For an once-in-a-lifetime experience you can't get without boarding a working submarine, try booking time in an underwater hotel. Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida provides this unique opportunity for both divers and non-divers who'd like to safely sleep with the fishes.

The lodge started out as a research laboratory and was converted into a comfortable living facility capable of housing two couples or groups up to six. It holds two bedrooms, a common room, a small galley, and the central wet room where divers surface to enter the lodge. Filled with compressed air, the lodge is kept at a comfortable temperature and features many common amenities of a typical hotel including an entertainment center with TV and DVD player, bathrooms, and a feature unique to the lodge: 42-inch windows which allow you to admire your undersea neighbors. The lodge is monitored by experienced staff 24 hours a day and a 'mer-chef' dives down to prepare your daily meals.

Divers can enjoy multiple dives in the organism rich lagoon where the lodge is located. Non-divers are equally welcome and need only participate in a three-hour instructional course before going below. Certifications for open water diving and Underwater Habitat/Aquanaut dive specialty are also available.

photo by Sean O' Sullivan

Discovering a great story or fantastic new author is exciting. Beyond telling your friends and family about your favorite reads, why not share your literary discovery with the world?

Sites like BookCrossing encourage readers to spread their love of great books by literally sharing them. After registering as a free member on the site you then record your books which are given trackable ID numbers. You write the number in the book along with any encouragement you'd like for the finder to visit the site. Then you leave the book in a public place. Ideally whoever picks up the book will not only enjoy the book but also log onto the site and report the book's ID and perhaps leave a brief message about what they thought of it. Results are trackable on the site and you also receive email notifications when one of your books is found.

Joining a site to record a book's progress is fun and easy and allows you to interact with other readers in forums. But joining a website certainly isn't necessary if you'd like to drop off "A Carnivore's Dilemma" or perhaps "The Catcher in the Rye" on the bus or in a park. If your goal is simply to share, you'll doubtlessly find a kindred reader out there. So whether you decide to include your email address inside the book cover or leave the gift entirely anonymous, book sharing is a 'novel' way of spreading your love of words and ideas and perhaps inspiring others to do the same.