July 2009 – Page 2 – Book Journey

It’s Tuesday – Where Are You?

Published on July 28, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

I love this meme! This is hosted by An Adventure in Reading

I am in Rome battling fiercely beside John Anglicus (aka Pope Joan) and helping him…. err…. her…. stay clear of the handsome Gerold. At this point I have just discovered I have been unsuccessful.

~ Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross

A Will To Love by Kim Smith – Book Tour

Published on July 28, 2009July 31, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

Is it possible in such a short amount of time… say the time it takes to read a book, that you can fall in love with the scenery… the musical flow of the words? Yes. It is possible. ~ Sheila

My first ever Book Tour!!!

A Will To Love is the story of Benton Jessup, a widower who is still mourning the loss of his wife Carla, to cancer the previous year. Together Carla and Benton had ran a Bed and Breakfast, and now Benton is left only with his memories and the work of trying to make the Bed and Breakfast a success.

When Kitty Beebe comes to stay, with plans to write a book based around the beautiful area around the Bed and Breakfast, Benton thinks this may be just the ticket to draw people to the Inn. A fast friendship develops between Benton and Kitty and causes Benton to rethink who he is.

This book is a quick read that tugs at your heart. It is about hope and dreams, past hauntings, and new beginnings. I enjoyed the characters and the great setting of this book.

Author Kim Smith a lifelong Memphian who has been married for nearly 16 years and have two wonderful adult children. You can visit Kim’s website at: http://www.mkimsmith.com/

Red Rose Publishing offers a Southern Drink after a Southern Book:

Aunt Tillie’s Sweet Tea

Ingredients

3 Family size tea bags

2 Cups of cold water

1 Cup of sugar

Directions

We in the south make the best iced tea you’ll find.

Maybe it’s how it’s done, or maybe it is the water

in the south, or maybe it’s just that

a southern belle has put a lot of TLC

into making the tea. Who knows!

We recommend Luzianne Tea Bags if available.

Place the two cups water in a pot and add the tea bags.

Bring to a boil, do not continue boiling.

Remove from heat and let steep.

Pour warm tea into empty pitcher.

Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Fill remaining pitcher with cold water.

Optional – some women say they use less water and add ice to the tea.

*This book came to me as a E book to me from Dorothy Thompson of Pump up Your Book Promotion

I rate this book PG13 for some mild nudity

Monday Mind Game: What do you look for in a book blog?

Published on July 27, 2009July 27, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Most of us have a few favorite blog stops we like to keyboard our way over to frequently to see whats new. Today’s question is… what do you look for in a good blog, one that you go back to again and again to see what they are reading, what they recommend, etc…

For me… I look for a blog that:

Is active. Frequent posts and activity on the blog.
The posts are mostly book related. I am a book blogger, I am interested in book related blogs.
The book genre is something I like reading about. These blogs write about books that I either have read or would like to read

How about you?

Morning Meanderings

Published on July 27, 2009July 27, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Coming off a great weekend and new memories with my friends. I did some blog hopping last night as a little catch up session from my time away. While doing this I stopped over at Between The Bookendz and found a review on The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Its interesting that this book, with a rather plain cover and a description that may or may not have caused me to read, captured my attention because of the review. The way Eve at Between the Bookendz describes the book by first saying that the character Flavia De Luce is “one of the the best character names she has ever run across” and then going on to saying she adored the book…. that is what peaked my interest.

As book reviewers I thing we get a feel for what we like in a book, what makes us want to turn the pages. When we read I review, at least for me, how the reviewer expresses their thoughts on the book can speak to me. Eve’s delight in this book made me take a second look at it and now I think it would be a fun mystery – which, as Coffee Cup and I look out my window at a drizzly cloudy Minnesota morning, makes me think this is a book that would be a perfect read for today.

Stop by Between the Bookendz and say hi to Eve. She has many more great reviews and as I explored her site I found other books that i felt I would enjoy as well.

Sunday – Week in Review

Published on July 27, 2009July 27, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

Looking back it was a busy week but I did get a few things done…

My review for The Light, The Dark, and Embers Between by JW Nicklaus was posted last Monday

I also posted a great giveaway for the incredible Jantsens Gift by Pam Cope being available with 5 copies to giveaway!

I made a couple purchases with week when I went into our local book store and bought Pope Joan and The Girls from Ames

I hit a little Blast from the Past post when I reviewed the Three Sisters Trilogy by Nora Roberts…. three of my favorite all time books!

I was gone for the weekend and came back to sign up for the Harry Potter Challenge!

I am currently almost finished with Pope Joan and I am loving this book! Be sure to check out my post on how to get a signed copy from the author as well as a chance to win tickets for two to the premiere of the Pope Joan Movie with the author and her family!

And now…. for the books that came in the mail this week:

Above: Well the top two in the pile are my purchases… and where you see doubles of a book, that is upcoming giveaways. I have some great reads that just came in and I am excited to get on them!

Below: While I was away this weekend I went to the Silver bay Library Sale and picked up a bag full of books at a quarter a piece. So some of the books you will see in this picture I may already have – but I could not resist a quarter book!

So there you have it! More to the TBR pile. I have a busy week ahead – I will take part in two blog tours this week *my first ones!) A Will To Love by Kim Smith and Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer.

I have several books read that I need to write reviews on and hopefully will get a good start on that as well as a new Guest Blogger post that I have been working on for over a week now but just have not had time to finalize!

Oh and one more thing, I received the Kreativ Blogger award from Reality Bites! Thank you! Stop over and see this fun blog that writes on many topics and genres.

Ready to roll this week? I am!

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross Giveway!

Published on July 26, 2009July 29, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)53 Comments

I recently started an amazing book called Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross. I am still reading it and hope to finish it today and have my review posted, but this I felt couldn’t wait!

The author, Donna Woolfolk Cross and I have been emailing back and forth and we have been discussing the movie coming out this fall based on this book. What? You didn’t know? Yes, this fall the movie is going to be out in theaters. See trailer here

Chatting with Donna, who is just a delightful person, she has offered my readers a signed copy of Pope Joan autographed and inscribed just to you! I am very excited about this giveaway and want to get started on it right away!

Book sales on this book over the next 3 weeks will determine in part how widely the movie will open in the U.S. So from our little corners of the world I would love to see if we could help out.

Here are the ways you can earn entries for this giveaway:

1 entry for leaving your comment here of how (if you were the winner) you would want the book signed and inscribed.

2 extra entries for blogging or twittering about this giveaway and leaving the link here in a separate comment.

Earn 2 extra entries by calling the biggest name bookstore in your area and seeing if they have Pope Joan in stock. If not, they should! With this link here they can download posters about the book and the red carpet giveaway. (On a separate comment post what store you called)

5 extra entries if you go out and purchase the book either at a local book store or online and let me know where you did. (If you have book clubs or reading groups that purchase the book, let me know and earn the points for how many books total were purchased) * this entry as well need to be on a separate comment.

And don’t forget that your receipt for the purchase of this book can by mailed for a chance to go to the premier of the movie with Donna Woolfolk Cross! More information here on this.

For every 25 comments I will add to this giveaway so please share this with your friends and other book lovers.

For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die–Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Now in this riveting novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn. When her brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak–and his identity–and enters the monastery of Fulda. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually, she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest office in Christendom–wielding a power greater than any woman before or since. But such power always comes at a price . . .

I hope you all go and pick up your copy of Pope Joan and enjoy a great read! As we are a part of the reading community, I would love to see what we can do!

This giveaway will end August 15.

Update July 28: My review of Pope Joan

Harry Potter Reading Challenge

Published on July 26, 2009January 2, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

I didn’t mean too! I was just catching up on some posts and doing a bit (just a bit) of blog surfing to see what my fellow book bloggers have been up too and I swear I fell right into a Harry Potter trap! (Perhaps it was magic!) I first seen it on one blog… and posted a comment about my TBR pile and there was just no way…. then I found my way to Galleysmith and once I seen the books being offered for being a part of this challenge….. it was all over but the signing of the Linky.

So here I am. Staring lovingly at my Harry Potter series of books, having wanted to take them off the shelf this year before the movie came out but I never made it….. now, thanks to the challenge…. I will!

Go over to Galleysmith and sign up to join me as well as many others as we bring out the books that for me, hold a tiny corner of my heart, and memories as my two boys grew up with these delightful books.

1. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling

2. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

3. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Home from the North Shore

Published on July 26, 2009July 26, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

I am home and my friends and I had a wonderful time on the North Shore this weekend. A little shopping in Ely Minnesota at the Blueberry Festival, spoke with a couple publishers, went to a street dance , hit a book sale during Beaver Bay Days and made our way home today.

I am super tired so will not get much done tonight but bookmark this page, follow, whatever you need to and keep an eye open this week because I have a lot of fun things coming starting this Sunday!

* I have an amazing offer from the author of Pope Joan, Donna Woolfork Cross that you will not want to miss! I will be posting this tomorrow.

* I have a couple amazing giveaways that I will be posting as well this week.

* My first blog tour takes place this week and I am so excited to be a part of the A Will To Love by Kim Smith tour. This book will be one you will want to know more about!

* I have reviews to post for some excellent reads

*Sunday evening I will be posting what has been in the mailbox this week and what is coming up for reviews…. stay tuned…. there will be something new happenings every day this week!

I absolutely love hanging out with my friends…. they rejuvenate me. We go, we explore, we talk for hours into the night about everything – and nothing. And then when it is over I have new memories and feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing friends!

Summerhouse – Take Ten (TEN???)

Published on July 24, 2009July 26, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

One of my all time favorite reads is Summerhouse by Jude Deveroux. I just adore the writing, the images that come to mind as I read about this incredible house – but even more than the house – much more than the house, it is about friendships and second chances. The title speaks to me.

Earlier this week I seen a great feature by Kay at The Infinite Shelf about different books with the same title. I found that fascinating. Tonight I decided to try that with Summerhouse and I am amazed at what I found! Here are the books called Summerhouse that I found in a quick search:

My Fav…. so we shall call this Summerhouse #1:

Synopsis: Three best friends, all turning forty, celebrate at a summerhouse in Maine — and take stock of their lives, loves, and choices. A mysterious “Madame Zoya” now arrives, offering them a chance to relive any three weeks from the past.

This is Summerhouse #2….this one I have seen everywhere on book blogs. New release, looks good. And check it out! Three great covers!

Synopsis: After years of wandering from whim to whim, thirty-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of land on the family’s seaside compound to get Charlotte started. Though Charlotte’s skill with plants is bringing her success, cultivating something deeper with people–particularly her handsome neighbor Coop–might be more of a challenge.

This one, #3… was released to the US in 1997

Synopsis: When successful industrialist Alfred Dunstan arrives in the Lake District to build his family a mansion, it seems to fifteen-year-old Chrissie Ascham that something new, exciting, and more than a little unnerving has entered her life. For nothing in her carefully governed childhood – not even an amateur botanist mother or an abstracted Renaissance-obsessed father – has prepared her for the sheer raw energy of the Dunstans. Before long, she has been drawn into a world dominated by Alfred’s tyranny and his implacable war with his son, Jack – not to mention his daughter Beatrice’s passionate lust for the good things in life and the childlike gentleness of his neglected and beautiful wife, Letty. A trip to view the cultural glories of Venice turns into a sensual awakening – not only for unworldly, reflective Chrissie, but for Letty Dunstan also – setting off a spiraling sequence of passion, tragedy, and betrayal involving wartime treachery, slow and seductive blackmail, and thirty of the world’s most fabulous pearls…during the last sultry, unheeding summer before the outbreak of the Great War.

Summer House #4…. this one looks good

Synopsis: She made a life with one man—but always loved another at…The Summer House.

Jean Stone captured readers’ imaginations with the “graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters” (Publishers Weekly) of novels like Tides of the Heart and Places by the Sea. Now, in her latest novel, she reveals the public scandals of a family destined for political greatness—and the private secrets of a woman who traded her childhood dreams for a role she was born to play….

Summerhouse #5… what a cute looking book!

Synopsis: When Grandma laughs, everybody laughs! Everyone, that is, except Ella. She’s a very serious girl. Until the day when Grandma says to her, “You have to find some sunshine inside yourself–even when it’s winter”. And she gives her granddaughter the key to the summerhouse–a world of warmth and sunshine. Full color.

Summerhouse #6…. I love this cover!

Synopsis: 1918. Young Lady Helen Barstairs, the dutiful daughter of Lord Hardingham, believes everything her mother and father tell her. So when her parents say she will never find a better husband than Richard – ‘brave, handsome, wealthy, such a charming man and quite a catch’ – she believes them, and agrees to marry him before his return to the Front. Helen hopes the letters they exchange will allow them to get to know one another but over time, Richard’s correspondence becomes increasingly cold and distant, and Helen begins to wonder just who this man she has married really is. And that’s when Oliver Donovan enters her life.Helen knew embarking on an affair was not a wise decision but, for the first time in her life, Helen knew what it felt like to be in love. With the war continuing on foreign shores, Oliver had to return to his regiment – and was never seen again. Learning she is with child, Helen confesses all to her shocked parents, who force her to give up her baby. She vows to find her child again one day. Over twenty years pass and it seems history is about to repeat itself; a new war has begun, and another young woman is about to lose her heart to a serviceman – Can lessons of the past save the heartache of a new generation?

Summerhouse #7: This one is in Ukraine… hmmm… I have friends who are in Ukraine right now….

Synopsis: Rose Fell’s friends think she’s taking a big risk when she leaves the security of home and career to move to the beautiful but isolated village of Grosso, near Genoa. But after a year of emotional turmoil Rose no longer has any ties back home, and she relishes the challenges of a new start.Making a home, however, in the ravishing, haunted landscape of Italy’s Riviera coast turns out to be lonelier than Rose had anticipated.

Summerhouse #8: I just dont like the cover on this one

Synopsis: Helen is persuaded to take a fellow actress home with her to the sprawling, crumbling summer house in Scotland where her ailing father lives in self-imposed isolation. Will Ruth, this new-found friend, be the answer to Helen’s problems….?

#9 Ok…. this one is really Summer’s House so not an exact match….

Synopsis: In Eric Gabriel Lehman’s luminous and compelling novel, Summer’s House, three characters who each inhabit a very different aspect of New York City each find themselves searching for a place where they truly belong. Raymond, an overly cerebral seventeen-year-old, has decided it’s time for him to fall in love yet struggles with his own desires. Jerome is an unrecognized poet obsessed with the woman who threw him out when he uncovered her past. Raymond’s Uncle Lester, an uncomfortable suburbanite, is tormented by his failing business and his wife’s obscene caller. One hot summer in the 1970’s, their lives intersect, collide, pull apart and irreversibly change.

#10 I dont think I would like this one…. but it is part of the Summerhouse set

Synopsis: Margaret and Syl are getting married. Alas for Margaret, who views her impending union with the odious Syl in the same way a ship must view a shipwreck. Alas for Mrs. Monro, Syl’s mother, who harbors severe doubts about the entire male gender–not least of all her son. Alas for Lili, the high-spirited temptress who is willing to do anything to prevent this disastrous misalliance, even if that means sacrificing herself.

Ok so this whole post was pretty random. I thought it would be fun to look at all the different Summer House books. It is amazing how many share the same title.

Do you know any books out there that share the same title?

Which of these Summerhouse books would you like to read and why?

*Note – I am out of town this weekend until Saturday evening. I will respond to all comments when I return and visit blogs on Sunday! Thanks for visiting! Come again soon!

Bookies Reads

Published on July 23, 2009July 23, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

At our last Bookies meeting, we chose our August Book Club Read as well as our classic read for October. We always read a classic every October and choose the book in July to give people time to: