I am once more becoming obsessed with an author, though I unfortunately also have to confess that I saw the film first - which I also liked WAY more than I expected. --BUT the book EXCEEDED my expectations AGAIN! I love this guy. I have to figure out why. I'm not entirely certain that everyone else would love him as deeply as I do. I would hope, but I'm not sure.

The only way to give back even a fraction of what I get from Mr. Hornby would be to share him. (I'm not sure how his significant other feels about that, but anyway...) So out into the world - though selfishly to return to my home again - goes About a Boy. The book ring begins.

Here's the "final" book ring list:

kelwood (Ohio, US; will ship anywhere)
Sobergirl (Finland, surface mail)
eatsletters (Germany, ship EU preferred)
kerrie77 (Spain, ship anywhere)
eteocles (Spain, ship anywhere)
ebears (Western Australia)
Kyrissaean (New Hampshire; prefer US ship, but can ship internationally)
bookczuk (Charleston, SC, US; will hand off to me)

He leaves home today. Next stop... Toledo, Ohio!

Just received from leeann347 today. Perfect timing as just finished a book yesterday. Thank you for sharing!

I am so glad I joined this bookring. This was a wonderful story - reality mixed with a touch of offbeat humor. The characters were sympathetic and engaging. Maybe because I have a 12-year-old son, maybe because I remember being an awkward 12-year-old, Marcus was full of life and pre-teen confusion. Thank you leeann347 for sharing this!

I'll be sending off to sobergirl on Monday.

I finally braved the post office madhouse and mailed this off to sobergirl today. Happy reading!

Thanks! This arrived in the mail today as part of a bookring. I will start reading it tonight and should have it finished within a month.

Nick Hornby
The Movie

Thank you leeann347 for organizing the bookring!
I loved this book!
Will send to eatsletters next.

Update 10th January 2005: I will send it to eatsletters today.

sorry sorry for registering it so late, I just did a major restructuring of my desk area (including new desk) so it got all a bit confusing and it took me a while to get through the paper and mail piles around the room.
But this hopefully great book is next on the list. I promise!

oh, what a lovely touching story and a good thing it doesn't have the obvious happy end (won't reveal more ;-))

Normally, I am not too fond of children, but I could really feel with Marcus.

Great story.

It's in my hands ;) I hope I finish it before the next meetup and give it to eteocles....

One more time I feel like Hornby is looking at me and writing about what I was at 16. This girl, Ellie, who is only one year older than I am (if she was real), reminds me of the teenage riot girl I used to be and how deep I was into Nirvana and all the grunge stuff
I only can't stand that new-age freak mum Fiona is, such a self-pity personality isn't good

(reserved for eteocles)

So, i have just received the book from Kerrie77 in our last Santander´s meetup... I hope i can start it in the Easter holidays and finishing it asap... Thanks leeann347!!!

WOW!!! The book is great!! I really enjoyed reading it, but i find "High fidelity" better than this. The characters are well drawn, but i don´t find the situations as funny as in the other book... Anyway, after some problems with the next person on the list, the book is now travelling New Hampshire, where the next person, Kyrissaen, is waiting for it...

Thanks, leeann347 for sharing this great book!!

All the way from Spain in less than a week! Thanks eteocles for sending it, and leann347 for starting this ring! The book arrived yesterday and I'm very excited to read it, especially after glancing through all these glowing reviews.

The movie was just on television over the weekend, and I accidented into a few minutes somewhere in the middle. I didn't want to see much of it, though, so I wouldn't spoil my appitite for the book!

So now I'm off to see what I think of the work of Mr. Nick Hornby....

This was a very good read. I especially like the character Marcus -- he seemed like such a sweet, unique person, and he really stole the show. Will never grew on me much, which I found pretty surprising. The story moves along nicely, the author's writing style is very enjoyable, and all in all I'm very glad I joined this ring!

I'm off to make myself a supper of rice, chickpeas, and tinned tomatoes (in honor of Fiona and Marcus -- sorry, Will, you'll just have to get over it!), and this is ready to head out to bookczuk in the morning!

Heads Up, Leanne! Hornby's back in town! I should be able to start this in a day or so, and imagine I'll finish up in time for our GFKAM (Gathering Formerly Known As Meetup) on June 12 (2pm at the Atlanta Bread on Sam Ritt.) if not sooner. MartiP and I are meeting down at the fountain on King and CAlhoun on Saturday June 4, at 10, for a little Spoleto/ Farmers Market Release Frenzy. Come join us!

Last summer, when boyczuk and mr czuk were off in Ukraine and Bavaria on manly adventures, I stayed back here in Charleston. For those who don't know, bumma, my almost 84 year old bookcrossing mother, lives with us. Bumma hit a low spot last summer, and after being pretty ill, look a while to recover. Her energy was nil. To give her something varying to look at, I ended up renting a bunch of movies. She'd toddle out of her room, settle in to watch the movie, and then go for a nap. Sometimes we stopped midway. The movies I rented were ones she wanted to see...a plethora of chick flicks it seems. We must have seen every meg ryan, julia roberts and hugh grant film in creation. Abouta Boy was one of them. But in my mind, it's completely jumbled with images of Julia on horseback fleeing from a marriage, Hugh as prime minister, or climbing a hill to the top of a mountain or Meg and Tom finding each other in Seattle. So when the opportunity came up for this ring, from someone I adore, I jumped right in.

My maiden voyage into Nick Hornby and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nick Hornby seems to ahve a knack for describing the male mind, whether it's the childish adult, Will, or the adult child Marcus.

And as to secondary school (middle school or junior high here), kids can be wolves, and Hornby nailed it spot on. It made me remember the mortification I had when at age 12, in the free-love 60's, my mother bought me a pair of red mary-jane shoes to wear to my new school. I think I hid them in the bushes and changed into something acceptable before someone could see me. Now, kids would kill for such a pair of shoes, but then, had I been seen, I would have been killed!

Anyhow, I did like this book quite a bit and will look forward to reading Mr Hornby agai's writing again. I like very much that it wasn't a tidy packaged ending or that all problems weren't solved, but that each of the main characters seems to have grown and evolved. And I liked Marcus's human pyramid of safety theory.

Passed on to Leanne at the meet-up when Sonora came to town and we went out to a yummy dinner at the Boathouse.