Thanks to Erin for this link to Book Crossing, a beautifully conceived site with a beguiling premise: you take a favorite (or just an old) book, register it on the site, then lend it out, mail it to a friend, or simply leave it in a park or coffee shop with the expectation that someone will find it, read it, and post about their discovery in reply. It's a wonderful idea, and even if many of the books and their entries don't quite live up to the site's promise (most books haven't gotten very far, and most of the ones that have don't seem especially interesting), it's still an interesting site to browse and dream about. And a few of its ideas are lovely. For example: a collective diary currently migrating from hand to hand across Europe.

Many years ago, I used to know a girl who would have loved this site. Her name was Esperanza...