Journal Entry 1 by Aisling78 from Essex, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, July 23, 2006

My aunt gave me a bag full of books to read and then share with others...I decided to register them on bookcrossing, then share some with family & friends and wild release others. I hope whoever finds this book next enjoys it and the spirit of bookcrossing. 

Journal Entry 2 by Aisling78 from Essex, Massachusetts USA on Friday, October 13, 2006

I read this back in August, but forgot to journal until now. I lent it to my mother and she returned it today.

This was an excellent book about the lives of a group of women who meet monthly for a reading group. together, they experience (and support each other through) infidelity, teen pregnancy, infertility, family secrets, the illness & loss of an elderly parent, tension with relatives, and feelings of being trapped in one's life. This was a great novel about the power of women's friendships. Each month the women read a book and discuss it in the reading group...and as you read on the underlying theme of each book is echoed in the events of that month.
After reading this book, I'd love to join a reading group if it included women like this!

I was considering wild-releasing this book, then decided that it would be the perfect book to share as a bookring! 

Journal Entry 3 by Aisling78 from Essex, Massachusetts USA on Monday, October 16, 2006

I'm going to share this book as a bookray. (International if there is interest).

If you would like to join this ring please PM me with your location & shipping preferences.
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Here's my guidelines, paraphrased from other bookcrossers:

* If you wish to be added to the list, please PM me with your details.

* You will be sending the book to the person who appears after you in the list, so please PM them after the book arrives for their address, so there's mimimal delay after you've completed the book. If the next in line does not respond to several PMs over a period of a few weeeks, try posting an "In Search Of..." post in the forums, and contact me, and I'll reshuffle the shipping order.

* It's not a race, but please read and send the book on as speedily as you can, other people are dying to read it too! About two to three weeks is OK. (I understand when life gets in the way -- but please PM me if you've had the book in your possesion for longer than a month, so I don't worry that it's lost for good!)

* Please journal the book once you have received it (so we all know where it currently is) and again when you have read it (so we know what you thought of it -- part of what I love about Bookcrossing is hearing other's opionions of books I've loved).

* If you're the last person on the list please use your best judgement as to where the book goes next, RABCK, another ray or ring, or wild release...I'd just prefer that the book continues to travel rather than sit on a bookshelf collecting dust.

* Enjoy! It's supposed to be fun!
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Tentative shipping order (This may change slightly if more bookcrossers are interested)

Caridad - Florida (US only)
batty14 - New York state (US only)
lane1088 - North Carolina (US only)
istop4books - Minnesota (US only)
booknhand - California (international ok)
iggi1812 - Scotland, UK (international ok)
aava - Finland (international ok)
 

Journal Entry 4 by Caridad from Miami Lakes, Florida USA on Thursday, November 09, 2006

Received today. It was taped shut tighter than ANY book I have ever received. Will do BX best to read and pass on ASAP (*nose still in another book). Thanks Aisling78. 

Journal Entry 5 by Caridad from Miami Lakes, Florida USA on Monday, November 13, 2006

Really enjoyed reading this. I have read some of the books in their group so it made their discussions and their lives much more interesting. It's grat to rad about friendshps like this. I have them, but they don't like to read!

Sending to batty14. Have fun! 

Journal Entry 6 by batty14 from Ballston Spa, New York USA on Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Arrived in the mail. Putting toward the top of my pile. Have several days off and hoping to get to many these next five days! 

Journal Entry 7 by batty14 from Ballston Spa, New York USA on Saturday, December 30, 2006

I finally was able to pick this book up yesterday. I sat for most of the day and flew right through. Overall an interesting story. In the beginning there were way too many characters and husbands and their children to keep straight in my head. The book made me think about the books they chose for the bookclub and how we run the one I belong to.

pm-ing lane1088 and will get out next week. 

Journal Entry 8 by lane1088 from Charlotte, North Carolina USA on Monday, January 08, 2007

Just got this in the mail today and am planning to read it next week. I have two books in front of it but since I'm a fast reader so that shouldn't be a problem. 

Journal Entry 9 by lane1088 from Charlotte, North Carolina USA on Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Finally finished the book and overall I liked reading it. The characters were interesting and the plot moved along. One thing that kept making me bite my tongue was that it was all so predictable--there were not surprises in terms of how the women dealt with the crisis in their lives. I was waiting for something really shocking or surprising to happen--I will not go into details because some of them will be spoilers. For one, clare I would have liked to know more about but she was treated more as a plot point than someone we could care about. Two, I wanted to slap harriet so many times. I just could not understand why she was so unhappy and it is never really addressed--all of a sudden she has a realization and everything changes.

I guess I was a bit disappointed because I wanted more from the plot and the women than what was given. And I hated when they were talking about the books for the reading group. The author didn't think it was important to tell us who was talking and saying how they felt about the books. She consistently did not attach names to the dialogue which just irratated me because I think they were things that could have led to understanding the women better.

One positive thing though was that I liked the look at a british lifestyle. I liked all the british slang like bugger, sod, etc.

I am not going to get to the postoffice until monday so sorry it will not go out till then. 

Journal Entry 10 by istop4books from Mankato, Minnesota USA on Thursday, February 08, 2007

Just received in today's mail and I already snuck a peak -- it looks like a lot of fun! Will start reading tonight. Pming booknhand for addy. 

Journal Entry 11 by istop4books from Mankato, Minnesota USA on Thursday, February 15, 2007

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick fun read and I felt like many of the characters were people I knew. While this is not a deep and introspective novel, I felt that it touched on the typical everyday lives of everyday women -- with imperfect lives and imperfect husbands and a couple of extra pounds of baby weight and through thick and thin they support each other and get through a year in their lives. I totally loved the British bits - don't know what they all mean - but they sound great!

Sent this out to booknhand on Feb 26. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

Journal Entry 12 by booknhand from San Jose, California USA on Saturday, March 10, 2007

Retrieved out of the mailbox yesterday.

Another bookring that has perfect timing as I just finished my previous book the night before.

Have started the first few pages and will journal when I finish the book - things are quite busy at work right now, so it may take me a couple of weeks to finish it.

Thanks for sharing. 

Journal Entry 13 by booknhand from San Jose, California USA on Sunday, April 01, 2007

Finished this book a couple of nights ago.

It wasn't one of my favorites. I found it slow to get into and a bit confusing in the beginning with the jumping between the characters' lives, but once I got a jist of who was who, it began to be easier to read. Not until about half way through, did I really get drawn in.

I did appreciate the honesty in the women's sitations. They were real and not all of them had the fairy tale ending although all ended on a positive note. I appreciated this honesty vs. the fluff that other stories like this sometimes give.

Will be requesting iggi1812's address and mailing out next weekend when I can get to the post office.

Thanks for sharing. 

Journal Entry 14 by booknhand at Controlled Release - Bookring in San Jose, California USA on Saturday, May 12, 2007

Released 5 yrs ago (5/6/2007 UTC) at Controlled Release - Bookring in San Jose, California USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

After a long but safe stay with me - SORRY for the delay :( - this book finally heading over seas to the next person on the ring.

Thanks for sharing :) 

Journal Entry 15 by iggi1812 from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Sorry - Didn't realise that I hadn't journaled this when it arrived.

I really enjoyed reading this. It was just what I needed - a good page turning, female bonding read with the added bonus of extending my own reading list.

I've now sent it on its way to aava and another country!

Thanks for sharing aisling78 and I hope you enjoy it aava!



 

Journal Entry 16 by aava from Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi Finland on Sunday, July 29, 2007

I've forgot to make the JE when this book arrived a week or so ago. It's here now safe and sound and I'm just waiting for some peaceful alone time to start reading it.Thank you all! 

Journal Entry 17 by aava from Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi Finland on Tuesday, October 02, 2007

I read this book a while ago, but as I've been so busy I forgot all about making the JE. So, here goes. I usually don't read much chick lit. I think they tend to be so similar to each other and have so irritating characters that it's better if I just read something else. This book however was interesting because of the title. I love reading groups and the idea of them. I myself have been in a reading group for some time and made some friends in them as well. So the setting was great. Well, these women were not exactly discussing literature so much but it provided the framework nicely (And yes, now I need to add some of the books to my alarmingly growing to be read -list...)Further I though it was refreshing to have different kind of women and of different ages and backgrounds in the book.

The story itself is nothing new or special but it was told nicely so overall an enjoyable light reading.

Thanks Aisling78.
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edit 11.10.2007:

Looks like Blundery is the only one who wants to read this so I will mail the book for her and she can then decide what to do with it. I'll mail the book tomorrow, so off it goes Down under. Happy reading! 

Journal Entry 18 by Blundery on Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Thanks aava, the book arrived today and I am looking forward to a nice light read. I will journal once I am done and make sure it is moved along for someone else to appreciate as well. 

Journal Entry 19 by Blundery on Friday, November 23, 2007

I am never afraid of a good chick lit novel and this one didn't disappoint me, although if it wasn't for the character profiles at the very begining I would have struggled in remembering who is who - it has many more characters and side plots than I usually expect from this genre.

This is the first of Elizabeth Nobles books that I have read, and I would read another if it was to fall into my lap but I dont think i would go on a massave hunt for one. She is good, entertaining, and easy to read, but the ending was a bit too neat, and she just doesn't quite reach the quality of the top notch Chick Lit authors such as Marian Keyes.

I have put this book into the OzVBB virtual book box, and it was requested almost instantly, so it is off on another journey (not too far away) to visit another book crosser (aussieangel2). I hope she enjoys it too. 

Journal Entry 20 by aussieangel2 from Noranda, Western Australia Australia on Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Accepted on Oz Virtual bookbox and received in the mail today.