Bookcrossing Through Middle Earth
18 journalers for this copy...
A world famous bookcrosser tells of his travel in New Zealand, my country.
Journal Entry
2 by
Edwardstreet
at
Métro Strasbourg - Saint-Denis in Paris, Ile-de-France France on Sunday, May 10, 2009
Released 13 yrs ago (5/23/2009 UTC) at Métro Strasbourg - Saint-Denis in Paris, Ile-de-France France
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
To be released at some stage over the MBC weekend
Caught at the MBC in Paris. A book about bookcrossing, with a lovely bcbookmark inside! Looking forward to reading this!
Journal Entry
4 by
eggs2805 at
Le Vaud, Vaud Switzerland on Sunday, May 1, 2011
Couldn't really get into it. But it does make me want to go to New-Zealand!
Journal Entry
5 by
eggs2805 at
Paris, Ile-de-France France on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Released 11 yrs ago (5/9/2011 UTC) at Paris, Ile-de-France France
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to Bluemchenblatt. I caught this book in Paris, now I am sending it back to Paris!
Journal Entry
6 by
Bluemchenblatt
at
Paris, Ile-de-France France on Friday, May 20, 2011
I found the book last night in my mailbox. :)
Journal Entry
7 by
Bluemchenblatt
at
Paris, Ile-de-France France on Sunday, June 19, 2011
Thank you for passing it on to me, I enjoyed reading it! The only thing that I did not enjoy at all where the historical anecdotes, for whatever reason rather bothersome.
But it does make me want to travel, too.
Journal Entry
8 by
salvami at
Wexford, Co. Wexford Ireland on Thursday, July 28, 2011
never heard of this book before, I am looking forward to reading it!
Thank you very much again Bluemchenblatt, for sending all the books to me <3
Journal Entry
9 by
salvami at
Wexford, Co. Wexford Ireland on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Released 11 yrs ago (3/7/2012 UTC) at Wexford, Co. Wexford Ireland
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
What a lovely BCer Skyring is! and I learned a lot about New Zealand :)
This book is travelling to the Netherlands. Enjoy! x
Journal Entry
10 by
chamonix44
at
Almelo, Overijssel Netherlands on Friday, March 9, 2012
Thank you for sending me this book and a lovely children's book. It was very generous of you.
I am looking forward to reading this one because of the BookCrossing connection!
Journal Entry
11 by
chamonix44
at
Almelo, Overijssel Netherlands on Thursday, August 30, 2018
Sorry it took me so long to get around to reading this book. I did lend it to two friends who come from New Zealand and they both read it and enjoyed it, but one of them was travelling for a while and took the book with her. I hoped they would write journal entries here, but they didn't. I found it quite interesting and it made me want to go to New Zealand. I am tempted to give it to another friend who comes from New Zealand, but she is not a bookcrosser, so I feel I ought to give it to another real BookCrosser. I will pass it on to motherof11 in October.
Journal Entry
12 by
chamonix44
at
Dalfsen, Overijssel Netherlands on Thursday, October 11, 2018
Released 4 yrs ago (10/11/2018 UTC) at Dalfsen, Overijssel Netherlands
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book is a bonus book which is going to fellow bookcrosser, motherof11, along with two other books that she knows about, via her daughter. I hope you enjoy reading it, motherof11.
Journal Entry
13 by
motherof11 at
Dalfsen, Overijssel Netherlands on Monday, October 29, 2018
What a lovely surprise! A book about bookcrossing! What fun!
Journal Entry
14 by
motherof11 at
Dalfsen, Overijssel Netherlands on Thursday, November 15, 2018
What a delightful book! And what an extremely beautiful country New Zealand appears to be!
Thanks for sharing this with me, chamonix44!
Journal Entry
15 by
motherof11 at
Madrid, Madrid Spain on Thursday, January 31, 2019
Released 4 yrs ago (2/1/2019 UTC) at Madrid, Madrid Spain
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This surprise book goes to Bookworm-lady.
Enjoy!
Journal Entry
16 by
Bookworm-lady
at
Madrid, Madrid Spain on Thursday, February 14, 2019
What a surprise! And what a well-travelled book!
Thank you so much, I am sure I will enjoy reading it. :)
Journal Entry
17 by
Bookworm-lady
at
Madrid, Madrid Spain on Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Released 1 yr ago (3/15/2022 UTC) at Madrid, Madrid Spain
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
After a long search for it, this book is finally on its way to kirjakko.
I hope this will meet your curiosity. Enjoy!! :)
Journal Entry
18 by
kirjakko
at
Sipoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, March 21, 2022

This book arose my curiosity when I was browsing Bookworm-lady's shelves (bad habit of mine, I confess) as I've met Skyring at Gothenburg and Oxford conventions, but never knew he was a bookseller and an author!
Even curioser - this book has two BCID-numbers! I've made a JE to them both now.
Looking forward to reading this soon.
Link to the other BCID: https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7114746/ . In case you are as nosy as I am.
Pic: I think that is Skyring in the blue T-shirt browsing books on our wee stroll in Burford (pre-convention tour in Cotswolds) in 2015.
Journal Entry
19 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, March 21, 2022
Began to read already this evening. As I am an old lady, I have to start commenting right away, otherwise I'll forget what I want to say. Skyring! I know you are reading these JEs. Please print the next edition using larger font for old ladies' sake.
I thought devoted husbands only occur in literature, but I have actually met Skyring. At least in chapter one he seemed devoted, talking about his wife of twenty years, but actually already in chapter two he told about not having to sneak book boxes into the house anymore, which meant he had previously done so - never trust a smiling husband!
I used to be a bookseller, but now I am a vet nurse with a second-hand bookshop of animal-related books in our waiting room. If a client tells he is interested in other genres I will keep my eyes open and lately I have for example sold some books about ships, but those books never end up in our shelves.
Like Skyring, I also have to blame my parents for the fact that my flat is overtaken by books. We always had books, loads of them. Mum told me that when she married Dad and they moved together, money was scarce. She was already expecting my eldest brother (well, she didn't tell me that, but I can count!). A new home, baby on the way, what are the things they needed the most? Dad went out and bought Encyclopaedia Britannica, all 24 or so volumes... Mum didn't even speak English. I suppose that would have lead into Row 1. Mum had enough money left to buy some wicker chairs and a large tray with folding legs to be used as a table. The Encyclopaedia Britannica was later donated to our school library.
Dad used to work as a publisher's editor. One day a strange fat book landed on his table and his boss asked if they should publish it. "Eleventy-first birthday" it began and was full of odd creatures - No, Dad said it was a load of nonsense and they let it pass. Skyring knew better, he was hooked right on... Well, Lord of the Rings has been translated to Finnish since by another publishing house and Dad did admit it was his wee gaffe. Confession: I still haven't read the book...
Journal Entry
20 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, March 22, 2022
I like this guy! He is sometimes very detail-orientated, but I'm used to that, must come from the Enclopaedia Britannica background. But he also has a cheeky sense of humour, like when he felt a string of vowels would be unpronounceable in front of another human being. I've always thought that you can't pronounce French without blushing, so I read aloud the words as they are written. And the French R should be used only in a bedroom...
Journal Entry
21 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Skyring thinks showers working by coins is a New Zealand peculiarity - he has obviously never been in a Scottish Youth hostel. Back in 1984 on my first interrail trip I went to Scotland and you could not have ANY water out of the shower before you inserted 10 p. coins in its greedy mouth . And if you weren't fast enough, your water supply would ran dry or demand more cash.
My brother was staying in a flat in Edinburgh in 2017 and I invited myself over for a long weekend. He warned me that the lift was even more primitive than anything he had ever seen in the old Soviet Union - there was no light in it! - "Bring a tourch!" he said. No need, I went into the lift and spotted a wee key. Turned it and voilá - bright light filled the lift.
Journal Entry
22 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, March 25, 2022

Interesting story about a BC-release closing down the Seattle-Tacoma Airport for some time. I'm happy to boast about the Helsinki Airport which has a book lounge where you can pick up or leave travel read for free and that is of course The Place to go if you are a travelling bookcrosser. I usually pick some BC-books from there and give them a lift to whichever destination I'm heading to and leave books in the lounge to see how far they will travel. At the begining the Airport even printed labels people could stick to the books and write there where the books have been - the labels even had room for a BCID- number! Unfortunately they stopped doing that quite soon. Having said all that I have to confess I don't know if the lounge is still occupied by the Covid19 test-takers, the books were put into storage when they needed the room. Will see that in four weeks time.
Edit April 2022: Bad news, everybody: The book lounge is not back!
Journal Entry
23 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, March 25, 2022

Skyring packed along books to release in NZ. I am keeping my eyes open for French books when scanning the exchange shelves of libraries in Helsinki. I don't speak French, but I would imagine French books getting more easily picked up than English ones in France, where I'll be heading next. These two (pic) I found yesterday, one was still wrapped in plastic, so it had never been opened since it left the publisher!
Journal Entry
24 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, March 26, 2022

I wasn't pulling your leg - still have a couple of those Helsinki Airport Book Swap labels! (Pic).
Journal Entry
25 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, March 26, 2022

Skyring's wisdom after 20 years of marriage: A happy wife made for a happy life! Makes me almost wish I had a wife 😉.
I also wish I was able to keep a travel diary. I have began one many times, but usually too much keeps happening during the day and I'm too tired to write in the evening and if I don't do it every day I get horribly behind and then the days get mixed... and then there are all those postcards to write. Reading this I wish I had tried harder, because I remember glimpses from here and there, but not enough of most trips I've made.
Geysers, steam and sulphur coming up from the ground, the smell of rotten eggs (Skyring said fart) - sounds like Iceland. Been there once, would not mind going again. It's nearer than NZ.
Journal Entry
26 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, March 27, 2022

Skyring's wild releases made me feel I ought to do more of them, but then I took a peek of the journals made of them (they are listed at the end of the book) and they serve best as a part of a travel diary, because a depressingly small amount was caught and they were released already in 2003. There is always hope, but the odds of getting catches of them are rather poor, would not put money on it.
But for Skyring clicking those books will always take him back to those places, especially as he has put photos in his JEs.
I have had some books which have travelled with me and making those entries have been fun, although my travelling companions have thought me mad, wanting to take pictures of the sights with the book in them. Will try to find you some links here:
- This book came to a canal cruise with me https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/13340975/
- One of the funniest book journeys ever, thanks to Apolonia-X: https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/14861960/ .
- The JE that made me most happy. It's in Swedish, but to cut a long story short: I had left the Swedish translation of Anne Frank's Diary in Sweden and it was caught by a 13-year-old girl who said she normally hates reading, but this is book is sooo good. It's like Anne is writing to her when she writes to Kitty. https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/12417832/
As I don't write a diary, sometimes my JEs tell what is currently happening in the world or what memories a book has brought back to me. I come from a family where everybody loses their memory in the end, but as long as I am able to click to this site I will have some memories left.
Pic: Currently dictator Putin has been attacking Ukraine for a month, but Ukraine is holding up. Z is the Russian military symbol painted on their tanks and the sheep inside Russia picture the innocently sleeping Russian people who are kept in the dark of what is really happening. The Z-swines are the troops sent out to be slaughtered, most of them young boys with just three months of military service behind them. In Russia this war is called a special military operation, to call it a war might mean 15 years in jail. The Russians aren't getting the results they wanted and are bombing civilian houses, hospitals and even nuclear bases. This picture together with several others is hanging opposite to the Russian embassy in Helsinki.
Journal Entry
27 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, March 27, 2022

Inspired by Skyring I made my first statue release this spring. Or is it spring...?
Journal Entry
28 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, March 27, 2022

...as on the other side of the park sleigh rides still take place! And in the evening we got more snow, the whole ground is white again.
In the picture is the Finnish horse to which we owe so much. Like our independence. Skyring's book is filled with anecdotes from history, so here is a piece of ours.
Back in 1939 the motor vehicles our army had could be counted with the fingers of two hands, but back then farmwork was still run with horsepower. When Russians attacked Finland unannounced, horses were collected from farms and they pulled cannons, carried ammunition, supplies and wounded soldiers. Without the Finnish horse we would have been in deep shit. Mother Nature helped, too, as it was the coldest winter in decades, under -30 C degrees and Russians were literally frozen to death in some areas. Winter War lasted for 100 days and although Finland lost Karelia, we stayed independent. We got some help from Sweden, but were pretty much on our own, not like Ukraine is today with the EU and Americans helping generously. It's probably due to a similar history that Finns are reacting so strongly to what is happening in Ukraine. Mum nearly died on the first day of Winter War. She was climbing on a bus in the Helsinki bus station when a bomb was dropped nearby. She only got cuts from broken glass, but the bus turned into charcoal. Mum was 14 years old.
Journal Entry
29 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, March 28, 2022

Bare with me, one more JE about the Finnish horse...
We used to rent a summer cottage from a farmer who told that when their horses returned from the war and were unloaded from the train they knew where they were. The farm was six kilometers from the station and the farmer let the horses loose (not much trafic on the road, most private cars were confiscated to army use and petrol was rationed). Not only did they run home, but they went directly into the stable and took their old places there! There was hardly a dry eye in the farmer's family.
7204 horses were lost in Winter War, so these returning were the lucky ones.
The picture is a window from that very same railway station where the horses returned (Toijala).
Journal Entry
30 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, March 28, 2022

The Book and I came to have breakfast at OBCZ Cafe Makers in Lauttasaari, Helsinki. Left some other books there.
Journal Entry
31 by
kirjakko
at
Sipoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, March 28, 2022

Skyring's book came to work with me and wanted to mingle with the books which were for sale. It was soon put back into the safety of my bag.
Journal Entry
32 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Thursday, March 31, 2022

Dolphins! Ever since watching Jacques Cousteau on telly as a kid I've wanted to see dolphins. There was an ad about whale-watching trips in the Hebrides on the British Veterinary Nurses Assn's journal and I had even written to the organizer (a real letter, like we did back in the dark Middle Ages, and received one in return), but the price was a bit dear, so I had put it in the category of "one day". Then something happened, I came down with polyradiculitis, also known as Guillan-Barré syndrome. It is an autoimmune reaction which destroys myelin. Without myelin the messages in your muscles do not get through. Parallysis of different kinds are the result. There is no cure but time, steroids won't help (they do in most autoimmune reactions, but not this one). The parallysis is usually reversable, but not always. People have been left quadriplegic or in a ventilator, depending on which part of them was parallysed. I had a total facial parallysis, the perfect poker-face. I had needles and pins in my arms and legs, but they still functioned. Everything salty tasted sweet and everything sweet tasted revolting. I spent a week in a hospital under supervision, as there was the risk of lung-muscle parallysis. I dwelled in self-pity, going through all things I never did and number one was always the trip to the Hebrides. So I swore that if I recover from this I will rob a bank and go to the Hebrides. I did and a year later I went to this whale-watching expedition for ten days. I must have missed something written in small print in their brochure as I ended up living in a cabin with seven men! And they say Brits are conservative. So it was a whale- and male-watching expedition and I loved it!
Lesson learned: Carpe diem!
Pic: Jacques Cousteau's yellow submarine outside the Maritim Museum in Monaco (Cousteau used to run the museum).
Journal Entry
33 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, April 1, 2022

Skyring lost his virginity travelling in NZ with his bride, although he didn't use these exact words when telling that he saw real snow for the first time on their trip. I remember meeting a 19-year-old Finn from Lapland who saw apples on trees for the first time in her life when coming to south. And we live in the same, long country. There are no trees in Lapland, only bushes. My school years were ages ago, but if I remember correctly the tree-line ends near the Arctic Circle.
I like having four different seasons in a year, although I'd love to sleep over dark, cold and wet November.
We had -9 C this morning and earlier this week I got a message from my dog-sitter that she had slipped on an icy street and broken her femur and pelvis. Good thing it was on Tuesday as nurses' strike began today, she's been operated already. Her husband has promised to take care of Doggie Dearest when I'm off to France in three weeks time. Maybe I should try to find younger dog-sitters, she is 81 and her husband 82 and they've been looking after my dogs for over 30 years.
Skyring said that a cruise would be the perfect way to travel as your hotel is right where you are and you don't have pack and unpack when you move to your next destination. I have been doing all sorts of cruises for precicely this reason. Sea cruises, river cruises and the one coming up will be my third canal cruise on a wee barge. Really slow going and sometimes the only sight is the boat boy's girlfriend on a tiny pier. Hopefully we will have a nice gang of passangers again.
Pic: Some of you might recognize from the tabloids the Russian oligarc's yacht which was confiscated a few weeks ago. Think that in 2018 I had such a perfect aim at it in Monaco, but didn't shoot...
Journal Entry
34 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, April 2, 2022

Skyring & Co. went for a little cruise where they had a safety briefing. I've been through so many of them, because they are compulsory. Even on a German river cruise where the captain said that if the ship sank we could walk onshore. There is one briefing which I will never forget. The cruise was done around the British Isles which for some reason included Honfleur (France) and a bit of Ireland, which we didn't mind. The ship was the biggest I've been on (I prefer smaller vessels where you hopefully are not just part of a faceless herd) and the cruise was advertised to be for 50+. That is the polite way to say "Between 80 and grave". We were a small group of Finns, the rest were British or American senior citizens. Very senior. On arrival we were told to take our luggage to our cabins and right away come up to deck 6 for the safety briefing. We had saved a pretty penny by taking a cabin from deck -3, which meant a climb of 18 set of stairs as all lifts were guarded by the ship's personel telling that in case of an emergency we are not allowed to use the lift, better practice climbing already now. We thought some of the oldies would perish during this practice and realized that in a real situation we all would die, the going was sooo slow and when you ad panic on top of that, nobody will get anywhere. But the best is yet to come: On the sound of alarm we were told to GO TO OUR CABINS AND FETCH OUR LIFE JACKETS AND MEDICATION FOR A WEEK!!! We looked at our Finnish guide who had given these trills on Finnish boats time and again. The message is always the same: "Never return to your cabin, there is nothing that valuable there, head up for your muster station and wait for further instructions there." I said in Finnish that it was bad enough coming up behind all these people when everybody was coming up, think how stuck we would be if it were a two-way trafic. And we are travelling following the coastline, do they really think it would take a week to be found? Our guide said in Finnish (very good to have an obscure language nobody else understands) that in the unlikely case of an emergency we come straight up and ignore what was said previously. The ship Marco Polo did not sink, but remember to be a rebel if you ever travel on it (I assume I can't say her if the ship has a masculine name?).
Journal Entry
35 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, April 3, 2022

Skyring mentioned a guide and I guess everybody has had their share of good and bad guides, but the one I will never forget was historian Steve Binns at Liverpool Town Hall. We had just had a bus tour around the city and were amazed to see such grandour as what I remember from school was that Liverpool is a poor industrial city and we had driven past the magnificent St Georges Hall which looked like an Egyptian palace and seen the biggest Chinatown gate anywhere in the world. The tour ended and we had free time. The guide mentioned that as it happened to be the Heritage Open Day the Town Hall would be open to the public for free.
There we went and Mr. Binns took us to a guided tour, telling about the history of the place, pointing out details here and there, fascinating stories, not forgetting humour. What was so special about him? He was blind, had been from the birth. He had never seen the Town Hall or the things he so well discribed to us. He joked about a day when only somebody on the fourth tour dared to say that the glass cabin he stood in front of and told people to admire the beautiful silverware in was actually empty - maintenance had took the silver out for polishing. "People have died on my tours without me noticing, so please tell me if something is amiss." An amazing man!
Journal Entry
36 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, April 3, 2022

Finished! I thought I knew all there is to know about bookcrossing, but I had never heard of Sunday Sunset Mission. Indeed, there is a special SSM forum for this activity. Would be difficult to participate in Lapland where they don't see the sun for some months in the winter and during summer there are no sunsets. Has proven difficult for muslims as well.
On my travels I've been to meet-ups in London, Birmingham, York, Edinburgh and Berlin + met individual local bookcrossers in Paris, Prague and Vienna. The late German bookcrosser Ghanescha was touring Finland with her husband and caught one of my wild releases so I knew she was in Helsinki and invited her over to our meet-up on the same day - and she showed up! It is so nice to be able to meet people you have exchanged books or opinions with for several years, perhaps. Or people you haven't had any contact with before, but who share with you this addictive hobby. So I know just how thrilled Skyring was when meeting up with NZ-bookcrossers. Bookworm-lady, if I ever travel to Madrid I want to be guided around by you.
Pic: Edinburgh bookcrossers in front of a Little Free Library.
Edit: I will take part to the Finnish Helmet-challange with this book. "Something which was lost or was thought to be lost was found in the book" - wild books were caught.
Journal Entry
37 by
kirjakko
at
Sipoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, April 5, 2022

If Skyring hadn't seen real snow before travelling to NZ, this book got a proper taste of it today... It was waiting in my car to be driven to Annelis. Last night and this morning we had gotten masses of wet slush and when opening the car door in a hurry lots fell on the book, seat and floor... The book looks sad and is drying on the back seat now. It said this would never have happened in Australia.
Pic: The day after, when it wasn't snowing anymore. There is a new guy on the field.
Journal Entry
38 by
kirjakko
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Sight-seeing in Helsinki - the ugly new Opera House. The book didn't fancy it at all.
Journal Entry
39 by
kirjakko
at
Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Thursday, April 7, 2022
Released 11 mos ago (4/8/2022 UTC) at Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Bookring begins from Annelis (on the left in the picture).
Expax, Helsinki
Toukokuu, Helsinki
Delenna, Porvoo
Halonhakkaaja, Kuopio
Sumako, Kuopio
Vinya, Kuopio
Chania, Kokkola
Sakirmo, Turku
Sii1, Tampere <= The book is here
Paulanni, Riihimäki
elis-from-Sweden
=> back to me
Journal Entry
40 by
Annelis
at
Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, April 9, 2022

Thank you for the book, Kirjakko and the other kind Bookcrossers!
I like the picture about a dinosaur and me. I am sorry I haven't met yet the one in a Berliner Museum. I read about it at school tens of years ago.
I happend to see the name of a Chapter: The Land of Geysers and thought: "So he went to Iceland also!" I did not remember that there are geysers in New Zealand too. I have seen geysers only in Iceland. There is a Geyser in Reykjavik in a park next to The Museum Perlan.
Journal Entry
41 by
Annelis
at
Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, May 2, 2022

We had an excursion in Iceland and the driver or guide told us that he had to take a new route because there was now a new geyser in the middle of the usual road. By the road we saw mud pits or hot springs which said PUT PUT or put put or putput each one in its own way. I used to play with my children a computer game called Cosmo in 1990s. Cosmo had to go past such mud pits. I did not know that such pits really exist.
New Zealand seems to be very interesting country and I would really like to visit it!
Journal Entry
42 by
Annelis
at
Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Well, the more I read the more I wanted to travel to New Zealand. Unfortunately it seems to be impossible for me.
Instead i visited Järvenpää with the book. I read it while waiting for my Bookcrossing friend. We visited an art exhibition and had a delicious meal afterwards.
Journal Entry
43 by
Annelis
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Released 10 mos ago (5/10/2022 UTC) at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Välipala-haaste, 135 sivua
I will take the book with me to the meet-up at the Music House in Helsinki.
Happy reading!
Journal Entry
44 by
erpax
at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, May 10, 2022
It was nice meeting you, Annelis!
Journal Entry
45 by
erpax
at
to next participant, a ring/ray -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, June 4, 2022
Released 9 mos ago (6/5/2022 UTC) at to next participant, a ring/ray -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Posti vie toukokuulle
Journal Entry
46 by
toukokuu at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, June 17, 2022
Kirja oli saapunut tänään, kiitos sen postituksesta! Ihana kortti oli kirjan välissä.
The book has arrived. I will read it as soon as I can. Maybe after reading I'll have a sound excuse to travel to Porvoo.
New Zealand got my attention, thank you for organizing this book ring, kirjakko!
Journal Entry
47 by
toukokuu at
Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, June 28, 2022
This was interesting enough to read and New Zealand sounds like a great place to travel - or should I say awesome. A pity the pictures were black and white.
A big part of the story was a thrill of wild releases and it servea as an inspiraation for those. I don't care anymore if somebody sees me making one but I get Skyring's desire to be discreet.
And one more thing: I got interested in New Zealand when my friend was an exchange srudent in Christchurch in 1993 I think.
Journal Entry
48 by
toukokuu at
by post, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Released 9 mos ago (6/28/2022 UTC) at by post, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Skyring's detailed account of his adventures in New Zealand is on its way to Delenna.
Enjoy!
Journal Entry
49 by
Delenna at
Porvoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, July 3, 2022
NZ <3 Middle Earth <3
I've been to NZ once, for about a week. I've been dreaming for years of a trip from Cape Reinga to Bluff AND visiting all the LOTR filmin sites (Hobitton was awesome).
Journal Entry
50 by
Delenna at
Porvoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, July 15, 2022
Not as much Middle Earth as I was hoping, but New Zealand itself will do :D
I didn't get it why someone saying she was born in Canberra was so unbelievable when they have "the thickest NZ accent".... Author exclaimed she must've moved out the next day. So what if she did? It doesn't change the fact she was _born_ in Canberra. I don't know why it bothered me so much that it seemed to bother the author...
This did not diminish my wish to travel to NZ again... Even Rotorua, no matter how bad it smells :D
EDIT: btw, I read half of this on my own roadtrip ;D I was driving in the achipelago in southwest Finland.
Journal Entry
51 by
halonhakkaaja at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Wednesday, July 20, 2022
The book is now here. Thank you!!!
Journal Entry
52 by
halonhakkaaja at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Friday, July 22, 2022

Thank you Skyring for writing this book, Edwardstreet for registering it, Bookworm-lady for sending it to Finland, Kirjakko for organizing a bookring and writing so many hilarious/ informative / interesting journals (If I understood right, you have once even robbed a bank!), Delenna for sending it to me and all you others who have written your thoughts about the book and put it forward!
It was nice to travel through New Zealand with this book. Also it gave many good ideas to me for future book releases :)
I think the nickname "Underground Librarian" is very convenient for a bookcrosser, so I must copy the idea and start calling myself in Finnish as an "UG Kirjastontäti" from now on. UG stands obviously for underground and kirjastontäti means an adult or elderly woman who works in library. I'm quite sure many women who actually work in library don't like to be called like that and I can understand their feelings, but I think the nickname "UG Kirjastontäti"suites well for me.
Being an "UG Kirjastontäti" fits for me besides all the bookcrossing I do, also for my eagerness to arrange the exchange bookshelf in Kuopio main library (although I'm not working there). The exchange corner moved recently and the new one has a smaller rotating shelf and a bigger shelf, where you can't see the front covers of the books. Usually there are vacant places in the rotating shelf, so if there's no rush, I move books to it from the bigger shelf, so the books are more attractive to people who walk pass the shelves. But I bet I'm not the only one who does this ;)
Picture: Not very original place, but one of my releaces in Kuopio. There is the City Hall and a statue called Muuntamo No 149 / Valopiä (muuntamo = transformer station, valopiä = "head with light" written in local dialect).
Journal Entry
53 by
halonhakkaaja at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Monday, July 25, 2022
Released 8 mos ago (7/27/2022 UTC) at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland
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Next to Sumako!
Journal Entry
54 by
sumako at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Thank you!
Journal Entry
55 by
sumako at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Sunday, August 14, 2022
I was quite tired when I was reading this. So some things remain blurry.
Book was quite boring. I would have liked some color pictures, but understand why there isn't any. It's interesting that many places have Maori names. White conquerors haven't destroyed everything original.
I don't understand why hunt every book that has been released nearby. I have hunted only one or two, which were interesting, and found one of them.
I take part to the school challenge: geography. Osallistun tällä
Kouluhaasteeseen. Maantieto: kirja sijoittuu saarivaltioon eli Uuteen-Seelantiin.
Journal Entry
56 by
sumako at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Sunday, August 14, 2022
Released 7 mos ago (8/14/2022 UTC) at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Next to Vinya
Journal Entry
57 by
Vinya at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Sunday, August 14, 2022
The book is here. Thank you! :)
Journal Entry
58 by
Vinya at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Sunday, August 28, 2022
The book was mostly interesting though I’m sure if I liked all the history parts or not. Maybe they crew on me. :D I also would have liked bigger font size and color pictures but still: a delightful little book. :)
I’m taking part in two challenges with this book: Välipalahaaste (”snack challange”) and Helmet-haaste (16. = kirjan luvuilla on nimet, the chapters have names).
Thanks for everyone to give me the opportunity to read this book! :)
The book will travel to Chania next.
Journal Entry
59 by
Vinya at
Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Thursday, September 1, 2022
Released 6 mos ago (8/30/2022 UTC) at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland
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The book is traveling to Chania.
Journal Entry
60 by
Chania at
Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Monday, September 5, 2022
Thank you!!!
Journal Entry
61 by
Chania at
Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Interesting book, both because of New Zealand and bookcrossing! And it is also interesting to see how much this book has travelled: From New Zealand to France to Switzerland to back to France to Ireland to Netherlands to Spain to Finland!
Journal Entry
62 by
Chania at
Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Saturday, February 4, 2023
Released 1 mo ago (2/4/2023 UTC) at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland
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Rinkikirja jatkaa matkaansa!
Journal Entry
63 by
sakirmo
at
Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Well, I had completely forgotten signing up for this book ring! But here it is now & will move on to Sii1 when I'm done with it.
Journal Entry
64 by
sakirmo
at
Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Released 1 mo ago (2/21/2023 UTC) at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Always fun to read about other people's travels, even (or especially) when it's somewhere I haven't been myself. Never made it to NZ so far but who knows, maybe one day... I even learnt something new about Bookcrossing: SSMs! I've noticed it on the forums but never really paid attention to what that means, but it sounds like something I might enjoy taking part in, so will have to keep an eye on new missions.
One annoyance though: what's with all the footnotes?! I get that sometimes there's a need for those, but not on almost every page! Sorry to say I stopped reading them after a while as it was just distracting & most of those things could have been placed within the text just as easily.
The book is moving on to the next reader (whenever the Finnish post delivers it, you never know these days how long that takes), enjoy!
Journal Entry
65 by
Sii1 at
Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Saturday, March 11, 2023
Book is now here :) Has been some time but I forgot make a journal :D so sorry that I made you worry sakirmo!