Journal Entry 1 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Saturday, January 08, 2005

Journal Entry 2 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Monday, December 04, 2006

Journal Entry 3 by goatgrrl from New Westminster, British Columbia Canada on Thursday, December 07, 2006

I'll be mailing No Great Mischief to lauraloo29 in Edmonton, Alberta some time in the next few days, as a trade for Marika Cobbold's Shooting Butterflies. 

Journal Entry 4 by lauraloo29 from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Friday, December 15, 2006

What a lovely surprise! Thank you! I wish I could say that Shooting Butterflies has been mailed....... but it will be going out this month. :) 

Journal Entry 5 by lauraloo29 from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Sunday, April 05, 2009

I'm planning on sending this out as a bookray.

Rules: Not many. Please journal the book's arrival and departure. And please keep it moving by keeping it no longer than 4 weeks. The last person is free to release the book as they wish.

1. rooshill - US (US)
2. Bug2004 - US (US) - asked to be skipped
3. nancynova - US (Intl)
4. skokgitt - New Zealand (Intl)
5. catbot - Australia - already has a copy
6. Bug2004 - US (US)
7.

Beginning journey on May 9th. Happy travels! 

Journal Entry 6 by rooshill from Foresthill, California USA on Monday, June 01, 2009

sigh...I'm jerky. I got this and started reading right away - so I forgot to journal its arrival. Sorry!!
I flew right through it, though. Strangely beautiful and haunting. At first, I was a little dissatisfied with the choppy bits of memory and not feeling like there was any solid story line to follow. I got over that and developed an attachment for the characters before I realized it. Calum haunts me as a shadow of my own brother, and father, and possibly grandfather. Of all the family, I felt closest to him. I had a hard time deciding how I felt about 'ille bhig ruaidh throughout the story - which made it feel odd since he was the narrator (or rememberer?) Of all the novels I've read where a character, as a child, loses a parent this is the first in which I've been satisfied with the handling. The twins don't mourn the loss of their parents as people they loved and were close to, but more as an ideal - like, "what if we had a dad? That might be cool." Being jealous of "the redheaded Alexander" having both a father and grandfather, for example. This makes perfect sense because they were so young. They wouldn't even have their own memories of the parents, just what they'd create from photos and stories told by others. (personal experience speaking, here) I get annoyed at writers whose "orphans" mope around about parents they lost before the age of 7 or 8. Sorry, I realize I ran around on that a bit. Pet peeve. :)
Anyhoo...well-written, sad, beautiful, very real. Poetic with the weaving of history and memory with the present. A satisfying read. 

Journal Entry 7 by rooshill from Foresthill, California USA on Saturday, June 06, 2009

Bug2004 asked to be skipped, so I'm PMing the next person now. 

Journal Entry 8 by NancyNova from Lansdale, Pennsylvania USA on Saturday, June 13, 2009

Got the book today. Putting as the next one to be read, so it can continue on it's way.

6/24 update: Have been reading it, but stopped to read the book club book, now back to this one. Slower than I expected - it is a bit choppy. I also wikipedia'd the history of Cape Breton - I had not idea that there were Irish Canadians, nor much of the history of Canada (we here in the US tend to think the world revolves around us!).

Mentioned it at book club last night, so there's some interest in this title from a few folks. About 100 more pages to go! It's my commute book, so will get about 4 hours of reading over the next two days - hopefully can finish it up by the weekend.

6/27 update. finished yesterday. The book chapters skip around a lot - and at times you're not sure which Alexander MacDonald is being talked about - you need to remember which century you're in! The movement between centuries and family members - almost jumping around - I think was essential for this book. It would not have been as effective if told in a linear timeline fashion. I felt sorry for the older brothers - being cast adrift in the world as they were, they did what they needed to do to just get by. I also learned a lot of history of Canada at that time - all about the hardships of mine camps, living on the sea and the like. Very good read.

Will be sending this book on it's way monday. 

Journal Entry 9 by NancyNova at posted to another bookcrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- New Zealand on Saturday, June 27, 2009

Released 2 yrs ago (6/29/2009 UTC) at posted to another bookcrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- New Zealand

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to skokgitt in new Zealand - the next one on this ray! 

Journal Entry 10 by skokgitt from Waihi, Waikato-Coromandel New Zealand on Thursday, July 09, 2009

This book arrived today on its journey in a book ray, I look forward to reading it and then sending it on its way, thank you Nancy Nova for sending it to me. 

Journal Entry 11 by skokgitt from Waihi, Waikato-Coromandel New Zealand on Saturday, July 18, 2009

I think I have to agree with other readers, I too found this book a bit disjointed, I had to keep going back to straighten out which characters were which, and whose story was now being told. Anyway it is now time for me to forward this book to "catbot" in Australia to complete this book ray. 

Journal Entry 12 by skokgitt from Waihi, Waikato-Coromandel New Zealand on Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Sent pm to catbot for address, and she told me that she had her own copy of this book and to contact Bug2004 who had been left out earlier in the ring. I did that and Bug2004 said send them the book. I posted this book to Bug2004 on Monday the 27th July. Sorry for forgetting to update the journal entries. 

Journal Entry 13 by Bug2004 from Omaha, Nebraska USA on Thursday, November 19, 2009

Arrived safely.