Journal Entry 1 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Sunday, April 04, 2004

A 1994 novel by Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried and Going After Cacciato (which won the National Book Award for fiction in 1979). The story, a haunting mystery set in northern Minnesota, is based partly on historical fact, and hearkens back to incidents which actually occurred during Vietnam War. An online reading guide for this book can be viewed here.

I'd like to circulate this book as an international bookring. I've limited the ring to ten people (with the return to me as #10), as I don't think this book will survive more reads than that! (If it's still hanging together after #9, that can change).

Rules of this bookring:
1. This is an international bookring -- please be willing to ship anywhere.
2. Please journal the book when you receive it, and again when you mail it out -- that way, everyone will know the book's approximate location.
3. If you don't think you'll be able to read this book within 4 weeks of receipt, please send it on to the next person in the ring, or let me know ahead of time and I'll move your name down the list. Thanks!

The list:
1. redhouse - Felixstowe, Suffolk, UK - rec'd May 18, 04; mailed May 22, 04.
2. Czersk - Roscoe, Minnesota, USA - rec'd July 14, 04; forwarded August 6, 04.
3. Zarylia - Warsaw, Poland - rec'd August 9, 04; mailed August 26, 04.
4. abs - Berkeley, California, USA - rec'd November 4, 04.
5. brewster13 - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - rec'd December 30, 04; mailed January 10, 05.
6. Ramya - Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA - rec'd January 24, 05; mailed April 30, 05.
7. princessaurora - Sellersville, Pennsylvania, USA - rec'd May 4, 05; mailed July 05.
8. Antheras - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
9. Rrrcaron - Lancaster, New Hampshire, USA 

Journal Entry 2 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Wednesday, April 07, 2004

Journal Entry 3 by lellie from Trimley St Mary, Suffolk United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Arrived this morning. Sun is shining and I've got a day off work, I'm going to sit in the garden and start it now! 

Journal Entry 4 by lellie from Trimley St Mary, Suffolk United Kingdom on Saturday, May 22, 2004

Finished this yesterday. It's a quick read, not because it's undemanding but because it's a page turner.
I have never read anything quite like this before and I really enjoyed it so thanks gaotgrrl for sharing it


On to Czersk! 22/05/04. Surface Mail 

Journal Entry 5 by Czersk from Roscoe, Minnesota USA on Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Just came in the mail. Looks like a good one! 

Journal Entry 6 by Czersk from Roscoe, Minnesota USA on Friday, August 06, 2004

I've never read a book quite like this, where you able to make your own ending, and not out of defiance to the writer for what you think is not a sufficient end, but because that is what he wants you to do. Tim O'Brien gave us a few different conclusions that Could have happened, but then leaves it up to us to decide what we feel is right. I appreciate that. Personally I think Kathy just left him, headed for Canada and didn't look back. That's my ending.

Now, in regards to the copy of this book that I have with me . . . well, it's a bit more colorful than it was to begin with. I, stupidly, tried to press a lily within it's pages, NOT knowing it would spit up all over the place. Now a few pages have purple blotches on them, like someone tried to paint with purple watercolors all over the pages. The text is still readable, but I went and bought another copy (Zarylia picked it up for me) of the book anyway- I feel terrible. Whether I use the new copy or the lily copy to complete the ring, I do not know yet. I'm waiting for goatgrrl's answer. I'm so sorry I mucked it up. On to Zarylia once I know which copy to give her. 

Journal Entry 7 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Monday, August 09, 2004

Paynesville/MN/USA - I've got the book and will be taking it along on my trip to Montreal. It sounds quite good and I believe that Tim O'Brien went to Macalester, the college I hope to attend, so hopefully it's wonderful! ;-P Thanks to everyone for passing the book along to me. 

Journal Entry 8 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Saturday, August 21, 2004

Warsaw/Poland - ...wow, possibly one of the best books I've ever read...absolutely incredible. Tim O'Brien's style, his use of repetion, questions, quotes, and even footnotes is so effective in telling the story of John and Kathy, and commenting on society itself. Needless to say this will not be the last Tim O'Brien book I read.

I'll be sending it on soon and will update the journal entry once I have. Many thanks to goatgrrl for sharing. 

Journal Entry 9 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Thursday, August 26, 2004

Warsaw/Poland - Sent on to abs in California today. Sorry about taking so long!

By the way, I've started stating my own location because when I change it in my profile it automatically changes all the previous journal entries so it ends up looking like some books went places they didn't....so yeah.....that's the deal on that.... 

Journal Entry 10 by abs from Seattle, Washington USA on Thursday, November 04, 2004

This book has come at a good time- not that I have much free time. But I did just go to an exhibit on Vietnam in Oakland at the Oakland City Museum. The exhibit was one of the best I've seen, and as I hear more and more comparisons of Iraq and Vietnam, I think it is becoming more important to read about what veterans have had to say over the years. "Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it." (I forget who said that).
Anyway, thank you for sending this book. I will read it as soon as I can and then continue the journey of the book.
 

Journal Entry 11 by brewster13 from Calgary, Alberta Canada on Thursday, December 30, 2004

Rec'd in the mail when I returned home from Christmas visiting. I look forward to reading this one -- will start tonight! 

Journal Entry 12 by brewster13 from Calgary, Alberta Canada on Friday, January 07, 2005

Fabulous book -- I really enjoyed reading this. I, like those before me, have not read a book written like this before. Being a mystery / thriller lover, this format intrigued me to no end. I kept having to remind myself that this is fiction - and it's ok that the ending is not tied up with a neat little bow. I have to say that I just really really enjoyed reading this, and thank you so much for sharing with me!!

As for what ending I choose -- I'm still torn, hard to say. I'd like to think they had a plan to run off together, but I'm worried that that's the "rose-coloured glasses" side of me. Maybe he did it and fled, insane, to Canada. Maybe she just left and he still fled, insane, to Canada. *shrug* I think this story will keep me pondering for quite some time, and maybe the ending I choose will change depending on my mood. In any case, I look forward to looking back on this book many times.

Will mail out early next week. Brew 

Journal Entry 13 by brewster13 from Calgary, Alberta Canada on Monday, January 10, 2005

I mailed this book off today to Ramya -- Enjoy!

Brew 

Journal Entry 14 by Ramya from Plainsboro, New Jersey USA on Tuesday, January 25, 2005

This arrived yesterday. Thanks, Brewster13, for sending and goatgrrl, for lending!

The following has nothing to do with the book or with Bookcrossing, but the Winnipeg postcard which Brewster13 enclosed, with its scenes of the Assinboine Zoo -- including a polar bear -- reminded me of a polar bear experience I had years ago, and my little ego rises up, and I want to tell the story: My husband and I visited the Philadelphia Zoo one HOT July day. I was fascinated by the close-up view of the polar bears through a window that formed one wall of their pool. They were huge, glorious creatures, and I was fascinated watching them -- from a distance of about one foot -- push off from the window with their dinner-plate sized paws and glide so smoothly through the water. But I was also saddened to see them swimming so listlessly back and forth in an environment that was out-of-kilter with their own nature. Seven months later, I was at a conference in Indianapolis during a particularly frigid February. Two of my colleagues and I took some time off to visit the Indianapolis Zoo, knowing that many animals would be in their winter homes, but interested anyway in whatever we might see. It was a grey day, with intermittent dustings of snow and a fierce wind (the wind chill factor was below 0 degrees F), and we three comprised about half of the visitors at the zoo that day! But it was especially worth it because of the polar bears; this was their element. We watched them sliding down the icy snow banks into their pool, swimming about, then climbing out to have another slide back in; they playfully pushed each other into the water down the frozen inclines and from the pool’s edge. It was such a contrast to my Philadelphia experience, and it was pure delight!
 

Journal Entry 15 by Ramya from Plainsboro, New Jersey USA on Saturday, April 30, 2005

Strange, difficult, fascinating...

... and finally on its way to princessaurora, posted this morning.

Thanks, goatgrrl, both for sharing this book and for your patience. 

Journal Entry 16 by princessaurora from Sellersville, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, May 05, 2005

Received in the mail two days ago. I've read the first two pages, but am now bogged down by last minute school work, so I'll get back to it ASAP.

Update 7/19/05--I'm so sorry I've been holding up this ring for so long. I did finish the book and really enjoyed it. I have the next person's address so I'll send it out this weekend. Sorry again!