Starter for Ten
14 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by 
Plum-crazy
from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Sunday, December 14, 2008
Plum-crazy from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Sunday, December 14, 2008
It's 1985 and Brian Jackson has arrived at university with a burning ambition - to make it onto TV's foremost general knowledge quiz. But no sooner has he embarked on 'The Challenge' than he finds himself falling hopelessly in love with his teammate, the beautiful and charismatic would-be actress, Alice Harbinson.
When Alice fails to fall for his slightly over-eager charms, Brian comes up with a foolproof plan to capture her heart once and for all. He's going to win the game, at any cost, because - after all - everyone knows that what a woman really wants from a man is a comprehensive grasp of general knowledge ...
When Alice fails to fall for his slightly over-eager charms, Brian comes up with a foolproof plan to capture her heart once and for all. He's going to win the game, at any cost, because - after all - everyone knows that what a woman really wants from a man is a comprehensive grasp of general knowledge ...
Journal Entry 2 by Plum-crazy from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, January 9, 2009
Plum-crazy from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, January 9, 2009
Advanced general knowledge, of course.
Let's go back to 1985 & meet Brian - a teenager with sensitive and artistic pretensions, bad acne & a love of Kate Bush. Leaving home, he goes off to Uni where he falls for the beautiful but out-of-his-league Alice...so what does he do to get her attention? He signs up for the University Challenge team of course!
But as we all know, the path of true love never runs smooth & it certainly doesn't for Brian.But he's a romantic & won't give up the girl of his dreams - despite some very embarrassing encounters with her parents which are funny but you might also cringe!- watch out for Alice's Boxing Day story :o)
Does he make it onto University Challenge? Does he end up with Alice? Well, that would be telling...
This is a great read that's guaranteed to make you smile, give you the giggles & take you back to your late teens.
Oh...& I loved the way each chapter opens with a question whose answers connects...albeit sometimes loosely...to the events unfolding :o)
Journal Entry 3 by Plum-crazy from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Plum-crazy from Brighouse, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 13, 2009
This is starting it's travels as a book ring
Some brief "rules":
Please journal the book when you receive it.
Please PM the next person on the list for their address soon after receiving it(this will hopefully help prevent holdups later on) If you don't hear from them within a few days, PM them again. If after a few more days you still haven't heard anything, please let me know.
Read the book! Please aim to send on within around 6 weeks ...& journal it again when you've read it to let us know what you thought of it. Please PM me if you need more time - just so we know it's not been forgotten!
Please journal the date it's posted to the next reader.
Hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did...
List of readers:
Tuftynut
raeliz64
solskinn
sandyundead
Fifna
Tregossip
hdc76
lidlekiwi
Jonniboi
RonOren
mafarrimond
Some brief "rules":
Please journal the book when you receive it.
Please PM the next person on the list for their address soon after receiving it(this will hopefully help prevent holdups later on) If you don't hear from them within a few days, PM them again. If after a few more days you still haven't heard anything, please let me know.
Read the book! Please aim to send on within around 6 weeks ...& journal it again when you've read it to let us know what you thought of it. Please PM me if you need more time - just so we know it's not been forgotten!
Please journal the date it's posted to the next reader.
Hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did...
List of readers:
Tuftynut
raeliz64
solskinn
sandyundead
Fifna
Tregossip
hdc76
lidlekiwi
Jonniboi
RonOren
mafarrimond
Journal Entry 4 by Plum-crazy at By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, January 22, 2009
Plum-crazy at By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, January 22, 2009
Released 15 yrs ago (1/22/2009 UTC) at By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
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Starting it's travels with Tuftynut
THE 2009 REDUCE MOUNT TBR CHALLENGE (#2)
THE 2009 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE (themed read for January (food)sTARTer!!)
Starting it's travels with Tuftynut
THE 2009 REDUCE MOUNT TBR CHALLENGE (#2)
THE 2009 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE (themed read for January (food)sTARTer!!)
Journal Entry 5 by Tuftynut from St Leonards On Sea, East Sussex United Kingdom on Saturday, January 24, 2009
Arrived this morning, perfect timing - thanks Plum-crazy:-) Just finished the Chocolate Lovers Club yesterday so really pleased to have something with such a good recommendation to get started on next.
Journal Entry 6 by Tuftynut from St Leonards On Sea, East Sussex United Kingdom on Sunday, February 1, 2009
I was very excited to find when I started to read this book that Brian actually comes from Southend-on-Sea which is also my home town so it was fun to truly be able to visualise these scenes, and I have to say almost recognise some of the characters! I found some of his embarrassing moments hugely cringe worthy but thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Will be on its way to raeliz64 tomorrow. Thanks Plum-crazy for the opportunity to read this :-)
Will be on its way to raeliz64 tomorrow. Thanks Plum-crazy for the opportunity to read this :-)
Journal Entry 7 by raeliz64 from Leicester, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Friday, February 6, 2009
Received a couple of days ago, thanks very much.
Journal Entry 8 by raeliz64 from Leicester, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Monday, February 16, 2009
An entertaining read that made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
Journal Entry 9 by raeliz64 from Leicester, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Thursday, February 19, 2009
On it's way to solskinn.
The book made its way to Austria! I am really looking forward to reading this one. Thanks for sharing Plum-crazy and thanks for posting it over raeliz!
Plum-crazy has granted me some extra time to read this book. Many thanks, I appreciate it!
After finally having started to read this book, I was through with it within two days! It is a really light read, perfect for those days when there's a lot going on. Great book, although I wasn't laughing much but cringing even more... I just felt SO SORRY for the bloke when he got himself in all kinds of humiliating situations... I have to add that my own late teens as well as my approach at starting university weren't THAT long ago, so I recognized too many of these situations. I think I was kind of a girl-Brian, or if not, then at least I felt like it :-D
Many thanks for the ring and the extra time!
Many thanks for the ring and the extra time!
Journal Entry 13 by wolkenklang at Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Friday, April 10, 2009
Released 15 yrs ago (4/14/2009 UTC) at Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases
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Now on the way to Czech Republic!
Now on the way to Czech Republic!
This arrived a couple of weeks ago - sorry I didn't journal it faster. Will read it this week and get it sent on asap.
This book surprised me – I didn’t really know what to expect because it’s a book from the late fifties that I’ve never heard of, with the tiniest of blurbs on the back. It drew me in and I really cared about the characters. I still can’t decide if I was happy with the end though! I'll pass it on to Fifna this week.
Arrived safely, thanks sandyundead! Looking forward to it.
Much laughing and cringing going on here! I really enjoyed this book. I liked the questions at the beginning of the chapters as well. The connection to the content was always just loose enough for you not to know exactly what was going to happen next. And that just has to be the mother of all "going to meet the parents" things! Poor soul...
Anyway, thank you for sharing, Plum-crazy, will get it on the move asap.
Anyway, thank you for sharing, Plum-crazy, will get it on the move asap.
Released 14 yrs ago (7/11/2009 UTC) at St. Austell, Cornwall United Kingdom
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Sent to Tregossip today.
Sent to Tregossip today.
Arrived and thanks one and all
Enjoyed the humour, a few laugh outloud bits and cringed for Brian too. Parties hav'nt changed much since my student day's in the 1960's Can anyone tell which Uni it was?
Have PM'd the next participant
Enjoyed the humour, a few laugh outloud bits and cringed for Brian too. Parties hav'nt changed much since my student day's in the 1960's Can anyone tell which Uni it was?
Have PM'd the next participant
Released 14 yrs ago (7/22/2009 UTC) at St. Austell, Cornwall United Kingdom
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on it's travels again
on it's travels again
Sorry, I forgot to log that I had received this, but got it a couple of weeks ago and finished reading it yesterday. It was better than the film, I think, and a slightly different ending. I really enjoyed this book, it was a good, easy read and I liked the questions at the beginning of the paragraphs.
I am very sorry, I don't know how it happened but I somehow didn't register this books arrival. Anyway, I know it arrived on the 17 August as I have a post-it stuck to it, telling me the date it arrived.
I will start to read this book later on today! Again I am sorry for not entering the BCID, I really don't know how I managed not to do this.
Thank you for shaing the book and I am looking forward to reading it!!
I will start to read this book later on today! Again I am sorry for not entering the BCID, I really don't know how I managed not to do this.
Thank you for shaing the book and I am looking forward to reading it!!
Far to young to remember the 80's esp the fashion. :)The brideshead revisited hair? No idea.....
This was an enjoyable book, as easy read, very well constructed with suberb characterisation.
Made me laugh from time to time.
I have Joni address and I will post it to him today. So he should have it tomorrow, if Royal Mail sort out this striking business.
This was an enjoyable book, as easy read, very well constructed with suberb characterisation.
Made me laugh from time to time.
I have Joni address and I will post it to him today. So he should have it tomorrow, if Royal Mail sort out this striking business.
Journal Entry 24 by lidlekiwi at Hammersmith, Greater London United Kingdom on Thursday, September 10, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (9/10/2009 UTC) at Hammersmith, Greater London United Kingdom
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In todays post. I heard on the news that millions of letter have not made their destinations due to the strikes! So I don't know how long it will take to get to Birmingham.
In todays post. I heard on the news that millions of letter have not made their destinations due to the strikes! So I don't know how long it will take to get to Birmingham.
Journal Entry 25 by JonniC from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Friday, September 11, 2009
got it today so Postal strike didn't affect this, anyhow this brings my bookrings/ray up to 8 now, but I am reading them as much as possible. College has just started for me, and they've messed up everything and are soooooo unorganised. Anyhow it's now the weekend and so I should finish about 2-3 books soon, and I shall try and finish all of them.
I will write another journal entry when I start reading this, so that you know roughly how well I'm doing! I hope I won't be long in having this, as I feel this is one book I shall enjoy!
Thanks for including me Plum-Crazy
I will write another journal entry when I start reading this, so that you know roughly how well I'm doing! I hope I won't be long in having this, as I feel this is one book I shall enjoy!
Thanks for including me Plum-Crazy
Journal Entry 26 by JonniC from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, October 24, 2009
I'm sorry this is taking so long, everything's been sent back a bit because I had college work to do, but now I'm getting on top of things, and I'm soooo sorry for keeping this book for so long!
Journal Entry 27 by JonniC from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 25, 2009
it was pretty good, I thank you for setting this up! Anyway, I shall be sending this off soon, and I am ever so sorry for holding up this bookring!
Journal Entry 28 by JonniC at Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Released 14 yrs ago (12/9/2009 UTC) at Cambridge, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom
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sent off to RonOren I hope she enjoys it, and sorry for keeping this book for so long!
sent off to RonOren I hope she enjoys it, and sorry for keeping this book for so long!
This was waiting for me when I got back yesterday; thanks Jonniboi! I'm reading another book at the moment, but may well take it on the plane with me tonight, so who knows when I'll get started on it.
It's funny at times, but not quite as good as I expected it to be. In all fairness, it's not that much about University Challenge, is it? That's just a minor part of the story. Most of the time, though, I was just cringing about Brian; what an arse he was! But then, in fairness to him, he's just a 19 year old boy, isn't he? I probably wasn't any better at that age... (not so sure I'm that different now, either).
It probably would've been a bit better if I'd actually seen "The Challenge" with Bamber Gascoigne... But still, it was a nice, lighthearted read. Not something I would need to read again, but certainly not something I regret reading, either. Thanks for sharing this, Plum-crazy! I'll get in touch with mafarrimond and see if I can get the book moving before Christmas...
It probably would've been a bit better if I'd actually seen "The Challenge" with Bamber Gascoigne... But still, it was a nice, lighthearted read. Not something I would need to read again, but certainly not something I regret reading, either. Thanks for sharing this, Plum-crazy! I'll get in touch with mafarrimond and see if I can get the book moving before Christmas...
On its way to mafarrimond. Hope you'll enjoy this!
Th book arrived safely today in among the snow and ice. There are a few books to read ahead of this but I will read as soon as I can.
I really enjoyed reading this. I remember seeing the film based on the book - not as good of course!
Journal Entry 34 by mafarrimond at Book Box, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Monday, February 15, 2010
Released 14 yrs ago (2/15/2010 UTC) at Book Box, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
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Adding to the book box
Adding to the book box
Journal Entry 35 by ARTurner at Coventry, Donation -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Released 14 yrs ago (3/9/2010 UTC) at Coventry, Donation -- Controlled Releases
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Gave to a Freegler.
Gave to a Freegler.
Found it in the staff room at work. Will leave it on a train.
CAUGHT IN BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND
CAUGHT IN BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND
