'Finally, sometime close to midnight, when my eyelids had nearly given up the strain of staying open, a purring noise started over in the corner, low and vibrating, a sound you could almost mistake for a cat. Moments later shadows moved like spatter paint along the walls, catching the light when they passed the window so I could see the outline of wings.The sound swelled in the dark till the entire room was pulsating, till the air itself became alive and matted with bees. They lapped around my body, making me the perfect center of a whirlwind cloud. I could not hear myself think for all the bee hum.' Page 4, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

Sent by mail to meganh.

How exciting to receive a book in the mail! A RABCK from Bronzewing - thanks heaps! I am looking forward to reading this.

I loved this book. Every chapter began with an epigraph - a short description of life in the bee world, and then the chapter unfolded from a human perspective. Interesting reading about life in southern USA during the 60's when blacks were given the vote and
inter-racial relations were difficult.
"Imagination as lush and colourful as the American South, a clutch of deliciously eccentric characters, and vivid prose"

I am starting an Aussie bookring (my first). Participants are :-
EDDI (Melbourne)
TessP (Melbourne)
Scism (Adelaide)
fushmush (Sydney)
veracity ( Sydney)
jawin (Brisbane)
Ravenbear (Brisbane) -IT'S HERE RIGHT NOW
guinevere69 (Perth)
lakelady2282
aleonblue
then back to me


What should I do when I receive the book?
1. Log on to Bookcrossing and write a journal entry so I know it reached you okay.
2. Then private message (PM) the next person in line to get their mailing address so there will be no waiting once you finish the book. If they do not respond within 10 days PM the next reader in line (and me too so I know they are no longer interested).
3. Please read the book within 30 days and then add another journal entry with your thoughts about the book. Tell the truth! Was it the best thing you ever read or a complete and utter waste of time? - you can write one sentence or a hundred.
4. When you finish, send the book along to the next reader in line.
5. Journal the book when you've posted it so we all know it's on the move.

What if I’m the last in line? PM me and I will send you my mailing address.

Help! I’m too swamped with book commitments and it is almost my turn! If you find yourself in this situation PM me and I will bump you down a few notches on the list (if possible).

Today, the bookring journey begins .. the book is on it's way to EDDI. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Recieved today as part of bookring. My First!

I loved this book. Although somewhat predictable, it's beautifully written and the characters endear themselves to you. I couldn't put it down! On its way to TessP. Hope she enjoys it too!

This is not normally the sort of book that I read, however I found it to be quite interesting and very sweet. I found myself relating well to some of the childhood stories.

This book finally arrived today! Yay! After nearly a month since I heard from TessP, I was starting to wonder if the post office staff had started intercepting my books and reading them first!

The book is thicker than I expected (and hard cover too), but the print seems pretty big, and after reading a few pages it seems like it will be a smooth read. I'm just finishing off another BookRing book, so this will be next on my list. I plan to have this book sent off on the next leg of it's journey by April 7th 2004.

Sadly, this book just didn't grab me at all. I read the first few chapters, and found myself dreading going back to it (and I still can't quite pinpoint why...). So I've decided to send it along without reading any more. Hopefully it will find more enthusiastic readers on the rest of its journey!

Sent to fushmush today, on the next leg of its journey.

Received today in the mail along with a RABCK (ta muchly Scism!). I'm in the middle of a bookray atm. This will be next on my list of TBRs. Will keep you updated on my progress!

I found this to be a quick, enjoyable read. I liked the larger than life characters especially headstrong Rosaleen and generous August. The tidbits about the life of Bees were very interesting too.

However, I found it a bit unbeliveable that a town as racist as the one in the book would let a white girl stay with a "coloured" family. And I think the end was wrapped up a little too neatly.

On to Veracity next.

Update (14/05/04): Left on Veracity's doorstep.

Delivered by Fushmush...thanks

What a beautiful book! Although the plot seemed to cover some cliches (young girl from brutal southern family, discovers herself and the inate power of women, despite a few hiccoughs along the way), I was really affected by it's narrative. In particular, the scenes of racial violence were depicted in frighteningly real brutality, which contrasted with the poetic beauty of rest of the writing. Not a book to miss.

I've PM'd Jawin and will send it off once she gets back to me with her address.

Released on Monday, August 23, 2004 at postal release in Sydney, New South Wales Australia.

Mailed to Jawin

received in the mail from Veracity. It is next in line on Mt TBR.

The Secret Life of Bees is one of those rare books that lure you in from page one, clutching you in its grasp and not letting go until the last sentence is read. It's a beautiful story with a satisfying, realistic ending. I found I could not put it down and I read it in two sittings today - on a plane to Melbourne then on the way back. It really is that good.
I especially love the beekeeping tidbits throughout, which give the story a touch of magic. Kidd's use of metaphor to describe emotions, senses, and memories is adroit.
The only fault I could find is some parts are a bit farfetched and unbelievable, and some of the characters are cliche and flat - especially the men. How many times has the story of a white girl growing up in the South with her big black mammy been told? How believable were some of the confrontations between blacks and whites? How did August become so wise and loving?
Granted, this is a "beach read," not high literature, but there's nothing wrong with a novel that draws you in to a small, colorful world. Sue Monk Kidd is an amazing storyteller.
Passing along to Ravenbear.

Releasing to Ravenbear tomorrow when we catch up for lunch.

I received this from Jawin at a mini-meetup yesterday (yummy lunch with Jawin and Caldron .. bookcrossing has more benefits than just good books!) Looking forward to reading it.

Just using this as a reminder that Ravenbear has advised that she is mailing this book to guinevere69.

This book will be travelling on again at long last with huge apologies to everyone for having stalled it for so long. I enjoyed it, and also found that the many underlying themes within it were thought-provoking. Hope that guinevere69 will enjoy it.

This book has arrived back with me at last after a very long holiday in Queensland. Thanks Ravenbear for sending it back.

Thanks Meganh for sharing this book, it's been on my wishlist for a while.

I have been home with a sick child today so I have treated myself to a day of reading and finished this book! The message for me from this book is that strength comes from within. A lovely read set in a turbulent time although it did leave me wondering what happened to both Lily and Zach in the future. Did they fulfil their dreams?

Mailing tomorrow to meganh with a sweet treat!

This book has come home again after a very quick trip to Queensland. Thanks so much for the choccies too!
The book is now reserved for my special Ultimate Author Anniversary Release Challenge - to be released on the anniversary of the author's birth 12th August 1948.

What a fantastic book! I'd vaguely heard of it, which is why I picked it up, but had no idea it was going to be so enthralling!

The book does have some publicity. There are a couple of different opinions about it though.

I'll take it back to Sydney with me to check out.