Good morning. I had a little time to read my Shelf Awareness mail this morning and that is always a good start to the day. If you do not subscribe, I encourage you to look into it. Shelf Awareness drops you an email newsletter of upcoming books, new releases, book store news, and more. The side picture you are seeing this morning of the book TRASH came from that e newsletter this morning and I am kind of fascinated about what it could be about.You can subscribe here for your own customized Shelf Awareness Daily News.
In other home front news it is Thursday and I think I have made it through most of the craziness. I still do dinner and prep the next two nights for my group we are serving with IHN, but I have no evening commitments. NO evening commitments. Man…. I like the sound of that. That translates into a little blog catching up time and reading! Yes!!! Reading. 😛
Yesterdays BBAW random.org winner for the $10 Amazon gift card is:
DARCYO!!!
Darcy’s comment had read: “I’d like to be friends with Goldy Schulz, the caterer from Diane Mott Davidson’s mysteries. She’s fun and makes great food (and treats)”!
Thanks Darcy – I will have that emailed to you today! 😀
So on to today’s giveaway… I have three books from a wonderful author – Kate Atkinson. The books are all new and the titles are: Not The End Of The World, One Good Turn, and Case Histories.
Click on the picture for more information about this author
For today’s giveaway please leave me a comment here letting me know if you could really – LITERALLY, get into a book, which book (fiction or non fiction) would you like to be dropped intoand play it out until the end. That’s right you can not escape until the last page where you will magically be transported back to your world.
For a bonus entry – let me know is a certain scene in the book where you would like to enter, or if you want to start as part of the book and follow it all the way through.
Ie…. Harry Potters friends could become Ron, Hermione, and Sheila.
I’m just saying… 😉
USA and Canada entrants on this one as I am shipping three books. The winner will be announced here tomorrow morning during the meanderings. Good luck everyone and have a fantastic day! 😀
My interview swap partner this years for BBAW is Nat from In Spring It Is The Dawn. What a lovely blog she has and for my readers that love books on different cultures, Nat is a Canadian who is living in Japan.
Whoa…. wait a minute. I get to go to Japan to do an interview? 😛
EXCELLENT!
Yup, that’s right! Nat is blogging from Japan about books I am drooling over as I nosed around her blog. Well…. I have to know more about Nat and I hope you do too. Please welcome to Book Journey this morning, Nat from In Spring It Is The Dawn.
Nat from In Spring It Is The Dawn
So of course my first question has to be, Nat how did you wind up in Japan from Canada?
Nat: Well, just after high school I spent a year in France on a student exchange, and this experience gave me my wanderlust, my desire to travel to different places. When I came back to Canada for university I decided to major in Applied Linguisitics (Teaching English as a Second Language) since it seemed the easiest way for a non-scientific, non-mathematical person like myself to be able to live and work overseas. Then when I graduated, I looked into a few different countries but Japan made the most sense at the time. While I was teaching English in Tokyo, I met the man who is now my husband, and I guess the rest is history. I never expected to be here in Japan this long (it’s been about 9 years all together now!) and I do hope to move back to Canada or thereabouts in the next few years.
9 years! That is amazing! How long have you been blogging?
Nat: I started my blog, In Spring it is the Dawn, on January 30th, 2006, so it’ll be 5 years come next January. How time flies! Many of those early posts are quite embarrassing now though!
Nat loves to take photos! This is a lotus flower from this summer. Click on this picture to go to her photo blog
I hear you there Nat – I laugh about some of my early posts…. and almost 5 years! How did you start your blogging process? Inquiring minds want to know!
Nat: Before blogging I used to belong to several Yahoo book groups. They were pretty much my only way then to chat about books, as most of my friends in real life don’t read much. Some of the friends I made in those groups started book blogs, and after a while I decided to try it out for myself. (Andi, of Estella’s Revenge (http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com/) is one of the first people I met online all those years ago, and her blog is one that inspired me to start my own.) And here I still am. Book blogging long ago replaced those online book groups as my main source of all things bookish.
I know Andi and her blog, I love that we all seem to remember those early connections. What do you like to blog about?
Nat: When I first started my blog I didn’t think I’d have enough to post about regularly on just books (I’m a slow reader) so I originally thought it would be part books, part photo blog, and I used to post photos more regularly. Nowadays you can find more of my photos on my dedicated photo blog, watashi no shashin, which in Japanese literally means “my photos”, and is a replacement for my older photo blog which had been on hiatus. I do still post photos occasionally on In Spring it is the Dawn, of places we visit here in Japan, or anything from daily life that somehow seems to warrant a photo. I’ve found though that there is no shortage of bookish things to talk about, so it’s now primarily a book blog, with a bit of everyday randomness thrown in.
I try to talk about all the books I read (although I’m woefully behind on reviews right now) which often ends up being a mix of various genres, but inspired by my circumstances of living in Japan, my blog has evolved into having more of a focus on Japan and Japanese literature over the last couple of years. To that end, I host a Japanese Literature Book Group, as well as some read-alongs of Japanese lit. Plus, I also host the Hello Japan! monthly mini-challenge, with topics and tasks (and prizes!) related to some aspect of Japanese culture. I’m enjoying discovering some great Japanese books and authors myself, and am happy to hopefully bring a little taste of Japan to the blogging community.
You are very community oriented! I love that! Are there certain genres you prefer?
Double stacked book shelf of Japanese books
Nat: I like to think I’m willing to at least try most genres but I definitely have a fondness for literature in translation. Whenever I hear about a book that’s been translated into English from another language, my ears always perk up! I think it goes back to my original travel bug, as I love experiencing different places and cultures through books. Otherwise, if you look at my shelves you’ll mostly see literary fiction, classics, my bookshelf dedicated to Japanese and Japan-related literature, and with some YA/kids lit, and non-fiction mixed in.
Ok…. let’s have some fun. You have been given a 30 minute notice that your boss is sending you to a remote island for a little weekend R and R. There will be no electricity just plenty of sun and beach time. The limo (I like to think big) will be picking you up in mere minutes – what book do you grab off your shelf and why?
Nat: Just one book? Something thick then, to last the weekend, and which promises to be entertaining. In other words, a book to get lost in. Perhaps The Passage by Justin Cronin, which I got at BEA but still haven’t read yet. Or maybe it would be a good time to finally read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Or maybe a big classic like The Count of Monte Cristo, which I started earlier this year but has been languishing on my nightstand. Or maybe The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, since I haven’t read any of those yet. Ultimately, it would probably end up being whichever one caught my eye as I madly dashed around throwing a few things into a bag to take with me.
LOL… that would be my first reaction too Nat, “just one book?”What is one thing you wish you would have known from day one of blogging that you would like to share with those considering or starting out?
Nat: I often wonder if I would have ever started blogging if I’d known how much time it would take, and how much my To Be Read stack would explode from all the book recommendations. But now, even when I play with the idea of giving it all up, I can’t really imagine my life without it.
Great answer! I always like to know how other bloggers pre for a book review. How do you do yours?
Nat: While I’m reading I’ll add little sticky notes to any passages that stand out, or that I want to refer back to later. Then when I’m finished reading the book, I’ll try to put down some of my thoughts about it. I usually let a review sit for a day or so after I’ve written the draft as I invariably seem to change it up as the story continues to rattle around in my head. I used to be quite good about writing reviews just after reading the book, but this year I’ve gotten so behind that I sometimes write reviews quite some time after I’ve finished the books. This can make it hard to have enough to say though, and I certainly don’t recommend it.
One of Nat's favorite books, The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki, that she is currently rereading.
If you could hang out with any fictional character who would it be and why?
Nat: Hmmm… one of the first that comes to mind is Thursday Next, from Jasper Fforde’s series. It would probably be a lot of fun hanging out with her, meeting all those characters, and visiting inside their stories. It sounds like a book geek’s fantasy come true! But then again, Thursday does seem to find herself in trouble quite a lot…
Please share a little known fact about yourself.
Nat: I used to play the piano, and took lessons for years. One year at the local music festival, my friend and I even won a medal for our piano duet. (I wonder where that medal is?) Sadly it’s been years since I’ve even touched a piano. It’s not something that would fit in our typically small Japanese apartment, that’s for sure. Besides, I’d rather save that precious space for books!
Thanks Nat, this was so much fun getting to know you! Readers, please take time to stop in and see Nat’s gorgeous blog and leave her a comment or two or three…. 😀 She will also be interviewing me today!
what’s a great new book blog you’ve discovered since last year’s BBAW?
I had a crazy week and didn’t even know about this question until this morning when I seen it popping up on blogs. I had an answer in mind all day but with the Monday meme I was going to skip it…. plus my answer breaks a rule right away.
Ooh…. but I kind of like that….
The blog I would like to mention actually no longer exists, but it is still one that is dear to my heart, as is the blogger.
J Kaye from J Kaye’s blog is one of the first book blogs I remember in my early bloggy days. She always had interesting posts, reviews, and giveaways. She would post how to do things and was more than happy to help a new blogger (errr…. me).
When J Kaye’s blog was up and going I stopped in daily. She was a chatty blogger and you could always pop in later in the day and she would have a response to your comment. I liked that. It was like having a conversation. In fact I learned much from her skills as a book blogger and implement some of her style in my own blog.
In February of 2010, as J Kaye was closing down her blog to spend more time on her writing, she passed on to me The It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme. When she asked me if I would continue on with this weekly meme I was so honored. I still am and try hard to hold it to the wonderful standards she had set.
I can still peak in at J Kaye at her new spot on the web, 365 Days Of Novel Writing, at least for a little while. And once in a while she will still pop in with a comment or two which always makes me smile. It is like a visit from an old friend.
Thank you J Kaye for everything you taught me about blogging. 🙂
It’s Monday! 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.
Congratulations! Please choose an item out of the PRIZE BOX and email me your choice with your mailing address as well! journeythroughbooks@gmail.com
For the first time since I took over this meme in February for J Kaye, I did not get the post up the night before. My weekend was so busy I still feel like I could just sleep another 4 or 5 hours to catch up. Usually I prep this post Sunday afternoon and try to have it post around 8 pm Central time on Saturday night which I know really helps the Monday Meme bloggers who live in other countries. Last night I just did not have the brain power to write this up so instead I played around a bit with the Blogfest blogs and wish I could have had more time this weekend even doing that.
I got up early this morning to get this post written and active.
So what happened this past week in the reading world for me?
That was last week. I have no great reading successes to report. If anything my reading time has been minimal and I have to report that while ROOM was ob my list to read last week, I did not even have time to pick it up. My week was so busy with the last days for my assistant, planning the office moving forward, prepping for the feed the children event, the Honduras kids in town, tailgate party planning and participating, set up for the homeless serving week and then last nights orientation…..GAH!
So here is what I currently have going and what I plan to start this week:
Finishing this one up today. This is my book club read and we meet tomorrow evening! YIPES!
I had big plans for this one last week and I never even picked it up. Too many other commitments…. try, try again this week. 😀
What is Dekker up to now? I am about to find out. This one came with a t-shirt which I think is also part of a giveaway I will have to check. 😀
I am also working on The Handmaid’s Tale and Bleak House as read-a-longs.
Today is also the kick off the BBAW – Book Blogger Appreciation Week so please take time to read my sticky post at the top part of my blog about what I have planned for this week of celebration!
I am taking today off from work as I am just so behind on everything. My lawn needs me, my house needs me… and I just need a day to breathe and catch up. I also want to see what you are all reading to please connect your Monday What Are You Reading post to the space below where it says “click here”. I will be stopping by throughout the day with Coffee Cup to see what you have planned for this week.
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GAH! (Probably not the best first word of the day… but, ehhhhh). The “GAH” is because I did it again. I said the “F” word. ANd for some reason I keep on saying it like I have a problem or something. Seriously what is wrong with me?
Fall.
(you knew that was where I was going right?)
Being a summer… I have to admit I am not a bit fan of the cooler mornings, the 50 and 60 degree temperatures, the longer leaved shirts and digging out the pants instead of Capri’s for work. HOWEVER…. thanks to book lovers, there are some awesome happenings that kind of sort of make up a wee bit of ground with me.
Such as…
This weekend is the Blogfest. I know right? I must have just continuously been at the wrong place at the wrong time because I seriously missed out on all of this until the last couple days. This takes place September 10-12. I have linked to a list of participating blogs here so if you so choose you can stop on by.
AND then, of course there is Book Blogger Appreciation Week which is sooooo much fun! And check out the super cool theme this year, A Treasure Chest of Infinite Books and Infinite Blogs. SO COOL! I love participating and saying “Hey!” to all my bloggy friends old and new by offering giveaways and fun posts right here during the very productive week on the blog, September13-17.
And (oh yes, there is more!!!!) Banned Books Week is coming up again and before you say I would never, could never read a banned book…. uhhh…. yeah, check out the list. More than likely – you already have. have you ever read a classic? Chances are it was a banned book. Have you ever read a Harry Potter book? Banned! Banned! Banned! Judy Blume? Yup… her too. Here is a list of banned books, but you can find lists and lists everywhere. Check out the Banned Books site that is taking reviews of banned books. I was invited to add my recent review of To Kill A Mockingbird to the blog. Mark your calendars for September 25 – October 2 and maybe plan to read one or two during banned books week….bring out the rebel in you!
Then on October 9, the wonderful Dewey’s Read-A-Thon rolls out again for another fantastic 24 hour read a thon that includes great games and giveaways as well as a time to set aside and read and read and read… check out the site.
For all you anti “F” word people such as myself, looking at these great events kind of eases the pain of fall right? And even if you love fall… oh I know you are out there…. this is just a little icing on the cake then. 😀
Ok – for the record – I do not hate Fall. BUT, in Minnesota, Fall is a prequel of what’s to come…. and if you think Fall causes me to sigh… wait until we get to Winter. BRRRRRR!!!!! 😛
Last week I read and reviewed To Kill A Mockingbird, easily naming this as one of my now all time favorite reads. The book was so well written, so smart, so engaging…. I just fell in love with it and I am so impressed with Harper Lee’s writing style and the story that she tells.
After finishing the book, I knew I wanted to see the movie and was lucky enough to find it at one of our few remaining video rental stores (uhhh yeah… whats with all the Red Boxes anyway?). I brought the movie with us camping this weekend and watched it with my husband as well as with our company which included two young girls ages 9 and 12. It is fair to say that i was actually a little jealous that they were able to experience this show at the ages they are where I am currently in my 40’s and seeing it for the first time.
The movie was… well, wonderful. Gregory Peck made an incredible Aticus and listening to him was just as I had pictured he would be, evenly tempered, wise in his speech, and gentle in his manner. It was wonderful to watch the book come alive before my eyes, and having just finished the book I enjoyed watching how it all played out on the screen.
As in all movies, parts of the book are lost. One of my favorite parts in the book was the end when Scout is walking home in the turkey costume and while that is in the movie, they cut out a lot of the story behind that part of the book, which I missed.
Over all I would highly recommend that everyone first read the book – you will not be sorry, and secondly, watch the movie, both are worth your time and you will forever have this wonderful piece of culture known as To Kill A Mockingbird.
Did you know that To Kill A Mockingbird was a banned book?
Fact: Challenged in Eden Valley, Minn. (1977) and temporarily banned due to words “damn” and “whore lady” used in the novel.Challenged in the Vernon Verona Sherill, N.Y School District (1980) as a “filthy, trashy novel:” Challenged at the Warren, Ind.Township schools (1981) because the book does “psychological damage to the positive integration process ” and “represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature:” After unsuccessfully banning Lee’s novel, three black parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council. Challenged in the Waukegan, III. School District (1984) because the novel uses the word “nigger.” Challenged in the Kansas City, Mo. junior high schools (1985). Challenged at the Park Hill, Mo. Junior High School (1985) because the novel “contains profanity and racial slurs:” Retained on a supplemental eighth grade reading list in the Casa Grande, Ariz. Elementary School District (1985), despite the protests by black parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People who charged the book was unfit for junior high use. Challenged at the Santa Cruz, Calif. Schools (1995) because of its racial themes. Removed from the Southwood High School Library in Caddo Parish, La. (1995) because the book’s language and content were objectionable. Challenged at the Moss Point, Miss. School District (1996) because the novel contains a racial epithet. Banned from the Lindale,Tex. advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book “conflicted with the values of the community.” Challenged by a Glynn County, Ga. (2001) school board member because of profanity. The novel was retained. Returned to the freshman reading list at Muskogee, Okla. High School (2001) despite complaints over the years from black students and parents about racial slurs in the text. Challenged in the Normal, ILL Community High Schools sophomore literature class (2003) as being degrading to African Americans. Challenged at the Stanford Middle School in Durham, N.C. (2004) because the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel uses the word “nigger.”
Good morning and happy Tuesday! Initially my plan was to do the “Hit List” this morning which is about all the great finds I discover while reading the Monday What Are You Reading participant blogs. HOWEVER… that’s just going to have to wait until tomorrow.
We arrived home yesterday afternoon from the cabin and when I finally sat down to answer emails and read the memes I realized there was no way I was going to finish them in one sitting. SO, that will be continued later today and instead today I have a couple other “morning chat worthy” topics.
Camping for the weekend with friends was wonderful. We watched a few movies, ate way too much food, played board games, searched for agates by Lake Superior, had a campfire and laughed a lot. I even got in a little reading time so The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and I are moving along quite nicely.
Al and I at the campfire. I know - a rare sightling of my hubby but there he is. 😀
Inside the cabin playing a game called STARE. there are three of our guests: Amy, Morgan, and Chad
Upon arriving home and starting to unpack guess where I found my dog Elmo?
On another note, The Game On Diet is game on again! I played in August and started out strong and then about the third week tapered off…. life got busy and yeah….. however, a group of us wanted to continue and as I have not reached my goals yet I am on again and we start today. I will get back to updating the journal (right side bar) as well.
You may remember my goal was to fit into these pants again.
AND finally – there were two book challenges I really want to be a part of and I have become behind on both but plan on catching up. One was from Trish over at Hey Lady! Watcha Readin’? She started a nicely paced challenge with The Handmaid’s Tale and I want to participate as this is a book I have meant to read like FOREVER! I have to catch up but I will. 😀
AND Amanda from The Zen Leaf has a challenge going for Charles Dicken’s Bleak House. Uhhh…. yeah. MONSTER read. 914 pages. In fact I may need to drink Monster to get through this…. and I hate energy drinks. 😛 This is another one being read slowly so I want to give it a try.
So that’s what is currently happening over here. Hope you all had a wonderful Labor day Weekend. Cant wait to catch up with all of you!
It’s Monday! 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.
Well, I have a couple of books I want to catch up on so I am going to keep it light and see what happens. I am still working my way through The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and I hope to start this one this week:
Releasing this week, ROOM has already been making an impact on the reviews. I look forward to sinking into this book.
I am really anxious to see what you are reading this week. Fall seems to bring some new titles and new reads to the table and I for one am looking forward to what the rest of this year will bring. Please enter your link to your Monday What Are You Reading post where it says “click here”. See you soon! 😀
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Note: I am still out-of-town until Monday afternoon but will respond to all comments and visit all meme participants upon my return. 😀
I have seen quite a few posts about Fall lately…. shoot, I have posted a few myself. It’s not like I want to give up on summer but for central Minnesota, we can feel it in the air. Fall doesn’t mean there will be no more beautiful sweltering days…. no, I still think we will be getting those over the next 6 weeks, in fact I look forward to them. No matter what you think of Fall – pro, con, undecided – there is one thing we as book lovers must agree on….
There are some GGGGOOOOOOOODDDDDDD books coming our way over the next couple months.
ROOM. Oh I have waited to read this book and it is on my reading list for next week. CAN NOT WAIT.
I am not a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks (although he has had some pretty good releases as of late) however – look at this cover. I mean LOOK at this cover. I could frame it. I might frame it. This book becomes available on September 14th.
Dennis Lehane. Need I say more? I mean we are talking Mystic River and Shutter Island. Both books that while I can’t say much for either of the movies, the books blew me away. November 2 is the release day.
I know there are more lovely books coming out soon…. and I am sure I have missed many that wold be on my list as well. This is where you come in. What books are you looking forward to being released yet this year?
On the eve of their silver anniversary, Mary Gooch is waiting for her husband, Jimmy — still every inch the handsome star athlete he was in high school — to come home. As night turns to day, it becomes frighteningly clear to Mary that he is gone. Through the years, disappointment and worry have brought Mary’s life to a standstill, and she has let her universe shrink to the well-worn path from the bedroom to the refrigerator. But her husband’s disappearance startles her out of her inertia, and she begins a desperate search.
She boards a plane for the first time in her life and flies across the country to find her lost husband. So used to hiding from the world, Mary learns that in the bright sun and broad vistas of California, she is forced to look up from the pavement. And what she discovers fills her with an inner strength she’s never felt before: perfect strangers who come to her rescue, an aging, sometimes hostile mother-in-law who needs her help, friends who enjoy her company. And through it all, Mary not only finds kindred spirits, but reunites with a more intimate stranger no longer sequestered by fear and habit: herself.
With the generosity and delicate grace that had readers falling in love with her bestselling novel, The Girls, Lori Lansens brings us another moving and beautifully wrought story, this time of a woman taking small yet courageous steps toward her authentic self.
If you would like to be a part of this book discussion please fill out the form below. You have between now and October 6 to read and either post a book review on your blog (if you have one) or for non bloggers you may email me your thoughts on the book.
Author Lori Lansens
As a bonus for those who choose to participate this month, author Lori Lansens will be offering a few signed copies of her books, not only this book, but also of The Girl’s and Rush Home Road. I will announce the actual giveaway closer to the review date, but for those of you who sign on to review the book with me through Wordshakers, you will automatically be entered twice into the giveaways.
Following our online review on October 6, there will be an author chat here with Lori Lanssen and participants in this discussion will have the opportunity to send in your questions for her for this chat.
If you have already read the book you are still welcome to join in. A five-week window will be given to give participants enough time to secure the book and read it. If you would like to be included in a mailing group that will be notified each time a new read is announced, leave me a comment below saying so and I will add you to the group. (*You do not need to post your email, I receive it with every comment)
Where did word shakers come from? I read a lovely book called The book Thief, and if you have not read it I highly recommend it. There is a part in the book when one of the characters writes a story involving a word shaker. The whole story is beautiful, and if you have the opportunity to read even the word shaker part of the book it is pages 445-450. The part that touches me deeply is:
THE BEST word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest. One such word shaker was a small, skinny girl. She was renowned as the best word shaker of her region because she knew how powerless a person could be without words.
I think this one touches me so because I am a word lover, much like many of you, and therefore – we are all word shakers. ♥
