The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
22 journalers for this copy...
Sylvia and her boyfriend Maarten agree to go to the remote atoll country of Karibati pretty much in the middle of nowhere in the Equatorial Pacific. Dreams of lazy days, beautiful sunsets and an idyllic island paradise give way to the reality of sewage issues, lack of water, intermittent electricity
and every class of critter and parasite under the sun! Their living conditions go from deplorable to tolerable to actually quite livable and in that ensuing time frame of two years Maarten is able to get through the roughest of times through the use of humor.
I liked this so much I've turned it into a bookring!
The list so far, and this order may change:
llednyl, Ohio, ship US
nmreader, New Mexico, US shipping
lynlee4, Florida, prefers domestic
goddess-of-fire Missouri, prefers US
unwrittenlibra, Maryland, anywhere
bookman-8, Germnany, ship anywhere not before September
beeskeeper40 UK, anywhere
scotsbookie, UK, ship anywhere surface
jinglefish, UK, anywhere
Zepplin, UK, prefers Europe <---asked to be skipped
fflloorr, Portugal
Bilbi, France, prefers Europe
mirp, Ireland, anywhere
frangelle, UK, anywhere pref Europe
RikkiDD, Germany, preference
Rapturina, Netherlands, anywhere
snufkin81, South Africa, anywhere
piemunga, Australia, prefers Australia
Fred45, Australia, no preference
Torchgirl, Australia, no preference
Teenie-k, Canada, no preference
Darkpunkangel, Canada, anywhere
Kiri, US, anywheres<-----book is here!
GrannyAnn, US, US
Gnissorckoob, US, US
back to istop4books, US
Please have fun and enjoy this book while keeping in mind the usual guidelines:
1) Journal 3 times: when you receive the book, your thoughts after reading it, and when you send it on!
2) PM the next person for a mailing address before you finish the book. If that person doesn't answer within a week or so, let me know.
3) Try to read the book within a month so we can keep the book moving!
4) You can send the book via surface mail or airmail- that is completely up to you.
5) If you are backlogged and you're next on the list, let me know and I'll try to move you if possible.
This will be in the mail to NMReader on Monday.
Maarten and Sylvia learn about life at the end of the world. I laughed out loud and it made me think more seriouly about life in the third world.
Have pm'd goddess-of-fire and will get it moving along. Thank you istop for offering this to us!
I really enjoyed it- I'd love to just up and move somewhere remote, but I think I'm going to cross Tarawa off my list of possible locations, lol.
Thanks for sharing!
-PMing unwrittenlibra.
Enjoy!
I was really confused about Troost's ethnicity (American? British? Dutch) and some of his jokes fell flat, but it was definitely an interesting read about a little known part of the world. I think I'll put Book 2 on my wish list.
Sending it off to bookman-8 in Germany on Tuesday at the earliest (no PO tomorrow or Veterans Day)
Released 16 yrs ago (11/22/2007 UTC) at in the airmail bag in -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Baden-Württemberg Germany
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
This one is now off to Beekeeper40. Enjoy!
PMing jinglefish for their details & I'll get it moving again asap.
Released 16 yrs ago (3/15/2008 UTC) at to a fellow bookcrosser in book ring/ray, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I have sent a PM to Zepplin and will pass the book along as soon as I receive a response. Thanks for sharing istop4books.
14/04/08 - ETA that Zepplin hasn't responded to several PM's so I've today sent a PM to fflloorr as she's next in line after Zepplin.
I really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for signing me up for this ring :-)
I already sent a PM to the next bookcrosser on the list. I'm just waiting for the address to move the book along.
Just a book to finish before starting this one !
Thanks for sharing \o/
There are many many parts of the book that are so funny that I read them twice !
Thanks again for sharing.
Let this piece of humour travel to its next reader now.
Now it has to wait a few days - I still have to finish another book - and than it will be the first to read.
A young couple moves to the end of the world, or just a bit further? The woman got a job but the man lingeres around and try to get the time around. But soon he adjust to the live on a nearly deserted island. With wit and knowledge he tells us about live in a complete different culture.
Here a few xerptings a liked specially:
Lifestyle an behaviour on an island in the middle of nowhere:
page 126 "Christianity was certainly very important for Bwenawa. He has, at various times in his life, been a Catholic, a Jehovah’s Witness, a Seventh Day Adventist, a Mormon, and even a Baha'i. today is an elder in the Kiribati Protestant church. ‘It is all the same. We must love God and we must love one another.’ To this end, Bwenawa was seeking to unify the Kiribati Protestant Church with it archrival, the Catholic Church – just a heads-up for the guys in Rome.”
page 134 “…the seamen’s bar where it is considered bad form to demonstrate an ability to walk upright.”
page 140 ”The first time I drove down the runway, I wondered a the wisdom of doing so, but Mike accurately pointed out that Air Kiribati was down, Air Marshall had stopped its service, and the Air Nauru plane was impounded in Manila, so there was no need to worry about air traffic, just mind the pigs.”
page 193 “… The country lacks a military force because the I-Kiribati widely acknowledge that no one else wants their country. Even the I-Kiribati aren’t too thrilled about having their country. Certainly the wanted to live there, but all things being equal, they would rather have had the British govern it. …”
page 212 describing a welcoming committee on Butaritari “… A toothless old man, a respected village elder, greeted us warmly while bedecked in a frayed T-shirt that read Shit Happens, which seemed particularly apt in Kiribati.”
If that doesn't tell alot, I don't know.
Everyone who wants to live somewhere else should read this book, before! moving.
Released 15 yrs ago (11/12/2008 UTC) at Controlled Release, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
The book starts its travel again.
I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, so I will start it soon. Hopefully I won't be disappointed. :D
The book is on its way to South Africa since this morning!
Update 23 Feb: I'm a few chapters in now and enjoying it immensely!
One thing I would have liked was a map or two of Tarawa and the island group, as I sometimes got a bit confused with all the different places mentioned. I tend to think that all travel books should have maps!
Piemunga has asked to be skipped, so I will be posting this on to Fred45 in the next few days.
Released 15 yrs ago (3/20/2009 UTC) at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to Fred45 by airmail. I hope it arrives safely!
The book arrived today! I'm about half way through my current book so shouldn't be too long till I get to this one. Really looking forward to it.
Thank you for the beautiful postcard too snufkin81!
I loved the layout of the contents and chappter headings with a little synopsis of the chapter before you start. I've never seen that before!
Each chapter is like a story of it's own but they all flow so well together! My favorite chapter was The Great Beer Crisis, I felt his pain!!!!!
I'll definatly be looking out for the next one.
I've PM'd Torchgirl for her address so will get it in the post as soon as i hear something.
Thanks istopforbooks for turning this wonderful book into a ring.
Released 14 yrs ago (5/8/2009 UTC) at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Posted this one to torchgirl yesterday, safe travels little book.
Well, I did enjoy reading this book, mostly. For me it was very close to home as my Husband and I live in the far north east of Western Australia and we both work mostly with the indigenous people here. I could really relate to the many cultural situations he found himself in. I finished the book with mixed feelings, it felt strange this man telling their story, no maybe not that, maybe I'm too close to some of those situations and I need distance like Maarten to see it more objectively.
In our local communities alcohol/drug abuse, violence and incest is rife. Yesterday a local 13 year old girl stopped breathing after inhaling aerosal cans with a group of friends, she is now on life support and not expected to live. I want an answer to all of this, Maarten's book didn't give it but does inspires a little more optimism in me to keep on trying.
Have emailed Teeni-k tonight to post it on.
I will never again imagine a lush tropical island in the middle of nowhere the same again!!!
I have already PM'd darkpunkangel a few days ago to confirm she has not moved since the last bookring we both joined. I have not yet received a reply, but it is that time of year when people are off on vacation. I will try again if I do not get a reply in the next week or so.
The book went out in the mail today.
Will PM the next person and will send it off as soon as I get my address.
Will PM the next person and will send it off as soon as I get my address.
Released 14 yrs ago (10/13/2009 UTC) at By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to the next participant, sorry for the delay.