The Return Journey is a collection of 14 short stories of life, love, and learning that enables the most harried reader to enjoy a well-told tale in its entirety before checking on the kids or folding the clothes. In the tradition of Binchy's classic tales Circle of Friends and Tara Road, this consummate summer beach book introduces readers not to models of literary and romantic indefectibility, but to folks just like us, who have bad hair days, runs in their hose, and freckles both physical and metaphorical. The title story paints a portrait of the embattled relationship between a mother who left her home in Dunglass, Ireland, and her daughter, who has traveled to Ireland to find her history and finds love, as well. Through weekly correspondence, mother and daughter repair the damage to their relationship, laying to rest ghosts of an earlier mother-daughter relationship gone irrevocably wrong. And Binchy's "Victor and St. Valentine" renews faith that truly romantic men do exist and are often overlooked, their motives suspect in an increasingly self-reliant world. No one can accuse Binchy of overtelling a tale; she has perfected the art of leading her readers to the verge and then allowing them to loose their imaginations as they see fit. A wonderful and thoroughly engaging read.

I felt so guilty for making this poor little book suffocate at the bottom of Mt. TBR, so I thought I'd send it traveling as a bookring so it could meet some new friends.

Here is what I ask of the BookCrossers that join my rings:

1) Have fun!

2) Please make a journal entry when you receive the book so that we know it arrived safely. It is a cold, cruel world out there after all!

3) I like low stress bookrings. If you need to keep the book longer than several weeks, please just make a journal entry and let us know when you think you'll be able to finish it.

4) Enjoy the book! When you've finished it, please make a journal entry with your thoughts. (This is my favorite part of bookrings!) It's fine if you just want to put your release note in with this one. If you want to do it separately, that's okay too.

5) Pass it along to the next participant, sit back, relax, and enjoy the journal alerts. (I certainly do!)

Here is the ring order. I will adjust it as more people join the ring to allow for geography, shipping preferences, and other considerations. The person who has the book will be shown in boldface.

Thanks for playing with me guys!

1) Elsita - Portugal (ships INT)
2) snowy652 - Canada (ships Can/US)
3) DinaJ62 - Virginia (ships US)

...and then it will make its 'Return Journey' back to me! (hee)

RELEASE NOTES:

Whew! I am finally releasing this one.

You wouldn't expect the SPONSOR of the bookring to be the one holding it up, but well, that's what happened. I'm sorry for taking so long. MrBish packed our books when we moved, which was really helpful and nice, but he didn't understand that I had a special stack that was to go out as RABCKS and rings. It has taken me this long to uncover them!

I hope you enjoy the book, Elsita!

:'( I wasn't expecting this book...
I even don't live in the adress mlbish sent the book to and already read it a few months ago, thinking this bookring was stalled...
I'm going to contact the next person ont the line to sent the book to.

Please, don't send me books before ask me if that's ok!
Happy holidays!

Oh no! I am so sorry, Elsita. I thought I had checked with you, but after looking back at my email file, I realize that I had you confused with another bookcrosser. I have another copy. Why don't you just wild release that one and I will send my duplicate to the next person.

I apologize for my mistake!

RELEASE NOTES:

going to DinaJ62

Arrived today. I should start it within the next week or so.

A very different kind of book. It was like reading just one chapter out of a whole novel. The chapter always placed the main characters at a crisis/moment of change point in their lives. You , the reader, don't know much of what came before and nothing of what comes after.

This book has now arrived safely home.

Reserved for eponine454

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to eponine454. Hope you (and your OBCZ) enjoy it! :-)

Thanks for playing with me.

Received in a box of books from mlbish...I thought it would be nice to help her clean her house out a bit. ;) Little did I know that I'd get carried away with her Available list and just add MORE books to Mt. TBR!! But I look forward to reading each and every one of them.

Thanks!!