Journal Entry 1 by anderal from Calgary, Alberta Canada on Tuesday, October 28, 2003

BOOKRING
CLOSED

As the list is SO long, please try to limit your keep of the book to a couple weeks.

Stim - Sherwood Park, Alberta
Whatgoesaround – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lucycat – Hull, England
Mytilusgirl – Plymouth, England
Badral – France (Skipped, PM's not returned)
Zarylia – Warsaw, Poland
Moimeme – Lisboa, Portugal
Hathyia – Selayang, Malaysia (Skipped, PM's not returned)
Veritas9 – Melbourne, Australia (Skipped)
Hawkette – Melbourne, Australia
Kernow8 – South Hampton, England
Ppagano – Palmetto Bay, Florida <------ CURRENTLY WITH
Wareagle78 – Hoover, Alabama
Kymberlie – Houston, Texas
Amymehta – Irving, Texas
Busybooklover – San Marcos, California
Butlin – Hudson, New Hampshire
Arugh48187 – Apple Valley, Minnesota
Keister – Anchorage, Alaska
Arwen-Galadriel - Edmonton, Alberta
Anderal (me) – Calgary, Canada

Journal Entry 2 by anderal at -- Controlled Release in Calgary, Alberta Canada on Monday, November 03, 2003

Release planned for Tuesday, November 04, 2003 at Mailing to another Bookcrosser in Calgary, Alberta Canada.

Sending to stim to start book ring. Have fun everyone :D 

Journal Entry 3 by stim from Sherwood Park, Alberta Canada on Sunday, November 09, 2003

Received in my mailbox today. Will read ASAP so it can be passed on. Thanks for starting the bookring! 

Journal Entry 4 by stim from Sherwood Park, Alberta Canada on Thursday, December 04, 2003

Just wanted to journal that I have finished reading Happiness. Thought there were some great parts to this book, definitely entertaining! Thanks for sharing.

Just waiting for whatgoesaround's address, then I will mail off! 

Journal Entry 5 by whatgoesaround from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Monday, December 15, 2003

Received on Friday December 12. I'm already halfway through, enjoying thoroughly... can't wait to see what happens next! Will let you know when it's off to England. 

Journal Entry 6 by lucycat from Hull, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Received this morning, many thanks indeed! Really looking forward to it - Murphy's Law dicatated that as I've had a relatively dry spell regarding rings and rays lately, this should of course arrive on the same day as another ray book...;O)

This looks to be a pretty quick read though, so hopefully it should be back on the road again sometime next week.

Update 3/2/04

Great stuff, definitely the best book I've read so far this year. :O) The joy of this book for me was in the details: the untranslatables, unexpected mourning of the comb-over, and I absolutely adored Ed's squabbles with Nick...absolutely bang on. Loved it!

There was a particlarly pleasing quote to be had, too:

'The book-buying public is a very small segment of any society. But it is a highly influential segment, and that was the key to the disaster. This class of people, what author Robertson Davies called the clerisy, comprised those who read books for pleasure. Not the professional critics or the scholars or the students who read because they have to, but rather, the people who read as an end in itself. The true readers.'

Headed off to Jenny today - hope you enjoy it every bit as much as I did.
 

Journal Entry 7 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Sunday, February 08, 2004

Just got this in the post - thank you very much Lucycat! 

Journal Entry 8 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Monday, February 16, 2004

Ferguson’s novel is a wonderfully biting satire of the self-help industry in particular, and editors in general. But this is not to say that this book is without it’s flaws. Unfortunately, Ferguson’s humour appears strained and slightly laboured at points, and some characterization shallow and derivative (e.g. baby-boomer and generation x). However his writing DOES provide those ‘snort-out-loud-gosh-I’m-glad-I’m-not-reading-this-in-public’ moments, and I do hope the readers that follow me revel in Ferguson’s writing as much as I did.

Happiness. What WOULD happen if everyone was happy?

Have PM'd Badral and will post as soon as I get an address. Happy reading Badral! 

Journal Entry 9 by Mytilus from Plymouth, Devon United Kingdom on Friday, February 20, 2004

Sent today to Zarylia.

Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 10 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Warsaw/Poland - I just got this in the mail today along with Chocolat on another bookring. I will probably read this one first as it's smaller and I'm traveling this weekend. It looks great! Thanks Mytilusgirl! 

Journal Entry 11 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Thursday, March 11, 2004

Warsaw/Poland - What a great book! I loved it, in case you can't tell, the sarcasm, the cynisism, it's all good. I think I laughed more at this book than any other book I've read; I'm pretty sure my friends, family, and classmates thought I was nuts. I tried to explain the hilarity but after all of the quizzical looks I've come to the conclusion that you just have to read it yourself. The idea of the book is great, a self-help book that actually works and the tragedy that ensues. ;-P It's an interesting book as well in that it's hilariously funny but at parts it gets very philosophical and somehow it seems to fit, to be right....interesting. And last but not least....the ending....without giving anything away, it was perfect. It just couldn't have been any different without being completely hypocritical. Lovely book, really...

Lending this to my bio teacher (and fellow bookcrosser), after that who knows! 

Journal Entry 12 by dennyd on Thursday, April 01, 2004

quite an excellent read / enjoyable / sick laughter 

Journal Entry 13 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Friday, April 02, 2004

Warsaw/Poland - I passed this on to my non-bookcrosser friend after she swore she'd review it. Here are her thoughts:

Happiness, the one book I have ever laughed out loud! It is definitely a book for any english major/buff and anyone who reads books quicker than a 2 year old gobbles candy! Edwin, Tupak, and May are characters you can never forget, no matter how hard you try! Next time, (if you ever read a self-help book again) be wary of all the books promising a new you! Live! Love! Learn!

-Gone Fishing!-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 4th, 2004

She's been converted! She is now an official BookCrosser under the screen name Luzina!! Now if only I could figure out how to get this journal entry under her name.... 

Journal Entry 14 by sgenzer on Tuesday, May 04, 2004

My student Zarylia gave me this book to read due to my affinity for satire. It was entertaining and I thought the language in the book was wonderful. A little less of a predictable plot would have been nice, though. I liked "Gone fishin'" - I think I will hang that in my classroom when I go to lunch. Thanks for the read! Onward to Moimeme? 

Journal Entry 15 by Zarylia from Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Friday, May 14, 2004

Warsaw/Poland - Sent off to Moimeme today! Happy reading! 

Journal Entry 16 by Moimeme on Monday, May 31, 2004

I received this book last friday on the mail...thanks Zarylia. I'm finishing a book and I'll read happiness right away.
 

Journal Entry 17 by Moimeme on Friday, June 11, 2004

Great book. I really enjoyed it. It has a very sarcastic type of humour and it raises a lot of good questions....what if the ultimate self help book was a reality?? What if global happiness was possible?? What if??
I actually never read a self help book...and now I'm pretty sure I'm not about to start:)
I'm sending it to Hathyia in Malaysia as soon as I have her address.

 

Journal Entry 18 by Moimeme on Wednesday, June 23, 2004

After a few delays it is now on its way to Hawkette in Australia. 

Journal Entry 19 by Hawkette from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Has arrived with me! 

Journal Entry 20 by Hawkette from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Monday, September 20, 2004

Just the kind of cynical view of the world that rings true. Hilarious! I was laughing out loud so many times - my mother now thinks I am well and truely mad!!

Totally enjoyed Edwin and May, and Jack (!!). I can relate to the battle with Nigel - who really understands those ambitious sucks!
I too sometimes find myself thinking this...
'Edwin turned and looked out over the sea of cubicles. "This isn't an office," he said. "This is Hell with fluorescent lighting."' (p. 127)
And I have "Feierabend" at the end of every workday, without fail - one of May's brilliant untranslatables - German for "the uniquely festive mood that overtakes people at the end of a working day". (p.139)

Now I am off to continue my pursuit of happiness - heaven forbid I ever achieve it! I would be totally bored!! It's all about the chase!
Sending this back to the UK... 

Journal Entry 21 by Kernow8 from Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, October 07, 2004

Happiness has come to my part of England - thanks Hawkette, anderal and everyone in between! As there are still so many readers after me I'll make sure this one gets priority. Two weeks might be pushing it but I'll give three a shot. 

Journal Entry 22 by Kernow8 from Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on Thursday, October 21, 2004

Very funny, but very thought-provoking too. The ending made it - half way through I was wondering why it had so much acclaim, as I thought that it was a quite shallow, and that Tupak Soiree lacked credibility - now I know why! Wonderful.

"Don't drink. Don't smoke. Don't eat meat. Die anyway."

I'll send this on to Ppagano when I have an address. Thanks! 

Journal Entry 23 by Kernow8 from Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Sent to Ppagano yesterday (by airmail). Hope it arrives soon. 

Journal Entry 24 by ppagano from Miami, Florida USA on Monday, November 15, 2004

I just received this book in the PO. I will read and send on to the next person in line.

Thanks Anderal for letting me be a part of this Ring. :-) 

Journal Entry 25 by ppagano from Miami, Florida USA on Monday, January 10, 2005

This book was very different than any other I've ever read before. I did enjoy it and liked how it was not very predictable at all.

I will send it to the next on the list... Wareagle78... sometime this week. 

Journal Entry 26 by WarEagle78 from Hoover, Alabama USA on Thursday, February 17, 2005

Just arrived in Alabama today. Thanks ppagano for sending on! Will journal again when read. 

Journal Entry 27 by WarEagle78 from Hoover, Alabama USA on Sunday, February 20, 2005

Unique, intriguing, and funny! This book asks - what would happen if self-help books actually worked? What would happen if everyone became happy? How could you stand it?

The other journallers have said much of what I would say, but thank you anderal for seeing the potential in this one and sharing it around! Will send on to kymberlie as soon as I have an address. 

Journal Entry 28 by WarEagle78 from Hoover, Alabama USA on Saturday, March 19, 2005

Sorry to have kept this one so long, but it's on its way today to kymberlie.