Not really my sort of book, too vague and just very strange.
But it is one more book of my 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die list.

Going up for bookray!

Danielle23 -UK (UK post) *Done*
brunton11 -UK (UK/Int'l post) *Done*
Vilda -Sweden (EU/Int'l post) *Done*
cinnycat -USA (US post) *Done*
6of8 -USA (Int'l post)*Done*

On its way to the UK!

The book is here and it just so happened to arrive at the exact moment I finished my other bookring. I will start it tonight and get it posted off as soon as I can xx

Now when they said unfinished I was prepared but it just ended mid sentence!! A little annoying as I still had no idea what was going on at all. Not really my cup ot tea either but thank you for sharing Sfogs as it is another 1001 book to be ticked off the list x

Off to brunton11 to continue the ring, hope you enjoy it xx

Arrived on Wednesday - I have a couple of books in front of this one so I had better get cracking!

Have to admit I found this one hard work and a bit odd! Always good to try a new author though and it's another book off the 1001 list.

Sending this book on to Vilda first to save it making 2 trips across the Atlantic. Will post tomorrow.

Arrived today with some really nice BC-labels! Thanks!

I don't know what to say about this one. I found it quite amusing and not as difficult as I thought Kafka would be. But 2/3 through I got the feeling that I kind of got the idea of all the difficulties. That plus the fact that it actually doesn't have an ending so to speak made it a bit tedious to finish for me. That said I am happy to have read it. As soon as I get home it will travel.

Sorry for the delay. Now it travels on...

It's here! I'll start it after the book I'm reading now. I was kind of thinking of reading something Kafkaesque, so this fits I guess!

In an interesting side note, apparently Homeland Security wanted to see what I was getting in the mail. There is a green sticker over the flap of the envelope that says "ined by border protection" which I would guess means "examined by border protection" and then half the symbol of Homeland Security. Ack. They can't tell this is a book?
edited to add: I haven't ever seen that on any of my other packages before.

Anyway, looking forward to this (and checking another off my 1001 list!) thanks for sharing!

This survived all three editions so far of '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die'? I don't think it should have. 'The Trial' made my list of favorites the year I read that, so it can't be because I don't like Kafka. A lot of the same elements were in both books, but I guess The Trial was just more polished. The Castle is really an unfinished book, so you have to wonder how much Kafka may have changed it if he could have. And this is one of the books Kafka never wanted to publish. If The Castle was the first Kafka book I read, I don't think I would have tried any others. While reading this, I was jokingly thinking maybe "Kafkaesque" means a nightmarish book that never ends, takes way too long to read and seems pretty pointless, but then the book ends in the middle of a sentence, almost like waking up in the middle of a nightmare. I'd say try The Trial. thank you Sfogs for sharing this though! I have to get 6of8s address, but it may be a while before I can mail this anyway.

9.29.11
I haven't forgot I still have this. It's just taking me a while to mail it. I'm working on it... I'm sorry about the wait.

Sorry sorry sorry for holding onto this so long. I sent it to 6of8 today. thanks again for sharing!

Received this in the mail yesterday and it looks intriguing. At the moment I am knee deep in a long book and have a bookring book after that, so it may be a couple weeks before I get to this.

I finished this book this morning and am undecided about what Kafka meant by it. However, I take comfort in the fact that Kafka himself likely did not know what he meant by it. Considering that nothing seems to really happen and nothing really makes sense, it was an incredibly readable book -- even more so than some with a clearer plot I have recently read. Just before I read the last two chapters I read The Tao of Pooh (an explanation of Taoism through the device of Winnie-the-Pooh), and that helped me enjoy the book a lot more -- when K. was relaxed and going with the flow like Pooh Bear, things in the book were better than when he got all bent out of shape. Maybe Kafka was a Taoist at heart and no one has ever figured that out before. :)

I have decided to take this along to the BCinDC meet-up/holiday party as part of the wrap-it-up book game. If the person who ends up with it is not interested or wants to pass it back before April, I may still try to take it to Dublin and release it at the convention. Otherwise, the BCinDC folks are just the type to actually read and enjoy this.