Books, books, books, books, books!"
Apr. 23rd, 2006 07:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skyringBooks on the tables, books on the floor, books in the foyer, books in the goodie bags!
Oh, but I was hurting. So many great books, but I was in mind of my baggage allowance. NoNoNoNo screamed the little bit of brain responsible for packing all my gear up and loading it onto a plane and fronting up at the checkin counter.
YesYesYesyes! said the rest of me. Maybe I can read one of the books before I leave. Hah! Fat chance - I'll be too busy with convention activities.
Convention? Yes, I'm at the 2006 Anniversary Convention here in Toronto. There are books and BookCrossers from all over the world, and they are all here in one merry room.
I wend my way through piles of books and it's all I can do not to wrap an embrace around everyone in sight. Did I ever mention how much I love BookCrossing? And BookCrossers.
There are some awesome BookCrossers here. The first person I spotted was PJLareau, who is a legend, with over twenty thousand books registered. He's probably responsible for a great number of the books on the table, but over the next hour or so as the official Meet'n'Greet progresses BookCrossers arrive with suitcases and boxes and proceed to establish a vast prairie of books along the tables.
This is the theme for the proceedings. At any given time there will be several people sort of browsing, grazing their way along the banquet of books.
People like me. I finally found a copy of Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful book "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency", which I've been searching for over the past few months, ever since I first read another book in the series.
There's several dozen BookCrossers here. And several hundred books. Hard to get an exact count of either, because they move and merge and shift locations.
I dropped off a dozen books, books from my travels through as many OBCZs and picked up a dozen more. Maybe more, despite all the internal carping about weight and baggage allowances.
And I got to hug a lot of wonderful women. There's something about BookCrossers - they tend to be well-read, quirky, generous. And female. 90% of BookCrossers are female, and I'm not complaining at all. I'm privileged to be part of this very social, considerate, well-behaved organisation, and I reckon that if more women had positions of power, we'd all be better off.
At some point I was given my goodie bag, laden down with maps, bookmarks, books, sweets, pens, badges and all sorts of interesting things. I got a nametag that had both my real name and my screen name printed on the front, along with a little Australian flag. And on the back was a timetable showing the convention agenda.
Eventually, after sharing time with dozens of friends, a group of us got together and walked out in the Toronto evening for dinner. Something about a BookCrossing meal. There's lots of talk, lots of laughing, lots of food. We found a Mediterranean cafe - Toronto is a remarkably multicultural city - called "The Greek Islands" and tucked into all manner of spicy fare. I called my wife back home, telling her "I'm in the Greek Islands!"
She's a gem, letting me travel around the world by myself. It's been three weeks I've been gone, with a week to go before I'm back in Canberra. Much as I love BookCrossing and BookCrossers and books, it's home and family that really matters in my life.
"The Greek Islands?" she said "I thought you were supposed to be in Toronto. Did you get the wrong plane again?"
I explain the joke, and describe the food, and talk about my companions, and eventually hang up with words of love when we both become conscious of the cost of overseas cell phone calls.
And then we walk back to the hotel, say our goodnights and disappear off to our rooms. Me, I open the door and before I can find the light switch, I trip over the pile of books just inside. Oh Lord, but this pile is bigger than my bag. I am in serious trouble!
Oh, but I was hurting. So many great books, but I was in mind of my baggage allowance. NoNoNoNo screamed the little bit of brain responsible for packing all my gear up and loading it onto a plane and fronting up at the checkin counter.
YesYesYesyes! said the rest of me. Maybe I can read one of the books before I leave. Hah! Fat chance - I'll be too busy with convention activities.
Convention? Yes, I'm at the 2006 Anniversary Convention here in Toronto. There are books and BookCrossers from all over the world, and they are all here in one merry room.
I wend my way through piles of books and it's all I can do not to wrap an embrace around everyone in sight. Did I ever mention how much I love BookCrossing? And BookCrossers.
There are some awesome BookCrossers here. The first person I spotted was PJLareau, who is a legend, with over twenty thousand books registered. He's probably responsible for a great number of the books on the table, but over the next hour or so as the official Meet'n'Greet progresses BookCrossers arrive with suitcases and boxes and proceed to establish a vast prairie of books along the tables.
This is the theme for the proceedings. At any given time there will be several people sort of browsing, grazing their way along the banquet of books.
People like me. I finally found a copy of Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful book "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency", which I've been searching for over the past few months, ever since I first read another book in the series.
There's several dozen BookCrossers here. And several hundred books. Hard to get an exact count of either, because they move and merge and shift locations.
I dropped off a dozen books, books from my travels through as many OBCZs and picked up a dozen more. Maybe more, despite all the internal carping about weight and baggage allowances.
And I got to hug a lot of wonderful women. There's something about BookCrossers - they tend to be well-read, quirky, generous. And female. 90% of BookCrossers are female, and I'm not complaining at all. I'm privileged to be part of this very social, considerate, well-behaved organisation, and I reckon that if more women had positions of power, we'd all be better off.
At some point I was given my goodie bag, laden down with maps, bookmarks, books, sweets, pens, badges and all sorts of interesting things. I got a nametag that had both my real name and my screen name printed on the front, along with a little Australian flag. And on the back was a timetable showing the convention agenda.
Eventually, after sharing time with dozens of friends, a group of us got together and walked out in the Toronto evening for dinner. Something about a BookCrossing meal. There's lots of talk, lots of laughing, lots of food. We found a Mediterranean cafe - Toronto is a remarkably multicultural city - called "The Greek Islands" and tucked into all manner of spicy fare. I called my wife back home, telling her "I'm in the Greek Islands!"
She's a gem, letting me travel around the world by myself. It's been three weeks I've been gone, with a week to go before I'm back in Canberra. Much as I love BookCrossing and BookCrossers and books, it's home and family that really matters in my life.
"The Greek Islands?" she said "I thought you were supposed to be in Toronto. Did you get the wrong plane again?"
I explain the joke, and describe the food, and talk about my companions, and eventually hang up with words of love when we both become conscious of the cost of overseas cell phone calls.
And then we walk back to the hotel, say our goodnights and disappear off to our rooms. Me, I open the door and before I can find the light switch, I trip over the pile of books just inside. Oh Lord, but this pile is bigger than my bag. I am in serious trouble!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-22 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-22 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-22 11:37 pm (UTC)Having seen that ginormous LL Bean bag you're lugging around, I would say that's an accurate assessment. The bloody thing took up half the bed of our pickup truck!
MartiP, murderously envious, but smiling
Ah
Date: 2006-04-23 01:39 am (UTC)Now plotting going to the Adelaide Convention.......
Re: Ah
Date: 2006-04-23 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-23 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-17 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-23 01:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-23 02:22 am (UTC)Sounds like you are all having a great time!
Maybe I can win sirfares by Charleston!
Woosang I hope you make it to Adelaide!
I'm about 90percent sure I will be going, cross fingers!
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 08:19 pm (UTC)*Peers at shelf*. Never knew you were looking. Ooops.