangipanijournals@g-mail.com.

For some the concept is incredible and they are having a hard time comprehending how it works. Thirteen-year-old Nikita Hari from Indus World School, says, “I have never heard of this website.

When it comes to sharing books, I have only thought about my friends. But to have people from all over the country get access to my collection sounds incredible. ”

But not everyone wants to share their books. “Certain books have great sentimental value and even if I’ve read them a billion times I wouldn’t want them to fall in the hands of someone who wouldn’t even be interested in them.

A person might sell them for some money instead of reporting them on the website, as intended,” says 17-year-old Sayoni Chakrabarti, who finished her intermediate from FIITJEE Junior College.

No matter what the perspective be, ‘Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.’

So what are you waiting for? Get ready as it’s time to increase your circle of friends.