October 2009 – Page 7

Morning Meandering

Published on October 13, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

Tonight is my book club review of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. I had procrastinated on reading this book and wound up cranking out about 4 1/2 hours of reading late last night to finish for today. Tonight everyone meets at my house for a potluck meeting based on foods in the book… my favorite meetings! Thanks to a little help from Natasha at Maw Books, I will be serving Minestrone and I think Straka as well since I am in charge of the main dishes tonight – it will be fun to see what everyone else brings!

Speaking of recipes… my meandering this morning was over to My Friend Amy’s blog where she is having a Fall Recipe Exchange. Fall is just the season for foods that bake and things that simmer on the stove… I think there is nothing like walking into a home that has just baked bread, or pie, or has had a big pot of yummy soup on all day and that house is filled with mouth water ing scents…

Ok… now I am hungry! 🙂 Have a great recipe for this time of year? Stop over to My Friend Amy’s and add it to her linky – oh and be sure to check out all the other recipes as well. I hope to put mine up later today….

Have a wonderful day all! I will be touching base again in a couple hours when my Tuesday post goes live and then again later today with a recipe and possibly a giveaway post!

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent – Giveaway

Published on October 13, 2009November 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)94 Comments

I am excited to be able to offer this book, The Heretic’s Daughter for giveaway thanks to Valerie at Hachette Book Group

This giveaway is now closed 11/15/2009

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live.

Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft.

This is the story of Martha’s courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Reading Group Guide for book clubs and group discussions!

So how to enter? I will give one book away for every 10 comments up to 5 books…

1) Leave a comment here

2) for an additional chance follow this blog and or me on twitter (leave a separate comment here saying you do so)

3) for a third chance – blog about this on Facebook and let me know here on another comment

**This giveaway is open to USA and Canada residents only… Giveaway will end on November 12

The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

Published on October 12, 2009October 14, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

“On the first day of Halloween my good friend gave to me: a vulture in a dead tree.”

Everyone knows the Twelve Days of Christmas, but are you ready for the Thirteen Days of Halloween? In this delightfully offbeat story, a dashing ghoul tried to win his ghostly love’s heart with heaps of hilarious gifts – ranging from broomsticks and bats to cauldron’s and cats!

Author CAROL GREENE wrote her first poem when she was six years old (it was about a spider). To date she has published more than 200 books for children. Carol also likes to read, sing, and make teddy bears.

Illustrator TIM RAGLIN brings his wacky imagination and wonderfully odd cast of characters to this book. His previous books include: The Wolf Who Cried Boy, The Curse of Catunkhamun, and The Birthday ABC. He received a silver metal from the New York Society of illustrations for his book Uncle Mugsy and The Terrible Twins.

My Thoughts:

Beautifully illustrated I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to see that kids are going to find great enjoyment to a tune they are already familiar with. Each page I had to read every word to keep up the rhythm of the song… The 13 Days of Halloween is one I can picture coming out each October and reading as a family in anticipation of the holiday that kids and adults alike enjoy. It was a T R E A T to read!

This review book was sent to me by Sourcebooks

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

Published on October 12, 2009October 12, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Today I am cruising through A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. This is our book club read that is being reviewed tomorrow night and I have procrastinated on getting it read. The review is taking place here at my home and we are going to potluck to the theme of the book. One thing I have discovered about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – there is a lot of talk about food. It should be interesting to see what everyone brings.

Last week I finished:

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

Extraordinary by John Bevere (and giveaway!)

Football is For Lovers (blog tour this week – review will be up on Wednesday)

Swimsuit by James Patterson

The Finanical Lives Of The Poets by Jess Walters (blog tour this week, review up on Wednesday)

As for my week of reading… I have set another lofty goal but as you look at the plan know this…

I have finished Novel Destinations last night so that one is off the pile.
Receive Me Falling I started last week and had to put down to get going on A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.
The 13 Days of Halloween is a blog tour and that review is up yet today, read and scheduled at this time.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society is going in the car with me when we road trip tot he cities for the Women of Faith Conference this coming Thursday afternoon. I am not driving so that means I can read a bit! 🙂
The 39 Clues is a book I am curious about and this one as well is going in the car with me for the weekend conference

Yes… as always a lofty plan but when I break it down, I think doable. Chance goes home tomorrow afternoon after being with us for a month. I am saddened by this as I love having him around. With this move, my reading routine should increase as I will no longer be playing video games and watching TV with him late into the evenings.

What are you reading this week? Stop over to J Kayes Blog and be sure to add your reading post to Mr Linky so others may stop by and visit you!

Morning Meandering….

Published on October 12, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Coffee Cup and I were sitting here at the table this morning thinking about the next couple of weeks and plans for the “while I am away” posts. While putting some thoughts down on paper I was also thinking about how I do book reviews and what I can do to jazz them up a bit. I currently start with a one line sentence that sums up some feelings I had on the book…. its like my signature trade mark or something. Then I have the book cover and the book information… then my thoughts on the book, and I finish with author information and links to author websites, blogs, etc…

There are two things I have been considering adding to my reviews.

1. I would like to add a section called “What did I learn?” It is a staple question in our book club discussions and I am surprised I hadnt thought to add it to my reviews here. Fiction or non fiction – there is always something you learn while reading… it could be a new word, how to do something (or how not to do something), it could be a fact about a city or state or animal…. in the case of my recent review of Swimsuit, I learned that you never NEVER open a door for anyone who says they are delivering flowers to you! (LOL)

2. The second thing I thought would be fun is to have what I call…”the book in action”. Not just the cover pic… but also one of my copy… if I read it on a boat, or on the deck, by a camp fire or in my chair…

So that is what the Coffee Cup and I are up to this morning…. trying to plan ahead and to imrove on what we already have going to keep this little corner of the internet up to date and hopefully interesting… 🙂

In My Mailbox

Published on October 11, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Sunday already! I had a busy week and did not accomplish anywhere near what I had hoped to for this week of reading! I am now working on my book club read for Tuesday, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

My mailbox however had a great week! Lets check it out together!

The Secret Mandarin by Sara Sheridan is a win from Historical Tapestry (are you digging this cover? I totally am!)

Saving Sammy by Beth Maloney is a true story of a mothers journey with a son who has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) watch for this on Tour on November 9

Flowers for Elvis by Julia Schuster (would you just look at this cover!) I received this wonderful win from J Kayes Blog!

The Magic Warble is a blog tour for December 7. How fun does this book look? 🙂

Wealth Out Of Ashes is a First reads win.

Lucan by Susan Learney was a win from Anna’s Book Blog ( A fellow Minnesotan Blogger!)

Tell Me Something True is part of the Hispanic month giveaway for a set of five books! Check it out here only 4 more days to enter!

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner is a review AND a giveway! Yup see the extra copy? It could be yours!

Catching Fire came this week with the super cool t shirt and pin I won over at Park-Avenue Princesses blog (WOO HOO!) I gave Chance the t shirt – he was thrilled… but the book is all MINE! MINE I say! MINE!!! 😉

Diary of a Teenager, Leaving Carolina, and Limelight are all part of a set of fun fall reads that I will be on tour with. I am excited to see what each of these books is about!

Family Plots… which is described as a laugh out loud funny read is also a tour

The Smart One and the Pretty One looks like a lite chick lit. I am looking forward to this one!

Love Revolution by Joyce Meyer came as twins this week (see the? One… two!). I already have a review copy so these two gorgeous looking books will be on for giveaways… stay tuned! 🙂

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks ….. wait ….. wait…. yes, Sparks. He is an incredible writer and in my hot little hand is this wonderful book for review. There is a happy dance going on right here….

The Historian is for review and I also have five copies of this historical fiction to give away! Giveaway is going on now so I suggest you stop and check it out!

39 Clues… book One…. yeah I broke down and bought it! I have to know what it is all about! I am excited to hopefully get into that one yet this week!

Novel Destinations arrived in my mailbox this week and I have already cruised through this book soaking up all the sights and literary landmarks! Watch for this review this week…

Rooftops of Tehran.… ahhhh….. yes of my wish list and now in my home! The author of this book contacted me and had seen my excitedment about this book and offered me a copy! That is sooooo cool!

There it is. The mailbox is now emptied. How about you? Be sure to go over to Story Siren’s blog and use Mr Linky to connect with the In My Mailbox post so others can see what you had arrive as well! 🙂

Happy reading!

Swimsuit by James Patterson (Audio Book)

Published on October 10, 2009October 11, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Shockingly addicting…. from the very beginning I was captured with a story line that made my heart beat a little faster and I wanted to know… had to know, how it was all going to end. ~ Sheila

THE BEACH…
A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels’s parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter.

…WILL NEVER BE…
Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the L.A. Times, gets the McDaniels assignment. The ineptitude of the local police force defies belief—Ben has to start his own investigation for Kim McDaniels to have a prayer. And for Ben to have the story of his life.

…THE SAME FOR YOU AGAIN.
All the while, the killer sets the stage for his next production. His audience expects the best—and they won’t be disappointed. Swimsuit is a heart-pounding story of fear and desire, transporting you to a place where beauty and murder collide and unspeakable horrors are hidden within paradise.

Buy this book

My Thoughts

I am fairly new to audio books. Over this past year as I have had much time in the car as I went here and there across out great state of Minnesota, I discovered that I really enjoyed listening to the books.

With Swimsuit by James Patterson I was really surprised how quickly the story line swept me in. As I was listening to the early parts of the book, at the point that I was still deciding if this was a fit for me…. I was pleasantly shocked at the fast pace of this thriller…. moving with speed through the scenes that reflected in my mind. There were a cople moments where I caught my breath, had I heard that right?

The opening story line of this audio with the Super Model Kim and her parents is good, very good. Yet Jame’s Patterson’s Swimsuit is so much more. It is a close up look into a killers mind. What makes him tick and even as the book goes on all the pieces do not fall into place until the very end – as well written novels are capable of doing.

I ended up being very glad that I had this opportunity to listen to this book. A good murder mystery for me are few and far between. this one left me waiting for the next opportunity it take a drive so I could continue on with this captivating story.

A storyteller like no other, James Patterson…

Holds the New York Times bestsellers list record* with 47 New York Times bestselling titles.

In 2007, one out of every fifteen hardcover novels sold was a Patterson title. In 2007, an estimated 16 million James Patterson books were sold in the United States alone—more than John Grisham and Stephen King sold, combined, and more books than there are people subscribing to satellite radio.

Is the founder of the James Patterson PageTurner Awards which, for three years running, has given away cash prizes totaling more than $600,000 to groups and individuals who do outstanding work to spread the fun and excitement of books and reading. Patterson is also on the board of the charitable organization First Book whose mission is to get the first book in the hands of underserved youth and has donated thousands of books to troops overseas.

I received this audio book from Hachette Audio Books

I rate this audio R for graphic details and some sexual content

The Book Cover….How Important Is It?

Published on October 10, 2009October 10, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)47 Comments

I had a little time to blog hop yesterday afternoon and I found myself over at a new blog (to me) lucy was robbed. LOVE the name of this blog and I love the explanation of the name which you will find on the blog header.

What really caught my eye was that in one of the recent reviews there was a bit about covers having nothing to do with the book. I know this has been touched on a bit on blogs that I have seen and probably even ones I have not seen, so forgive me if this is just a repeat of what has already been hashed through. I think what made me really start thinking about this was a quote that said, in this particular case, that “potential audience was lost”.

I don’t want to reopen a particular discussion on a particular book so lets not go there. 🙂 What I am thinking about is the bigger picture (no pun intended). I have said it before and it is no secret that I love a great book cover. In most cases when browsing through a book store it will be the cover that causes that initial pause in my travels to pull the book off the shelf. Even if I have went into a book store with a title in mind for purchase, it is usually because I have SEEN the cover on someones blog or online and the COVER made me read more about the book.
The cover is not the reason I buy the book, but it is the initial “getting to know you” phase where I pick up the book to see what it is about and that can be what makes or breaks the connection.

It’s true and I hope that’s not shallow of me.

What I find concerning is reading how authors in many cases really do not have a lot on say on the books cover once it goes to the publisher. Authors really can be putting their baby so to speak, in the hands of another… and really that can make or break a book.

What I am asking today is do you think covers affect sales? Can a non appealing cover truly cause sales loss on a book?

I am interested in hearing your take on all of this… I may dive into this subject in more depth in future posts but do to time restraints today I just wanted to put this out there and see where it goes. I would like to interview a couple authors and book cover designers as well to hear how this all works from their more experienced views.

Morning Meanderings…

Published on October 10, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

I woke up this morning to something I am just not ready for…. something I am not sure I am ever really ready for….. but it is what it is…

Snow

I cant remember having snow this early before. I am kind of just fighting the urge to turn around and go back to bed and see if it is all just some sort of wild dream. Yet … with Coffee Cup in hand… I stare out the window and know it is all too real.

This morning I am off to Breezy Point (about 20 miles) to set up for our Missions Banquet that takes place tonight. We have a great Silent Auction this year with a Spa Package, A golf package, and we also have tickets “on the glass” to different Wild games. Should be fun! If I have time I have a post coming up yet today about books and covers…. I will be interested in hearing from readers about that.

Have a great day – stay warm wherever you are!