The Moomins (Swedish: Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses. The carefree and adventurous family live in their house in Moominvalley, in the forests of Finland, though in the past their temporary residences have included a lighthouse and a theatre. They have many adventures along with their various friends.
In all, nine books were released in the series, with five picture books and a comic strip also written by Jansson being released between 1945 and 1993.
The books in the series, in order, are:
1. The Moomins and the Great Flood (Originally: Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen) – 1945.
2. Comet in Moominland, Some editions: The Happy Moomins - (Originally: Kometjakten/Kometen kommer) – 1946.
3. Finn Family Moomintroll (Originally: Trollkarlens hatt) – 1948.
4. The Exploits of Moominpappa, Some editions: Moominpappa's Memoirs (Originally: Muminpappans bravader/Muminpappans memoarer) – 1950.
5. Moominsummer Madness (Originally: Farlig midsommar) – 1954.
6. Moominland Midwinter (Originally: Trollvinter) – 1957.
7. Tales from Moominvalley (Originally: Det osynliga barnet) – 1962 (Short stories).
8. Moominpappa at Sea (Originally: Pappan och havet) – 1965.
9. Moominvalley in November (Originally: Sent i november) – 1970 (In which the Moomin family is absent).
Moominpappa has written his autobiography of his amazing life, and he tells it to his son Moomintroll, and to Moomintroll's friends, Sniff and Snufkin. In his tale, he at first was left at an orphanage, but after finding it boring and disliking the strict headmistress Hemulen, he leaves and meets a new friend, Hodgkin...
(Wikipedia)

Bookray:
- wendyv, Aus, ship int'l
- KiwiinEngland, Ireland, ship EU
- ratje-toe, NL
- iiwi, NL, ship int'l
- Tsjara, NL, ship EU (if possible)
- flambard, UK, ship int'l
- LittleWhiteBird, US, ship US/Can
- MaryZee, US, ship US/Can
- Melydia, US = end of ray
The usual:
- Someone will PM you for your address, PM them back and provide your address
- When you receive the book, please make a journal entry letting everyone know that you received it
- Please try to finish it within one month
- When the end is in sight, check the book's journal and PM the next person to get their address
- Make another journal entry and let everyone know what you thought of the book
- Make a release note to let everyone know that it's in the mail
- Send the book to the next person on the list
- Last person: would you ray it forward?
If delayed make sure to let us know so that the ray will not stop

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Travelling to wendyv.
Happy reading!

TBR - thank you for including me! This arrived today and I anticipate getting to it shortly.

I really liked this one and found the family absolutely loveable. I appreciate the chance to be a part of this ring. The charcters are gentle and unique. My favourite would have to be the joxter! I really enjoyed it and i think it will stay 'with me' even after I have posted it off, if that makes sense!

I will post it off today after work. Thanks!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Will be posted today after work. Please enjoy it!

Hurrah - the Mommins have arrived in Dublin having dodged the second closure of Irish airspace due to ash falling.

Thanks for posting it from Australia Wendyv, and ApoloniaX for starting the ring.

This was a calming read, with some lovely sentences about accepting others and going with the flow.

I was confused by the relationship between some of the characters, perhaps if I'd read more of the previous books (or been brought up with them) this wouldn't have been an issue.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:





Posting to the next person on the book ray, via air mail with An Post.

KiwiinEngland has sent this book to me. Haven't got around to reading it, but it looks lovely!

I really liked this book, Moominpappa is so arrogant and naïve, I love it!
Thanks for the ring!
I gave the book to iiwi today.
Laura

Got it! I will go to the roofterras and read it, in the shade, 23 degrees out, with tea and homemade cookies!

And so I did, and now it is finished. :) Nice to read something about the history of the Moomins. Still, it does not give me the feeling I had with the first moominbook I read, the one with the lighthouse. That was such a nice round story, this is more a couple of short stories fit together. Moominpappa's character makes it resemble The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, and on other occassions I had a Jules Verne feeling about it.
Of the illustrations my adventurer heart should say I like the one with the fish with the lights best, but secretly I admire the one in the beginning, where Moominpappa quietly is building his house.

"Excuse me, but are clouds friendly?", asked the Muddler in a worried tone. Non of us could voice an opinion on that.

Received this yesterday. Thanks iiwi for sending and ApoloniaX for sharing the book! Looking forward to another Moomin story :D

This was a lovely read. Moominpappa is a bit big headed sometimes, but also (unintentionally?) quite funny. The characters were all loveable (except the Hemulen Aunt maybe :p ). My favorites were the Joxter and the Autocrat :)
There was a little part which, I thought, explained the characters quite well..

When Hodgkins relieved me at dawn, I [Moominpappa] mentioned in passing the Joxter's strange and total lack of interest in his surroundings. "Well," said Hodgkins, "perhaps he is really interested in everything, only he doesn't overdo it. For ourselves there is always one single interest. You want to become. I want to do. My nephew wants to have. But the Joxter just lives."

I have flambard's address now, and will mail this out soon.

Now on its way to flambard in the UK.
Happy reading!

Moominpappa has arrived safely! Thank you Tsjara and ApoloniaX!

Definitely took me right back to when I was at St Osmund's Junior School in the 1970s! I half-rememberd the Oshun Oxtra. Wonderful! I loved Moominpappa's bombast and ever-increasing exageration. But you just have to laugh out loud at the Ghost of Horror Island knitting a skull and crossbones motif!

To Virginia, USA

Arrived in the mail today (according to the note on the package on the 18th even, but I didn't go to the P.O. box on Saturday).

I'm reading another book at the moment, so I'll see whether I'll squeeze the Moomins in or finish the other one first.

I'll see if MaryZee or Melydia will come to the next BC in DC Bookcrossing meeting after I finish reading the book, so maybe I'll be able to hand the book over directly.

It was so much fun to read Moominpappa's Memoirs, about his childhood and his adventures, and the friends he made. At the end we even find out how he met Moominmamma! I enjoyed the drawings so much as well.

Since we won't meet at the next BC in DC meeting, I'm sending the book to MaryZee by mail. The ghost should make it an appropriate Halloween read for her ;)

Book arrived safely in Maryland today. I'll read this one as soon as I finish my main read, probably within the week.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful book, guys. Thanks to BC and the wonderful folks here I've now been able to read nearly all the Moomintroll books except the first and the last 3 - The Moomins and the Great Flood, The Tales from Moominvalley, Moominpappa at Sea, and Moominvalley in November. (I was able to figure this out thru our new, wonderful BC 2.0 search, which works wonders. I wanted to keep track for the future, since I'm now not sure which ones I've read and which ones I haven't.)

Moominpappa is quite the adventurer. It's was wonderful to meet all the characters, and to see how they fit together and all get along, despite their differences.

Thanks again to ApoloniaX for sharing. This will soon be in the mail to Melydia.

Mailed this wonderful book off to Melydia today.

This is the year for Moomins! I am so happy this has arrived and am looking forward to reading it. Thank you so much!

I admit to being a little disappointed when I discovered that this was not the story of Moominpappa's adventures following the Hattifatteners, but I soon came round to embrace this strange tale of fathers: Moomintroll's, Sniff's, and Snufkin's, respectively. I was a little concerned that Sniff and Snufkin appeared to have never even met their parents, but I guess in Moominland that's not such a crazy notion. Anyway, this is Moominpappa's somewhat embellished account of his early years, from his abandonment at a Hemulen-run orphanage to the day he met Moominmamma. I was truly entertained by the Autocrat's speeches, and the art was wonderful as always, but this was not my favorite Moomin book. Moominpappa's inflated sense of self-importance was amusing at first, but became tiresome by the end. Luckily, it's a very short book, and does not overstay its welcome.

Since I'm the last person on this ray, I have not decided yet what I'll do with it. I may see if anyone has it on their wishlist, or perhaps share it at the 2011 BookCrossing Convention in Washington, D.C.

Releasing at the 2011 BookCrossing Convention in Washington, DC.

Snatched this up at the BC convention.

I've seen those adorable Moomin character goods from Japan when I grew up, but was not introduced to the books (or indeed knew that they were characters based on books) until a couple years back. So now I am catching up on them, and joining bookrings whenever one shows up. Glad to have my own Momin book now, if only just for a while. (I am an avid BCer after all!)