I have not had a lot of time

for leisure reading lately, since I got a lead in a local play, but that

is a story for a later date. I mention not being able to read for fun

because I received a book by James Patterson at the office Aug. 17 and

it has sat on my desk ever since. Patterson has written a number of thrillers,

including "Kiss the Girls" and "Along Came a Spider,"

and I'm sure that this one, "2nd Chance," is just as good.

What makes this book special though, isn't what it's about but

how I came across it.

As I entered the office that

steamy August day, I saw the book sticking out of our little, crooked

metal mailbox. There was a yellow sticky note on the front that read,

"I'm Free! I'm not lost! Please pick me up, read me and

help me with my journey! (See inside) - bookcrossing.com."

I thought, "How clever,

what a neat way to share books. This will make a great feature."

And then I got busy and didn't think of the book for a long, long

time. I stumbled upon it the other day, opened the flap and saw that "Aunt

Di" had released the book Aug. 17 and I felt bad. The book got bogged

down at its first stop and I still haven't spread the word of bookcrossing.com.

The Web site encourages people

to leave books in all sorts of places around town where people might be

seeking reading material - waiting rooms, coffee shops, park benches,

etc. If done correctly, the world becomes a library where people may stumble

upon free books all over the place and people all over the world may be

touched by the books. Isn't that nice?

I also found this interesting

because a few weeks before I received "2nd Chance," I left a

real crappy nonfiction book about people who act like vampires at a table

in Marco Polo Airport in Venice. Maybe someone picked it up and enjoyed

it or maybe it got thrown away. Who knows? The possibilities are endless.

Now, I'm not going to

leave every book I've ever read in a waiting room, but some books

are worth sharing. So, today, I have released "2nd Chance" back

to the public. It is somewhere in Fayette County. If you find it, read

it and pass it on. Also, visit bookcrossing.com and document its travels.

This can be done with any book you have and then you can chronicle how

far the book has traveled.

So, there you go. I have spread

the word. Now,