Fear Steet

~Olia~

When I release books to be found, read and passed on by strangers, I always get nervous that someone will find the book and misinterpret the gesture. Several people have commented that given the current er... political situation, some people may avoid touching the book for fear of swine flu, anthrax, bombs or other unpleasantness. Other people may wish to avoid taking someone else's lost or forgotten item. I try to make my intentions clear by prominently displaying a bookmark that outlines my objectives and encourages the reader to register the book on www.bookcrossing.com and to read it. I hope this works. I left a book on a bench yesterday and returned several hours later to find it undisturbed. I wonder if it would work the same with a $2o bill.

On the Road, Part Deux

Just to add my two cents into Olia's wonderful blog, these were amazing "book takes," as we like to call them. Wilton is especially worth checking out over the weekend the next time that there is a sale if you can't get off during the week. The sale took place in the basement of the library and was pretty much wall to wall books. We'll both keep you updated as to when the next sale is, but bookfinder.com great resource for finding out as well. There are some excellent sales in May, June, and July coming up.
On an unrelated note, I plan on releasing my first book using bookcrossing.com in Monroe today.

On The Road: Wilton and Norwalk, Connecticut

One of the best aspects of shopping for used books is finding large-scale used book events. We use Book Sale Finder (http://www.booksalefinder.com/CT.html) and create an itinerary before heading out. Yesterday morning we were able to visit two Fairfield County book sales in Norwalk and in Wilton.

Norwalk, CT
www.NorwalkPublicLibrary.org
1 Belden Ave
203-899-2780 x 126
info@nplfriends.org

This is a wonderful library, but the sale area is small. Yesterday was the ‘free’ day; this is why we call it a ‘book take’ and not a ‘book sale.’ This branch has a small ongoing book sale consisting of one double-sided shelf available for sale year round. Yesterday several book carts were added to the sale. Even with the small selection, we were able to pick up 5-8 books apiece. We got mostly novels, including “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle, and “Hannibal Rising” by Thomas Harris. Norwalk Public Library’s next sale will be held in October, please look for more information in the fall.

Wilton, CT
www.WiltonLibrary.org
137 Old Ridgefield Rd
Wilton, CT 06897
(203) 762-3950

This is the second sale that we visited yesterday. This was also a ‘book-take,’ but we chose to donate $5 per box/canvas bag, because events like this are a library’s main fundraiser. This was a very large and varied book sale. We spent over an hour (believe me, this was not enough) gathering books; both of us acquired some ‘wish list’ books. This sale was incredibly well organized, with each book organized by genre and in the case of novels, by author.

Caitlin got many novels and short stories, including “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” by David Sedaris and “A Good Year” by Peter Mayle, which adds nicely to her previously acquired copy of “A Year in Provence.” Olia got “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book) Teacher's Edition: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction” by Jon Stewart and The Writers of The Daily Show and “Letters of the Century: America 1900-1999” by Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler.

Parents will enjoy this library’s future sales because there is a large section of children’s and young adult books organized upstairs, separately from the general sale.

NOTE: We used GPS directions to get here. If you don’t know Wilton you may have a difficult time finding this spot because GPS and Mapquest directions will take you to dead end which is technically Old Ridgefield Road but is blocked by train tracks. Actual access to the road is about 300 yards up the main road in the downtown area.

Disclosure

~Olia~

Reading is a habit that I picked up as a kid, and it just sort of...stuck. I've tried to quit many times in favor of other activities like watching TV and trolling internet blogs, but I can't seem to ditch the addiction. My collection has grown over the years and is organized by genre; the political theory and theology sections are definitely the most populated. When I'm not traveling the state (and beyond) to find great deals on books, I practice law. I'm looking forward to "releasing" some of my books into the wild using Bookcrossing.com. As I frequent a lot of coffee shops, particularly Cafe Atlantique in Milford, I expect many to travel with coffee stains. I'll be cataloging released books, so if you happen to find one, drop us a line!

Breaking Dawn

~Caitlin~
As Olia and I sit here, enjoying a hearty and successful day of book takes, we have officially decided to become bloggers! Today's adventure occurred this morning in Norwalk and Wilton at their respective public libraries. This weekend will be another exciting adventure that we have intitled "MAYHEM!" To set everything up for the future, we will be sharing our adventures in booking and our progress in our quest to go to as many booksales and used book stores as possible. I'm Caitlin, a RN here in CT. I currently work weekends and go to school full time during the week. I'm a busy girl, but not too busy for books! The goal of our website is to connect to people like us who love books to the point of obsession and build a community where we can share information. When we happen to get doubles of books (which does occur from time to time) we will be participating in bookcrossing.com and its program to share books with the world. If you happen to find one from us, drop by the blog and drop us a line. We would love to hear from you about your experiences and upcoming booksales near you.
P.S. When you go to book sales, use canvas bags. Recycle books and bags!