While reorganizing my bookshelves to try to gain a few more inches of space, I discovered that I have a duplicate copy of this book, so this one has to go!

From the back cover:
"A spellbinding trip into the human heart.

In these powerful, poignant tales, the New York Times bestselling author of Evening Class and Tara Road once again reveals her unrivaled understanding of matters of the heart. Here are sons and lovers, daughters and strangers, husbands and wives in their infinite variety--powerfully compelling stories of love and loss, revelation and reconciliation.

A secretary's silent passion for her boss meets the acid test on a business trip....An insecure wife clings to the illusion of order, only to discover chaos at the hands of a house sitter who opens the wrong doors....A pair of star-crossed travelers take each other's bags, and then learn that when you unlock a stranger's suitcase, you enter a stranger's life....In their company are many more journeys of hope and discovery--unforgettable slices of life from the incomparable Maeve Binchy."

This book is now part of a bookray!

This bookray is currently open. PM me if you'd like to join.
The following is the current list of members. The list is subject to change.

1. timollie5502 (NY) US only
2. surfenkitten (NJ) US pref
3. Lpree (MD) int'l
4. AceofHearts (ON, Canada) int'l
5. Luintaurien (NB) int'l
6. jaenelle (KS) int'l
7. Sorgin (Spain) Europe pref
8. Elsita (Portugal)
9. kamalamalama (HI) US only <--- it's here!

A bookray is when a book is sent from one person to another through a list of members who have signed up for it. When the last person on the list receives the book they can do with it as they choose--start a new ray or ring, release it into the wild, give it to a friend--whatever!

Here are the guidelines for this bookray:

1. When the person before you on the list is done reading the book they will send you a personal message (PM) asking you for your address. If you feel that you are too busy at that time to read the book within a reasonable time period (about 1 month), ask that person to skip you and go to the next person on the list. If this happens, PM me to let me know what’s going on and, if you want, I may be able to move you down the list so you can try again later.

2. When you receive the book, make a journal entry letting everyone know where the book is. Keep in mind that there are other people waiting to read the book after you, so try not to take too long to read it. A general rule of thumb is to have the book in your possession for no longer than one month. If you know you won’t be able to get to the book within a month, pass it on to the next person on the list, PM me letting me know, and I can move you down the list so you can try again later if you’d like. If you’re reading the book and it’s taking you longer than expected to finish, make a journal entry letting everyone know! Remember, there’s no such thing as too many journal entries.

3. When you’re done (or almost done) reading the book, send a PM to the next person on the list asking for their address. Even if you think you already know that person’s address, it’s a good idea to double-check to make sure their address hasn’t changed—-and also make sure the list order hasn’t changed since you checked it last. If the next person on the list doesn’t respond to your PM within several days, try again. If you still get no response within one week, PM me to let me know what’s going on and then skip this person and try the next person on the list.

4. After you’ve finished the book, journal a quick review of it for us letting us know what you thought of it!

5. Send the book to the next person on the list and post a journal entry letting everyone know it’s on its way. Sit back, relax, and watch the journals as the book completes its journey!

RELEASE NOTES:

I went to the post office this morning and started this book on its journey. It's on its way to timollie5502 now. Enjoy!

Just got this in the mail as a bookray - thanks! I look forward to reading it! I love Maeve Binchy, and I'm sure I'll love her short stories! It's next on my TBR pile!

Just finished this... it was nice. Very quick. Some of the stories were really sad, and seemed to end abruptly, but overall I enjoyed it very much.
I mailed this out today to the next person on the ray - surfenkitten. Enjoy!

got this & read it already! i agree with timollie--quick read. the stories are mostly very short; there's a few that are even under 10 pages! and a few of them really did end rather abruptly.

i liked it in general, but i don't think i'll call it one of my favorites. the author has such a warm, almost confiding style that is all but wasted on such short stories. and again, its her characters i love the most...but in this collection we just get brief glimpses of their lives--most seem like exerpts almost; not much of a resolution. or i wanted to know what happened next! i'd like to read a full length novel based on at least 5 of the stories.

my favorite one: "Excitement." great enough as a short story! would especially have liked a longer, more detailed version of "The Return Journey," "Victor and St. Valentine," The Crossing," and "Holiday Weather." oh well. nothing wrong with wishful thinking i guess.

waiting to hear back from lpree!

This arrived in yesterday's mail. I've got another book ahead of it, but should get to this soon. Please keep an eye on my profile to see where I'm at.

I'm looking forward to reading this!

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I went out of town at the last minute and read this during my day of airplanes. Like others, I really would like to read full-length stories based on some of these. My favorites were "Miss Vogel's Vacation", "The House Sitter", "The Business Trip", and "Cross Lines". I really feel like I learned something from most of these stories - how to be happy or make the most of what you have. I might have to pick up a copy of this for my personal collection.

Thanks to Eucalia for the opportunity to read this book! I've PMd the next person in line and will mail it out soon.

rec'd today
TBR

Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me. I became inundated all at once. I enjoyed the book but not as much as her full length ones. I would love to see some of these stories developed into novels. My favourite was Miss Vogel's Vacation

Sent today to Luintaurien by my great, fantastic, superb daughter hoserlauren.

(Actually, this is hoserlauren on aceofheart's account because she's away for a week and I'm sending stuff out for her).
In any case, this one's a-travellin!

Got it 3/23. Will read and pass on ASAP.

I have just got a good start on this book. I should be done with it very soon. I am pming the next person for their address now so that I will have it when I finish.

Finished this. Good book with wonderful stories. Jaenelle asked to be skipped so am pming the next person. Thank you for the chance to read this.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sorry it took me this long to journal the book. I already read it, though; it was full of nice stories, but I found them all being about the same at the end...

Waiting for Elsita's address to send her the book.

:) received today!
TBR soon!

I really liked these small stories, some of them don't seem to have a end so that the readers can immagine what would happen next :) That was lovely, in my point of view!

I'll send the book to kamalamalama, as soon as I get his/her adress.

Thanks, Eucalia, for the chance to read this!!

As this is a bookray...so I'm waiting from kamalamalama to arrive home from holidays ;)

This book as been on a very long journey around the world...It's now safe here in Hawaii... ...Mahalo Elsa for sending it to me along w/2 post-cards.... & for being patient w/me being away on vacation to send the book...
Also Mahalo to
Eucalia for allowing me to be last on this ray...I'm putting it on my TBR list(which is huge,BTW) but since Maeve Binchy is one of my fave authors,I think it mite get shoved close to the top...When finished reading will decide just what to do w/it....
unless someone else joins..