In which I am both excited and frightened by a good idea

[impulsereader]

So I bet at least someone who is reading this has stumbled across bookcrossing.  Some time ago I did and I thought, 'oh neat.  I should really do that sometime,' but as with most things I didn't follow up.  And as I continue to excessively mention, I'm leaving for Edinburgh on Monday.  Pursuant to this fact I've recently been toying with the idea of trying a day trip to Kirkcudbright - making a pilgrimage to see the scenery enjoyed by Dorothy Sayers and Lord Peter.  This made me pick up my copy of The Five Red Herrings and break one of my resolutions - to not bring books with me, just pick up really cool second hand books as I discovered them in Edinburgh.  I thought, 'well just this one, so I can see if a day trip would be worth it.'  For the plane, I reassured myself.

I imagine you can see where this is going by now.  I do a lot more thinking when I'm driving than I ever suspected before.  I was musing again on the way home today about bookcrossing and had the thought that it would be fun to see if there are any books in play in Edinburgh and hunt them down during my trip.  Then it hit me.  Of course I must bring my copy, slap a bookcrossing ID on it and leave it in Kirkcudbright.  Then I need to buy myself a new copy in a bookshop in the very town.  And now I feel like I have to do this.  Before I was just toying with the idea because public transport seems to involve a long stretch by bus, and it would be intensely brave of me to rent a car because I've only ever done opposite side navigating up 'til now.  But now, I really think I have to do it because it just seems so right and it makes me so happy to think of actually pulling this off!

I'm also eyeing my Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith with a new eye but don't want to overdo it.  I'd hate to end up spamming Scotland.

Comments

[djarum99.livejournal.com]

The Scots are tough - they can take a spamming :-)

What a fabulous idea, and of course you must do it! McCall Smith and Rankin, too (you read all the cool authors), absolutely ♥

[impulsereader.livejournal.com]

In this case I only claim to read the authors writing about Scotland or Edinburgh. I actually think Rankin's first book is pretty poorly written, though he does improve and the city is beautifully done - the bizarre link with Case Histories is odd here - they took novels set elsewhere and made Edinburgh a part of the cast - but Rankin - has anyone yet filmed any of his work? Seems a natural for that sort of thing - he has a local and one of his corpses is found in a close, I'm told. He practically reeks 'procedural + forensics and a dash of psychotic killer = something people watch'. Better him than Dan Brown.