Have you ever found a book in the WILD?

I've found 3 (well, 4 really...)

I'll tell you about mine if you'll tell me about yours...

Not really in the wild, but I did find a copy of Rich Shapero's Wild Animus with a BCID in it. I knew it to be a less than desirable read so I just wrote down the BCID number and journaled where I saw it (in a used book store).

I have found one other book in the wild but that one I specifically caught after receiving a release alert.

I haven't found any.... :-(

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Do you have your release alerts turned on? That's a good way to found out where they are being left...in areas near you!

I've found 2 that way, and 2 by chance...

I found one in Covent Garden Piazza when I lived near there - hunted that one down
Can't believe I didn't note down the BCID, guess I didn't think I'd end up with 107 pages of books on my shelf!

Then I found
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2946404 in a library coffee room, I had just gone to work in that library (turns out I'd given it to the person who left it there at a book stall at a local fair a year previously!)

Then I hunted down http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5252067 and the other 2 parts of the trilogy, as it was released near where I worked and I wanted to read it

And finally, I found
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2996625 while out for a run during the London Convention - so not odd to find a book then, but still cool!

I found a couple, both in places where I knew tons of books had been released. The first was Life Its Ownself at Potbelly's in Rockville, Maryland. I was not the target audience, but it wasn't horrible. The other was more recent: The Eyre Affair in Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, Virginia. I was thrilled to find this one because it was on my wish list. Haven't read it yet - I'll get to it once I've reached my goal on doveilibri's Reduce My TBR Mountain 2008 challenge. :)

I saw one in the local hospital waiting room, but I didn't take it home.

I found one in a geocache. I haven't read it yet. Need to get to it soon.

on the way home from work today my wife spotted a book I released about five weeks ago - it was back at the spot I released it - it was picked up (but never journalled) by someone within three hours of its original release and it only reappeared today.

Not found, but I released too many books, and I found that someone discovered (journal-ed about it) a book I had donated to a Library in Toronto at a local book store. How it went from Library to Book store ... umm... I never knew.

Never ever found one as they're usually left when I'm in work and never get there in time. Also, never had any feedback on books I left so gave up and joined Bookmooch instead,

i found one book and my sister found the first one thats how i first heard about bookcrossing ive had 85 feedbacks on books of mine that people have found i always label front of book with free book that makes people pick it up

I'm on about 20% of true wild releases caught, this goes up and up as I have been doing it longer and hear from books I released years ago. Seconding the postits thing - people pick the thing up then. I also put a sticky label on teh front permanently for when the postit falls off...

I haven't really had any wild releases caught, unless random books through swapping websites count. I didn't know they would be BC books until I got them! But it just isn't the same as finding books truly in the wild...

I've found one while waiting in line for the last Harry Potter book. It was manga, which I don't like, so I wrote the BCID on my hand and left it there for someone later in line.

14 - that's still pretty cool though!
15 - I wish more people would do that. So many times I am chatting to people "oh yeh I saw one of your books but I left it there..."

I've found two, one of them my own which had been picked up, journaled, read, and returned to the same spot. Amazing that I was the person who came by that day and picked it up, especially since it's not a place I frequent often.

Yes! It's how I first found out about BookCrossing... my "first" exposure -- but I didn't take the book. Then YEARS later, I joined a meetup.com group without realizing it was THE SAME bookcrossing thing. :) wonderful surprise!

I've gotten a few off of BookMooch which turned out to be registered on BC even though I didn't expect it; that's as close as I've come.

I found one on FrugalReader, it was actually maked as labeled with BCID. That is as close as I have come other than seeing my own releases a few days after I left it somewhere else.

I haven't found anyting yet but I have left a few in various places. In a few states.

Take that back I have found a few on paperbackswap, frugalreader, whatsonmybookshelf, bookmooch if those count but those were controlled releases.

Does it count if you saw a release in the sidebar and then went to get it?

My cuz hunnyb and I saw goodthinkingmax's release Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus at Sydney Uni library nearby, and off we went to pick it up. Later on I released it at hunnyb's 21st, and saw a young guy nose-deep in it, but it was never journalled. Too shy? Or maybe just a Mars thing :p

That's how I discovered BXing! The Clock Winder was sitting on a bench at Stop and Shop. It took me about half an hour to decide to take it. I wasn't sure whether it REALLY, TRULY was free and for a good home.

Hooray! I love to hear these stories! It is amazing how long it takes people to convince themselves to take the books - I often pop a postit on the front that says "free book - yes, really"

Poor old Wild Animus.

I can't remember more than one I've found actually in the wild, not at crossing zones, etc.

This is one of my favorite bookcrossing stories. i found a book of short stories in a bargain rack at Twice Sold Tales that had been registered by somebody in Nebraska about 3 years earlier. I bought it, read most of it, and re-released it. The person who registered itwas evidently no longer active. It's anybody's guess how it ended up in Seattle.

I've found three, but they were all through release alerts. I'd love to just stumble across one someday!

I've only picked up books at a bookcrossing zone. Only one of my wild releases has been caught and the journal entry was written by a second hand book shop owner a few hours away. Didn't really seem in keeping with the idea! But I'm not sure how it got to her.

I found one while browsing for books to buy & register & release at the local Cat Protection Society shop. It was a book I'd previously read and disliked (The Beauty Myth), but I rescued it (paid $4 for it), wrote an excited JE, and then wild released it elsewhere.

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/998938

I have got one, from Bookmooch.

I've been bookcrossing since 2003 and have yet to find a wild book. I expect it'll be a grand day when I finally do. :)