Running with Scissors

by Augusten Burroughs | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 031242227x Global Overview for this book
Registered by Firegirl of Tucson, Arizona USA on 11/20/2004
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15 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Firegirl from Tucson, Arizona USA on Saturday, November 20, 2004
Amazon description: Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus. So at the age of twelve, Burroughs found himself amidst Victorian squalor living with the doctor’s bizarre family, and befriending a pedophile who resided in the backyard shed. The story of an outlaw childhood where rules were unheard of, and the Christmas tree stayed up all year round, where Valium was consumed like candy, and if things got dull an electroshock- therapy machine could provide entertainment. The funny, harrowing and bestselling account of an ordinary boy’s survival under the most extraordinary circumstances.

My thoughts: I know everyone raves about this book and Burroughs writing in general, but I just couldn't get into it so I quit trying. Maybe if I'd stuck with it... but I didn't. *shrug* I know it's a popular book so I'll just toss it up on my available list and see what happens. On second thought, maybe I'll just do a bookray...

International Bookray
Jebbie74 -- Toronto, Ontario
RainDrop162004 --- New Britain, CT
LyekkaMarengo -- Pennsylvania
Emb -- Livonia, Michigan
Luintaurien -- Nebraska
stellertony -- Alaska
morpha -- Astoria, Oregon
Shellyann -- California
LilElf -- Massacusetts
Miss-gonewest -- Perth, Australia
Flaming-Ice -- Kuwait
Mirp -- Ireland
--COMPLETED--

Journal Entry 2 by Jebbie74 from Oshawa, Ontario Canada on Thursday, December 9, 2004
I just received it in today's mail. I've been so excited to read it, that I'm already on the second chapter! LOL I should probably have it finished within the next few days.

Journal Entry 3 by Jebbie74 from Oshawa, Ontario Canada on Saturday, December 11, 2004
I did enjoy reading this book and found it hard to put down. I still wonder, though, if all of his tales of growing up were accurate. Like any good story teller, stretching the truth comes naturally. It's just very hard to believe that everything he went through over the space of 10 years was true.
The only problem I found with the book is that by the end of it I was still waiting for something huge to happen, and I found he became a little monotonous. He does make me want to read his next book, Dry, just to see where his life went, if anywhere.

Released on Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at about 5:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Controlled Release in Controlled Release, Controlled Release Controlled Releases.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent along to Raindrop162004 who is next in the relay. :)

Journal Entry 5 by bookchick88 from Kent, Ohio USA on Tuesday, December 28, 2004
It's with me now! I plan to read it over my Christmas Vacation(hopefully) and have it out sometime at the beginning of Jan 2005.

Thanks for including me!

Smiles!

Journal Entry 6 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, February 17, 2005
Received from RainDrop162004. One other book to read and then I'm on it. It looks like one of those books that's a pretty fast read. Thanks for the ray Firegirl,

2/23/2005 - I finished this book over the week-end. It was a fast read but I can't say that I enjoyed it. The back cover touts it as being funny but I found nothing funny about it. Given there may have been some artistic additions, etc. I still found the story to be disturbing, at times down right gross, harrowing and pathetic. To imagine that there could be a house like this one allowed to exist in an otherwise apparently normal neighborhood is upsetting. The neighbors must surely have knoewn something was "rotten (literally) in Denmark". The wirters tone does not exactly make me empathize or like him, but maybe that's the point. I think I am in a bookring for the sequel "Dry" and from the excerpt at back of this book, I have a feeling I won't like it much better but I will still read it.

I must say I don't think this is a particularly appropriate book for a wild release, it is probably best kept with adults.

Journal Entry 7 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Wednesday, February 23, 2005
I have the book ready to mail to Emb as soon as I get an answer to my PM requesting an address.

Responded quickly to second PM, hadn't gotten the first one. Book on it's way 2/25/2005.

Journal Entry 8 by Emb from Livonia, Michigan USA on Wednesday, March 2, 2005
I got this book a couple days ago and I am half way done with the book and it is soooooooo good. A bit on the gritty side and very very graphic, but a very bizarre, funny and interesting book. I will send it on when I am done (which I am sure I will be done by friday :) )

Journal Entry 9 by Emb from Livonia, Michigan USA on Wednesday, March 2, 2005
I finished the book, tonight. It was very good. I actually felt quite sad for the characters in the book. It's so hard to believe that those events took place..

PM'd Luintaurien, today. Waiting for her addy.

Journal Entry 10 by Luintaurien from York, Nebraska USA on Thursday, March 10, 2005
Got it today. Thank you.

Journal Entry 11 by Luintaurien from York, Nebraska USA on Tuesday, April 12, 2005
I finshed this last night. It is a very interesting book. I enjoyed it once I got into it. Thank you for doing this for us. I will be passing it on to the next person as soon as I get the address.

Journal Entry 12 by Luintaurien at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK in York, Nebraska USA on Saturday, May 7, 2005

Released 18 yrs ago (5/7/2005 UTC) at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK in York, Nebraska USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:


Journal Entry 13 by stellertony from Anchorage, Alaska USA on Thursday, May 26, 2005
Got it today. I'm piled up with bookrings (i'm turning them away like chocolate cake to a person on a diet), so it may be a bit... but not too long, seeing as school's getting out.

Journal Entry 14 by stellertony from Anchorage, Alaska USA on Friday, July 8, 2005
I finished this book last night. The majority of the contents of this book made me wish that it was, as a friend of mine once said, nothing more than a beautiful work of fiction. To see it as a memoir is horrifying, but didn't keep me from reading it in a day and a half.

It's sitting in its little envelope waiting to go to the post office. It will be mailed no later than Wednesday.

Journal Entry 15 by morpha from Astoria, Oregon USA on Friday, August 19, 2005
I guess I'll never complain about my dysfunctional family again. Other readers have commented on the tragedy that this book is a biography and not fiction. I know from personal experience that truth can be much more bizarre than anything an author could cook up.
At least Augusten received some sort of caring attention in his new home (and I'm not referring to the pederast). Perhaps an outlaw upbringing without rules allowed he writer to hang on to the creativity he was born with.
I did enjoy the book, but found it more sad than funny. I definitely want to read Dry to see how Augusten was able to cope with adulthood.

Journal Entry 16 by shellyann from Rifle, Colorado USA on Tuesday, September 13, 2005
picked up a copy-will be sending this back out

**dospescados passed-will pm next person

Journal Entry 17 by LilElf from Pawtucket, Rhode Island USA on Tuesday, October 25, 2005
This came in the mail today for me :) WOOHOO!! I can't wait to start reading it! :) When I am done, I will send it along to the next person.. (wow! it is going to Perth Austrailia next!)

Thanks for including me in this bookray :)

-LilElf

*Edited on 10/31/05*
Great book! rather graphic in some parts but excellent book!! Loved it!
p.m.ing next person on list.. waiting for reply...


*edited 11/01/05*
Waiting on reply from next person on the list... Will P.M. Again...

*edited 11/04/05*
Got address will send to Miss-Gonewest this weekend

Journal Entry 18 by miss-gonewest from Perth City, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Hey, I'd given this book up for dead... and then it arrived on my doorstep a few days ago, which was a fabulous surprise! I am so looking forward to reading this, I've heard so much about it.

I snuck in a few pages last night, seeing as I'd finished my current bookring, and already it seems to be very well written.

I will keep on with it, and come back with my thoughts.

Many thanks to lilelf for posting this to me, and to firegirl for allowing me to participate.

Best wishes for 2006 to all of you!!!

Journal Entry 19 by miss-gonewest from Perth City, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, January 15, 2006
Wow, what a book! I kept thinking to myself that "this can't be real" as I read it, and yet it is a true story... which is terribly creepy!

I really enjoyed the book, well as much as you can with such disturbing material. I did prefer the second half of the book - I think as Augusten grew older I became more comfortable; some of the tales were slightly disturbing when they were told from the perspective of such a young child.

I am so glad to have finally read this and I would be very interested to read the sequel "Dry". As others have said however, I would dearly love to know how factual some of the stories really are... some of the humour and innuendo seemed a little too mature for sound a young lad. I too didn't quite warm to him, but I guess with role models like his mother and the doctor, he didn't have much hope!

Thanks so much to firegirl for sharing this (and I love the reminder half way through!). I have just sent a second PM to flaming-ice for their details and I hope to hear from the soon. I will post as soon as I have an address.

Journal Entry 20 by miss-gonewest at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Released 18 yrs ago (1/18/2006 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted today via airmail to flaming-ice in Kuwait (my first ever postal to Kuwait, how exciting!).

Should be there in about 10 days or so, depending on how speedy the postal people are.

Enjoy the book!

Journal Entry 21 by WritingCrap from Kuwait City, Kuwait City Kuwait on Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Recieved earlier this morning (that was really fast!)
Lots of thanks to Firegirl for kindly including me in the ray, and to miss-gonewest for passing the book to me :-) Will read ASAP in the 2-week break between semesters..

Journal Entry 22 by WritingCrap from Kuwait City, Kuwait City Kuwait on Monday, February 20, 2006
This book is one of the best books I ever read this year. I'm sorry it took me a little bit long to read it, but I had lots of school work to do.

The book was both tragic and funny, which is a very great mixture. PM'ing Mirp

Thanks for adding me to the ray & allowing me to read this book, firegirl
And thanks missgonewest for passing it to me

Journal Entry 23 by rem_BSM-942247 on Thursday, November 9, 2006
It arrived today. I have a couple of rings ahead of it but I'll try to get to it as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 24 by rem_BSM-942247 on Sunday, December 31, 2006
Just finished this tonight and loved every page of it. Although at nearly every turn of the page I had to remind myself that it was a MEMOIR and not some black comedy farse. I'll be putting Burroughts other books on my wishlist. Thanks so for introducing me to this very talented writer. I'll be posting this book back to you next week.

Journal Entry 25 by Firegirl from Tucson, Arizona USA on Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Thanks so much to everyone who made this ring a success!

Journal Entry 26 by Firegirl from Tucson, Arizona USA on Sunday, February 11, 2007
Sending directly to the Charleston Bookcrossing convention.

Journal Entry 27 by CharlestonBCers from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Monday, February 26, 2007
This was in a box of books picked up today at the post office, sent for release at the convention by Firegirl. Thanks so much!

Journal Entry 28 by Emperor-Fool from Falmouth, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
I've wanted to read this for awhile now, so I was excited to find it on the buffet table at the convention. Thanks for sending it along, Firegirl.

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