Month: February 2012

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Valentine Roncalli does not believe she is the pretty one  Nor is she the smart one.  Valentine in fact looks at herself as the funny one.  It’s an easier spot to be in. 

Yet now that the Angelina Shoe Company, the one her family has owned for more than a century seems to be on the verge of financial destruction, funny just is not going to cut it.  To save the business Valentine must find a way to bring their business into the 21st century, all awhile juggling her own romance with chef Roman Falconi, her larger and opinionated family, and not only enter but try to win a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store.

Valentine will turn her life, and their business upside down in ways she never expected.

Very Valentine is a re-read for me.  In fact, it was this book, along with Brava Valentine that entered me into an Adriana Trigiani contest two years ago that lined me up with dinner with her along with 5 other book bloggers when we were in New York in 2010.

When my book club chose this for our February read I was thrilled for them to get a chance to experience this wonderful author, but for me was unsure if I was going to read the book again (what is the Italian word for idiot?  😯  )

As the time came closer to our review I thought I had better skim through it at least and had downloaded it on my NOOK (my challenge to read all book club books this year on my NOOK) and opened the story up… within a minute I was smiling to myself.

Do you know that feeling when you walk into a bakery or a fresh bread store and a scent brings you back to an earlier in life moment?  That’s what Very Valentine did for me…. the opening lines made me smile.  I was suddenly whooshed back to Valentine’s world and it is a busy one filled with voices of family, amazing Italian dishes, and shoes… oh the shoes.  Skim shim… I read the book in its entirety again. 🙂

2010 lunch with Adriana
In 2011, a group of us had lunch with Adriana again…. fantastic experience, she is such an amazing woman.

Last night at the Bookies review we had a wonderful time discussing family and traditions, two very large and important topics throughout Very Valentine.  We also discussed the shoes and Angie (By Book Or By Crook) brought along a slideshow presentation of shoes, embellishments for the shoes, Italy, the windows discussed in the book…. it was awesome.  I love that our book club will do the little extras to bring a book to life.

And much like a big Italian,  family ourselves, we brought food… delicious food, we ate, we laughed… and before we left it was 9 pm…. (we usually end at 8 pm)  😯

This is the makings of a Harvey Wallbanger which is mentioned in the book. For most of us this was out first time trying it. We served in tiny sample cups.

The book was enjoyed by all.  The discussion and food were wonderful (I did not even get a picture of the desert!

Morning Meanderings… Books and Snow!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

 

Good morning!  Happy Tuesday and all that! 

I did not get around to many blogs yesterday.  Between work and last nights meeting I had a tiny window of about an hour and a half which I used for CRAZY stuff like a load of laundry and making dinner.  😛

However, and possibly unfortunately, in the few I was able to get around to…. I found….

books.

I know… I know…. like a hole in my head, but yeah… books and darn good reviews that made me want to read those books…. and now… I am going to pass them to you so you catch the fever too!

I have seen this book around… not really given it much thought (you know what a cover snob I can be and this is just not calling me…. but then I innocently pop over to see Lydia from The Lost Entwife and I am reading a review for this book that causes me to put it on the wish list.  Whoa.  What happened? 

Stop over and check it out for yourself!

 

And then…

 

Ok this cover DOES call to me… I don’t know why…. maybe because it looks like Skittles…. or pastel Easter M & M’s, but any book reader knows…. one can not live off cover love alone….

Nope.  Instead I am over at Kritter’s Rambling minding my own business and then this review makes my jaw drop and now… now I want to read this.  I want to read this now. 

 

In other news, it is snowing.  SNOWING.  My beautiful dead grass world is now covered with snow and it is supposed to continue irritating me for the next three days.  Not a fan.

Tonight is book club.  We have read Adrianna Trigianni’s Very Valentine.  This is a re-read for me but a delicious one and while I grumbled about it being a book I have already read, I forgot how fun it is to read Adrianna’s writing and for that…. I am a schmuck.  Instead… getting back into Valentine’s world has almost (almost) made me forget about the snow… 😛

 

What’s Your Number? Movie Review

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Ally thinks she is just your average woman looking for the right guy.  When a magazine (think Cosmo) tells her that the average amount of men women are with is much (MUCH) lower than her own score, she starts to panic.  Perhaps she had the right one and let him get away!  So Ally, not wanting to add to her number, cuts a deal to have her neighbor Collin help her locate the men of her past.

 

 

I received this movie for review from Think Jam Publicity.  I was excited to give it a try as it sounded like a cute story – and for the most part it was. 

Anna Faris is a funny actress (think Hot Chick, The Scary Movie spoofs…).  When I seen she was in this movie I was thrilled.   Add Chris Evans to this mix (Cellular, Puncture, Captain America) and you have a fun couple of main actors. 

The story line as I mentioned above is Ally (Anna) decided there is no way she is going to add to her already significant number of men so she is going to instead go back through the men of her past to make sure “the one” did not slip through her fingers.  By recruiting cute neighbor guy Collin to assist her, while she helps him escape his own messes in life, the outcome is pretty funny.

While over all the movie is predictable, it was also funny.

 

The movie is rated R for a reason – there are a few sexual references and a couple racier moments in the movie. 

 

Thank you to Think Jam Publicity for sending me a copy of this movie to reveiw

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)81 Comments

Welcome to It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading?  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

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 telling me how many you visited.  **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

This past weeks winner:

Abbi (gatorade635)


WOO HOO!!!!  Please choose an item out of the Reading Cafe Grab Shelves  and email me your choice with your mailing address as well!   journeythroughbooks@gmail.com

What a crazy week!  Between work, working out, evening commitments Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday…. I hardly read a thing and almost came before you with a goose egg today…

😯

But… yesterday saved the day and I did finish an audio that I have been working on for a couple of weeks so here is the week of accomplishments (or lack there of):

Awesome video:  Sh** Book Bloggers Say (a must see!)

 

No Comment.  YES!  Comment!!!  (the importance of commenting as part of Reagan’s BBRAW)

 

11-22-63 by Stephen King (a remarkable read – do not miss this one!)

The Eyre Report #1 (my first update to the Jane Eyre self read a long 😀 )

 

So ummm… yeah.  Thats it.  I am reading a couple of books still from last week and have some plans for this week so hopefully back on track.

Sara Beth Riley never dreamt she’d walk straight out of her life.  Actually she’d never dreamt a lot of things that had happened this year … From being kidnapped by her own best friend, to throwing her wedding rings into the Hudson River, to calling an old love in France, to getting inked with said best friend, painting the passionate constellation of these choices into permanence.  But mostly, she could never have dreamt what started it all.  How could it be that her mother’s unexpected death, and the grief which lingered painfully long, turned her into the woman she was finally meant to become?

Sara Beth’s escape begins a summer of change – of herself, of marriage, of the lives of those around her.  In a story that moves from Manhattan to the sea to a quaint New England town, Whole Latte Life looks at friends we never forget, at decisions we linger with, at our attempts to live the lives we love.

OOH sounds good!

Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron’s prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family’s tragedy, a woman’s secret, and a man’s lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business—where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.

I love Coben! 

 

 

 

Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother. Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father. In doing so they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time.

Never read it… but look forward to it.  This review will come with fun giveaways!

That’s it… keeping it light this week and I have a few to catch up on from last week including my book club read due this Tuesday! 

I am looking forward to seeing what you are reading!  Add your What Are You Reading post to the linky below and I will try to stop by!  😀

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

 

And if you mainly read Middle Grade, and childrens books – add your link here as well:

The Eyre Report #1

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

It has been a week since I have forced challenged myself to read Jane Eyre.  On the original post you will see I clearly called out my past grievances attempts to read this and my fail after fail… due to:

1.  boring

2.  the language (not bad language) but old school language… which I guess really… is bad language. 😛

3.  Something shiny distracted me

4.  I dont want to!

My self challenge was to read 10 pages a day average, and then weekly report back as to how it is going. 

Currently on page 70, I am now seeing Jane at school after her harsh treatment of her so-called Aunt.  Just a few pages ago she had dropped the slate in front of Mr. Brucklehurst and been punished by standing on top of a stool in front of the whole class.  Now she has been swept away along with her one friend (?) Helen Burns to Miss Temple’s chambers where they are currently sharing tea and cake.

At this point the story has my interest and I have no idea why it does this time when at no other time have I made it this far.  I am curious about the cruel and strict head master Mr. Brucklehurst.  I am also curious about Jane’s large language for a ten-year old girl.  To me she speaks as some one much older. 

I confess that I know nothing of where this story is going as I have not watched a movie about this either.  I am guessing we are going to watch Jane grow up into if not a beautiful woman on the outside, perhaps on the inside. 

I probably would have read more this past week but honestly have been wiped out every night and fell asleep after reading only a few pages nightly.

My rating at this point in the book:

I know a couple of my readers mentioned reading this along with me.  I would love to hear how you are doing on this. 

11-22-63 by Stephen King

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

November 22, 1963.  A date that is well know in the history books.  The day that President Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.

But what if there was a way that this moment could be changed?  What if there was a way that you could go back in time and have a do-over of that day or that time… and by placing yourself in the right place at the right time… you could change it all…

That is what happens to thirty-five year old Jake Epping.  Jake is a High School English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine by day, and frequents a local diner at night owned by his friend Al.  One night Al, shares a secret with Jake, there is a porthole in his storage room that takes you back to 1958.  Skeptical (who wouldn’t be?), Jake decides to humor his friend and goes into the storage room…

and comes out in 1958.

Astounded.  Excited.  Jake returns to present time and the diner where Al fills him in on how he discovered the porthole, and what he had done in the past.  Al, who is sick and knows his time is short wants to pass the ultimate mission to Jake… to go back in time and stop President Kennedy from being killed.

Jake agrees and begins the adventure of a lifetime, going back to 1958 under the name of George Amberson and living within the vicinity of Lee Harvey Oswald from 1958 to 1963.  Jake (AKA George) takes a teaching job, enjoys the peacefulness of a laid back pre-internet society, and the 1958 prices, buying his time until the day would come to save Kennedy.

What he did not count on was meeting the lovely Sadie Dunhill… or the fact that the past does not want to change and will fight to make sure it does not.

Another cover… I really like this one

I was  not a girl who enjoyed History back in school.  For me it hit right up there with math class.  BLAH.  Boring.  Yet years later I find I like to know more and more about the past… and when I discovered Historical Fiction, I found a happy Sheila… a mix of two things I found I enjoyed.

Now when you read this book title and then the synopsis you may be scratching your head.  Stephen King?  Where is the murderous gore?  A pet Cemetery?  Possessed car?  A spooky clown?  (well, actually the clown is mentioned in this book in a brilliant way….)

But no.  No gore.  No horror.  A new more user-friendly version of King that I feel will reap new readers.

In its place, is a fascinating story of “what if”.  Mixed facts (the place, the Oswald’s, Kennedy) with fiction.  The result?  Brilliance.

I listened to this on audio…. yes 30+ hours long and probably the longest audio I have ever listened to.  Narrator Craig Wasson nailed it.  I loved it from the start.  There was no warm up session here… from the very beginning I was sold.  Great narration and great writing can do that.

Interestingly enough, King had first thought about this book in 1972, 9 years after the assassination, and right before the release of his first novel, Carrie.  He decided to put that thought on the back burner as it would require too much research while he was teaching full-time.  Initially King thought it would be titles Split Track.

11-22-63 is such a powerful book.  Stephen King did an amazing job smoothly traveling back and forth between 2011 and 1958, switching between cell phones and twenty-five cent burgers.  The walk back in time was real enough for me to feel that I was walking along those streets of 1958 – 1963, scoping out a very real and very dangerous Lee Harvey Oswald.  Even listening to the climax of this book made the hairs on my neck stand on end…. perhaps, it felt a little to real to the actual event?

At the end of the audio, do not miss out of Stephen Kings own words about the book, the research and his recommendation of books to read to learn more about the assassination. A couple of the titles I managed to write down:

Marina and Lee by Priscilla Johnson

Case Closed by Gerald Posner

Oswald’s Tale by Norman Mailer

For me I can not stress enough that you must take time to read or listen to this book.  Audio lovers, you are in for a treat – Craig Wasson was fantastic… and that even does not seem like a strong enough word.  I loved listening to this and I will miss it now that it is over.  Easily the best audio I have listened to this year.

Visit me in the Spoiler chat room to talk about this book in spoiler detail and to see a list of the awesome book references hiding within the pages of 11-22-63:

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

 

  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 30 hours and 44 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
  • Audible.com Release Date: November 8, 2011

 

I downloaded this audiobook from audible.com

Morning Meanderings… Ummm… Where Are The book Reviews/ Sunday Salon?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)38 Comments

Happy Sunday all. 😀  You may have noticed that in this past week I have not posted one review.  Not one.

😯

I am not sure if that has even happened before. 

I chalk it up to a busy week with most nights (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) not getting home before 8 pm and one worn out book girl stumbled off to bed with book in hand read two pages and promptly fell asleep….

I also can attribute it to my current book and audio choices…

We’ve Got A Job is a beautiful large hardcover book with tons of pictures, yes, but also a lot of words and interesting facts that I read slowly to absorb. 

11-22-63 I have been listening to for the last two weeks.  This is a 30 hour and 44 minute audio book.  (The book is almost 900 pages).  I finished this one last night and WOW.  Really wow. 

My usual audio books are between 6 and 10 hours so you can see where this slowed me down…

and then of course there is my self-inflicted read of Jane Eyre… my goal of reading ten pages a day (FAIL!) and trying to keep up with that and by trying to read the ten (pages (FAIL!) a night without falling asleep to the wording of “thy master’s home… and feeling swoon….”  😯  Anyhoo… you will see an update on that hopefully later today in the Eyre report.

As for my Sunday Salon, the week was good and busy and I guess usual.  I worked all week, went to dinner Tuesday night at a friend’s home for Valentines Day as hubby Al was out-of-town, and stayed way too late talking and laughing, Thursday I got in a good workout with a friend and again on Friday too, another hour and a half chalked up!

On Saturday morning I had a baby shower to attend and then I met a friend for lunch.  I picked up steaks for dinner as Al came home late yesterday afternoon.  We caught up on the Survivor episode from this last week and three Modern Family Episodes.  It is good to have him home. 😀

As for today I have church this morning, I am hitting the Group Power Class at 12:30 and at 6 pm I play floor hockey.  I am working hard to keep up the work out momentum… I need to, as the bike rides and events will be here before I know it!  😀

What are you doing with your Sunday?

Morning Meanderings… The Rest Of The Story

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)40 Comments

 

Good morning!  😀  It has been three weeks since Al has been mostly away on a job but today he will be returning home.  I found out a couple of days ago while texting him while I was going in the local library… it went like this:

Me:  How’s the job going?

Al:  Possibly done tomorrow then start moving equipment out on Saturday.

Me:  ok

Al:  Just ok?

Me:  I am in the library I have to be quiet 😛

Al:  K

Me:  Are you in a library too?

Al:  Ha ha

Me:  Woo Hoo!

Al:  That’s better.

 

Here is what I have for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot today…

Earlier this week I mentioned I had an awards event to go to…  I even gave you a hint…

What I went to was the Annual Kidventure Awards at our church.  This is a night to honor those who have volunteered in the past year.  We were encouraged to wear either red, yellow, or orange…. a trip to our local Good Will in December helped me find what I was planning…

It was a lot of fun, about 60 people were there and when they voted for best dressed… I took best female and Craig (dressed in a one piece long john thing) won best dressed for the men.  Oh the things I do….LOL

Today I have a baby shower this morning and a lunch date with a friend.  This afternoon I hope to get in a little reading time, it’s been lacking this week.  Late afternoon, Al should be home.  😀

Morning Meanderings… Why You Shouldnt Blog When You Are Tired

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

Good morning!  Yes I was MIA yesterday. And yes I Mean MIA – as there was ACTION.  I have had a busy evening every night since Sunday.  Something to know about me… I don’t function well without *”crash breaks.”

*crash break:  A day when I do nothing more than laundry, reading, dusting, reading, and maybe dishes. Maybe.  Thus re-energizing to go again on another day!

So here is what happens when I do blog and I am not focused (an hopefully this makes sense because it s a little “who’s on firsty” (YES…. firsty is a word.  MY WORD.)  😛

Ok…. so a couple of days ago I posted a book blogger video that was about what book bloggers say….  one of the words that was said in the vlog was “awesome sauce”. 

Ryan from My Life In Books left a comment saying he’s never heard someone say “awesome sauce” and maybe he should try it.   My sleep deprived mind, thought the comment was from Ryan from Wordsmithonia.  I have chatted with Ryan (Wordsmithonia) for years and so seeing the comment and thinking it was from him, I challenged him to use the word “awesome sauce” in a review this week. 

THEN (and here is where it gets crazy) I clicked on his name, went on Ryan (My Life In Books) blog and let him know I challenged him, STILL not realizing I was on the wrong blog and the wrong Ryan.  😯

So today Ryan (My Life In Books) leaves me a comment that he has fulfilled the challenge.  Now having caught up fully on my sleep I clicked on his name to go see how he used the word in his review.  Once on his blog I was surprised by the look of it.  I thought, “did Ryan change his blog layout?” and then… because maybe I am not as caught up on my sleep as I thought, “Did Ryan also change the name of his blog?”

Yup… its true… not always the sharpest knife in the drawer…

Then… it hit me.  Wrong Ryan. 😯

To sum it up – Thank you Ryan from My Life In Books for responding to a challenge from someone you probably don’t really know and probably thought “ok crazy book blogger girl….” and thank you Ryan from Wordsmithonia who is just getting looped into this craziness this morning.   You are both pretty awesome for putting up with me.  😀

I should go to work now…. 😛

Morning Meanderings… Significant Bloggy Moments

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

Good morning!!!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day!  I really did.  Al is still out-of-town but he sent me a lovely dozen assorted colored roses to my work yesterday…. “ahhhhhhhh”

Then last night I had dinner over at friends of ours homes which was a lot of fun.  I went over early to chat with my friend Amy, I brought a bottle of wine and dessert and she made stuffed shells which were delicious!  It was really a nice evening and we ate and talked and it was really kind of nice.  Her husband Chad and their older daughter joined us at the table and by the time I pulled out of their driveway I was shocked to see it was going on 10 pm.  I never meet to stay that long but apparently the conversation was just what I needed.  (Thanks friends!)

 

In staying with Reagans week of Book Blogger Reader Appreciation this week. her question on the table was what significant moment have we had in out blogging life… I think like a defining moment.  For me that has to be BEA.

The Book Expo was a new thing to me.  Apparently Brainerd Minnesota is placed directly under a large rock and I had never heard of such a thing.  An event for book lover…. publishers, authors, and book bloggers all meet in one amazing week in New York.  KNow what else was new to me?

New York.

I don’t have a lot of time to give you the story I would like to this morning as I am currently typing on borrowed time but I have to say that BEA was a defining moment in this bloggers life.  People you commented with on-line…. were there in the flesh.  AND most impressive to me, they were exactly like they were on-line.  REAL PEOPLE.  I chalk that up to being readers…. we are real..  3 dimensional.  There was not one person that I thought “wow, they are so different from I thought they would be”. 

Meeting people whose blogs you enjoy is wonderful.  It strengthened the community for me.  It gave me new people to read and follow.  We had meals together, we went to book parties together… a dream really… a dream come true.

I wish I could say more and I wish I could add some pictures of the experience but I prepped none of this last night.  I came home, I went to bed.  😀

Do you have a defining moment on your blogging life?  Share it here… and be sure to check out Reagans week of events and posts she has going on over at Miss Remmers Reviews.