From back cover: Peter Paddington is your typical thirteen-year-old paperboy with a few exceptions. He's 204 pounds, at the mercy of an overactive imagination, and his only friend is a trash-talking beauty queen reject from across the street. As if that wasn't bad enough, Peter's nipples pop out one day and begin speaking to him, threatening to expose his private fantasties to an unkind world.

Peter knows that if he could just lose weight, develop a brand-new personality, and get rid of those pesky talking nipples, he'd be able to find the acceptance he desperately craves. But it isn't easy to change who you really are, and Peter, ready or not, is finally forced to confront his secret self. Hilarious and exquisitely touching.

Sending out to one of the winners of my "I was accepted to nursing school" RABCK raffle. Enjoy!!

What a great surprise!! I had completely forgotten about this book so I was absolutely thrilled to find it in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday. It was the first day after my vacation, so I needed to be cheered up a little ... ;-)

Thank you, Firegirl!! Good luck with nursing school - I love your little logo there. :-D I already have plans for this book, so ... watch this space, I guess. :-)

I started reading this book today. I've read the first three chapters, ie 60 pages. So far I absolutely LOVE it. :-) It's so well written and so funny in a way that really appeals to me. I'm lovin' it! LOL! I'll journal again when I've read the whole thing.

I finished this book on Friday, September 28th. It was a very easy read - partly because it's not very thick and the font is pretty large :-) but also because there is such a great flow in the writing and in the story. I was just swept along.

This really was one of the very best books I've read all year. It was so well written, totally convincing as narrated by a thirteen-year-old. The plot was very well realized also; nothing big happens, it's just this kid's everyday life, but those everyday events that he goes through are told in a way that makes them 'bigger than life'. If that makes sense. :-)

In a way I guess the story ought to be sad. Peter's life certainly isn't much to write home about. A fat kid who's bullied at school and only has one friend (whom he doesn't really feel is his friend, anyway) and also is gay (in 1984). Whew. It doesn't sound like a funny coming-of-age story. But it is, it's totally funny. The way it's told in Peter's voice is so hilarious, he is such a smart ass and wants so much for his life to be cooler than it is. Secretly, though, he knows that it's not. He wants to change himself, because he thinks that if he does, his life will change too. But he learns, eventually, that you can't change who you really are.

There is a Q&A with the author at the back of the book (don't miss that, it's really funny :-) where he talks with columnist Dan Savage. In it they're saying that it's rare to be able to identify with, or find so much resonance in, a literary character who is so repulsive. I don't agree that Peter is repulsive, I don't think it's fair to call him that. I think he's just a very convincingly portrayed teenager. :-) And I think anyone who remembers their teen years honestly will be able to see something of themselves in Peter. :-)

I'm really looking forward to getting some more opinions on this book.

This book is going to be released at the Cinematheque in Oslo as part of a mass release during the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival which will be held in June 2008 as part of Oslo Pride Week. (We hope to be able to set up a temporary OBCZ.) I was planning to just hold on to it till then, after I'd read it. But this book is just too good not to be read by as many others as possible. :-) I'm going to force my best friend to read it, at least ... ;-) and hopefully I will be able to find some readers for it among the Oslo BookCrossers as well. I'd imagine that lunacia would be interested, for one. :-) Sunday, October 7th, is the next Oslo BC meetup; I will take the book with me and see who wants it. As long as I get it back by June, in time for the mass release.

RELEASE NOTES:

The book went with me to meetup today. lunacia was interested, but she's really swamped with books at the moment, so it ended up going home with sota48. Hopefully she will keep lunacia in mind when she's read it. :-)

And remember, this book is not for wild release, but should be returned to me by June next year for the mass release. :-)

Happy reading, sota48!

LeishaCamden gave me this novel at the BC-meeting in Oslo today. I will return it to her when I have read it.

I enjoyed this novel. I feel sorry for Peter; fat, no friends, totally hopeless at sports and gay to boot. Can't get much worse. I would have liked to take his mother and shake her by the neck, mollycoddling mother that she is. Flap jacks are hardly the thing to help Peter. I have faith in Peter, though. He is bright and he has insight in both himself and the people around him. I think he will do all right in the end, and we know, even though Peter doesn't yet, that being gay will eventually be accepted. So keep up the good work at exercising, Peter, and go have a heart to heart with Uncle Ed!

An amusing novel on a serious topic.

The book is returned to LeishaCamden.

The book's back with me, it arrived in the mail today. Now it'll be going with me to meetup in about a week and a half, to see if it finds any more takers there. lunacia's interested, apparently. We'll see. :-)

RELEASE NOTES:

My praise of this book got a lot of response at meetup today! :-) It ended up going home with Jannike but pricklyskin and lilc also want to read it when she's done. Yay! :-)

Again, just as long as it's back with me by June. :-)

I brought the book home today,and I am already half through it. Something about the physical appearance of the book attracted me (covered with cherries), and also the praise from Leisha Camden. Besides I also feel an instinctive sympathy with the fat lonely, insecure boy. I am looking forward to see how it turns out, I really hope he will be OK in the end. On purpose I did not read what the others have written about this book, I want to be surprised!

I can really recommend this book, it is very moving, a bit sad, but not without hope. I will send pricklyskin a PM and ask if she wants the book now, or if we should wait untill the next meet-up. (pricklysikn said she could wait, so I will bring it to the meetup in Oslo 2. nd March)

I am bringing the book to the meetup in Oslo today, and hope to se Pricklyskin or Lilc there, then I will make a controlled release to one of them.

Since Pricklyskin didn't make it today, I picked this book up for her. Will let her know that she will have to hand it back to LeishaCamden in June...

RELEASE NOTES:

I'm handing this over to pricklyskin today, as she's coming over for dinner. :)

Donated by pricklyskin.

lunacia

RELEASE NOTES:

To be released today at Pridepark during Oslo Pride 2008.