The Final Target by Nora Roberts

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Damn, Nora… that was good. ~ Sheila

Arden Bowie has worked part-time in a bookstore for years and is so excited to not only have written her first book, but also to have her first book signing. While the attendance is a lot of supportive friends and family, there are also many people unknown to Arden as well. Definitely what you could call a successful event.

Dustin, an inspiring writer himself, is among those in attendance. Arden sees him as she once was, eager to put words to paper and during the signing offers him some advice on finding a mentor or a writing group.

Then Dustin shows up at Arden’s next signing.

And the next.

Each time Dustin inquires about getting together and talking about writing and giving him tips, Arden politely declines. Her life is full of helping her best friend Zoey with her wedding planning and her move to Oregon, and Arden does not have time for anything extra. But Dustin’s continuous showing up wherever Arden is leads to a quick cup of coffee together – Arden, hoping this will be enough to get him to move on.

But for Dustin, it’s not enough. Angry with Arden for constantly blowing him off, when clearly there is a connection there, yet he sees her having time to go out to dinner with friends… is infuriating. Dustin decided enough is enough, and he shows up unannounced one night at Arden’s home, busting in and assaulting her; Arden barely escapes with her life.

Now Dustin is in jail for 5 years. Arden has to make decisions about what is next for her life and how to feel safe knowing the clock is ticking the days down to Dustin’s release…

And she is not the only one counting down the days….

So… sidebar. I won a grant for $400 to use towards Honey Bee/ Butterfly/Bird-friendly Minnesota Native plants… thus the picture above. 🙂

This is the audio I listened to during my hours of prepping the ground, adding black dirt, planting, and mulching.
And – it was an excellent choice.

Admittedly, I have some old fan favorites of Nora Roberts. The Three Sisters trilogy will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart – as well as one of my all-time favorite characters (Mia) in a book. It’s not often that years later I can talk about a book and remember the characters’ names – but that trilogy – I can talk about it like I read it yesterday

Anyhoo – I digress.

I don’t read a lot of Roberts anymore; however, this title and synopsis had my attention. Can Nora Roberts write a psychological thriller? Turns out – yeah, she can.

You had me at bookstore would be a true statement…you had me at an author stalker as well.

This book was fabulous; while not a romance reader by any means, the light romance that happens in this book is perfect. Not giving too much away – I loved Arden’s strong character while at the same time being able to be vulnerable (rightfully so) after her attack. These characters are people who I want as my friends- my neighbors (NOT Dustin)

There is so so so much to love about this book – but you do not need to take my word for it – read it. And let me know.

And please please please let it be a movie.

Rated: 5 out of 5 – I really liked it!
Read Author Before: Of course
Read Author Again: Of course
Where Read: Audio working in my yard


Bookclub Worthy: YES Please! I think the amazing evolution of Nora Robert – her complete diversity in what she writes under her name as well as her pen name are discussion worthy – AND so is this book.
Topics of discussion – Dustin’s craziness, if we have ever known someone like that that just does not get reality, Arden’s strength, the home she makes for herself, the awesome neighbors
Hard topics – the attack, mental health, recovery

Food for discussion – Cafe food (Sandwiches – good ones), Coffee, wine, Fun bakery items, fresh baked bread, pastas…) Good ol home cooking.

Kissing The Sky by Lisa Patton (Bookies Book Club Pick)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Groovy. ~ Sheila

It’s 1969, and Suzannah is home from college but counting the days to fall when she can return to school. Her childhood home has vivid memories of her strict father not allowing music in the home and forcing her brother to enlist in the Vietnam War to make him a man.

Not much has changed in her home. Having not heard from her brother in two months, Suzannah fears the worst for him, and hates her father for making him go to war.

But things take a turn when her once best friend shows up. Livy is adventurous, free-spirited, and beautiful. Everything that Suzannah is not. When Livy invites Suzannah to come with her to attend a three-day concert upstate New York, Suzannah is hesitant, knowing her father woudl never approve – but the anger she holds for her brother being forced into the war gives her the fight she needs to say yes, and she leaves with Livy with not a word to her parents as to where she is going.

Woodstock is way outside Suzannah’s comfort zone, but her love for music, the overall friendliness of starngers, the insane amount of people gathered together soon melts away Suzannah’s reserved nature. Meeting a cute boy, struggling with Livy’s self-centered nature – all leads to a long overdue growth and memories that will last a lifetime.

We chose this book for Book Club (the above photos are of the foods we had) – The semi truck represents the flatbed of granola that was brought to Woodstock to help feed the masses when the food ran out, as does the brown rice and vegetables. The candy cigarettes, Skittles, and tic tacs- well, you know what they represent, and that was just fun 🙂

For myself, I adored this book. The storyline goes from the present time; Suzannah is a Grandma at the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, attending with her teenage granddaughter.

Told by Suzannah to her granddaughter, the book goes from the present time to Suzannah’s memories. Well put together.

I learned a lot about Woodstock and of course, wanted to deep dive into learning more after having read this book. What an incredible event.

Bookies Book Club (for the most part) also gave this book high ratings, with an average of 4.5 out of 5. We had a great discussion about the music and even had a little sing-along to Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan thanks to one of our talented Book Club members.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rated: 5 out of 5 (me) 4.5 out of 5 Bookies
Read Author Before: no
Read Author Again: Yes!
Where Read: Audio – home, traveling…


Bookclub Worthy: YES Please! This is a great book for a book club – so many opportunities to dress the occasion ( some of us did), food such as the granola, the hot dogs, no-name cola, drugs (candy!), Brown Rice with Veggies…
There is so much to unpack with this book – talking about the music – do you know someone who attended – would you have attended – musicians making their debut, the storyline, Suzannah’s character as well as Livy’s.


The Missing Ones by A R Torre

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There is something about crime in a gated community…. You just can not look away. ~ Sheila

We find ourselves in Crestmore Estates. A gorgeous picture-perfect gated Community – but don’t be fooled, as a pristine address does not make anyone immune to secrets and lies.

Three residents of the community disappeared years ago, leaving behind no trace – lots of questions, and no answers.

Until now.

When human bones show up on a golf course, the rumor mills come out in full force…

Andrea knows that people think that her surgeon husband had a hand in killing his first wife.
Sara Batcher feels the weight of having to defend herself again, against the rumors that he killed her husband.

And the young trophy wife, Katie Morrow, can’t escape the prying, accusatory eyes of her husbands ex -wife.

As the heat is turned on, the three women rally together in a neighborhood where appearances are everything.

Location, Location, Location.

I will keep this brief. There are a lot of moving pieces to this book – and A LOT to keep track of. It felt to me that it really never hit its mark. I kept going to see if I was amazed –

I wasn’t.

A Good Family by Matt Goldman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

Does anyone else just crave a good read? Found it. ~Sheila

Katie Kuhlmann’has it all. She lives in a wonderful Country Club neighborhood with close friends close by, a text away from taking a walk, grabbing a coffee, or even going skiing. She has a great job working as a food scientist for General Mills. She has two great kids who are fun and good-natured. And a hard-working husband she adores.
Or…
She did.

Her husband Jack has become… distracted. And honestly – weird. He disappears to the basement to work on spreadsheets for his business and disappears from the kids entirely, and they can’t find him. Talking to him doesn’t work; he claims job stress and then disappears again – literally.

It’s the most bizarre thing.

Things just get stranger when Adam “Bagman” Ross, a guy both Katie and Jack knew from college, shows up on their doorsteps, hoping to be able to stay. Jack is quick to say yes while Katie is unnerved by soemone who they had not kept in touch with now living close to their children.

Things continue to unravel for the Kuhlmanns as Katie works to keep up appearances with her neighborhood friends and not let on that she suspects Jack is lying to her, and creating a wall between them that Katie does not have the energy – or honestly, the want- to tear down.

I’m going to be honest here. Picking up a BOOK this time of year is unusual for me. Not that I don’t try – but a book usually is carried from one location to the other…. outdoors to the patio, indoors to the recliner, to the nightstand… and rarely gets opened.
I mean well…

This time of year I am mostly audio-something I can listen to while I garden, mow the lawn, bake bread, cook, clean….

BUT… something happened here. I bought this book at the recent Words By The Water Event in Brainerd, MN, where Matt Goldman was one of the authors speaking. We have had him before, and he is delightful, and it was fun to hang out with him after the event with the other authors and catch up a bit. I had read Matt before with my book club years ago, but the book was more traditional thriller than this more psychological one.

This book – called to me, sitting in a pile of other unread books… I just wanted to pick it up… and when I did… I didn’t want to put it down.


Matt’s characters jumped off the page. Katie was someone I wanted to hang out with…. and the friends circles of who really was a friend and who really was not – as well as where the $%#$&*! did Jack keep disappearing to, kept me turning the pages.

I dug in over this past weekend and stayed up until midnight last night to finish. Whatever magic beans were in this book – it worked.

And now… another of his books is calling to me…. stay tuned

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: Yes!
Where Read: Home


Bookclub Worthy: yes – it’s twisty enough to bring up good conversation.

Leveling up for Bookclub – Food in the book includes hot chocolate, pizza, going out for drinks (Mistletoe Manhattan anyone?), and of course Katie works for General Mills…. Breakfast for Book Club? 😛

Have fun!

The Summer We Met by Hope Holloway and Cecelia Scott (The Destin Diaries)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Thirty years ago, the Lawson and Wylie families shared a beach house on the sands of Destin, Florida, for three glorious months a year. When a falling out happens between the two families, the paradise vacations come to a sudden halt, leaving many unanswered questions and a decades-long estrangement.

When a twist of fate puts the home back into the lives of one of the families, newly modernized and now twice the size, it sets a reunion between the two families’ teens ( now in their 40s and 50s). Deciding to share the home for one more season, the old friends experience a catch-up time of love and loss, old hurts, buried secrets, dreams, and more. But when a diary is found that chronicles the seven summers of the past, they are once again found in jeopardy of losing the few setos they had made to building their friendships again.

Ok – full disclosure. I love a cover like this. It makes me think of friendships and beautiful beachy settings… perfect for this time of year.

I did not realize going in that this was a series ( let alone seven books) or I would have likely passed due to the time commitment to an unknown series to me. However, book one flowed so nicely and was a nice distraction while I do yard work; book 2 came as a pleasant surprise.

As this is a series – and I do not want to write separate reviews for each book – I am going to just keep rolling here with each book: a brief synopsis and what I thought.

So that said –
Book 1: a 4.75 out of 5. Loved the setting and the family happenings. The reuniting of the two families’ teens at the time of the fallout, now in their 40s and 50s, I found refreshing – the author did not dumb down this age, which is SO APPRECIATED. I have read many a book where the characters in their 50s/60s are described as frail, easily tired, come off as weary, dated, unable to understand technology, or out of touch, which is annoying, as that is not the circle of people I hang with ( a group of us just went rollerskating last night!)

I enjoyed the characters and was pleasantly surprised when I reached the end to find out that it continues, and I jumped right into the next…

The Summer We Danced – Book 2

As the diaries reveal some past hurts, there are ( of course) some hurdles. More family is introduced, and we meet Crista’s 7-year-old daughter, who struggled with dyslexia, just like Tessa, which is a good connection for the families.

A little romance enters the picture for Vivien, and secrets come to light. Tessa steps into a role she hopes sje is ready to take- but for Tessa, getting her act together has been a long time coming.

My thoughts on Book 2: 4.75 out of 5. The storyline is still engaging, and I enjoyed the two families’ dynamics as they get to know one another again.

The Summer We Made Promises – Book 3

Vivien finds herself torn between two very eligible men. Maggie and Jo Ellen – (Moms of the crew) are trying to find some sort of foothold on their shattered friendship that neither really has the details of what happened, as both their husbands have passed away. Protecting a promise they each made, even while they know it does not make sense.

Lacey takes Tessas trust through the wringer when a BIG secret between the two is leaked due to someone trying to be helpful.

My thoughts: 4 out of 5 rating. Still good and enjoyable, but admittedly, some are a little predictable and annoying. The friendships and wanting to know what will happen keep me going.

The Summer We Kept Secrets Book 4

Jonah learns life as a young dad and getting his act together not only for the family he wants, but for himself. When his sister makes an unexpected appearance with her own secret, the family is once again turned upside down.

Tessa is stepping into a new chapter ( very quickly IMO – but I guess that’s how I roll too, so let’s go!)


Maggie and Jo Ann set off on an adventure that is healing and hilarious.

My Thoughts: 3.5 out of 5 rating. Still good, and I am enjoying getting to know the families more and seeing what will happen. My rating drop – just the stretched out story lines – still good reads.

So, this is the 4 books I have read. While 7 books total (I just learned this), the 5th will come out on audio June 30th of this year.

Will I listen? Most likely… cause I want to know. 🙂

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

A book I really can’t wait to discuss ~ Sheila

Natalie Heather Mills is a “Tradwife Influencer” with millions of followers across her social media platforms as she projects the woman who does it all – from gathering their organic crops, making her own bread out of a rustic kitchen, feeding the chickens, all while taking care fo her husband and her __ children on their 18th century Idaho Ranch.

But –
Don’t believe everything you see online.

In reality, the Ranch is a money pit. There are “hidden from the cameras” more modern practices and appliances. The children that she shows hanging on her hip while gathering eggs all have nannies that take over as soon as the cameras are off…

And Natalie? Well, Natalie’s is slowly unraveling….

No more so, than when she wakes up one morning and finds herself in 1855 with a family and a husband that resembles her real husband, but is a harder man, and now the life she was pretending for the cameras to live is now a very real and very harsh reality.

This is one of those books that I had not heard about until it was nominated and won our Book Club vote this past month.

I had no idea what I was in for – but it definitely checked many of my boxes –

1. Unique

2. Engaging

3. Flowed well

4. Modern day mixed with the past

I really enjoyed it (after I thought about it a bit) and am looking forward to our Bookclub discussions, which I will add bullet points below.

Bookies Book Club Update:

The Bookies were all over the board – lowest rating 2 to one of us who read it – HATED it… thought about it after she was done and gave it a 5… several of us had this reaction, where days after reading we felt we understood it better… like a time-release rating… We wore aprons to give the “Tradwife” image…



Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: yes
Where Read: Home


Bookclub Worthy: Absolutely. There is so much to discuss – social media, Influencers, the changing demands on the modern-day woman….

Leveling up for Bookclub – have everyone bring their apron if they have one! Dress the era…. Food to serve – well, definitely sourdough bread, Eggs, Garden Vegetables, homemade jam, pudding, Gruel –

Too Close To Home by Seraphina Nova Glass

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

The Lakefront community of Cloverhill Lakes draws in a very elite group. The area is known for its beautiful location, top-notch schools, and a place that is safe for your children and families. Moms gather for mimosa brunches, neighborhood power walks, and PTA meetings – you get the picture.

This all changes at the Annual Labor Day party when Regan Hoffman borrows her car to another mom and the car explodes… what seems to be a murder attempt on Reagan, but kills the wrong woman. But who would want to hurt Reagan? A young widow is still grieving the unexpected loss of her husband, Jack.

As the perfect neighborhood begins to crumble under fear and suspicion, Reagan tries to hold it together, not only for herself but also for her daughter Hallie, which ultimately fails when she catches sight of a man who is absolutely – her dead husband, Jack.

A good fast paced thrilled known as a “popcorn thriller.”

Good fun – got right to the point.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: probably
Where Read: Home

Bookclub Worthy: Could be – but really nothing to differentiate from other similar psychological thriller reads. I personally like a little more to unpack in book discussions

Mother’s Day Morning Meanderings….

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day!

For those of you who have followed this site for a long, long time, you may remember Morning Meanderings… the posts where I just shared my life – not just books.

I miss that.

I miss that place to put my voice… put my thoughts.

So here goes.

Mother’s Day is a mixed bag of nuts for me. One amazing son on earth. Once amazing son in Heaven since 2015. This. Changes. This Day.

Throughout the years, many people have said how strong I am. And I never felt strong. If you have been through something like this, you know what I mean. You do what you have to do. You get up. You function… You have good days, and you have days when you are a little sad, sometimes even a little mad.

As cringy as saying this is – life does go on.

It’s just…. different.

For whatever reason, this morning…. I feel strong. I feel that no one will ever understand my personalized concoction of grief. My mom is gone (car accident). My dad and sister are gone (house fire). My son – you know…. and it’s A LOT. Let’s be honest.

We all have stuff.

Last night, I worked as a Wedding Coordinator, and I worked HARD. 12 hours of non-stop setting up a room, setting up the outdoor Ceremony Space, setting the place cards, checking dietary information, MOVING MOVING MOVING. On top of my already full week at my Real Job 🙂

It’s what gets me through…. Busy.

And now here we are today. And the sun is shining… and I’m drinking my coffee out of my Harry Potter cup (far right in picture) because I choose my cup of the day – by mood ( I am a sentimental beast – always have been). And the Harry Potter cup is from my son, Brad.

Today….
I am self-caring.
Sheila Style.

I’m going to mow the lawn. That may not sound like self-care, but it is. I LOVE to mow the lawn. I made sure my dorky 80s style headphones are charged up so I can listen to my book, which is the 4th in a series ( more on that soon), and I should finish that today.

And … I’m going to sit on the deck in the sun and read. I have a few ideas here…

Brad and Kylie will pop over this afternoon, we will grill tonight, and I am going to pick up a nice bottle of wine.

That’s my plan.

It’s not often I just hang. There’s always a project… there’s always something I should fix, clean, update, DO.

And…

Not today.

Today I am just going to BE. Allow myself to feel the feels with the sun on my face and quiet, persistent memories in my heart. And that’s ok.

I hope to write more Meanderings…. so much to share .. so much I want to have a record of on this crazy space that has been my shared space since 2009.

Have an amazing day.

~Sheila

Love Lucy by Lucille Ball

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Not exactly what I was hoping for – but still interesting. ~ Sheila

This book is the unknown manuscript that Lucy had been writing about her life. Following her death on April 26th (interestingly enough, the day I am writing this review), 1989, her children found the 300-page unpublished manuscript among her belongings.

The book is a detailed look into her early days and subsequent marriage to Desi Arnaz, and this in part, is why the book was not published during her life, as it is said that she did not want to cause pain to her ex-husband.

I was looking forward to hearing more about Lucy’s career, and while I did get that, there was a long lead-in about how the manuscript was discovered and a lot of extra stuff that seemed (IMO) to take a lot of time to get into the story I wanted to know more about.

I did enjoy this book on audio and loved the narration of her daughter, Lucie Arnaz. Honestly, she sounded just like Lucy, and I have to believe that Lucy would have loved that.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: –
Where Read: Home

Bookclub Worthy: Possibly yes. Memoirs I think, make for good discussion if it is centered around someone that your group knows/grew up with. There’s an opportunity here to discuss your favorite shows as a child/teen. Did you watch Lucy? Did you enjoy it? Did you know anything about her real life before the book?

To level up you could watch a popular episode together. Research food that was on the show (simple American) and funny food moments ( Beef Goulash, Burgers, Salad, sardines w/ Mashed potatoes ( on an episode), and Spaghetti.

The Price Of Honey by Liane Moriarty

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Well….. ` is a little Moriarty better than no Moriarty? Sheila

Honey Beckett can’t believe her husband, Barney, is dead. Tech genius, brilliant with money – and had plenty of it.

Yet, here she is driving to his funeral, so it must be true. And – he was more than twice his age, so there’s that as well.

On a whim, she decided to sit next to his three ex-wives, Rita, Svetlana, and Meredith – all having been betrayed by Barney –

Honey is no exception. And there is more to come.

I was so excited to see Liane Moriarty have a new book coming out, I immediately pre-ordered this title on audio.
What I did not catch was that this was a short story, and the audio was 56 minutes long ( 34 minutes when you listen at a faster speed like I do).

While fabulous in the way that Moriarty is – I am not a fan of short stories – I like to dig into a good read, and this had all the makings of a full-length book.

Admittedly – disappointed.

Rated: 2.5 out of 5 – due to length – or lack thereof
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes but I will pay attention to page count 🙂
Where Read: Home

Bookclub Worthy: Nope.