My thoughts on the book;

Not read by me, but this was bought as part of a bulk-buy "10 for £1" offer at a "withdrawn" books sale at Chelmsford Library last month.

What's interesting about this book is that when I opened it, inside the cover was a hand-written piece of paper containing a review for the book that someone had copied down from the book's Amazon.co.uk page (as below).

I've attached a scan of the paper here to this journal if you want a closer look, and the corresponding review to look for on the link below is by a "Mr. Alastair E. Sim".

Now, this is the second book I've found like this, having the same style of little note in it, with a similar book review written by hand on it. Has anyone got any ideas as to why they were being done or left in the books?

My guess is that it's some sort of school project encouraging children to use the Internet to look for book reviews, but I'm open to suggestions!

Perhaps if I "wild" release it, the finder will be able to come up with a better reason / idea for it's purpose. ;-)

Below review / text taken from; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moonshine-Morning-Andrea-McNicoll/dp/184688067X/;

"As sharp and delicious as a Thai red curry, the beautifully-crafted interlinking tales of "Moonshine in the Morning" present an unforgettable cast of strong-minded women and their wayward husbands clinging to village life in Thailand before the relentless advance of modernity. How can Mother Nong and Mother Pensri save their menfolk from terrifying visions of 'widow ghosts', when Uncle Lai's moonshine stall does such brisk business?

What possessed Mother Suree to cut off her husband's proudest appendage and attach it to a high-flying balloon during the festival of Loy Krathong?

And is the sacred banyan tree dying because the men are taking bets on its size, or because the women are lighting too many oil lamps under its ancient boughs? Achieving both charm and authenticity, debut novelist Andrea McNicoll subtly builds up her characters and themes to create a world so distant in its geography, and yet so familiar in its intimate human drama, as to be utterly irresistible.

About the Author;

Andrea McNicoll is a fluent Thai speaker who lived and worked in Thailand for twelve years. A graduate of Glasgow University's prestigious Creative Writing MPhil programme, she works in Glasgow in the field of mental health. Moonshine in the Morning is her first book."

I'll be leaving this book on one of the benches in Central Park, Chelmsford, Essex.

It will most likely be on one of the two I've circled in the attached journal image, nearest the entrance / exit to the "Marks and Spencer" store, but sometimes there's picnic tables set up on the grass I might use. Depending on how busy the park is, I might have to walk through and drop it on another unoccupied bench, so check those too. ;-)

The attached journal image shows the park using Google "Street View" and you can view its location on Google Maps using the link below;

http://tinyurl.com/3mknck9.

It'll have a yellow "PICK ME UP" note stuck on its front, featuring an all new random free gift, and be in a clear plastic bag.



To the finder of this book:

Welcome to BookCrossing, a unique community of book lovers, sharing their libraries with the world. This book is now yours to read, enjoy, and keep... but why not pass it on to another reader, or even better... "wild release" it yourself again, so it can continue its journey. The BookCrossing ID, which you entered in the "Enter a BCID" box on the website, is unique to this copy of this book. If you make a journal entry (either anonymously, or as a BookCrossing member) all previous readers of this actual book will be notified by email, and can follow the book as it travels around from reader to reader.

BookCrossing is free to join, completely confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address) and a great deal of fun. Be on the lookout for other books left in the "Wild"!

If you decide to join, consider listing JamesUK (or any of the other journalers) as referring you.

Microsoft Office Word Label and Bookmark Templates;

A lot of us BookCrossers use sheets of shop-bought sticky labels to put the BCID numbers on our books, myself included. I've made up several BookCrossing label templates and other bits and bobs in MS Word, and if you would like any of them, drop me a Private Message with your requirements, and I can directly link you to what might be suitable for you.

See http://www.fishchipsandmushypeas.co.uk/bc/ for everything I have on offer, including basic bookmarks, "Post-It" note templates, MS Word "mail merge" label templates and loads more...all for free download and use. Plus, I'd be happy to help with your bespoke designs too! Drop me a Private Message to discuss. ;-)