Journal Entry 1 by Chania from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa Finland on Saturday, December 06, 2008

Review
"'Haunting, lyrical and intriguing' - Isla Dewar 'I can heartily recommend Linda Gillard...Excellent reads' - Adele Geras"


"Blind since birth, widowed in her twenties, now lonely in her forties, Marianne Fraser lives in Edinburgh in elegant, angry anonymity with her sister, Louisa, a successful novelist. Marianne's passionate nature finds solace and expression in music, a love she finds she shares with Keir, a man she encounters on her doorstep one winter's night. Whilst Marianne has had her share of men attracted to her because they want to rescue her, Keir makes no concession to her condition. He is abrupt to the point of rudeness, and yet oddly kind. But can Marianne trust her feelings for this reclusive stranger who wants to take a blind woman to his island home on Skye, to 'show' her the stars?"

Starting a bookring here (after reading it first) - a copy signed by author herself.
 

Journal Entry 2 by Chania from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa Finland on Saturday, December 13, 2008

Sain kirjan kirjailijalta itseltään sähköpostiviestittelyn seurauksena ja koska olen kovasti nauttinut hänen aikaisemmista kirjoistaan (Emotional Geology ja A Lifetime Burning) ajattelin luettuani tarjota tätä ringiksi. Luen kirjan seuraavaksi, eli aloitan varmaan ensi viikolla.

Kirjan tekee erikoiseksi suomalaisille se, että Einojuhani Rautavaaran säveltämä Cantus Arcticus on olennaisessa osassa kirjassa.

PM minulle jos tahdot rinkiin mukaan!

--- in English- -
I got this book from the author herself after some e-mailing, and as I have enjoyed a lot about her previous books (Emotional Geology and A Lifetime Burning) I thought to offer this as a ring after I've read it. It will be the next book on my tbr-pile, I'm probably starting next week.

For the Finns the book might be special because Cantus Arcticus by Einojuhani
Rautavaara is featured in quite an unusual and important way.

PM me if you want to join!

----------
Rinki/ Bookring:
Chania
Ruzena
Annelis

--
Seethroughfaith (in February, earliest) 

Journal Entry 3 by Chania from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa Finland on Thursday, December 25, 2008

Ooh, I want to go to Skye! I want to hear the birds and wind and sea! I want to feel the wind on my face when I walk along the empty beach with Keir... oop,sorry, now I got carried away!
I loved this book! I am not a big fan of romances usually but this was something different totally - a sensitive book, something you wanted to read slowly and yet you could not wait to see what happens next.
I should imagine that this word is to blind people something like Linda describes it - but her heroine is amazingly strong (and stubborn, perhaps she has to be that to survive) person and seems to be able to deal with many things in her life even better than some of us who can see. I don't personally know any blind persons but I suppose they use their other senses the way Marianne does to compensate the loss of sight.
Thank you, Linda, for this lovely book!

No wonder STAR GAZING has been longlisted for The Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2009, the award organised by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
For the complete shortlist see http://tinyurl.com/6qma96

Editing January 13th:
Star Gazing has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the year Award 2009 now: http://www.rna-uk.org/index.php?page=awardlist&id=15&type=shortlist 

Journal Entry 4 by Chania from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa Finland on Sunday, January 04, 2009

Sending to Ruzena tomorrow! 

Journal Entry 5 by ruzena from Vantaa, Uusimaa Finland on Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Gazing at me now :) 

Journal Entry 6 by ruzena from Vantaa, Uusimaa Finland on Tuesday, January 13, 2009

When joining in the ring, I only gazed at the brilliant stars that readers of the other copies of this book had given, and read just sporadic sentences in the JEs. Not a single one of the books was categorized as Romance or Women's Fiction (and the latest of Chania's JEs was not yet there), so I was not warned!

Well. Typically of the genre, not the story nor the persons are supposed to be believable. Anyway, Keir, for instance, was even too implausible. The dialogue was implausible; people don't talk like that. So it made me sceptical, too, about the experiences of the blind protagonist, which would have been most interesting, in principle.

The three different fonts used in this book to indicate who is speaking were not necessary for that, but served as a good demo about the importance of an optimal layout. The storyteller's font is the most ergonomic for reading.

Thank you anyway for sharing, Chania. Right book, wrong reader. It happens.

-ruzena 

Journal Entry 7 by Annelis from Kerava, Uusimaa Finland on Monday, January 19, 2009

Thank you for the book, Ruzena, and others. The book was mislaid by a family member in a pile of other things and I did not notice it righr away. I suspect it came a couple of days ago.
I am quite curious about the description of the blind person. I'll see if it fits anybody I know at all. Of course I don't know anybody as well as a lover does.
By the way, Scotland is on my travelling wishlist. 

Journal Entry 8 by Annelis from Kerava, Uusimaa Finland on Thursday, June 25, 2009

This is a lovely love story and still something was annoying me in some places. Maybe it was the things typical to the genre. The persons were a little too wonderful and the things that happened were a little too unbelievable. I don't usually read romance, but the blind protagonist was interesting me. I wanted to read what was written about her. I wonder what a blind person would say about that book. I know many blind persons, but not so well that I would know how they would like this story.

Most of the time I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you for sharing it, Chania!

I would certainly like to visit Skye! And Edinburg, too! And I would like to listen to that CD of Einojuhani Rautavaara. 

Journal Entry 9 by Annelis from Kerava, Uusimaa Finland on Friday, July 24, 2009

Poor me! I read in the ring journal that Seethroughfaith will take this book in February, earliest and did not look at the year. I was waiting for the next February and did not notice that we already passed the February in question. Now I'll ask for the address of Seethroughfaith immediately.

This is my #46 in 2009 KEEP THEM MOVING CHALLENGE arranged by Guinaveve. 

Journal Entry 10 by seethroughfaith from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Thursday, August 20, 2009

Thanks for delivering this Annelis to my door no less .. and at least it's after February :)Thanks too for the helposti to forward it back to Chania when done (unless someone else wants to read it first?)

not quite sure when I'll be able to pick this up but I expect I'll be looking for a book to read in bed soon :) so maybe this is it!

 

Journal Entry 11 by seethroughfaith from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Thursday, October 01, 2009

Starting reading this in bed last night (at last) and really enjoyed the opening two chapters. Interesting. 

Journal Entry 12 by seethroughfaith from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Tuesday, October 06, 2009

I don't usually read romance but I am really enjoying this book. 'Seeing' the world through the senses of the blind protagonist is so interesting ... and I really like the way the three narrators are given a different font in the book. 

Journal Entry 13 by pippis from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Friday, October 09, 2009

Got the book from STF at local meet up. She was so convincing while describing the book that I had to take a look at what was being offered.. It might take me a while to read it, but will then mail it back to Chania - unless someone new wants to join the ring..? 

Journal Entry 14 by pippis from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Friday, October 23, 2009

I absolutely loved the story, the way it was told through three different voices, through eyes and ears, the way it described things - till page 156. *Warning! Spoiler ahead!* I really don't like children (and I'm not ashamed to say so), so the pregnancy plot almost made me drop the book right there and then. I did read it all the way through, but somehow the rest of the story wasn't as interesting, it wasn't as magical and somehow it didn't present the world through blind eyes anymore.
Oh,and what is it with Rautavaara and the author?

***
I'll see if anyone wants to have the book at our local meet up tomorrow, otherwise it'll be sent back to Chania. 

Journal Entry 15 by pippis at By Mail, BookCrosser -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, October 25, 2009

Released 2 yrs ago (10/26/2009 UTC) at By Mail, BookCrosser -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Book will go back to Chania! 

Journal Entry 16 by Chania from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa Finland on Thursday, October 29, 2009

This book is back home safe and sound! I will reread it later!