Journal Entry 1 by Winterson from Peacehaven, East Sussex United Kingdom on Monday, March 14, 2005

Ali Smith's innovative, extraordinary new novel checks us into the smooth, plush world of the Global - but is it really the kind of place you want to spend the rest of your life in?

Hotel World takes us through a night in the lives of five people. Three are strangers, two are sisters, one is dead. Through the course of the evening we are drawn into their different worlds. It's luxurious for some, but a long drop for others.

Playful, defiant and richly inventive, Hotel World is a riotous elegy, a deadpan celebration, an alchemy of opposite worlds colliding to make a modern parable of connection and indifference, and ultimately a defence of love.

Bought for NSSEB.
 

Journal Entry 2 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Oops, just realised I hadn't journalled this!!!!!

Thank you thank you thank you Winterson!!! What a lovely Not So Secret Easter Bunny present. This book has been on my wish list for a while, I picked it up in the library ages ago and then never got round to reading it even though i really wanted to, so it's very very welcome!!! But not only did you send me the book but lots of chocolate (including some delicious fudge!) and Lush smelly stuff (mmmm!) and the most beautiful blue pendant that i will treasure!!!

Thank you so much, you really brightened up my Easter!!! 

Journal Entry 3 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Friday, May 27, 2005

Gosh, I really don't know what to say about this - it's probably one of the most unusual books I've ever read, and certainly one of the best I've read this year so far.

Meet Else, a homeless woman who begs on the street outside the Global Hotel, scared to move for fear that she'll be enveloped in a coughing fit. Else keeps an eye on Clare, a new beggar on the other side of the road, a girl who seems curiously out of place. Then there's Lise, the bored receptionist, and Penny, a journalist writing a review of the hotel. They're all brought together through Sara, a promising swimmer who has just died in a tragic accident involving a dumb waiter.

Five very different women loosely connected by the opening tragedy, and we hear them talk about their lives, loves, hopes and fears in their own voice. Rarely do you read a book where so little happens but you come away feeling as though you have really been touched by the characters. At every turn the mood changes from joy to horror to hurt to fear and I felt I really knew the characters and cared about what happened to them.

I really loved Hotel World, read it in one sitting and wanted to go back and read it again - I just can't find the words to explain how beautifully written it is. Just read it, and then you'll know.

Thank you so much for this, Winterson. I'm going to try and send this out on a ring as everyone should read it! 

Journal Entry 4 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Okay, so this wonderful book is going out as a ring - usual rules apply, journal when it arrives, then again as a review when you're done with it, PM the next person on the list for their address and send it on within a month if possible but no worries if it takes longer.

Order of the ring so far is:

UrbanSpaceman (UK)
SwanofKennet (UK)
PurpleRosebud (UK)
Beebarf (UK)
caligula03 (US)
Pookledo (UK)
nocton4 (UK)
??? YOU ???
Then back to me, chelseagirl

I'll get it sent off to UrbanSpaceman in the next few days.

 

Journal Entry 5 by Kleptokitty on Tuesday, June 21, 2005

I've seen this so many times at Chelseagirl's house & thought that it looked interesting. Now I'll get a chance to find out!

Thanks for sneaking me on the front Chelseagirl. It's next on my list. 

Journal Entry 6 by Kleptokitty on Monday, June 27, 2005

Hmmm, I'm not really sure whether I enjoyed this or not!

The appeal of it is in the detail, and it reminded me of If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor in that respect.

However, I found that the stream of conciousness style of some of Hotel World detracted from my enjoyment of it and I didn't really get to know enough about the characters to feel any empathy with them.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, I'm just a bit undecided still!

Will be getting this back on course to UrbanSpaceman asap. 

Journal Entry 7 by Kleptokitty on Saturday, July 02, 2005

Will be passing this on to UrabnSpaceman at the Unconvention later today.

Journal Entry 8 by UrbanSpaceman from Kingston upon Thames, Greater London United Kingdom on Saturday, July 02, 2005

Had this from Kleptokitty at the Unconvention today. Will get straight on with it! 

Journal Entry 9 by UrbanSpaceman from Kingston upon Thames, Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 05, 2005

I was expecting a much more conventional novel than this (though I'm not sure why) However, as soon as I opened the book and saw that the text made raggedy lines down the right hand side of each page, I realised that this was not going to be.

Tying together the lives of five wormen in ways visible only to the reader, the innovative story revolves around the death of one of them. Each of them has their own story to tell in their own way - perhaps the most challenging is Claire's 38 page stream of conciousness - at turns witty, sad, disturbing and joyful.

I'm so pleased that I signed up for this ring, so thank you Winterson and ChelseaGirl, both. I'll post it on to SwanofKennett tomorrow.

Wooooo-
hooooooo
oo
o

 

Journal Entry 10 by SwanOfKennet from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria United Kingdom on Monday, July 11, 2005

Safely received in this morning's post. Thank you. 

Journal Entry 11 by SwanOfKennet from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria United Kingdom on Sunday, July 17, 2005

Oh my! I'm still reeling a bit from this.

Five very different women each tell in their own way of one night in a hotel where their lives interlock but never engage, telling of life and death, love and loss, loneliness and futility, so that in the end it left all my senses reeling.

The style - or styles of writing are unusual, difficult in places. It quite openly owes a debt to James Joyce. But even the unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness passage, pure Molly Blooom, had me drawn right in.

Stunning and breathtaking.

On to PurpleRosebud as soon as I have her adddress.


 

Journal Entry 12 by SwanOfKennet at on Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (7/20/2005 UTC) at

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On its way to PurpleRosebud 

Journal Entry 13 by purplerosebud from Petersfield, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, July 21, 2005

Arrived today from SwanofKennet with added goodies, many thanks! I have just posted off my last book so will get started today. I'm intrigued by the previous journal entries so not sure what I am in for. 

Journal Entry 14 by purplerosebud from Petersfield, Hampshire United Kingdom on Friday, July 22, 2005

Definately an unusual style of book and although it has been very popular with the previous readers it wasn't really the book for me. I struggled a bit with the syle and perhaps the timing is wrong for me. I would like to come back and read it again later and probably have a totally different opinion. I'm sure as it moves through the ring list there will be more people who will love it.

It is now waiting to go to beebarf as soon as I hear from her. 

Journal Entry 15 by Beebarf from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Arrived yesterday from purplerosebud - thank you! And thanks for the bookmark too!

I have a couple of books ahead in the bookring queue, but should get to it before the end of the month - yay for Bank Holidays! 

Journal Entry 16 by Beebarf from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, September 29, 2005

Well, I got round to this a bit later than I thought but I started this last night in a bout of insomnia ... shouldn't be long now, I think it's either a book I will devour or one that will irritate and be left unfinished ... not necessarily a bad thing as I think books should sometimes provoke strong reactions... ;o) 

Journal Entry 17 by Beebarf from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, October 08, 2005

Kind of stalled on this as I couldn't read the fourth section at all (future in the past) - I don't really see why authors go for unpunctuated stream of consciousness when we all punctuate, unconsciously, in our speech! But maybe that's just a personal quirk, after all James Joyce is loved for it...

An interesting idea, interestingly presented but not entirely successful, I feel. But it was good to be exposed to it!

Have PM'ed caligula03 for her address

 

Journal Entry 18 by Beebarf at Bookring in sent to the next bookcrosser, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, October 15, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (10/15/2005 UTC) at Bookring in sent to the next bookcrosser, Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Journal Entry 19 by caligula03 from Hayward, California USA on Monday, November 28, 2005

Book is here with a FABULOUS postcard for the Petshop Boys new score for Battleship Potemkin. It was the perfect thing to include for an ex film student.
 

Journal Entry 20 by caligula03 from Hayward, California USA on Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Hotel World started out strong and then petered out. By the time I had gotten to the long run-on sentence chapter done by Clair I had lost interest in the book. 

Journal Entry 21 by caligula03 at on Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (1/2/2006 UTC) at

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Mailing to Pookledo. 

Journal Entry 22 by Pookledo from Loughborough, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Saturday, March 04, 2006

Been to pick this up from the post office this morning after being "carded" yesterday.

Looking forward to reading it! 

Journal Entry 23 by Pookledo from Loughborough, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Wednesday, March 08, 2006

I have to admit that I struggled with this book and have reluctantly given up as I just wasn't enjoying the writing style.

PMing Denise as she's next in the ring. 

Journal Entry 24 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Thursday, March 16, 2006

Book is back with me now. Weird how a couple of people, me included, loved this and the rest of you gave up! 

Journal Entry 25 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Saturday, March 18, 2006

to be taken to a meet 

Journal Entry 26 by chelseagirl at The Cherry Tree OBCZ in Steventon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Saturday, March 18, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (3/18/2006 UTC) at The Cherry Tree OBCZ in Steventon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom

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Journal Entry 27 by ozone-nut from Yateley, Hampshire United Kingdom on Sunday, March 19, 2006

I picked this up at the Cherry Tree as I had a hunch it would be a good one to release at the North American convention in Toronto next month. Now I see that it has already passed through the hands of so many BCers and has even been to the UK Unconvention I feel my hunch was correct. I wasn't even intending to read it but then Netstation said it was fantastic and he'd read it twice. On two consecutive evenings! Maybe I'll reserve this for the flight out there... By the way, the chocolate fudge, lush bath stuff, blue pendant and other assorted goodies seem to have become separated from the book somewhere along the way. Shame. 

Journal Entry 28 by ozone-nut from Yateley, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, April 06, 2006

it all started out so well. I loved the first chapter and was eager for more of the same. The second chapter was OK, not bad. And then after that I started to lose interest. By the time I got to the chapter without punctuation I couldn't take any more.

It's now sitting in the "going-to-Toronto" pile. 

Journal Entry 29 by Antheras from Waterloo, Ontario Canada on Friday, April 21, 2006

Picked up at Welcome Reception for the 2006 BookCrossing Convention.