Month: April 2010

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

“I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!”

Don’t you just love that wording? It is a quote out of Alice In Wonderland.  And the more I read the more I fall in love with the language of the book. I don’t know why I never picked it up before but I now use the words “Curiouser and curiouser” at least once a week!

Do you ever have a book do that to you?  Where you just fall in love with the words?

Today after many  moments with Coffee Cup I am off to have my bike checked out and then meeting Amy at 10 am on the bike trail.  Today we will do 32 miles to prep for Sunday.  32 takes us on the trail to Nisswa (nearby town)  and back.  Should be a good ride.  I completed this ride on Tuesday and enjoyed it.

I normally work today but this was the only day Amy had time to ride so I switched my schedule and will work tomorrow instead.  I love the flexibility of my job!

So – I am off for now – but put the question back on you:

Do you ever have a book do that to you?  Where you just fall in love with the words?


hold still by Nina LaCour

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

Book Journey traveled to San Francisco

Get delicious jam thumb prints at the Piccino Coffee Bar

304 pages

Cover:  Its good… I think it really captures the book

An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction.

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

ο     ο     ο     ο     ο     ο

I picked this book up while I was in Florida at Books A  Million.   Cover and story line drew me in and I was curious to see where this story on teenage suicide would lead.

As the book opened up and I read the first 10 – 15 pages I thought, “The writer has no emotion, it was like everything was just matter of fact – what Caitlin was doing…. it felt – monotone.  And then a new feeling washed over me.  A cold one.

This is grief I thought.  I know grief all too well, and suddenly my appreciation for the book and the author grew in leaps and bounds.  Grief is at times non emotional.  You go through the motions of life, of what you are suppose to – meant to do…. but there is no feeling behind it.  Because – there is no feeling in you.  And this is where I find Caitlin.  And we connect.

I appreciate a book that lets you feel without being told how you should feel.  hold still was just that type of book.  As Caitlin works through her grief, at times seeming so real that tears fell down my face, I could feel the mood of the book lift.

I really could go on and on about the book.   When Caitlin finds a new friend, there is that sense of betrayal to her friend Ingrid who committed suicide.  And then there is the diary which reminded me a little of Thirteen reasons Why (another fantastic book), but this one clearly stood on its own.  Caitlin starts to understand her friend Ingrid more and more through the pages of the diary and reminded me once again how fragile teenagers can be as they deal with growing up, that boy/girl that they really wish would notice them, parents who couldn’t possibly understand, school pressures, friends, popularity….

The more I read, the more impressed I came with the book and have to say this is a fantastic read.  Even as I look at it now for this review, I wish there was more.  It was one of those books that you fall into and befriend the characters, and I miss them already.

I purchased my copy of this book from Books A Million in Pensacola, Florida

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)50 Comments


I am up!  And Coffeed.  And….

I bought something.

I actually bought it in Florida – in the wonderful Books a Million.  Actually, now what I think about it, the book review going up later today is also a purchase from Books A Million.  Ahhhhhh….. a BAM day!  🙂

Ok here it is but do not (DO NOT) laugh at me:

Ok…. if you must snicker, turn the other way and act like you are coughing.  Yes I realize I purchased a piece of twisty plastic.  But – of yes there is a but, if you seen my morning ritual you would understand.

Every morning when I am prepping for my day I have a book in the bathroom with me so I can read as I blow dry my hair, style, make up…  I have done this for years.  The trick is keeping the book open.  I use a large lotion bottle, hairspray, whatever I can find that will keep the book open.  Then I have to move said item to read the words.  Occasionally said item rolls off the book and I lose my page.

This item, the Gimble, was a huge “aha moment” when I seen it.  For $5.95 – worth it.  here it is in action:

Mmmmmm hmmmm…. that’s what I’m talking about!  How super cool is that?

Ok…. I need to finish up my coffee and get ready for work.  Today I am going to bike in.  It is only 3 miles and I am trying to get in as much biking as possible.  I have a fantastic book review coming up later.  Well, maybe the review isnt fantastic – but I am going to try to be because the book was.

Here is the question I want to leave you with.  What do you prop your books open with (or is that just me?)

Daughter Of Mine by Laura Fabiani

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Tiziana Manoretti is an only child in her late twenties blessed with loving parents, a promising career, and a best friend who fiercely protects her. When her mother falls seriously ill and the relationship between her parents becomes suddenly strained, a carefully hidden family secret is revealed and Tiziana’s seemingly idealistic world is turned upside down.

After discovering she was born in a Naples orphanage and subsequently given up for adoption, Tiziana sets out for the small town of Gaeta in an attempt to find her birth parents. Meanwhile, her best friend Christopher is sending her mixed messages, causing her to wonder if there is more to their relationship than just companionship. As she becomes intertwined with a handful of interesting characters who help her uncover her past, Tiziana needs to decide whether her feelings for Christopher are deeper than she realizes. She discovers herself and others all while her family’s resilience and love for one another is tested when confronted with a shocking truth.

The answers lie in a box found in a closet in Italy, and Tiziana must determine if she wants to embrace the heartache and the pain from her past in order to learn forgiveness and find peace in the future.

I really enjoyed my time with Tiziana.  This is a book that I read the synopsis of and thought it sounded like a wonderfully intriguing story and guess what?  It was!

I enjoy books that make you feel like you are there – right in the story and that was the feeling I found within the pages of Daughter of Mine.  I could imagine Tiziana’s feeling of despair and confusion as her life goes from near perfect (picture Snow White surrounded by birds and critters) to a turmoil that had to be gut wrenching.

I would not have looked at this book and called it a romance…. but in a way, it is.  Not being a big fan of the romance genre – I have to say I was pleased how this book flowed into that genre, but also was surrounded by mystery.

I found the book to be well written, beautifully detailed in characters and settings.  Daughter Of Mine had a quality about it that made the book feel real to me.

About Laura:

Laura Fabiani has been writing as far back as she can remember, making use of poetry and short compositions throughout her youth to express her ideas and feelings.  One of her early goals in life was to write a novel. She began several of them, but never brought them to completion… until one day her sister asked, “Laura, when are you going to finish that book you once talked about writing?”

That’s when Fabiani finally sat down and began to write where she had left off more than eight years ago, when the idea for Daughter of Mine was sparked listening to her mother-in-law’s stories of her youth in her native Naples.

Italy has always held a special place for Laura Fabiani because her parents are Italian immigrants. Her father is from the beautiful mountainous region of Pescara in Abruzzo and her mother from the romantic city of Rome. In addition, Fabiani’s maternal grandmother came from a noble family in Gaeta, Naples. Fabiani has traveled several times to Italy and stayed in her ancestral home in Rome with her relatives.

When not writing or immersed in study, she divides her time between taking care of her family and sharing in a volunteer worldwide Bible education program. Of all the literature Fabiani has read, the Holy Scriptures have shaped her life the most. She has deep respect for this book that has influenced some of the world’s greatest art, literature, music and has had a significant impact on law. “It teaches us how to live the best life now and in the future,” she believes.

She is currently working on her second novel. She lives with her husband and two children in Montreal, Quebec.

My Amazon Review

I received my review copy from the author, Laura Fabiani.  This in no way has any effect on how I reviewed this book.

Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments


About Hiking Through: Finding Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail

After losing his wife to breast cancer, Paul Stutzman decided to make some big changes. He quit his job of seventeen years and embarked upon a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,176-mile stretch of varying terrain spanning fourteen states. During his nearly five-month-long hike, he battled brutal trail conditions and overwhelming loneliness, but also enjoyed spectacular scenery and trail camaraderie. With breathtaking descriptions and humorous anecdotes from his travels, Stutzman reveals how immersing himself in nature and befriending fellow hikers helped him recover from a devastating loss. Somewhere between Georgia and Maine, he realized that God had been with him every step of the way, and on a famous path through the wilderness, he found his own path to peace and freedom.

Pack up your bag – we are going hiking!  I recommend that you pack Kleenex, as Paul’s book took me to the high points and also to low points, almost right from the beginning of the book:

My wife Mary called me at the restaurant I had managed for seventeen years. Her strained voice said, “It’s malignant.” My mind raced—benign, malignant—which is good news, which is bad? I couldn’t remember.

“What does that mean?”

“I have cancer.” The words jerked out between sobs. I told Mary I was coming home, hung up the phone, dropped my head into my hands, and for the first time in years, wept.

Page 1

And this is where Paul and my journey together began.  In the wrenching months that stretch to years that follow,  Paul and Mary cling to their Faith in God.  Mary does pass away from this horrible disease and Paul finds himself alone.

When Paul makes the decision to hike the Appalachian trail I actually get tingles.  I love adventure and this is a big one.  Over 2,000 miles and through 14 states, this is not a task to be taken lightly.  As Paul prepares he mentions that if he would have known ahead of time what a difficult journey this would be – he probably would have backed away from such a challenge.  Of course he admits, he would then have missed out on an incredible journey and an incredible healing.  And we, as readers, would have missed out as well.

As I read these pages, many times through tears, my heart soared for Paul’s strength.  Throughout the trail there are so many emotions and senses that I feel…. I think it may be safe to say that I hit every one of them from anger, to sorrow, to passion, to laughter, Paul’s journey is one I am so glad I was able to be a part of and I highly recommend this book.

About The Author

After Paul Stutzman’s wife died, Paul quit his job to hike the Appalachian trail to give himself time to think and to heal. Hiking Through: Finding Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail is his story. A former restaurant manager, he is now retired and planning his next big adventure: a cross-country bicycle trip. Stutzman currently lives in Berlin, Ohio. To see pictures of his hike or to find out more about Paul and his book, visit his website at http://www.hikingthrough.com.

Pauls Blog

My Amazon Rating

I received my review copy from Pump Up Your Book Tour

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)37 Comments


I am having an affair.

Have you heard of Books A Million?  I have only found these stores in Florida….. I have only been in them twice….

but I am in love. ♥

Is it wrong to love a book store?  To enjoy browsing through their large counters of clearance books?  To find books that you seen the day before for $18+ at a B & N, and at Books A Million find that same book for $3.99?

We went in the Books A  Million looking for a Honda Magazine for Navy son, Brad.  B & N did not have it.  B.A.M. (yes, that’s right – I have given it a pet name!) did.

It’s where I bought the book Hold Still that I will be reviewing later this week.  AND – I bought something else really cool….. but that will have to wait for another meandering… another day.

Today I am back home in Minnesota.  Touched ground about 3:30 pm yesterday afternoon.  I have not made it around to everyone who participated in yesterdays What Are You Reading Meme – but I will!  Also – if you have not read the delightful author chat I had with Kay Cassidy, please do.  Her first book is on the shelves and she is witty and funny – and a tea drinker but I can forgive her that… because she is witty and funny.  😀

I have a review up yet today be sure to stop back in…  and I also have giveaways that need to be announced.  With a little luck – I just may start catching up!

Brad (Navy) and Justin (College) - sons I just hung out with in Florida

Whats on your agenda this week for fun?

Author Chat: Kay Cassidy (Author of The Cinderella Society)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Lets see… before we get started today let me take you back to late last fall.  I am not sure if you remember all the squeals of excitement over here that was related to my reading of The Cinderella Society, but there were squeals… trust me…. it was very girly here.  And a little pink.

So now, here we are about 6 months after I have read the book and I am about to introduce you to the amazing author of this book, Kay Cassidy.  Why now?  Because Kay’s book just went on the retail shelves this past week!  Now that her book is available to the public, I wanted to bring her over to Book Journey and see what all that excitement tastes like.


So please with no further ramblings by me, please welcome Kay Cassidy.

This morning I am sipping  on a steaming hot cup of mocha latte with no whip. and Kay what will you be having?

Kay:  I’m a big tea drinker, actually, so I’m having my usual mandarin orange decaf green tea with honey.  I do love the smell of your coffee though.  (Kay inhales deeply and sighs.)  If only coffee tasted as good as it smelled.

Things have been pretty crazy lately as you have prepared for the release of the book.  How would you describe the last month?

Kay:  Oh wow, it really has.  The last month has been a roller coaster.  Huge ups, crazy downs… I’m so grateful for my family who reminds me what is truly important in life.  And for my friends who make me laugh when I need it most.  🙂  Now that the book has officially been out in the world for the week, what I’m feeling is pure and simple gratitude.  The chaotic part is mostly over and I can finally take a moment to go, “Hey, I wrote a book!” 🙂


What was the idea behind Cinderella Society?

Kay:  The idea was to create a secret society of good populars dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world.  I’m always puzzled by how often the popular kids are depicted as being horrible in fiction.  This wasn’t true in my high school.  Sure, there are always kids who will use their popularity for personal gain, but most of the popular kids I knew (and know now) are popular because people genuinely like them.

I always wanted to take that fight global by introducing them to the world’s most powerful women.  Which I think would’ve been seriously cool when I was in high school.  And now too.  😉

I love that, and loved that concept when I read the book as well.  What do you hope that readers will get out of this book?

Kay:  I hope readers realize that the most important things you can learn early on in life are to be comfortable in your own skin and to be true to who you are.  It’s when we harbor bad feelings about how we look or veer off the path we believe we should take (because someone else thinks another path would be better for us) that life can get needlessly complicated.  Easy is good – follow your heart!  🙂


Love the message!  Can you give a few hints on the second book… I seriously won’t tell anyone. 😉

Kay:  Right now I’m working on the sequel to The Cinderella Society, titled Cindy on a Mission.  It follows the further adventures of Jess and the Sisters as the Wickeds launch an offensive that threatens everything the Cindys hold dear. Cindy on a Mission will be on shelves in Spring 2011.


OOH!  That is exciting!  I am marking my calendar now!  What I really want to know…. what was release day like?

Kay:  I followed the advice of my friends and did something fun on release day.  I had lunch with a friend (with cupcakes to celebrate!) and just enjoyed the gorgeous sunny day we had.  She convinced me we should go to a local Books-a-Million to see if the book was on the shelf yet.  It was and it was completely amazing seeing it there on the shelf amidst my favorite books.  We took pictures of each other with it and the gal working was so lovely about having me sign them.  And then Team Cindy planned a Twitter launch party, so I tweeted it up with friends old and new for seven solid hours!  I was completely exhausted by the end of the day, but in the best possible way.


I like to ask each author I interview to share one little known thing about themselves (it could be a little known talent, a trip you went on, a funny happening…)

Kay:  I am a ridiculously bad cook.  You know how some people joke that they could burn water?  I’m pretty sure I could burn air.  Even though I’m very organized and detailed-oriented in other areas of my life, I dissolve into a puddle of incompetence in the kitchen.  I’m terrible at timing dishes to come out at the same time, so me putting together a special dinner is cause for celebration.  Me putting together a special dinner that a) is not burned, b) does not have any food that is cold or congealed by serving time, and c) does not irreversibly damage anyone’s tastebuds is a miracle of biblical proportions.  And cause for me to reward myself with something nice like more awesome YA books.  Or a pony.

Kay, this has been a blast having you here today!  Thank you for stopping in and chatting!   Readers, feel free to leave Kay questions here – and be sure to check out The Cinderella Society as well as Kay’s super cool home on the web!


It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)109 Comments

It’s Monday!  (Ok really it is Sunday when I am posting this but I am in Florida and I fly home tomorrow morning – 3 planes, and … well, you get the point… 😀

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too!  :) As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme.  I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment.  You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

Last weeks winner (using Random.Org) was:

Mardel S

Congratulations!  Please choose an item out of the PRIZE BOX and email me your choice with your mailing address as well!  :) journeythroughbooks@gmail.com

*** And a note on this – I will be adding to the prize box soon!  Just need to get home and do a bit of organizing!


This past week has been crazy between work and life and this trip to Florida when I left home Thursday morning to visit my son in the Navy.  As crazy as it was…. with planes and beach time (pause for dramatic effect….. I do love the beach) I was able to get a bit of reading in:


Pondering Moment:  What Was That Book That Totally Pulled You In?


Wildflowers of Terezin by Robert Elmer (smoking good book with incredible characters)


Finally Changed The Blog Name! Memers – do not panic, no changes to the meme or linking will take place – all stays the same 🙂

Brava Valentine by Adriana Trigiani (If you are not a Trigiani fan – you should be – check out this author!)

Little Bee by Chris Cleave (our April Book Club read)


Sand In My Bra and by Funny Women From The Road (a great read for travelers!)


Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (if it is not on your TBR – put it there!)


Whats On Brew This Week?

I am going to try (try) to be realistic this week.  I am possibly…. probably running a 5K this Friday with my friend Heidi so my reading time this week may be a bit of training time.  On Saturday my friend Amy and I are driving to the cities and on Sunday we are biking the Ironman bike ride in Lakeville.… our goal is the 65 mile route. I am going to get reading in…. after all I do have the plane ride tomorrow….

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid – and Caitlin herself

Yes – yes – yes, you have seen this one on my list before.  It has become the book that I just do not get too and now I am (hopefully) reading it (maybe) this week.

Yet today you will hopefully stop in to see my wonderful author chat with the fascinating Kay Cassidy about her newly released book, The Cinderella Society!  I am so excited to chat with her and I really hope you will stop in and learn more about Kay the book, and what’s next!  Oops – did I say too much?  😉

Ok – don’t forget to sign the McKlinky so I and hopefully many of you, can stop in and see the other Monday memers!


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Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments

Book Journey traveled to:  England

Coffee intro to England…

336 Pages

Cover:  I like it, but after I read the book I think the UK cover is a better reflection of the book

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie’s estranged father–an elusive European warlock–only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it’s her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

The United Kingdom Hex Hall Cover

This is the book that started popping up – almost magically on book blogs everywhere. I saw it – I liked what I seen – I wanted to read it!

Hex Hall was the fix I was hoping it would be.  The first in the Hex Hall series and the first book from author Rachel Hawkins, I was more than satisfied.

Rachel Hawkins doesn’t only stick with the all too familiar other world creatures we have come to expect (werewolves and vampires, witches and warlocks)…. we get more and I loved thinking of faeries with their onion skinned translucent wings , and shapeshifters who change with their moods.

With all the usual things you deal with in a school setting you have the popular girls, the coveted boy (enter the all too cute Archer), the rebellious outsider, and of course the teachers that cause a total class synchronized eye roll.

Main character and newest addition to Hex Hall, Sophie is a delight to read.  She is funny and snarky and I for one am anxious for the next book in this series to grace my reading room.  This is a good and mostly clean read (there is one mention of teenage sex in the book) that I really enjoyed.

My Amazon Rating

I purchased my copy of this book from Amazon


Morning Meanderings/In My Mailbox

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments


Justin had to be to the airport to catch a flight back to Minneapolis this morning at 7 am….. we synchronized our cell phones to wake us up at 5 am.  I was able to use the navigation system on my phone for the first time ever and LOVE it!  I consider myself very directionally challenged and I don’t even drive Minneapolis for fear of getting lost.  This little gadget brought me right to the airport and back to the hotel with no panic by me.  LOVE it – and she talks to me and tells me where to turn!  I will call her Emily.  🙂

So now…. I am back at the hotel and fully awake at 6:30 am.  Having COFFEE and chatting with the nice lady setting up breakfast.  Having missed out on In My Mailbox (kudos to Kristi at Story Siren for this gem of a meme!) that I usually post on Saturday evenings, thought I would add that to my early morning plan as a few books had come int he door before I left for Florida on Thursday morning.

College in a Nutskull I skimmed through the pages if this book when it came in and it looks like it could be a fun read!  The layout is kind of unique and looks like notebook paper.


The Missing Element by John L. Betcher.   With this book, I had pleasant email exchanges with the author and love the fact that this is a Minnesota author writing about a Minnesota mystery.


Conquering Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds.  When looking up this book, that does not release until August 2010, it has a different name on-line.  The book on-line is called To Conquer Mr. Darcy.  Either way interesting and this will by first Darcy book….

Disrupting Grace by Kristen Richburg.  This book intrigues me and disturbs me and I have not even opened it yet.  This is a true story of a family who adopted and had to relinquish the child because she just did not connect to them.  I am still unsure how I will feel about this book and I am hopeful that I read this with an open mind.

15 Good reasons Not To Go To Church by Michael Insalaco.  I enjoy books on church and theology and statistics.  I am looking forward to this read.


That’s my mailbox.  Not sure what our plan today is yet.  Just me and Brad now in Florida.  I need to look for something to do this afternoon, maybe we will fit a late afternoon show, and Hungry Howies pizza which Brad says has the best pizza around and you can choose a flavor for your crust.  Hmmmmm….. now I am intrigued.  😀

What was in your mailbox?