The Big Over Easy

by Jasper Fforde | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0340835672 Global Overview for this book
Registered by chich of Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on 8/3/2005
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23 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Wednesday, August 3, 2005
I enjoyed the book, although not as much as the Thrusday Next series.

Still, it's very entertaining, with a lot of wordplays, plot twists and Fforde's witty imagination hard at work ! He plays with the conventions of detective fiction and the outcome of the investigation is as weird as it gets! There are wacky characters, hilarious situations and references to Thursday Next's world (a nice touch!).

And don't forget to pay Jasper Fforde a visit !

Book description:
'It looks like he died from injuries sustained during a fall...' Bestselling author Jasper Fforde begins an effervescent new series. It's Easter in Reading - a bad time for eggs - and no one can remember the last sunny day. Humpty Dumpty, well-known nursery favourite, large egg, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Following the pathologist's careful reconstruction of Humpty's shell, Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his Sergeant Mary Mary are soon grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, the illegal Bearnaise sauce market, corporate politics and the cut and thrust world of international Chiropody. As Jack and Mary stumble around the streets of Reading in Jack's Lime Green Austin Allegro, the clues pile up, but Jack has his own problems to deal with. And on top of everything else, the JellyMan is coming to town...

Journal Entry 2 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Saturday, October 15, 2005
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PM me if you want to join this Ray!


Shipping order for this Ray:
1) boucli, France, will ship anywhere
2) bilbi, France, Euro shipping
3) Amberkatze, Austria, Euro shipping
4) FiBe, UK, UK or Euro shipping
5) dodau, UK, will ship anywhere
6) Hellie, UK
7) Piggeldy, Germany, Euro shipping

8) sunlightbub, UK, will ship anywhere
9) PepperVL, US (Ohio), US or Canada shipping
10) DP31 (darlingd), US (Illinois), US shipping pref. but int'l ok if needed --> not responding to PMs

11) fsr44, US (Rhode Island), will ship anywhere
12) buffra, US (West Virginia), will ship anywhere
13) 4everLostInBook, US (California), will ship anywhere
14) ldpaulson, US (California), US shipping
15) Karenlea, US (California), will ship anywhere.
16) NeedSun, Canada, will ship anywhere --> asked to be skipped
17) librarymousie, US (New Hampshire), will ship anywhere --> not responding to PMs
18) TheBowieFollies, US (New York), US shipping
19) Maurean, US (Florida), US or Canada shipping
20) arugh48187, US (Minnesota), US shipping --> not responding to PMs
21) CheriePie, US (Massachusetts), will ship anywhere
22) denny08, US (New Mexico), will ship anywhere.
23) BellaMack, Australia, Australia shipping only --> asked to be skipped
24) lmn60, Australia, will ship anywhere
25) sugaryfun, Australia, will ship anywhere --> asked to be skipped
26) RonOren, UK, UK shipping preferred.
27) DJgib, UK, UK shipping preferred.
28) GingerBoy, UK, will ship anywhere --> asked to be skipped
29) Cross-patch, UK, UK shipping --> asked to be skipped
30) Aubriel, UK, can ship anywhere.

31) arugh48187, India, will ship anywhere. *** current location ***
32) Queniene, US (CO), US shipping preferred but can ship internationally if needed.
33) madnad, Spain, Euro shipping.

Journal Entry 3 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Monday, October 24, 2005
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Sent today to boucli in Toulouse, France.

Journal Entry 4 by boucli from Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées France on Thursday, October 27, 2005
received yesterday, first on my TBR pile !

Thanks a lot, Chich !

Journal Entry 5 by boucli from Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées France on Monday, December 5, 2005
I enjoyed it very much (although, same as you Chich, not as much as the thursday next's series !). It was fun to see all those characters from bedtime stories and nursery rhymes living real lives in Reading !!

thanks for the ring, chich, the book is leaving today to Bilbi...

Journal Entry 6 by bilbi from Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes France on Friday, December 9, 2005
Woah ! A new 'ring ! Thanks chich and boucli :*
Just a book to read before starting this one ! The cover is just so great ! I'm looking forward to reading it !
I'm really excited, aren't I ? ;-)

Journal Entry 7 by bilbi from Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes France on Monday, December 12, 2005
It was a really funny book. It's a quick read and it's hard to turn the last page because you get on well with the characters. It's also the kind of books you would say "I can't take all this in ! I'm a grown-up for god's sake !" ;-)

Thanks for sharing this book and don't tell anyone I feel like reading this kind of books and watching cartoons on TV ;-D

Journal Entry 8 by Amberkatze from Wien Bezirk 10 - Favoriten, Wien Austria on Tuesday, December 20, 2005
This arrived this morning! Thank you bilbi for sending this to me and thank you chich for starting the ring!

I was just wondering what to read next and now this book has arrived my question has been answered :)

I will most likely read this quickly but I won't be able post to it to the next person till after Christmas.

Journal Entry 9 by Amberkatze from Wien Bezirk 10 - Favoriten, Wien Austria on Tuesday, December 27, 2005
I actually finished this book on Christmas Eve but I was already out of town and had no access to the internet until now.

Well what else can I say other than this book was great!!! I was wondering if I would be disappointed but I wasn't! Lots of jokes, puns etc and just really funny! I love the nursery rhyme idea and Jasper Fforde really made this work wonderfully! He really does have a good head for these things.

There were loads of things that I would love to quote and I would love to chat for hours with someone else who has read this book. However I don't want to give anything away to the rest of the ring participants so I will have to make sure that some friends get hold of this book and read it asap!

I will look forward to the next Jasper Fforde book coming out!

I hope the rest of the ring will enjoy the book as much as I did and as soon as I have the address from the next person on the list this book will be on it's way again!

Edit 30/12/05 - I have the address of the next participant and will be putting the book in the post on Monday.

Journal Entry 10 by FiBe from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Sunday, January 15, 2006
Will read as soon as I can thanks for letting me join!

Journal Entry 11 by FiBe from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Monday, January 16, 2006
Another great book by Jasper Fforde, it took me a little while to get into the swing of things (and to try and remember all the nursery rhymes) but once I did I didn't want to stop reading it. Boo for having to sleep and go to work!!!!

Anyhow have now finished it and pm'd dodau for address and will get the book on its way as soon as I can. Thanks for letting me take part chich.

Released 18 yrs ago (1/21/2006 UTC) at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending on to dodau. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for letting me take part in this ray!

Journal Entry 13 by dodau from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Arrived this morning. I have just started a book so this one will be next. Looking forwrd to it.

Journal Entry 14 by dodau from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire United Kingdom on Sunday, January 29, 2006
A change of charcter and setting for Mr Fforde but not of quality and genius. Taking Jack and Mary and some of the other charcters who first appeared in the third Thursday NExt book and making them the stars of their own series was a stroke of inspiration. I'm really looking forward to the Forth Bear.

I've pmed Hellie a couple of times but got no reply. I'm going to pm her again now and if I don't hear within a week move onto the next person on the list

Journal Entry 15 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Thursday, February 2, 2006
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Hi everyone!
Just thought I'd mention that the Nursery Crime Division has its very own website. It's been created by Jasper Fforde, and features lots of crazy sections such as an NCD test, crime evidence, "egg stuff", a tour of Reading...The usual wacky "Ffordan" creations!

Released 18 yrs ago (2/28/2006 UTC) at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:


Journal Entry 17 by Hellie from South Shields, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Monday, March 6, 2006
arrived today, couple tings ahead of it...be onto it soon...
thanks..
would it make more sense for this to go to sunlightbub in uk next then piggeldy in germany, since it's in uk now? No apparemtly not...os have pm'd piggeldy for address!

This was a strange book....I felt that the literary characters worled better than the Nursery rhyme characters do....it was too over the top in places for me to 'just go with it' and I found myself getting a bit frustrated. that said the use of characetrs is very clever and some parts did make me laugh out loud.
He is something very different is Jasper Fforde!

RELEASE NOTES:

posted to next person in ring.....enjoy!

Journal Entry 19 by Piggeldy from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Saturday, March 18, 2006
The book arrived here this morning, but there are two other books I'm going to read before this one, so it may take four to six weeks until I can send it on :-(

Edit, April 16th: I don't know why, but I have quite some difficulty to get into the book... Maybe it's my lack of knowledge of English children's literature, maybe it was just the stress of recent exams - anyway, I just wanted to say that I need some more time. I already have the next reader's address (but sunlightbub is away for a couple of weeks, so I hope that it's not a big problem to extend the book's stay with me).

Edit, May 15th: I am so sorry, but I have given up to finish the book (at least in a reasonable amount of time) :-( It's not that I didn't like it, it's just too difficult to stay reading (which wasn't a problem with the Next-series), and if I always wait two weeks until I feel able to read another chapter, I won't finish the book till next year maybe. So it will travel on within the next days...

Journal Entry 20 by Sunnybubble from Wallasey, Merseyside United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Received today! I was just thinking to myself last night it's the first time I've not had at least one bookring here since joining bc, then two arrived this morning!!! lol

Journal Entry 21 by Sunnybubble from Wallasey, Merseyside United Kingdom on Sunday, June 11, 2006
Loved this! Just as much if not more than the two books I've already read by this author...The same clever play on words and distortion of traditonal themes, but with a reaaly good mystery to boot..Fab..I'll get Pepper's address and send it off by surface mail ( as it's a heavy paperback) tomorrow..Thanks for sharing xx

Journal Entry 22 by PepperVL from Cincinnati, Ohio USA on Wednesday, August 16, 2006
I am so sorry that I didn't journal this when it arrived. I'm swamped with books, but I'm going through and trying to journal and get things out ASAP, so this should go out soon.

I loved this book. Jasper Fforde is such an amusing writer, and I absolutely adore all the plays on words and funny "coincidences" that happen in the story! The bit with the beans and the giants was wonderful, especially since Jack didn't realize he was a nursery rhyme character! And neither did Mary!

I laughed out loud several times.

I'm going to send a PM to DP31 now and hopefully get this out shortly.

Journal Entry 23 by PepperVL from Cincinnati, Ohio USA on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
I printed the postage on this today; it will be dropped in the blue box on my way to work in the morning.

On its way to fsr44. Delivery confirmation number 420 02860 9102 1501 3471 1640 7145 37.

Journal Entry 24 by fsr44 from Pawtucket, Rhode Island USA on Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Received today. I'm away next week but will start this as soon as I return.

Journal Entry 25 by fsr44 from Pawtucket, Rhode Island USA on Wednesday, November 15, 2006
I think I'm done with Jasper Fforde. I thoroughly enjoyed the Thursday Next series but I thought this one was dreadful. It lacks the wit and charm that made The Eyre Affair so much fun. The characters are cardboard cutouts (what do we know about Mary Mary other than the fact that she has a lot of boyfriends?) and the plot lackluster. It's like he phoned this one in. I think I'll skip his next work.
Sending to buffra as soon as I have an addy.

Journal Entry 26 by fsr44 from Pawtucket, Rhode Island USA on Monday, November 20, 2006
Sending to buffra.

Journal Entry 27 by buffra from Columbus, Ohio USA on Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Caught it!

Thanks!

:D

Journal Entry 28 by buffra from Columbus, Ohio USA on Monday, January 8, 2007
Mailed out!!

I was a bit behind book-wise, so have mailed this without reading. (Doesn't hurt that I received a copy for the holidays!)

:D

Journal Entry 29 by 4everLostInBook from Riverside, California USA on Friday, January 26, 2007
Thanks to Buffra for sending me the book and Chich for arranging the bookring. The book arrived safely. I meant to post as soon as it arrived but didn't get the chance. I will be sending off an e-mail shortly to the next person on the list (ldpaulson). Thanks so much for making this book available! I am looking forward to reading it.

02/03/2007 - Quite a funny read, although I'm still partial to the Thursday Next series, I think. I put the novel in the post today for LDPaulson.

Thanks again Chich for the opportunity to read this one!

Journal Entry 30 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Monday, February 26, 2007
Caught this a couple of weeks ago and read through it immediately.

It's Jasper Fforde. What else is there to say!?!

Journal Entry 31 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Monday, March 26, 2007
Off to the next reader.

Journal Entry 32 by Karenlea from Glendale, California USA on Saturday, April 7, 2007
Not only have I really been wanting to read this book, but I read the opening line and found out that it starts out around Easter. Excellent timing!!!

I should be able to start it in a few days. Thank you for sharing!!!

Journal Entry 33 by Karenlea from Glendale, California USA on Friday, April 27, 2007
I enjoyed this new series by Fforde, but not quite as much as the Thursday Next series. I thought some of the play with the nurseries characters was cute and clever, but it did not catch my interest. I found myself skimming through the book in parts. I am not sure if I am interested enough to read the next book in the series.

I will be mailing this out to the next reader this afternoon. Thank you to Chich for sharing. This was a book that I had been wanting to read for a long time and I am happy that I got the chance!!!

Journal Entry 34 by TheBowieFollies from Brooklyn, New York USA on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
'kinell, I signed up for this quite a few years ago..It has gone the gamut has it not..Llove to rread Fforde, it has rained four other rings on mae, but Im quicker than Marc Bolan in a mini, so I will dive in soon enough..Chich, wonderful Chich!! Good to be on another one of yers! Sending lorra Veronica love all 'round cheers also Karenlea for posting this to me
Bappy Hookcrossing
Jonesy x

Journal Entry 35 by TheBowieFollies from Brooklyn, New York USA on Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Not Fforde's most riveting, albeit, there is never lack of scattergun referencing and will not leave you disenchanted but rather exasperated and hoping he will keep up his gig at being prolific.
cheers chich 'twas a gud one!
and I see that it very well may be the most travelled book about..
This morning it made its way to sunny Florida
cheers!

Journal Entry 36 by Maurean from Atlantic Beach, Florida USA on Tuesday, June 26, 2007
This arrived in my mailbox today. I gotta say that I so enjoyed Fforde's wit & punny humor in the Thursday Next series, that I am very anxious to see how he fairs in this Nursery Crime tale. I'm just finishing up my current read, and then will start on this straight away; thanks for sharin'it,chich, and I will journal again when I've finished.

Journal Entry 37 by Maurean from Atlantic Beach, Florida USA on Monday, July 2, 2007
I tend to agree with those previous readers who said that this was quite good, just not quite *as* good as Thursday Next.

All of Fforde's wit & wordplay are present, tho (I loved all the introductions to each chapter) and the interesting characters abound (Prometheus was a fun addition), so I'll look for "The Fourth Bear" to follow through with this series.

Thanks for sharin', chich; I've PM'ed CheriePie, as there was no reply from my PM to arugh48187 (and her shelf says she's offline) and I will send it along asap.*mailed to CheriePie 07/07.

Journal Entry 38 by CheriePie from Campbell, California USA on Friday, July 13, 2007
This book arrived the other day, but I was offline for much of it getting my Comcast connection (Internet & TV) switched over to Verizon FiOS. I'm quite a bit backlogged with rings and rays at the moment, and was almost going to decline this one, but then I noticed that I was the International shipper and that it was headed over to Aussie and then the UK after me so I figured I'd accept it in the hopes that chich doesn't mind if it might be in my possession for up to 3 months. (Especially with the elimination of surface mail here in the US, I can imagine that mailing this hardcover to Australia isn't going to be cheap, so hopefully the fact that I'm doing it will buy me a little extra time to get it read. ;) LMK if it's a problem....

Journal Entry 39 by CheriePie from Campbell, California USA on Friday, November 9, 2007
This was my first introduction to Jasper Fforde. Though I have her Thursday Next series here, I hadn't yet found a chance to read them. And from what I've read here and elsewhere, those are even better than this. :) That said, I did enjoy this little romp through Nursery rhyme time. I can't say it was laugh out loud funny, but it was certainly worth a chuckle or two, enough so that I'll be looking forward to reading The Fourth Bear. Apparently I'm endeared enough towards Jack Spratt and Mary Mary to find out what happens to them in the future. ;)


I have denny08's addy and this will be heading out in the mail to her early next week. I apologize for having it as long as I did, but thank you for being patient with me and giving me the opportunity to read it nonetheless.

UPDATE 11-NOV-2007: Mailed 12-Nov-2007 via USPS Media Mail.

UPDATE 06-DEC-2007: Sent PM to denny08 to confirm whether or not this has been received yet... :(

Journal Entry 40 by denny08 from El Paso, Texas USA on Friday, December 7, 2007
I do have the book! I cannot believe I forgot to JE it! I am so sorry. However, I am nearly done with it and will PM the next person for their address NOW!

Journal Entry 41 by denny08 from El Paso, Texas USA on Monday, January 21, 2008
I enjoyed this so much, that I went out and bought my own copy! I also bought The Fourth Bear and some other Fforde books! I am sorry it took so long to get this going again....(Payroll people should not have rings/rays in January due to W2s!) But I am going to the post office tomorrow! It is enveloped and ready to go! Thank you for sharing!

Journal Entry 42 by winglmn60wing from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Monday, February 4, 2008
Arrived safely in the land of Oz today! Of course, as is bookcrossing karma, most of my rings and rays seem destined to arrive on each others heels!

I'll get to this one ASAP and return with deep and meaningful thoughts!

Journal Entry 43 by winglmn60wing from Spotswood, Victoria Australia on Thursday, February 28, 2008
Actually finished this one about 10 days ago, but 'real life' has intruded on my bookcrossing time (how inconvenient of it!)

This was perfect reading for 'inconvenient real life' times! I found myself chuckling at the puns, satire on detective fiction, and the general silliness! Although this one didn't hold the belly laughs that I associate with the Thursday Next series, Fforde's cleverness and unique way with words made me look forward to snuggling into bed each evening with Jack and Mary!

Thanks for sharing this one with me, chich! Sugaryfun has asked to be skipped, so I've contacted RonOren and received his address. This one will continue its adventures via a slow boat to the UK.....


Journal Entry 44 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Finally arrived! Admittedly, it's been at the PO for a while, but I couldn't get it until today. I'm really looking forward to read this one; as I'm halfway through the Count of Monte Cristo (which will probably take a while to finish), I may not wait and get started on this one as a bedtime-book right now :-)

Journal Entry 45 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Saturday, May 17, 2008
Blimey, Jasper Fforde is crazy, isn't he? I loved this book, but it is decidedly weird. The story itself is very funny, if somewhat disconcerting (after all, it's not that inconceivable that services would be determined by what the public likes rather than what is real). But by far best were the little excerpts from the Reading "newspapers" at the beginning of every chapter. I loved how they covered fairy tale stuff, like the wedding of the Owl and Pussycat, like normal occurrences (which, to be fair, is how they do happen in Fforde's world).

As I said after I read The Eyre Affair, I'll be looking for more Jasper Fforde's books!

Journal Entry 46 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
My GF, DJgib, said she'd like to read the book as well; since chich agreed to this, it's moved to DJgib before travelling on in the ring.

Journal Entry 47 by RonOren from Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland Netherlands on Monday, June 2, 2008
After DJgib muscled herself onto the ring, but didn't have the energy to review it more than saying she "quite liked it", and both Gingergeoff and Cross-patch both admitted to have found a different copy, the book is now finally on the move again, to Aubriel. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

Journal Entry 48 by aubriel from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, June 7, 2008
Has arrived safely - many thanks

Journal Entry 49 by aubriel from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Firstly, my apologies for having this book so long.

As for the book, I think I was saved from the Thursday Next effect by having recently read by accident the next book in this series and so was a bit more prepared.

I found it enjoyable, maybe not so much as the Thursday Next series, but still full of the originality one has come to expect out of Jasper Fforde.

On route, via airmail (so hopefully it shouldn't be long!)to Argh48187

Journal Entry 50 by arugh48187 from Highland Park, Illinois USA on Thursday, September 18, 2008
Found this one in my mailbox this afternoon. I have a few bookrings in front of it, but I am a fast reader so it shouldn't tarry long. You can keep track of its progress via my bookshelf.

Journal Entry 51 by arugh48187 from Highland Park, Illinois USA on Friday, December 5, 2008
Yikes! I've had this one for almost three months. I really am a fast reader, I just got bogged down in two huge tomes in September and October. Sorry about that.

Now about the book...Jasper Fforde certainly is clever. I can't imagine how he comes up with this stuff. Kudos to my mom for making me familiar enough with all the nursery rhymes that I got most of it. I too felt that the Thursday Next series is a bit more than this one, but it was still pretty good. I tend to agree with a previous journaler in that Jack and Mary were a bit flat. I mean how can Jack be two different Jacks (Spratt and beanstock-boy) and there was no mention of Mary's garden at all. What is more he left out the main ma'am, as in the one and only MOTHER GOOSE. Anyway if I don't manage to make it to The Fourth Bear anytime soon, I am sure my life will still be rich and fulfilling.

Thanks for sharing. I have the address of the next on the list and it will go out in the post in the next few days.

Released 15 yrs ago (12/7/2008 UTC) at Bangalore, Karnataka, India, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing off to Queniene who is next on the list. Happy reading!

Journal Entry 53 by chich from Ibiza - Sant Antoni de Portmany, Illes Balears/Islas Baleares Spain on Wednesday, May 6, 2009
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Unfortunately it seems that this ray went MIA :o( It is now time for this book to take a well-deserved rest in an exotic setting, hoping it gets found one day and gets a chance to resume its journey!

I'm really sorry for those who haven't yet had the chance to read the book!

Graphic courtesy of losbookisland.

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