How to Make an American Quilt

by Whitney Otto | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0345370805 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Zenita of København K - City, København Amt Denmark on 2/4/2004
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12 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Wednesday, February 4, 2004
There's beauty in the patterns of life.

Journal Entry 2 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Just finnished this book today. It's about the lives of 7 women in a quilting circle.
I really enjoyed it.

Journal Entry 3 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Thursday, February 26, 2004
Sending it out in a bookring.
Participants so fare (final list):
( ): Shipping pref.

  1. newf, Ontario, Canada
  2. booknhand, California, US (US)
  3. cyber-librarian, Illinois,US (US/Canada)
  4. silentdormouse, Michigan, US (US/Can./Mex.)
  5. BecFromMD, Georgia, US
  6. kiptrix, South Carolina, US
  7. MaryZee, Maryland, US (US/Canada)
  8. Ilios, Florida, US (US/Canada)
  9. kab113, New York, US (int.)
  10. succulent, Western Australia
  11. wizzbiz, UK (UK)
  12. arturogrande, UK (int.)
  13. menita, Netherlands (int.)
  14. Sollan, Norway

  15. Back to me, Denmark


I've borrowed these rules from nmarshall88
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Here are the rules:

1. When you receive the book, make a journal entry so we all get the thrill of knowing where it's at.

2. Send a private message (PM) to the next person in line for their address. If they do not respond within three days, PM them again. If they do not respond within a week of your first message, PM the person after them and contact me.

3. Read the book, within 30 days, and make a journal entry to tell us what you have thought about the book. You can be as brief or as lengthy as you wish with your thoughts about the book.
Please remember, that there are many anxious readers patiently waiting to read the book after you. Please bear this in mind! If you tend to be a slow reader, like myself, and need the month to finish the book, please make a periodic journal entry indicating how far you are into the story, or thoughts about what you have read so far. This way we know that the book has not been forgotten in your ‘to-be-read’ pile.

4. When you are ready to send the book to the next person in line, make release notes/a journal entry to say when the book is leaving your hands and who'll be catching it next, and pop it into the post!

5. To the last person on the list: Please PM me and I will send you my mailing address:)

Thank you for participating!

***When you receive a PM from the person before you, letting you know that you are next in line, and you find yourself overwhelmed with book commitments,(or just life in general) Please PM me and I may be able to move you farther down the list.

Journal Entry 4 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Friday, March 26, 2004
Posted it yesterday to Canada

Journal Entry 5 by newf from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canada on Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Recieved in the mail today from Denmark - perfect timing since I needed something new to read!

I will post an update when I finish it.

Journal Entry 6 by newf from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canada on Saturday, May 1, 2004
An enjoyable read. The book is more of a series of character sketches tracing the lives of the women - definitely not a plot-driven novel.

I am a quilter, so I enjoyed the many allusions to different styles and patterns that I love. I'm also a geologist, so I had some major issues with parts of the discussion of rocks early in the book - she should do a little more research!

Overall, a touching story. Now I have to go out and rent the movie. Thanks for organizing the bookring, Zenita.

Will be sent off to booknhand on Monday (May 3).

Journal Entry 7 by booknhand from San Jose, California USA on Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Bookrings, Bookrays, and a library book too - OH MY!!!

I received this book yesterday at the same time another bookring/ray arrived. Then today day at the library (which I went to for the sole purpose of studying) another book was calling out to me from the end cap of an aisle - I couldn't resist :). All these books on top of a bookring/ray already in my possession.

They all look so good it is hard to pick one to start. I am going to try to read all 4 book by the end of the first week of June, so hopefully this book will be traveling in a short time.

Thanks for sharing it!!!

Journal Entry 8 by booknhand from San Jose, California USA on Sunday, June 6, 2004
Finished reading this book on Saturday. Although I found reading it more time intensive than I originally thought, it was a good story. It addressed the jpatachwork of people's lives and histories in the context of the group of people all being engaged in a quilting circle.

The story didn't jump out at me and hold my interest captive, but it did hold my attention enough to finish the book.

I will be going off to cyber-librarian once I get paid this next Friday and I get an mailing address.

Thanks for sharing.

Released on Saturday, June 12, 2004 at US Mail - Book Ring/Ray in San Jose, California USA.

Mailed to Cyber-librarian. Enjoy :)

Journal Entry 10 by ReadingGal79 from Antioch, Illinois USA on Wednesday, June 23, 2004
I received this book in the mail today from booknhand in CA ... as part of the bookring. Thanks for the CA postcard ... we lived there for 10 years ... and yes, it's very diverse. I won't be able to finish this book in 30 days since I have quite a few in front of it. But I will finish it asap and pass it on. You can check my bookshelf profile to see the progress of the bookrings in my possession. Thank you for your patience.

c. 1991 -- 246 pages -- Paperback -- Movie Tie-in -- NY Times Bestseller

UPDATE (6/26/04): I was able to find a copy of this book at a sale I went to on Friday. I bought it so I wouldn't hold up this bookring. I'm PMing the next person in line and hope to mail it soon.

Release planned for Monday, June 28, 2004 at book ring in Mailed to fellow bookcrosser, Postal Release Controlled Releases.

I'll be mailing this to BecFromMD in GA on Monday ... as part of the bookring. silentdormouse requested to be skipped because of being out of the country for a couple months.

Journal Entry 12 by BecFromMD from Washington, District of Columbia USA on Wednesday, July 7, 2004
This arrived today. I hope to get to it within the week or so. Looking forward to it!

July 26 update:

This book has such a different style, is constructed so differently from other novels, that it took me over 100 pages to fall into step with it. But finally, about halfway through the book, I began to understand it.

The author starts us off with an outsider's first glimpse of a circle of quilters. They all seem old and content (in contrast to the narrator), as if they had never been any other way. Then gradually, we learn about each character's history--flaws, uncertainties and all--until the producers of the quilts become fully human.

I love the way the author alternates between first, second, and third person narration.

PM'd kiptrix for address. Ok, kiptrix found another copy. PM'd Ilios for address.

Journal Entry 13 by wingmaryzeewing from Taneytown, Maryland USA on Friday, August 20, 2004
It's finally here - wonder where it's been wandering to in the past 2 1/2 weeks?

I'll start this as soon as I finish my current read, probably later this weekend.

Journal Entry 14 by wingmaryzeewing from Taneytown, Maryland USA on Friday, August 27, 2004
In the beginning, this book kept reminding me of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which I loved. This one took a while to get going, but was definitely worth sticking with (after all, it's only 250 pp). As the story drew to a close, I realized that, unlike most novels this story wasn't written in a straight line (beginning, middle, end). It was actually written in a circle. You need to follow it to the end to understand where it was really going all along. Also, I felt that the form of the story as a whole was a good metaphor for the subject (the quilting circle).

Thanks for sharing, Zenita. This will be mailed out to Ilios tomorrow, Saturday 8/28.

Journal Entry 15 by Ilios from Tampa, Florida USA on Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Got it today in the mail! Thanks for sharing! I will update this entry as soon as I am done.

Journal Entry 16 by Ilios from Tampa, Florida USA on Monday, September 27, 2004
This was an easy read. I particularly enjoyed the parallels the author traced between the laying of the quilt and the various steps and the lives of each woman in the book. I also found interesting the pauses in the story, in which the instructions are given as an introduction to the life of the next character to be presented. I agree with MaryZee about the circular nature of the writing.

My favorites characters are Glady Joe and Constance. I can relate to Constance need for solitude and the strong bond she shares with her husband, while moving all over the place.

I am a knitter, but I have always been interested in quilting. Maybe this book will inspire me to do some research on this topic or even start quilting!

If I have the chance, I would like to see the movie and compare the two works. I am sending this book to kab113 tomorrow.

Happy reading!

Journal Entry 17 by Ilios at post office in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Monday, September 27, 2004

Released 19 yrs ago (9/28/2004 UTC) at post office in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

sending to kab113.

Journal Entry 18 by kab113 from Troy, Ohio USA on Thursday, October 7, 2004
I received this bookring today and will read it just as soon as I can. Thanks for opening this ring up to me!

Journal Entry 19 by kab113 from Troy, Ohio USA on Sunday, January 23, 2005
I just couldn't get into this book. I'm sorry it took me so long to get through and I'll be passing it on just as soon as I get an address.

Journal Entry 20 by succulent from Denmark, Western Australia Australia on Friday, February 4, 2005
Arrived in my letterbox today...from Denmark,Europe to Denmark, Western Australia with a stop or two along the way. I saw the movie a few years ago and loved it so am looking forward to reading it.Will get stuck into it any spare moment I have this weekend. Thanks to Zenita and all its other readers.

Journal Entry 21 by succulent from Denmark, Western Australia Australia on Monday, February 21, 2005
An interesting book .Although it was not an "I can't put it down "type of book, I did finish it quite happily and quite enjoyed its quirky style. off to wizzbizz this week sometime

Journal Entry 22 by succulent from Denmark, Western Australia Australia on Monday, February 28, 2005
Sent off to wizzbizz today

Journal Entry 23 by wizzbiz on Friday, March 25, 2005
Thank you succulent, and zenita, of course.
I'm in the middle of a Harry Potter Bookring at the moment, which i must finish first. Then i will move on to this one asap. I have holiday coming up, so it shouldn't take too long. Will let you know what i think when its finished!

Journal Entry 24 by wizzbiz on Monday, April 4, 2005
This is a very interesting book. I don't think i particularly enjoyed it, but i did like it. I will have to get hold of the film version, just to see the interpretation of it. I can believe that everyone who reads this novel will read a different story.

Journal Entry 25 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Saturday, April 16, 2005
It's arrived - thanks very much. And thanks for the lovely bookmark, wizzbiz - it's great.

Journal Entry 26 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Wednesday, May 18, 2005
I really enjoyed this lovely little book - much more than I thought I would.
The characters have real depth to them and they seem to exhibit real human emotions, which is surprisingly quite rare in a book of this sort.
Not everything was wrapped up in an 'and they all lived happily ever after' kind of way. I like that in a book.
I like the way Whitney Otto uses quilting as a metaphor for life, as well as the quilting circle mirroring the circular nature of the narrative.
I saw the film some years ago, and have to say the book is much, much better.
Thank you very much, zenita, for starting this ring, and to everyone else for moving it along.

It's now on its way to menita in The Netherlands.

Journal Entry 27 by rem_PRM-849164 on Thursday, May 26, 2005
Ha, a book from Zenita via-via-via to Menita!
:-P
It arrived yesterday or the day before, I wasn't in.
I wil start as soon as I finished my current bookring-book,
so that will be in about one or two weeks.

*two months later....*
Oh, my, god: I still didn't start! Well, I'm lying, I tried the first page, but I just couldn't set myself to read it!
Next week I'll leave for a three-week Australian holiday/work event, but I still didn't receive a reply from Sollan, so it will be send on in a month or so...

Journal Entry 28 by rem_PRM-849164 on Tuesday, October 25, 2005
I just couldn't set myself to read it!
So I sent it back to Zenita, three days ago.
Thanks for starting the bookring anyway Zenita!

Journal Entry 29 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Saturday, October 29, 2005
And it is home again.

Thanks you everyone for taking care of it.
And thank you menita for the nice surprises you sent with it :)

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