But I read a recent story about a young lady playing the "book angel" game for real -
Newcastle woman spreading kindness with secret book deliveries in community
"Amy Lovat, a creative writing teacher, recently started Secret Book Stuff, where she wraps her pre-loved books and leaves them in public places for people to pick up and take home.
"I had wanted to do a random act of kindness project in Newcastle for a while," she said.
"I have almost a thousand books to my name, and every time I move to a new house, I lug these boxes of books everywhere and I always end up giving heaps of them away for free to friends.
"So, then I thought, 'if there's a way that I could do that on a bigger scale, I'll be able to minimalise my life a lot better and get rid of more pre-loved books, but then also spread the magic for other people'."
I know the feeling of moving house and wondering if I really need all those books on the shelf and if they wouldn't be of more service "out there in the world", if I may never read them again.
Amy's is an interesting idea, but I don't know how effective it would be in getting a stranger to actually read the book you left for them, as in my experience the reader has to be prepared to meet the "book angel" halfway, which is why I prefer to give my books to a secondhand bookstore and let the "book angel" deal them out to a keen reader.
"Amy Lovat, a creative writing teacher, recently started Secret Book Stuff, where she wraps her pre-loved books and leaves them in public places for people to pick up and take home.
"I had wanted to do a random act of kindness project in Newcastle for a while," she said.
"I have almost a thousand books to my name, and every time I move to a new house, I lug these boxes of books everywhere and I always end up giving heaps of them away for free to friends.
"So, then I thought, 'if there's a way that I could do that on a bigger scale, I'll be able to minimalise my life a lot better and get rid of more pre-loved books, but then also spread the magic for other people'."
Still, "book angels" do work in mysterious ways.
But I just know that if I left a book on someone's step that they would probably slip on it and be cursing the "book demon" who left it there for them;-)
And on the subject of the people of Newcastle and magical thinking I just listened to Newcastle boy Gordon White interviewing Lionel Snell aka Ramsey Dukes about Lionel's/Ramsey's book, 'My Year of Magical Thinking' ... which maybe Amy placed on somebody's doorstep as a gift?-)
But I just know that if I left a book on someone's step that they would probably slip on it and be cursing the "book demon" who left it there for them;-)
What a beautiful idea! But you make a good point: you don't know if the person wold read the book or not!
ReplyDeleteDid you notice any familiar titles in my book giveaway pile pictured in that post Trish?
ReplyDeleteDon't be offended, because they are good books, but I thought I wasn't probably going to read those books again and that it would be better for me to put them into circulation and expand the readership of those books.
'Synchronicity and the Other Side' won't be leaving my bookcase until I'm on the other-side if I can help it though, as I like that story of the guy burying his cat as Peter Gabriel is singing 'Digging in the Dirt' on his car radio;-)