Top of the Drops.

Just as there are some books that are keepers, I guess that there will always be some books that are more destined for recycling than others. For example, Dan Brown has the dubious honour of having written 4 out of the top 5 books most commonly offered for swapping over on the ReaditSwapit website here in the UK.  Really. Of all the books in the UK, people mostly want shot of his. Poor Dan. 4 out of the top 5! On the flipside, he’s sold gazillions of copies, so need not care.

Interestingly, some companies actually monitor such statistics. (Ok, so when I say interestingly, I mean to me. Others out there might actually have a life...) For example Travelodge Hotels, have a chart of books that are left behind in their hotel-rooms every year. Yes, there is someone somewhere, whose job involves logging this data. Who knew?

 21,786 books were left in Travelodges last year apparently, (which coincidentally, according to some, roughly equates to the books in my TBR pile). The Telegraph covers the Travelodge stats here along with other unusual tomes that have been left, but the Top Ten this year looks like this:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey                                  E.L. James
2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo               Stieg Larsson
3. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest     Stieg Larsson
4. Fifty Shades Freed                                     E.L. James
5. The Hunger Games                                     Suzanne Collins
6. The Girl Who Played With Fire                    Stieg Larsson
7. Fifty Shades Darker                                     E.L. James
8. Catching Fire                                               Suzanne Collins
9. Mockingjay                                                   Suzanne Collins
10. The Help                                                     Kathryn Stockett

Am I the only person who repacks what they bring to hotels? Deliberately leaving books would feel strange to me; abandonment in some cases, or plain flytipping in others. Or maybe guests see it as generously "donating" a story to the housekeeping staff, sharing the joy so to speak? Or is this usual behaviour and I am in fact just a hoarder...?

Yesterday's Distraction Tool, (especially for Louise); studying charts like this, and yapping with my coffee coven for the first time in months. Not even feeling a little bit guilty about that one.