The Kindness of Strangers (Armchair Reading)

by Don George | Travel |
ISBN: 1740595904 Global Overview for this book
Registered by biba89 of Olst, Overijssel Netherlands on 2/28/2004
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This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
10 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by biba89 from Olst, Overijssel Netherlands on Saturday, February 28, 2004
"Tales of fortune on the road, including original stories by Jan Morris, Tim Cahill, Simon Winchester & Dave Eggers". Lonely Planet publishers - they have their thing in traveling and this here book is "reminding us that serendipityis one of the ultimate joys of life"s constant journey." Now isn't that the perfect bookcrossing book?
With a foreword from the Dalai Lama.

Journal Entry 2 by 1972Galadriel from Vlaardingen, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Saturday, April 10, 2004
meegenomen van The BookLet!

Journal Entry 3 by 1972Galadriel from Vlaardingen, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Monday, May 3, 2004
It looks like its a brand new book! I liked it...

Journal Entry 4 by 1972Galadriel from Vlaardingen, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Bookray!

Powerhouse - NL - NL only
Olifant - NL - europe (Thanks!)
ecmwfinswe - Sweden - Europe only
gerenggat - UK - Europe only
Brujula - France - Europe only
florafloraflora - USA internationaly
lauraloo29 - Canada - USA prefered <---reading
funsour - usa

Journal Entry 5 by biba89 from Olst, Overijssel Netherlands on Tuesday, May 25, 2004
I bought this as a new book, a rare occasion. A treat when I really needed some serendipity. Thanks for making this into a bookray, 1972Galadriel!

Journal Entry 6 by 1972Galadriel at n/a in a RABCK, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Released on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 at n/a in Mailed to fellow bookcrosser, Postal Release Controlled Releases.

op weg naar Powerhouse

Journal Entry 7 by powerhouse from Culemborg, Gelderland Netherlands on Thursday, May 27, 2004
De tales of fate & fortune vielen vandaag door de gleuf. Wat een vrolijk boek, met z'n olijke voorkant en toebehoorselen: een plakbrief, meerdere stickers, een kaart, een boekenlegger en een folder. O dear, this should have been in English, sorry. Anyway, thanks Galadriel, thanks Biba for sharing this with us.

Journal Entry 8 by powerhouse from Culemborg, Gelderland Netherlands on Monday, June 28, 2004
Ate-read through it over the last couple of weeks, picking a story here and there. Liked most of them. Couldn't quite link the Dalai Lama to it, but never mind. On to Olifant.

Journal Entry 9 by Olifant from Porthmadog, Wales United Kingdom on Friday, July 2, 2004
Received! Shall I take this with me on my trip to Ireland?! Yes, because at the back is written: 'A timely collection of inspiring tales, The Kindness of Strangers explores the unexpected human connections that so often transform the experience of travel, and celebrates the gift of kindness around the world.'

Journal Entry 10 by Olifant from Porthmadog, Wales United Kingdom on Thursday, July 29, 2004
Read a third of the book during my trip to county Mayo and Sligo, Ireland and of course encountered the kindness of strangers. We hitchhiked our way around. It’s a good way to travel: you get stories and I love stories. So I had a great time. It’s not only the kindness of people taking you from A to B, but things as: taking you along a scenic route, inviting you for a coffee at their house, making a detour just to bring you a little closer to your destination, taking you fish-angling, helping you find a good spot to pitch up your tent, making you a pancake in the pub (a cook off duty), etc.

It’s a positive book. I liked most of the short stories. For example the story of the writer and the taxi driver who talk about first sentences of a book (never start a story about the weather). The story about a girl wanting to visit the Machu Pichu didn’t appeal to me. Such a hurry... I wouldn’t want to travel that way. But it's kind of the people who helped her.

Journal Entry 11 by ecmwfinswe on Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Now the book has travelled to Sweden, got it in the mail yesterday.

Journal Entry 12 by ecmwfinswe on Sunday, October 3, 2004
A nice collection of travel stories and people's kindness. Some of them a little too short but others really made me want to read more. The book will be in the mail for gerenggat in the beginning of next week.

Journal Entry 13 by gerenggat on Saturday, October 9, 2004
Safely arrived in the UK. Thanks for the lovely postcard. I love Sweden :-)

Journal Entry 14 by gerenggat on Sunday, November 28, 2004
I didn't seem to be able to really get into this book. Sending it to France next.

Journal Entry 15 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Monday, December 6, 2004
received friday in the mail

thank you gerengatt and galadriel!

Journal Entry 16 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Wednesday, January 5, 2005
I've really enjoyed this collection of short stories about travel, kindness, serendipity and luck!
I've smiled many times. I've also sighed with relief a couple of times!

I'm mailing the book to florafloraflora today!

Journal Entry 17 by florafloraflora on Wednesday, January 26, 2005
I found this book waiting for me last night when I got home. The cover is different, much nicer than the illustration here.

These stories look really promising. I think I will read one a night, as part of Jaberkaty's Short Story Challenge. The Dalai Lama's introduction made sense to me.

This is the first time I've seen Dutch-language Bookcrossing labels. Because I already know more or less what they're going to say, I can read them with my very basic knowledge of Dutch. Great nostalgic fun.

Thank you, biba89, 1972Galadriel, and Brujula, for passing this on.

Journal Entry 18 by florafloraflora on Sunday, February 13, 2005
I've been reading one of these stories each night, and I have just a handful left to go. So far my favorite stories are:

-"Everything Come Round", about an unexpected automotive rescue on a "wild and sultry night" in Hilo
-"My Beirut Hostage Crisis", about a tourist besieged by the oppressive kindness of his self-declared Lebanese host
-"Losing It in London", about an amazing coincidence involving a taxi, a large wad of cash, and a pub named "The Goat"
-"Arab Music", about crossing barriers in Israel the summer before the most recent intifada began

I'm looking forward to finishing this in the next few days.

Journal Entry 19 by florafloraflora on Friday, February 18, 2005
Finished! The last three stories were fantastic. I was so impressed with "Might Be Your Lucky Day" that as soon as I finished it I went right back and read it again. "The Road to Kampala" might just have the best final sentence in the entire collection.

One of the things that struck me most in these stories is how these travelers dealt with language barriers. I'm always squeamish about traveling someplace where I don't speak the language, and I envy people who can go anywhere without worrying about it. We English speakers are lucky to be able to communicate with so many people around the world. It's especially striking if you've ever seen a French- or Spanish-speaking tourist having to ask dozens of people before finding someone who speaks French or Spanish. In some ways, speaking a stranger's language is the greatest kindness of all.

I have lauraloo's address and should be sending this out tomorrow. Thanks again, everyone!

Journal Entry 20 by winglauraloo29wing from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Arrived today, along with another ring. What to do! I have a couple of books in front, but I will get to this quickly. :)

Journal Entry 21 by winglauraloo29wing from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Some nice stories in this book. Thank you for sharing! I'll be mailing this on Friday.

Journal Entry 22 by funsour from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, March 23, 2005
woo woo!
I'm the end of the bookray so when I'm done this I plan to pass it along either as another bookray or to a friend on their travels abroad

it looks like it'll be a great read- just what I need these days as things have been a dumper lately
thanks for including me
edited to add:like some more than others but when loaned to the wife-she hated them(a bit grumpy she is)think I may reray it soon...

Released 18 yrs ago (5/28/2005 UTC) at Controlled releases in Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

where would this charming collection do its best?
i thought of sending it on another bookray BUT
then when an old friend who goes west and or south every summer for survivalist training came through town-hey why not give it(and a half dozen other books)to them to drop on the way
no doubt on the way to take and/or teach classes on cooking roadkill, becoming invisible, tanning hides, making knives out of rocks and junk, cordage etc-Pat will meet intesting people- now here's hoping one of them has a computer to tell us all where the books have ended up

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