June 11, 2007 -- Ray completed - thanks to all of the participants!

::NOTE: This is a replacement for a ray that went missing with orangecomo, the original journal entries can be found at:
http://bookcrossing.com/journal/2815149

BOOKRAY INFORMATION (INTERNATIONAL):

1 - Once you receive the book, please read it, journal it, and PM the person next in line for their address within 45 days of receiving this book.

2 - This is a book ray, meaning that this book does not need to be returned to the original person. If you are the last person you can either continue the ray, release it or do whatever else you would like with it. If you have any problems getting a response from a ray member, please PM me.

Ray Participants:
1 - Xeyra
2 - Moimeme
3 - Ftarazu
4 - chich
5 - lundi
6 - DJgib
7 - sweetf
8 - claudinec

FROM THE PUBLISHER
High Fidelity is the story of Rob, a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend Laura has just left him for Ian from the flat upstairs. Rob is both miserable and relieved. After all, could he have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection? This narrowly misses his list of all-time top five most memorable split-ups. Rob seeks refuge in the company of Barry and Dick, the offbeat clerks at his store. They speak the masculine language of lists, endlessly reviewing their top five films (Reservoir Dogs...); top five Elvis Costello songs ("Alison"...); top five episodes of Cheers (the one where Woody sang his stupid song to Kelly...). Rob tries dating a singer called Marie (a post-Partridge Family, pre-L.A. Law Susan Dey), who once sold a song to Nanci Griffith. Her rendition of "Baby, I Love Your Way" makes him cry. But maybe it's just that he's always wanted to sleep with someone who has a record contract. Then he sees Laura again. And Rob begins to think (as awful as it sounds) that life as an episode of thirtysomething, with all the kids and marriages and jobs and barbecues and k.d. lang CDs that this implies, might not be so bad.

This book arrived today, hand delivered by my postman, which is a rarity for me. I plan on making it one of my next reads, whenever I finish one of the two books I am currently reading. I loved the movie and the other book by this author I read (About a Boy) so I hope to enjoy this book as well. Thank you for the ray, candieb! And I'm sorry the previous copy got stalled.

I finished reading this book today and I loved it. I was familiar with the story, since I'd seen the movie, which I absolutely adored, but reading the book is such a rewarding experience. It has all the aspects of the movie I remember but it adds a lot of detail to it, even if I kept imagining John Cusack as Rob, though Rob is originally British, not American like the movie made it.

Nick Hornby has a great way of presenting the story and his characters shine, even if sometimes you don't much like some of their personality traits or some of their behaviours, or think they're acting in a silly way, which is great because you can actually fell for the characters and the novel to the point you're involved in the story being told (or narrated, in this particular case).

It also painted a picture of men that was both depressing, sometimes funny, sometimes annoying and probably everything we women ever thought men were and more. And though sometimes we don't like Rob very much, we understand him a little, because it's his voice and his story and we see him from his perspective.

Also, this book made me want to take note of the albums refered by the characters and go search for particular songs mentioned, some of which I've never heard of, some I vaguely remember, some I know I love but don't yet have.

I'm going to try and send this off soon. Going to PM the next person on the list. Thank you for the bookray, candieb!

Mailed today to moimeme.

Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's not lost! I received this book about a week ago and completely forgot about doing the journal entry! I'm finishing a book now and I'll start with it right after.

I finished this book during my vacations, and it absolutely made my day. I saw the movie a long time ago, but as Xeyra says, the detail is so much better in the book. And all the music referencies I love!

I already send a PM to Ftarazu, and I'll post the book as soon as I have an address.

Posted to Ftarazu yesterday. It's on its way!
Thank you Candieb for the opportunity to read this book.

With me now. It arrived last week but I didnt had the time to make a JE. I've started reding it yesterday and hope will finish it asap...

Book received today, thanks for passing it on Ftarazu!

I'll finish the book I'm reading right now and will get right on to this one:)

I just finished reading this book but can't say I really enjoyed reading it... I just didn't manage to get into the story and didn't like the characters much... Anyway, thanks for sharing candieb! I've already PM lundi and will send her the book as soon as I have her address:)

I realized now that I didnt made a JE after reading this book...I have to say It wasn’t the best of the books I read so far from the author…I didn’t like that much the main character and was not overwhelmed with the story…
Sorry for the delay!

Here we go!

Book sent to lundi today, enjoy!

Thanks Chich! Received the book last week. Finishing my current book and then this one is next in line.

Rob reminds me of my ex-boyfriend a lot. This book had been recommended to me quite some time ago. I should have read it then, back when I was going out with this Rob-type guy. Reading it now was like looking back on a period that I was happy closing off. But it was a good read and very recognizable.

Arrived safely yesterday, thanks candieb for sharing and lundi for sending on.

I'm looking forward to reading this but I'm in a different book at the moment so it will have to wait a short while. I'll be as quick as I can.

I thought this was a great read! Of the books by Nick Hornby I have read I think it's the best, because it's so honest. The story is so touching, and goes a long way to allowing a girl like me to understand why men can be such absolute plonkers at times. It's because they're absolute plonkers :-) But if this book is anything to go by their behaviour is not out of malice, but inability to deal with certain situations. I think we can all relate to that.

I'll be pm'ing sweetf shortly and hope to get the book moving in a few days.

The book is now travelling to sweetf, enjoy!

REceived this earlier in the week, will start reading it soon.

Sorry to keep it so long, struggled to get into this book, will try and read it tonight, have contacted the next person in the ring.

Thank you---picked up from the post office today.

This is the second Nick Hornby book I've read and I guess I don't get the hype. It was easy to read but quite frustrating. I found Rob very irritating and often felt I wanted to shake him out of his stupor. I can sympathise with not having a sense of direction but he didn't seem to change or learn from his experiences.

Thanks for starting the bookray though. I'll probably bring this to the meetup next week.

RELEASE NOTES:

Released at meetup.

Was really nice read, especially because i did not really like the main character most of the time. Hes not to nice, just struggeling.....

so now the book goes to a friend.