Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination
19 journalers for this copy...
1. trygvasson - Germany (international shipping)
2. Flicki - Germany (within Europe)
3. redjanet - UK (international shipping)
4. casseytara - USA (Oklahoma, international shipping)
5. Sullynation - USA (Virginia, international shipping)
6. bookgal23 - USA (NYC, international shipping)
7. sweetpea0678 - USA (Florida, shipping within US)
8. Flakes - USA (int. OK)
9. pammykn - USA (Florida, international shipping)
10. fsr44 - USA (Rhode Island, international shipping)
11. ellymae58 - USA (shipping within US)
12. silverstarry - USA (int. OK)
13. doris Canada (shipping Canada/USA)
14. Rrrcaron - USA (int. OK)
15. ramson - USA (int. OK)
16. miss-gonewest - Australia (international shipping)
17. Hengameh - Iran
18. katayoun - Iran (international shipping)
19. Brujula - France (shipping within Europe)
20. blondgeek47 - Austria
Even though I liked Olivia Joules and her (very very) overactive imagination, the only part that I really enjoyed was on the last 30 pages!
The whole story about the "Osama Bin Laden-lookalike" leaves a bad aftertaste, in my opinion.
How can she feel attracted to this man?
I will send the book off tomorrow (July 2nd) as a bookring and I hope you'll all enjoy it! Let me know what you think!
allbookedup - thanks for sharing.
I will contact Flicki - to send it on its way...
The book is on its way to the next reader - sorry for the small delay... I hope you´ll enjoy it!
As a sign of true admiration I'll replace the old cat calendar bookmark by a photo taken with a real Russian spy cam!!!
Whenever redjanet replies to my e-mail, I'll send the book on to her.
As far as the writing is concerned, this is definitely not Helen Fielding's best work. I've read both _Bridget Jones_ novels and found them both extremely funny and amusing. While I won't say that this book was humour free, the writing wasn't nearly as good. I get that the author was trying to write a female take on a James Bond-style story, including the cheesiness, but I thought a lot of the humour just fell flat.
However, as I admitted above, this book was not without humour and I did find myself laughing aloud in the latter few chapters of the book despite myself and the ridiculousness/inappropriateness of the subject matter.
Once casseytara sends me her address I will post this off to her.
Released 19 yrs ago (10/8/2004 UTC) at
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I posted this book today to casseytara. i'm so sorry about the delay!
In the mail today to Sullynation!
Have pm'd bookgal23 for her address and will send out as soon as she responds.
RELEASE NOTES:
Releasing to next member of bookring.
Passing on to Flakes as soon as I get an address...Will PM now.
Thanks for sharing.
Released 19 yrs ago (1/18/2005 UTC) at Book Ring in book ring/ray, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to next Bookcrosser in bookring
Sending this off to pammykn tomorrow!
I'm sorry, but I think some of the book, in addition to being absurd, is in very poor taste.
I'll PM ellymae58 now, and will send the book to her as soon as I have her addy.
Released 19 yrs ago (3/14/2005 UTC) at Bookray in n/a, Bookray -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Ellymae asked to be skipped, so this is going out to SilverStarry.
One thing I definitely liked was Olivia's Rules for Living:
1. Never panic. Stop, breathe, think.
2. No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
3. Never change haircut or colour before an important event.
4. Nothing is either as bad or as good as it seems.
5. Do as you would be done by, e.g., thou shall not kill.
6. It is better to buy one expensive thing that you really like than several cheap things that you only quite like.
7. Hardly anything matters; if you get upset, ask yourself, "Does it really matter?"
8. The key to success lies in how you pick yourself up from failure.
9. Be honest and kind.
10. Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.
11. Trust your instincts, not your overactive imagination.
12. When overwhelmed by disaster, check if it's really a disaster by doing the following: a) think, "Oh, fuck it," b) look on the bright side and, if that doesn't work, look on the funny side. If neither of the above works then maybe it is a disaster so turn to items 1 and 5.
13. Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair.
14. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
15. Don't regret anything. Remember there wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at that moment. The only thing you can change is the present, so learn from the past.
16. If you start regretting something and thinking, "I should have done..." always add, "but then I might have been run over by a lorry or blown up by a Japanese-manned torpedo."
Thanks to allbookedup for sharing this book!
I have a couple of rings all at once but fear not! I will get to this and move it along!
Keep smilin!
I wanted to get into this book and kept reading in hopes of that happening bu it did not. I had to puch myslef to finish it. The story was slow at the start and then speeded up to wrap things up at end. Too bad!
Thanks for sharing and being patient with me.
Sending along to Rrrcaron shortly.
Keep smilin!
Released 18 yrs ago (7/5/2005 UTC) at
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Mailed today to Rrrcaron
Ruth
Ruth
Ruth
I started it over the weekend (only a few pages in) and should be finished in the next week or so… Will be back with my thoughts & updates. Thanks for posting this along to me.
Unlike the others before me, I didn't find the topic of Al Quaeda and terrorism the most offensive part, I found the predictability and the unbelievablity most annoying!!! I had the ending figured out a third of the way through and spent the rest of the book hoping that I'd be surprised... alas, I had it picked! And I also found myself frustrated at the sheer flakiness of it all. That said it was an entertaining and easy read and it brightened up my mornings reading it on the bus!!!!
I enjoyed both the Bridget diaries and I did enjoy this; I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I was so pleased that this was different to Bridget Jones, however I was sad that it was so cliched.
I can only wonder if there will be an Olivia Joules Part Deux to come...?? Which of course I will read like the chick lit lover that I am (BTW I do find it humourous that this is classed as a "Mystery/Thriller".
Thanks to allbookedup for sharing - and to rrcaron for getting this book moving again. I am pleased to have read it. I've PM'd the next in line for their details - will send this along when I've received them.
Update 7th May - Hengameh wished to be skipped so I've now requested details from the next reader...
Update 12th May - katyoun wishes to be skipped also, will now try brujula. I'm not having much luck with moving this along!
Several participants no longer wish to participate so I am still working my way through the list of readers that signed up for this. Hengameh and katyoun wish to be skipped and I have now contacted Brujula to see if she is still interested.
As I am running out of readers to pick from – I am not sure if the ring owner wants to readvertise this ring in the forums to keep it moving or collect new readers on the way home. If you have a suggestion, please advise.
1.) soleille - GERMANY
2.) rosiewhippet - UK
3.) surfenkitten - USA
4.) crystalaney - USA
5.) saintly-singer - USA
Released 17 yrs ago (5/15/2006 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
YAY! Third time lucky! I've now heard from Brujula who is still very much looking forward to reading this...
The book has now been posted to France (via airmail) and should be arriving before the end of the month.
I am so pleased to see that this will keep travelling & meeting new friends!
Thank you for sending it all the way from Australia!
Olivia Joules appears as an empty headed girl, and then turns up to be a lot stronger than expected. I particularly apreciated her rules for living.
Thank you for sharing this book.
I'll send it to the next in line as soon as I have the adress.
Sorry for the delay (the packing tape kept sticking to my fingers these past days, now it's cooler, so I managed to pack the book and take it to the post office!)
Thanks for the ring!!!
The book will travel to rosiewhippet next week when I have her address and am vacationing in London.
Rosiewhippet. x
Released 17 yrs ago (10/16/2006 UTC) at Mailing To Fellow Bookcrosser in -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, New Jersey USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Hope you enjoy as much as I did!
Rosiewhippet. x
i also thought the Bin Laden thing was a bit much, and the Oscars scene with all the name dropping had me rolling my eyes. some of the humor, too, was lost in the suspense. i thought the whole espionage-cheesy thing was hilarious. it was supposed to be cliched! my favorite bit was the travels in central america. and of course, the rules for living:
'16. If you start regretting something and thinking, "I should have done..." always add, "but then I might have been run over by a lorry or blown up by a Japanese-manned torpedo."'
thanks for sharing, allbookedup. pm'ing crystalainey for her address!