Welcome to BookCrossing! This is a site for catching and releasing books for those who want to share the joy of reading. If you find this book, please leave a journal entry to let previous readers know how and where you found the book. Feel free to do this anonymously if you wish. You are welcome to keep the book, but I encourage you to pass it on and let it continue its journey.

Description from the author's Web site:
"Berlin, 1939. A young, brilliant trumpet-player, Hieronymus, is arrested in a Paris cafe. The star musician was never heard from again. He was twenty years old. He was a German citizen. And he was black.
Fifty years later, Sidney Griffiths, the only witness that day, still refuses to speak of what he saw. When Chip Jones, his friend and fellow band member, comes to visit, recounting the discovery of a strange letter, Sid begins a slow journey towards redemption.
From the smoky bars of pre-war Berlin to the salons of Paris, Sid leads the reader through a fascinating, little-known world, and into the heart of his own guilty conscience.
Half-Blood Blues is an electric, heart-breaking story about music, race, love and loyalty, and the sacrifices we ask of ourselves, and demand of others, in the name of art."

I enjoyed very much this Booker Prize finalist, which I found to be a well written and gripping story. I've seen some reviewers complain about the use of the black jazz-influenced vernacular throughout, but I found this to be very effective in creating the mood of the novel.

I've put this into a bookbox bound for Calgary. I've wrapped it up so that it's identifiable by only its first line, "Chip told us not to go out." I hope that one of the Calgary BookCrossers will enjoy this surprise!

I'm so swamped under with reading material that I haven't had a chance to open this one. I'm sending it back to our book-crossing group via another member as I'm feeling guilty for having had it so long.

Returned to me to take back to the Calgary Book-Crossing group to find new readers. (I have already read my own copy, which is circulating.)

Will take to the December Meet-up of Calgary BookCrossers at the Joshua Tree Café to find a new reader.

I brought this home from the December lunch at the Joshua Tree Cafe. I have been discussing the war with my Grade 1 /2 class as we did the Remebrance Day Assembly, so my thoughts have been in this vein for a couple of months. Looking forward to this.

OK- this was pretty dark (for me) at times. I had to put it down a couple of times and read a lighter one. It was pretty disturbing with the Nazi/ Jewish element but I was amazed by the jazz connection - especially the black German and the repercussions for him. It was the one characters human frailties that I found difficult at this time in my life. Good book.

I am taking this to the meeting at Cravings to see if I can find a new reader for it.

Picked up at the meeting today - adding to Mt.TBR

This book has been languishing on my TBR for ages, and now that I am so busy reading and editing for a living, I have come to the conclusion that I will just never read this one. Sorry :(
Taking it to the Calgary Bookcrossing meeting at Cravings to find a new reader.

Picked up at the April Calgary bookcrossing meetup. Sorry for the late journal entry.

I’ve been having a lot of difficulty reading anything that’s dark or WWII or not happy lately. This might sit on my shelf for a while.