A BOOKCROSSING DAY

Odel is not a bookish sort, although he will read a mystery or thriller when it is the only entertainment available. I usually pursue books on my own, happily.

When we arrived at our current park and met JoAnn and Doug, and JoAnn expressed her interest in BookCrossing, I suggested a "BookCrossing Day" for JoAnn and I. Monday's windy weather was perfect for what we had in mind - a visit to Bookman's, Tucson's highly regarded used book/CD/DVD store, and to Tucson's only "Official BookCrossing Zone" (OBCZ), the Black Rose Caffe.

JoAnn was the perfect companion for this outing, new to Tucson and full of curiosity, seemingly happy with any agenda. We began at Bookman's, where we browsed the stacks and lost track of time. I checked out with 9 books, several from my mental list of "books of interest" that had been too expensive to purchase new; JoAnn had a big bag of books in her hands, too.

It was almost noon when we left - lunch time. I had visited the Black Rose Caffe's website and knew they served sandwiches, salads, coffee drinks and desserts, but had put off visiting on my own because the website seemed a little wierd - mentioning Tarot card readings, a psychic fair, and neo-pagan meetings. Hmmmm. Fun? Interesting? or uncomfortably odd?

Now we had strength in numbers, and the lure of an OBCZ was strong, so off we went.

An OBCZ is a public place (business, library, senior center, etc.) that sets aside a space for BookCrossing-registered books. Anyone is free to take these books home, read them, make a journal entry on BookCrossing, and pass the book on, either at an OBCZ or as a "wild release". I had never visited an OBCZ, but was curious.

Joann and I found the Black Rose Caffe and agreed that it looked promising from the outside. The inside was even better, totally delightful: roomy, comfortable, relaxing. Lovely colors and pleasant lighting. I took this photo from our table, where I was sitting on a comfortable booth seat surrounded by lush throw pillows.

Lunch was delicious and great fun in the company of Joann. We found the BookCrossing shelf and I left a book there, and studied all the other books - some registered with BC, some not. I also studied the flyers and notices on the bulletin board, and came home with a fascinating brochure about the beliefs of Neopagan Druids - another stereotype shattered! If I was more of a joiner, I'm sure they could sign me up.

If you are coming to (or in) Tucson, both places merit a visit - and several returns.