Journal Entry 1 by id-rather-be-at from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Friday, December 14, 2007

I picked up some books at various op shops today, this was one of them 

Journal Entry 2 by MooMoo1977 from Lismore, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Arrived today in a surprise book baggie from id-rather-be-at. Thank you! :) I really gotta get back into active BCing. 

Journal Entry 3 by gillg from South Perth, Western Australia Australia on Tuesday, January 08, 2008

recieved today with thanks, looking forward to reading and releasing. 

Journal Entry 4 by gillg from South Perth, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, January 20, 2008

passed on at the Perth Bookcrossers coffee this afternoon 

Journal Entry 5 by KLL from Perth, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, January 20, 2008

Picked up at the BC Meetup today. It's on the list of 1001 books to read before you die, so I'll add it to my growing pile of them :-) 

Journal Entry 6 by KLL from Perth, Western Australia Australia on Monday, September 01, 2008

This, I think, is the third 'war' book I've read thanks to the 1001 Books to read before you die list - the others being 'A Farewell to Arms' by Ernest Hemingway and 'The Enormous Room' by e. e. cummings. 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is by far the most bloody and brutal - and probably also the best description of trench warfare to. The protagonist/narrators from the first two books are foreigners, participating in a war they don't necessarily belong to. They are always a bit removed from the action (psychologically if not physically), and also take in the bigger political picture of why they are there. 'All Quiet', on the other hand, is narrated by a 20 year old German national, who has come in to the army from school and shows no understanding or interest in the causes of war, although demonstrates great skill and cunning in surviving the front line and trench warfare. It's perhaps not surprising that I got a jolt everytime I was reminded he was 20 - for the most part he sounds a great deal older. I can't say I enjoyed this book, but it was gripping. I spent a lot of time trying to relate this story to what must be happening in Afghanistan and Iraq now. Is war still as brutal as it was 100 years ago? I suspect it probably is...

This book will now be travelling to tqd as part of the VBBOz (http://vbboz.blogspot.com/). I can't say 'I hope you enjoy it!', but I do hope you find it thought provoking... 

Journal Entry 7 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, September 07, 2008

Thanks KLL, your parcel arrived this morning at work. What a way to start the work week, with new books!

And, yes, I chose this book from the Virtual Book Box because it's on that damnably addictive "1001" books list. And, I too, have read far more war novels than I ever expected to because of that list. (Things They Carried was the best in terms of I'll-never-forget-it, although not an easy read.)

But who wants to read fluff all the time? One's brain would turn into mush if one did that. 

Journal Entry 8 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, March 09, 2010

I picked this one up because I wanted to continue reading about the Great War, following on from Maisie Dobbs. And, yes, because it had been gathering dust on my shelves for far too long. (Must stop acquiring books faster than I can read them!) This is considered one of the great war (or anti-war) novels, and while that's not a genre I've spent any real time in, I do have to say that this is one of the best books I've ever read. (So, a shoo-in for best war novel I've ever read.)

I read the brief introduction in the front of my edition, which informed me that Remarque served during the Great War, and at the end of the war all his friends and his mother had died, leaving him alone and bereft.

Sounds like a barrel of laughs, doesn't it? Well, actually (and surprisingly), this was a very amusing book at times. There were just so many incidents that had me chortling while I read it (my husband asked what I was reading, and I had to confess that I felt almost guilty saying that I was laughing at All Quiet on the Western Front). All the soldiers returned from the front, sitting around on portable toilets in the sunshine in the middle of a meadow, enjoying their time and each other's company while attending to nature is an image that I may never forget. The changes that occurred to make these young men (some of them still boys, really) lose all self-modesty is only one of many changes that occur during wartime.

The other changes are, of course, much less amusing. The deep bitterness they display because they've been trained for nothing but killing is heart-wrenching. All these young men, having their lives ruined by wasting their youth in the trenches, well, it's just plain heart breaking.

Only, with the knowledge that all of Remarque's friends died during the war, it is a bit of a moot point that none of the characters in the book are at all suited to civilian life. You rather know they're not going to be getting much of a chance at it.

So, not so much with the funny by the end. The war is going badly for Germany, our previously merry band of soldiers is weary, hungry, and dropping like flies. There's one description where a bunch of new recruits hop off a train, to be mowed down by enemy fire before they've even realised where they were. That drove home the pointlessness and meaninglessness of the whole war, and emphasised the cynical veteran status of our young protagonist and his remaining friends, because it came across as a heartless sort of black joke. At twenty, to be so inured to death and waste.

A powerful novel, deserving of all its status.

I'll keep this one travelling - a ray, if there's no other ray going at the moment, or back in the Oz VBB. 

Journal Entry 9 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, March 13, 2010

This one's heading off on a ray. Participants so far (order subject to change without notice):

Caroley, U.K.
Totje2, Netherlands
Makita21, Australia
FushMush, Australia  

Journal Entry 10 by tqd at Broadway, New South Wales Australia on Monday, May 17, 2010

Released 2 yrs ago (5/17/2010 UTC) at Broadway, New South Wales Australia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

In the post to Caroley today.

Happy reading! 

Journal Entry 11 by Caroley at Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Received today thanks!

I've got a couple of other rings to read first, but should get to it quite quickly. 

Journal Entry 12 by Caroley at Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Thursday, June 03, 2010

I've read several books set during WW1 because of the 1001 list. The others were from the British point of view, (The Regeneration trilogy & Birdsong) so it was interesting to read a book written from the German point of view. In the end it all comes down to the same thing. The trenches were something no human being should have suffered through, and reading about them isn't easy, even with the humour, and the beautiful writing.

An excellent book, and very nearly as good as Pat Barker's trilogy, although that is just my opinion.

Thanks for starting the ray tqd. I've already PMd Totje2 and hope to get the book moving again asap. 

Journal Entry 13 by Caroley at Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, June 06, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (6/6/2010 UTC) at Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted airmail to Totje2 

Journal Entry 14 by Boekentrol at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Sunday, June 13, 2010

From the first pages it looks like a good book! There are no rings left to read first, so I've started it right away.
Shuld not take too long before I finish it, I'll PM the next one in line for the address right away.

Thanks for sending it on to me! 

Journal Entry 15 by Boekentrol at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Sunday, June 20, 2010

I'm nearly done reading this book.
I've asked Makita21 for her address, but she asked to be skipped. Now a PM has been sent to fushmush, the last in line. 

Journal Entry 16 by Boekentrol at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Wednesday, June 23, 2010

To say that I loved this book would be the wrong description. I found it very impressive. A good book on a war that is very far in the past. I liked the writing, the rawness, but the compassion too. It will linger on for a while in my head, I'm sure of it.

It was a great opportunity to read a book I normally would have not found. Thanks! 

Journal Entry 17 by Boekentrol at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Released 1 yr ago (6/24/2010 UTC) at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

After 'enjoying' this read very much, it is now time to send this book on its journey again. It'll be off to fushmush now.
I hope you like this book / are impressed with it. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 18 by fushmush at Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, July 20, 2010

It has arrived. Looks like I'm the last one on the ray which is a good thing because I have two ahead of it and HEAPS of uni work to do. I'll get there eventually.  

Journal Entry 19 by fushmush at Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Another good First World War read. Good in that it really makes you begin to understand what it might have been like to be in the trenches at Flanders. Helps you start to understand the futility of the First World War (or all war?).

The powers in command were still using tactics which were not suitable against modern weapons. I can’t even contemplate what it would feel like to jump out of a trench knowing that you were going to your death. You leap out and a few seconds later you’re mown down by machine gun fire. In the battle of the Somme, nearly 60 000 men were lost in just one day. There were 1.5 million casualties by the end of the battle. I don’t understand why it took them so long to figure out that their tactics weren’t working. For almost 3 years the line of the western front remained virtually unchanged.

I think one thing that got me was just how old Paul sounded. He is only 20 years old and yet he sounds like an old man. They are so young and haven’t had a chance to experience life yet. And they never will. They will either die at the front or they will return home broken men.

Books like this are essential reading. (Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks is another must-read First World War novel.) Maybe by sharing this novel we can make sure that nothing like this happens again (and yet it’s happening right now).

Bookray:
Jenniwren
Freepages
 

Journal Entry 20 by jeniwren at Greigs Flat, New South Wales Australia on Friday, September 24, 2010