Journal Entry 1 by newk from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Friday, July 16, 2004

This book is one of three copies that I have of this title. One is having a prolonged (?permanent) stop in Europe on a ring.
This copy and another have been around my non bookcrossing friends. Sadly lending people books with BCIDs and lotsa hints does not seem to turn them into bookcrossers. i know that the one of these books has been read by 5 people. None of whom had their interest stirred enough to visit the web site.
I like my ring members to be satisfied and happy. So this book is going on a trip, starting at the nominal end of the stalled one.

Hence the order becomes

TQD..who is a regular correspondent and frequent member of my rings

Rarsberry....hiya note change of order here

Boreal..also a patient waiter and BXing friend



Sherlockfan....although I shall let you NZers check his/her availability. I think it has to be after August 9


Crimson-tide WA

Succulent....

Bookfrog..also a patient waiter when I had a children's book box hijacked. May well get the other book first

I will add others as the other book progress or not. Signs are bad. 4 weeks (now about 3 months) between France and Austria?? Not bloody likely

cheers all and thanks for your patience and ongoing contact

Your friendly ring master NEWK....a book will always get to you one way or the other if you are on my rings


small note to self: all on the list PMed. changed 31/7/04


 

Journal Entry 2 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, July 19, 2004

Turned up in the mail today, express post and all! Thanks newk!

I've got a backlog of bookrings (what good bookcrosser doesn't?? *grin*) but I will get onto this asap. I've been interested in this book for a long time, so thanks heaps for restarting the ring, newk! 

Journal Entry 3 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, August 12, 2004

A brilliant read, thanks newk! I see other people on the other ring picked it up and read it in one sitting. I would have done that, only work/sickness/small child kept on getting in the way, dammit! Don't they know books are more important?? [In the end, I stayed up until the small hours last night 'cause I couldn't put it down.]

The small child also loved this book. He'd pick it up off wherever it had been put down and run to us chanting "dog! dog! dog! car! car! car!" (the cover is different to that above and has cars & dogs on it, obviously). He was most disappointed that the dog & car theme did not continue within the book.

(I also passed this on to Mr TQD for a read, as he works with intellectually disabled kids and I think he would both enjoy the book and give some good insight into it, but see above comments about sickness. Those damned viruses wiped us all out for a week or so.)

This book reminded me strongly of Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark which is a near-future sci-fi novel also told from the point of view of a person with autism. Quite a different plot, but worth checking out if you enjoyed this book. (I'm not registering my copy, sorry! But if I find a second-hand copy, I'll make a ray and post the link here.)

Heartbreaking at times, fascinating all the way through, and quite a nailbiter.

Again, thanks newk! I'll pass this on to rarsberry asap.

[Addendum, 'cause I keep on thinking of new things to say about this book: I loved the maths, and devoured the (short) appendix. But I'm a maths nerd! And I loved how he was dealing with concepts that I covered at Uni (special relativity; epistemology) and he's only a teenager. Especially when he's talking about the homunculus and how humans are like computers. He gets so close to getting it so right, and then completely fails because he just can't understand emotions.]

NOTE: popped in the mail to rarsberry this afternoon. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did! 

Journal Entry 4 by newk from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Friday, August 13, 2004

right let's try this. Thanks to tqd for the advice

click here for the original book

hey hey hey. Clever aren't I. Next I have to master the stupid photograph uploading 

Journal Entry 5 by rarsberry from Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand on Thursday, August 19, 2004

This arrived in the mail on Wednesday and I'm catching it at last today.
I'm allready two thirds of the way through and enjoying it.
More later. :o) 

Journal Entry 6 by rarsberry from Christchurch, Canterbury New Zealand on Saturday, August 21, 2004

I finished reading the book last night.
I can understand how people who read quickly are able to sit down and read it all at once, its the sort of book that you don't want to easily put down.
I do feel sorry for Christopher though. Its hard enough for him to live with his autism, but to have the extra stuff in his life created by his parents is just not fair on him.

I enjoyed reading this book, so thank you to newk for starting another copy of the book travelling. :o)

And I'll pass this along to boreal when we next get together. 

Journal Entry 7 by boreal from Dunedin, Otago New Zealand on Saturday, August 28, 2004

Got this from Rarsberry today, on the first sunny day we have had for ages (or at least that is what it feels like!)
I have one bookring book ahead of it and then I will get started on it.
Thanks Newk for sharing this. 

Journal Entry 8 by boreal from Dunedin, Otago New Zealand on Friday, September 03, 2004

Journal Entry 9 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Arrived in Wellington on 8th Sept - very fast post this time.
So looking forward to reading it.
Currently in the middle of a very thick copy of Shanghai which I am thoroughly enjoying.
Thanks Boreal. 

Journal Entry 10 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Friday, September 10, 2004

A truly excellent book, over all too soon. Getting some insights into the mind of that unfortunate young man is really quite chilling. He was lucky with his father, and it was really unfortunate that the hiccups occured for reasons that seemed so logical to the father and totally illogical for poor Christopher.
My husband would like to read it so it will rest for a day or so while I wait for Crimson Tide's address.

Newk, if you read this and that is not the correct next person do please let me know a.s.a.p

I'm proposing to buy a copy for a daughter-in-law's birthday later this month and do hope she hasn't read it. Will check first though.
So glad to have been part of this bookring. 

Journal Entry 11 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Wednesday, September 29, 2004

As a boarder staying with SherlockFan, I'm been thrust into the world of bookcrossing and bookrings. I wasn't even aware of such things, but I'm impressed by the idea and seeing the flow of literature taking such a novel path.

As for "dog in the night", I had to force myself not to read it all at once. It reminded me of the diaries of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend; both in being such a close record of the thoughts and feelings of an individual, and in my inability to stop reading it.

I really enjoyed this story, even if it wasn't a very cheery book. It was a tale of a troubled young man's brave journey to find answers. I hope the courage he mustered stays with him, having learnt that he can do anything, no matter how scary or (ill)logical it may be. 

Journal Entry 12 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Wednesday, September 29, 2004

From spouse of Sherlockfan

I really enjoyed this book which I felt rang true as an account of a deeply disturbing incident seen through the eyes and mind of a troubled teenager. I hope I have gained a little more understanding of the difficulties that the Christophers of this world experience in dealing with social social exchanges when so much of what most take granted is completely incomprehensible to them.

I would certainly recommend it to others. 

Journal Entry 13 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Thursday, September 30, 2004

Releasing today 1 October by post to Crimson-Tide.
Sorry this has taken so long to clear our house but it did get two additional journal entries which I believe will add to the other great comments. 

Journal Entry 14 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Caught safely in my post box yesterday. Looking forward to this one greatly; it is next on the list. 

Journal Entry 15 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Monday, October 25, 2004

Fantastic book! Was not disappointed in the slightest even though it has had such a big wind up. To be able to write like that and get right inside Christopher's head is a rare gift. Interesting, poignant, touching, moving, funny, tragic; all that and more.
Thanks newk.
Now off to succulent. 

Journal Entry 16 by succulent from Denmark, Western Australia Australia on Friday, October 29, 2004

Arrived here yesterday,but I will be sending it straight on to the next person as I found and purchased my own copy some time after joining the ring.Did tell newk but what with his continual inundation with books he must have forgotten to remove me from the ring.An excellent book by the way-my own copy has been loaned to one friend and is currently with another and will eventually be wild released. 

Journal Entry 17 by succulent from Denmark, Western Australia Australia on Saturday, October 30, 2004

Received a PM today-BookFrog has read it so I guess it's back to newk as there doesn't seem to be anyone else on the list. 

Journal Entry 18 by newk from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Thursday, November 11, 2004

I THINK bookfrog got another version of this that was going around. I was runing three rings of this. One got lost in France... You can check if you like coz that bxer is in the bad books with me, and I note several other books have gone missing in association with her. Enough spleen.
Then there was this copy that has had a lovely trip. Thanks all and glad you enjoyed it. I may make it a part of my permanent collection.
There was another copy that I snatched from brdgrl at a meetup.
These last two copies allowed everyone the initial ring to get a read. I am so pleased that I was able to share this marvellous story with you all. And interestingly enough they both returned to me on the same day!
Sorry succulent that you ended up with it having already got a copy. Thanks for posting it back.
Once again good on you all for contributing.
I think I shall see one or two of you this weekend.