Book Thoughts – Page 5

Are You In A Book Club? Why or Why Not?

Published on October 13, 2010October 13, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)60 Comments

It’s no secret I love talking books. And I am betting that many of you are the same way. I like to read books, discuss books, search out new books…

Well… you get my point. 😛

As per my earlier post today, ♥ I LOVE MY BOOK CLUB ♥. We have met for ten years and I have met some incredible women through this group who have stretched me into authors and books that I never dreamed I would read… or enjoy…. and have!

For me, it started with my desire to know the people I worked with better. I had worked the same job foe 10 years and found it sad that many of us knew nothing about each other, other than what department we worked in and maybe what we ate for lunch.

So… the book club idea came to be.

To this day this is one of my favorite books of all time.

I posted a note on the time clock – chose a book (Dance Upon The Air by Nora Roberts), put a time and place and waited. No one said boo to me about it.

I felt like an idiot.

The day of the meeting I showed up at the designated restaurant pretty much planning to drink a diet coke by myself and go home. Then two ladies showed up. We had a blast. And the next month, another one came. And before too long we were 8 and then we grew again to 12, and now we are at 18.

What brings me to this topic today is that I have been blessed by this great group of women and wish everyone had the opportunity to be in a book club. It’s not always easy and with growth we did have growing pains (where to meet as we outgrew spaces, how to keep everyone focused on the book at hand – I am a real stickler that we do discuss the book!) All of us have worked together to bring “more to a group”. By more I mean – we try to bring pictures of events described in books, we discuss the author, we have an annual Queen Event, a Christmas Party, and an October Classic Read. We potluck themes to go with the books, and we do a Year In Review handout every January of the past year, what we read and the funny, or real moments we had. We vote for the best book pick of the year… and the worst.

My questions to you are:

Are you involved in a book club? Why or why not?

Is it online or off-line (or both!)

If you are, what do you do to keep everyone engaged?

Would you be interested in a group that shares book club ideas (ie. fun things to do around certain books, how to get a book club started, how to get the group engaged…)

What Was That Book That Totally Pulled You In?

Published on April 12, 2010April 12, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments

I have had a book craving lately. Yes, I know I am surrounded by books and yes. I have read some fantastic high rating books in my opinion as of late….

but…

Here is what I am craving. I am craving that book that pulls you deep within its pages. The one that you one those first few pages and get a good sense of the scene being set and then….

Suddenly you are pulled fully into the book and you don’t stop to eat and barely stop for a bathroom break, as you read deeper and deeper into the pages – becoming almost one with the book, and the characters. You are there in an almost 3D like way as they knock on doors, get in fights, share their secrets, fight for the cause, when they fall in love,… and when they fall apart. And then…. sometimes…. in the really good ones…. we cry when they cry.

My question I am pondering this evening is what book am I describing here for you? What book pulled you in like this and held you to that final page and you wished (WISHED!) that you could keep turning imaginary pages beyond “the end” so you could know more, be with the book more….

For me…. I found that in all the later books of the Harry Potter series… probably book 3 and on. I found this is Hunger Games.

I would like to know where you found it…. and what that felt like for you.

Pick Up Lines…

Published on November 12, 2009November 12, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

I have been giving quite a bit of through to first sentences… I love opening sentences to books and many of the great ones stick with lovers of literature for life:

Call me Ishmael. ~ Moby Dick

Marley was dead: to begin with. ~ A Christmas Carol

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. ~ A Tale Of Two Cities

“My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.” ~ The Lovely Bones

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. ~ Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. ~Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone

Do you have any favorite first sentences? What do you think of the first sentence you read in a book, or does that first line not stay with you and you relate more to the first chapter? At what point does the book stick with you or does it vary book to book?

Seasonal Reading….

Published on October 18, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

So here is something I have been pondering lately… do we read different styles/genres of books at different times of the year? I was reading a post earlier today at Ryan’s Wordsmithonia and he mentions how as the weather gets colder he starts looking forward to spooky movies. I think this applies to books as well.

I know this is true of myself. In the summer I love light chick lit fun friendship books. I love books about beaches and beach houses, fictional travels – I think just overall what you could probably call beach reads (although I rarely ever make it to the beach). Its not set in stone and of course there are other reads in there as well.

As fall comes in – I do notice a change in my reading. Shorter days that bring darkness to our area by 7:30 pm, cool nights that require the heat on and usually a warm blanket to throw over myself as I watch a movie or dig into a book. And those books I tend to crave? I seem to feel like reading a good mystery. Visions of Agatha Christy and Johnathon Kellerman… maybe the latest Grisham or my new found author Michael Connelly. It almost seems like as those of us in Minnesota are taking out our crock pots and planning heartier meals of soups and chili’s… I am also looking for a heartier read.

So my question today to you is – are you a seasonal reader? Do you seem to crave different reads at different times of year? Share a little here about that. I would love to read your thoughts on this. 🙂

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.

To E Read or not to E Read…. that is the question….

Published on September 15, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

This is a funny topic for me as I am truly a book girl. And by book…. I mean BOOK. You know… sheets of paper with words on them all wrapped in a gorgeous cover…. old school. That’s me.

There is a girl in my book club who has a Kindle. I have walked her through my home library pointing out the book shelves I love and all that they hold…. my treasures…. “See,” I tell her. “If I had a reader like this, what would be on my shelves?”

Yet… as time has went on…. I see them …. yes – THEM. E Readers. They are at the YMCA where I work out. As I struggle to turn pages on my book while on the treadmill, the girl next to me runs and looks at her E Reader. When no ones looking I ask her, “Do you like this form of reading?”

“Oh Yes,” she says. “I love it and I can take it anywhere.”

I do travel a lot. Road trips, planes a couple times a year. I have been in situatuations where I am looking for a particular book and can not find it. Or I have read everything I brought with me. And of course there is the weight/space factor. My book take up a nice portion of my suitcase.

So…if I were to get an E Reader, being a die hard books to the end girl…. it would need to do all the things I wish my books could do. It would need to capture improtant facts so when reviewing I could easily find these passages again. It would need to look up words for me that I did not know in a quick and easy manner. Easy to read… many MANY books to choose from…. light weight, easy to travel with, price not too scary….I may be able to be persuaded to take an E Reader for a spin.

Faith In Fiction Saturday: The Pastor Character

Published on August 8, 2009August 8, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

Today’s Faith in Fiction questions is:

What do you think about the portrayal of pastors and ministers in general market fiction? How about Christian fiction? How was the pastor portrayed in the last book you read with a minister? What’s your favorite fictional minister? What do you think is an accurate and realistic fictional clergyman?

As I thought about these questions, I have to say it was a bit embarrassing that I actually had to use my Tag Cloud on my sidebar to find my Christian Fiction reviews. My last one was in March of this year. Yikes! I have read more recent Christian reads but they were not fiction.

Looking over that last review of In Search of Eden, the pastor as I recall in that book, was your typical loving Pastor who was kindhearted, giving… not a real jump out at you character, but a secondary character, almost an “insert pastor here.”

The books I mentioned in last Saturday’s Faith in Fiction, the three Randall Arthur books, the pastors in these books were more the struggling with faith pastors due to life circumstances and/or poor choices on their part. One of the books portrays a pastor that is so by the Book (literally) that he drives his own wife and daughter away. Francine Rivers has written of these types of pastors in her Christian Fiction books as well.

I have to admit, I actually prefer the pastor characters I mentioned in the second paragraph. The sometimes struggling, sometimes questioning, pastor. To me that is just more real and I prefer to think of pastors as people who are trying to get it right, just like the rest of us.

As far as a favorite fictional pastor character, I am coming up blank here. All I can think of is the Pastor in The Mitford books by Jan Karon, he was ok, but the books themselves were such light reads. I am open to suggestions. (Obviously I am in need of a good Christian Fiction book). 🙂

Faith in Fiction Saturdays is a meme created by My Friend Amy

Faith in Fiction Saturday: Diversity in Christian Fiction

Published on August 1, 2009August 2, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

I have been watching My Friend Amy’s Faith in Fiction posts for several weeks now and just have not had the time to participate but told her last week that this would be the week that I would start.

Do you think Christian fiction represents a diverse range of belief, Christian experience, skin color, and nationality? Have you ever read a book and realized you hadn’t read anything quite like it in Christian fiction before? Have you ever wished an author would take a different point of view? Do you think that avid readers of Christian fiction are open to more diversity in Christian fiction? What are some stand-out examples of books that represent diversity in Christian fiction?

By reading her post this morning and then searching my book shelves, I find that her response about the lack of Christian authors of other nationalities is few and far between to be true. In fact, I was surprised to look through my wide variety of books to come back with a Christian Author of another nationality for this post…. and I came up empty handed. (Read Amy’s post she mentions a couple authors here who I have not read but sound like they have great reads that I would love to try.)

This sort of shocked me as I guess, when I am choosing a Christian Fiction read I have never paid attention to what nationality the author was, I just assumed that there were many represented in what I have read. This is not true.

When we talk diversity in Christian Fiction I think back to three books I read several years ago by a Christian Author who I just loved and found to be so real, Randall Arthur.

The three books are Jordan’s Crossing, Brotherhood of Betrayal, and Wisdom Hunter. For me, at the time of reading, Randall had such a fresh perspective on Christian Fiction that I had not experienced before. These books each have a powerful message about the enslaving hypocrisy of legalistic Christianity.

Randall Arthurs books deal with tough topics like in Wisdom Hunter,
” Jason Faircloth is a pastor in a large and growing church. He is known as the general, and leads with power. Jason sees the world in black and white. That means some thing are absolutely wrong and other things are absolutely right. Jason believes God has shown him which ideas are which. He is so strict that he drives his teenage daughter to run away.
One day Jason’s world is turned upside down. He learns that his runaway daughter died after just delivering a baby. Jason’s daughter was married, and the father of the baby does not want Jason to see the baby; or know where they live. Jason’s wife goes into a deep depression after hearing the news, and dies shortly after.
Jason feels like he has no idea what to believe in anymore. He begins a nation wide search to find his granddaughter and discover what life is about. ”

Jordan’s Crossing,

When pastor John Rau, an avowed liberal, accepted a position with a European missions agency, his decision was not based on an opportunity to serve God, but on the monetary rewards the position would bring him. Shortly after his family’s arrival in Germany, Jordan’s priorities dramatically change. When his young son, Chase, is murdered, Jordan becomes obsessed with finding his son’s killers and delivering justice by his own hand.

Brotherhood of Betrayal,

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples,” Jesus said (John 13:35, NLT). Respected missionary pastor Clay McCain leaves his family and growing church in Sweden for a beautiful, wealthy woman. But the Christian community reacts cruelly – even to his innocent abandoned family… A Family Nightmare… Clay McCain, a high-profile American pastor serving in Stockholm, Sweden, mysteriously disappears. Who can his wife, Rachel, and her three young children turn to for help? Her Swedish friends? Her home church in the United States? Her mission board? Her relatives? Rachel’s eventual outreach of trust, alongside a shocking discovery, sets off an unexpected avalanche of betrayal that turns her world, her family, and her faith upside down.

Randall Arthur served as a Missionary in Europe for twenty-two years. He and his wife Sherri, worked as Church planters in Germany and Norway before returning to the US in 1998.

I love that he touched on many subjects that are not easy to discuss in Christian fiction when the reality is, these are import topics.

There are many great Christian Fiction authors and reads out there and I tend to like the ones that really press the tough issues that are a reality in our world.

Morning Meandering Confession

Published on July 29, 2009August 5, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

Ok…. does this happen to anyone else?

I like to get up early in the morning and have my coffee while I visit some of my favorite book blogs. Oh, you know who you are….I am on your door step with coffee cup in hand and hair still wild as actually attempting to fix it prior to two cups of coffee is not a good idea…

So I go to a book blog and I am reading about some delightful book review or book related happening when my eye wanders over to their side bar. Whats this? Another book blog? So after I pay my comment respects to said blog owner, I click on the sidebar blog and find a whole new blog filled with book related things that make my typing fingers tingle with excitement to post a comment on what I have found. AND THEN, I see something on their sidebar… that’s right – another book blog that sounds interesting…. and I click on that…. (are you seeing the pattern?)

By the time I come out of the blogesphere (although there are times I wonder if I ever fully come out of it….) many things have happened:

1. I have no doubt added a book to my “TBR” list

2. I have no doubt found my way into a blog I have not read before and liked it

3. I have no doubt become lost, and by the time I snap out of it (usually because duty calls and I must go to work!) I can not remember how I got to where I wound up.

Lately I have found that in work conversations I think in book titles or book quotes. Yesterday afternoon I handled a particularity difficult phone conversation well and hung up and and said “Crisis Management” (then wrote it down because I liked the “title”) Later I cleaned up around the coffee room where it can quickly become a disaster zone and satisfied with my job well done said, “Mischief Managed.”

Ok… enough morning rambling…. and I have to go to work. 🙂 Anyone else out there care to share?