Journal Entry 1 by BC-08041015142 on Wednesday, January 14, 2004

One of last year's big sellers which I'm now offering up as a Bookring.

From Amazon.co.uk ...
"On her way home from school on a snowy December day, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured into a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case.
As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams", where "there were no teachers... We never had to go inside except for art class... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue".

The Lovely Bones works as an odd yet affecting coming-of-age story. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years. Her family disintegrates in their grief: her father becomes determined to find her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of the new hole in his family and her younger sister Lindsey moves through the milestone events of her teenage and young adult years with Susie riding spiritual shotgun. Random acts and missed opportunities run throughout the book--Susie recalls her sole kiss with a boy on earth as "like an accident--a beautiful gasoline rainbow".

Though sentimental at times, The Lovely Bones is a moving exploration of loss and mourning that ultimately puts its faith in the living and that is made even more powerful by a cast of convincing characters. Sebold orchestrates a big finish and though things tend to wrap up a little too well for everyone in the end, one can only imagine (or hope) that heaven is indeed a place filled with such happy endings."

329 pages - Paperback
International bookring 

Journal Entry 2 by BC-08041015142 at ... by mail :) in Sent to a fellow BookCrosser, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, January 21, 2004

BOOKRING PARTICIPANTS

1. vicki9170 - FL, USA
2. Legs - MO, USA
3. Vayacondia - WV, USA
4. crimson-tide - WA, Australia
5. Terpsicore - Lisbon, Portugal
6. Mymlan - Finland
7. MissBagpuss - Lincolnshire, UK
8. Decembermum - Hampshire, UK
9. dododumpling - St. Neots, UK
10. Drusillamac - Glasgow, UK
11. MaisyMay - Fareham, UK (Post back to me)




Released on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at ... by mail :) in Sent to a fellow BookCrosser, Bookring Controlled Releases. 

Journal Entry 3 by vicki9170 from Saint Petersburg, Florida USA on Monday, January 26, 2004

received today 

Journal Entry 4 by vicki9170 from Saint Petersburg, Florida USA on Thursday, March 11, 2004

this book was incredible. read with a box of tissues!! i plan on picking up a copy for my permanent collection. Mailed today to Legs.
 

Journal Entry 5 by legs from Benson, Arizona USA on Monday, April 19, 2004

loved the author's interpretation of heaven. Not sure why I didn't rate it a 10, maybe one part was a little too far-fetched. Having address problems, but will mail book as soon as I receive an address. Thanks for sharing, GlasgowGal.
mailed to vayacondia 4-26-04 

Journal Entry 6 by vayacondia from Huntington, West Virginia USA on Friday, May 07, 2004

In my mailbox, from GlasgowGal's bookring. 

Journal Entry 7 by vayacondia from Huntington, West Virginia USA on Wednesday, May 19, 2004

I agree with the above person on the description of heaven, with wonderful aspects of heaven I never thought of. I would have liked if Susie had spent more time in heaven getting into some sort of adventures with her friends... or if her friends in heaven helped her. I won't spoil the ending but will just say I was a little disappointed with the outcome. Kind of anticlimactic. Anyway, I'm pm'ing the next person for an address. 

Journal Entry 8 by vayacondia from Huntington, West Virginia USA on Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Released on May 21, 2004 to crimson-tide 

Journal Entry 9 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Monday, May 31, 2004

Received today (in double quick time too). Thanks to all who helped it arrive "Down Under". 

Journal Entry 10 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Thursday, June 17, 2004

This book certainly made me think hard about death, grief and its effects, heaven, the afterlife, spirits, loved ones looking down on and after us etc etc and of life's energy continuing on. Thought the concept of heaven was terrific. Agree that certain events that happened towards the ending actually detracted from the rest of the book. Overall a great book.

Posted off to terpsicore in Portugal on Monday 14th June. 

Journal Entry 11 by terpsicore on Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Arrived today in the mail from Australia 

Journal Entry 12 by terpsicore on Monday, July 05, 2004

Good portrait of what the loss of a child can do to a family,bereavment,the different ways of grieving and I loved Alice Sebold's idea of Heaven.
But I really had trouble making it through the last 30 pages.The "surprise" ruined it for me and I do not find the end very plausible.
But all in all an enjoyable book.Will ship to Mymlan during this week. 

Journal Entry 13 by terpsicore on Friday, July 30, 2004

Mailed today by surface mail to Mymlan 

Journal Entry 14 by terpsicore on Friday, September 17, 2004

I came back from hollidays to find this book had been returned to me supposedly because of lack of stamps but the post office i use does not seem to know what surface mail is.
I will reship the book on Monday. 

Journal Entry 15 by terpsicore on Monday, September 20, 2004

Mailed again today to Mymlan in Finland 

Journal Entry 16 by Mymlan from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Friday, October 08, 2004

The book arrived safely a week ago, and I already read it as well (I'll be back for the review), so I'll send it forward very soon. 

Journal Entry 17 by Mymlan from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Thursday, October 14, 2004

I liked the book a lot, it was the kind of flowing, reflective American prose that I like (actually I'm very surprised my mother hasn't passed this one to me yet, I'll have to recommend it to her). The story is strong and beautiful, and captures very well the way in which the dead continue to live among us. The characters were very real as well, with all their faults. I especially liked the teenagers, I think the author has captured their world quite well.

What I didn't like that much was the ending, which I found a bit easy and too much on the side of the paranormal. I personally do not believe in life after death in any other way than having the dead in your mind continuing to influence your life, and I find all these spirits simply a bit too American. 

Journal Entry 18 by MissBagpuss from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Friday, November 26, 2004

to echo the comments made by other readers, i also particularly enjoyed some of the unusual ideas about heaven and how it might be structured. but i think apart from its originality, the book for me was an excellent study of grief and the grieving process as the various members of susie's family attempt to come to terms with what happened to her. strangely enough, despite the subject matter, i didnt find the book at all upsetting or depressing, but strangely positive.
i read it all in one sitting, in about 2 hours.

the next person on the bookring list doesnt want the book as she has already read it, so i'm sending it to dododumpling straight after new year.
 

Journal Entry 19 by MissBagpuss at Bookray in BOOKRAY, Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, January 01, 2005

Released on Monday, January 03, 2005 at about 7:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Bookray in BOOKRAY, Bookray Controlled Releases.

RELEASE NOTES:

moving on to the next person.... 

Journal Entry 20 by dododumpling from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Received yesterday. I'm really looking forward to reading this - thank you! 

Journal Entry 21 by dododumpling from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Monday, January 17, 2005

I feel I can only echo what everybody else has said about this book - moving, interesting, heartbreaking at times ... and yes, the "twist" was something of a let-down.

Both Drusillamac and MaisyMay have asked to be skipped so I'll be sending this back to GlasgowGal, along with a big THANKS for the chance to read it. :)

 

Journal Entry 22 by dododumpling from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Posted to GlasgowGal yesterday (18/01/05). 

Journal Entry 23 by BC-08041015142 on Thursday, January 20, 2005

Received today - coincidentally, exactly 1 year after I first posted it to the first person on the BookRing. Thanks to everyone who read it and looked after my book so well.

:-)