OK OK...you asked......Bookcrosing Mystery Adventure
This tale was recounted, as it took place, in a series of bookcrossing forum entries. below is cobbled together form those entries. But you can read the whole thread and people's reactions at : http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/5/5166056/msgsort_1
Apologies to scrappycat...I thought the story involved an angry man in Las Vegas...but it was Palm Spring instead.....but he was an angry man.
Recently I bought a shipment of books from my love/hate source www.bookcloseouts.com . I say love/hate because like any addict I am constantly drawn to my pusher no matter my resolve not to buy. It is not a 50-50 balance and so I buy more than I resist. Any way...
One of the books I received was a Michael Craft novel that part of a series I had. Upon opening the book, what to my wandering eyes should appear but several pieces of paper - some postcards and a couple email messages sent in 2001 printed out. The messages appeared to be about a Palm Springs, California book club at which Michael Craft had attended -sure enough - the book is signed !
That alone should have been enough, but why was a signed book bought at an author event in Palm Springs being sold through an Ontario remainders house? Well I puzzeled, as they say, until my puzzeler was sore,,and then I decided to write to the two guys who had sent that email....
Byron and/or Brent
Hello.I am writing to you from distant, and at this time of year- cold, Canada.
I just received a book "Name Games" by Michael Craft from a remainders house. When I opened the book I was surprised to find that the book has an email in it from your address advising a group of people about this month's book club book. This month being November 2001. The back of the page the email is printed on has some handwriting and there is a second page with the list of the club's past and planned books. Included are two postcards advertising another of the author's books, one of which has a name tag stuck to it that says John HXXXXX.
I'm not a book stalker, but could not resist writing to you because of the reason I had opened the book. I belong to a web site called Bookcrossing (www.bookcrossing.com) where we register books we have, leave them somewhere in the hopes someone will find them, and then follow the book as people find it and leave it around the world. Here I find a connection back to previous holders of this book while registering it on a website to do exactly that.
The book is presently in Ottawa, Ontario Canada our capital. It may be a while before it gets read although I am tempted to read it now. I was pleased to discover the book is also signed.
I must admit to being curious....who is John HXXXXX and had he planned to buy the book and changed his mind? Did he buy it but leave it behind and it got reshelved, and eventually returned? In the 6.5 years since he held the book, has no one else opened and seen all the things inside? Will this email find a reader or bounce back because the address is no longer valid? No wonder the book is a mystery- it is a mystery novel.
If you know John and know how to reach him, please pass this along to him if you think he'd enjoy knowing about the book.
I hope the Palm Springs book club is still going strong. Check out Bookcrossing....you never know what connections you will find!
Best wishes
William
They are in Germany now and not Palm Springs and so not in touch with the book club.
They knew the John H whose name tag was in the book but have no idea where he is now or how to reach him.
They said the book was the first detective story they had read and it did not go over well. The author was present but thought it was a book signing and not a book discussion. I gather he was "not amused". The crowd was not happy since the book is mid-way in a series and no one had read the first parts and it was, in the opinion of those present, poorly written.
Unfortunately I had managed to confuse the dears and they thought I found the book via bookcrossing. So.....I wrote back and clarified the situation and asked a few questions. I found some Palm Springs information on the internet for name on the name tag...but is it the same John H as I found on the net?
So I wrote to them again..... They recalled that the event took place in a bookstore and the owner had the habit of buying back books from people. Hence either John bought the book that night and got it signed and then changed his mind or brought it back later with the email and postcards still inside. Either way the owner probably sent it back to the publisher who subsequently sold it to www.bookcloseouts.com who then sold it to me.
As I said to the lads... Usually the least romantic explanation is the closest to the truth...lol"
While this was happening I also found two photos online that could be the man, the lads having given me some description of John. I copied them and sent them to the lads to see if either is the John involved. I also found a reference to John as a member of Guild related to books and wrote in hopes they may be able to connect me to him.
The lads wrote back....YES...one of the photos was my John. Then more good luck.....
The president responded and offered to forward my email to John. True to her word she did. And John wrote to me !!!!
He didn't have the background on the story of why I was writing so I wrote again and explained it all to him. I got an email from John H...thee John H in the mystery. He recalls the evening, the book club, the lads and the book. Apparently the bookstore takes back books it sold and provides a credit towards future books. John had returned this book and somehow it found its way to the remainder house; whether by being returned to the publisher or sold off in some other way to the remainder house.
He confirmed that the book had been poorly received by the club much to the disappointment of the writer. But it sounds like there was no lack of displeasure for John was uncomplimentary about both the author and two lads who ran the book club. Alas, the book-boys also seemed less than enamored of John. John did provide the additional detail that one of the two lads is German, which explained the question of why they left California for Germany- I knew you were wondering! !!
So my mystery was solved. Oh...one bonus......John has bookmarked Bokcrossing and will consider releasing his future unwanted books through the site.
Eh Voila....I got a book, we all shared a mystery, John, Byron, and Brent got reacquainted with a moment in their past, and Bookcrossing got a potential new member. Does it get any better than that? I think my work here is done....go back to chatting amongst yourselves.
Last bit.....
I Love you
Peter Smeltzer (Ottawa)
12x12 oil on canvass
Thinking of you
Peter Smeltzer (Ottawa)
12x12 oil on cavass
Apologies to scrappycat...I thought the story involved an angry man in Las Vegas...but it was Palm Spring instead.....but he was an angry man.
Recently I bought a shipment of books from my love/hate source www.bookcloseouts.com . I say love/hate because like any addict I am constantly drawn to my pusher no matter my resolve not to buy. It is not a 50-50 balance and so I buy more than I resist. Any way...
One of the books I received was a Michael Craft novel that part of a series I had. Upon opening the book, what to my wandering eyes should appear but several pieces of paper - some postcards and a couple email messages sent in 2001 printed out. The messages appeared to be about a Palm Springs, California book club at which Michael Craft had attended -sure enough - the book is signed !
That alone should have been enough, but why was a signed book bought at an author event in Palm Springs being sold through an Ontario remainders house? Well I puzzeled, as they say, until my puzzeler was sore,,and then I decided to write to the two guys who had sent that email....
Byron and/or Brent
Hello.I am writing to you from distant, and at this time of year- cold, Canada.
I just received a book "Name Games" by Michael Craft from a remainders house. When I opened the book I was surprised to find that the book has an email in it from your address advising a group of people about this month's book club book. This month being November 2001. The back of the page the email is printed on has some handwriting and there is a second page with the list of the club's past and planned books. Included are two postcards advertising another of the author's books, one of which has a name tag stuck to it that says John HXXXXX.
I'm not a book stalker, but could not resist writing to you because of the reason I had opened the book. I belong to a web site called Bookcrossing (www.bookcrossing.com) where we register books we have, leave them somewhere in the hopes someone will find them, and then follow the book as people find it and leave it around the world. Here I find a connection back to previous holders of this book while registering it on a website to do exactly that.
The book is presently in Ottawa, Ontario Canada our capital. It may be a while before it gets read although I am tempted to read it now. I was pleased to discover the book is also signed.
I must admit to being curious....who is John HXXXXX and had he planned to buy the book and changed his mind? Did he buy it but leave it behind and it got reshelved, and eventually returned? In the 6.5 years since he held the book, has no one else opened and seen all the things inside? Will this email find a reader or bounce back because the address is no longer valid? No wonder the book is a mystery- it is a mystery novel.
If you know John and know how to reach him, please pass this along to him if you think he'd enjoy knowing about the book.
I hope the Palm Springs book club is still going strong. Check out Bookcrossing....you never know what connections you will find!
Best wishes
William
They are in Germany now and not Palm Springs and so not in touch with the book club.
They knew the John H whose name tag was in the book but have no idea where he is now or how to reach him.
They said the book was the first detective story they had read and it did not go over well. The author was present but thought it was a book signing and not a book discussion. I gather he was "not amused". The crowd was not happy since the book is mid-way in a series and no one had read the first parts and it was, in the opinion of those present, poorly written.
Unfortunately I had managed to confuse the dears and they thought I found the book via bookcrossing. So.....I wrote back and clarified the situation and asked a few questions. I found some Palm Springs information on the internet for name on the name tag...but is it the same John H as I found on the net?
So I wrote to them again..... They recalled that the event took place in a bookstore and the owner had the habit of buying back books from people. Hence either John bought the book that night and got it signed and then changed his mind or brought it back later with the email and postcards still inside. Either way the owner probably sent it back to the publisher who subsequently sold it to www.bookcloseouts.com who then sold it to me.
As I said to the lads... Usually the least romantic explanation is the closest to the truth...lol"
While this was happening I also found two photos online that could be the man, the lads having given me some description of John. I copied them and sent them to the lads to see if either is the John involved. I also found a reference to John as a member of Guild related to books and wrote in hopes they may be able to connect me to him.
The lads wrote back....YES...one of the photos was my John. Then more good luck.....
The president responded and offered to forward my email to John. True to her word she did. And John wrote to me !!!!
He didn't have the background on the story of why I was writing so I wrote again and explained it all to him. I got an email from John H...thee John H in the mystery. He recalls the evening, the book club, the lads and the book. Apparently the bookstore takes back books it sold and provides a credit towards future books. John had returned this book and somehow it found its way to the remainder house; whether by being returned to the publisher or sold off in some other way to the remainder house.
He confirmed that the book had been poorly received by the club much to the disappointment of the writer. But it sounds like there was no lack of displeasure for John was uncomplimentary about both the author and two lads who ran the book club. Alas, the book-boys also seemed less than enamored of John. John did provide the additional detail that one of the two lads is German, which explained the question of why they left California for Germany- I knew you were wondering! !!
So my mystery was solved. Oh...one bonus......John has bookmarked Bokcrossing and will consider releasing his future unwanted books through the site.
Eh Voila....I got a book, we all shared a mystery, John, Byron, and Brent got reacquainted with a moment in their past, and Bookcrossing got a potential new member. Does it get any better than that? I think my work here is done....go back to chatting amongst yourselves.
Last bit.....
I Love you
Peter Smeltzer (Ottawa)
12x12 oil on canvass
Thinking of you
Peter Smeltzer (Ottawa)
12x12 oil on cavass