Meanderings – Book Journey

Morning Meandering: Snow Day and Possibilities

Published on March 5, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

I didn’t want to go to the gym today.

While my weekend was mostly low key, I was at my lap top for most of it – working on a newsletter for the Friends of The Library, sending out information on the Mardi Gras event, updating lists, planning notes for a Camp meeting, and working on a website for a new business. My new roll in my job, has made my weekends a little more “working weekends” to get in my non profit duties… not complaining, just still finding my balance.

So…

With a full agenda today – gym, Friends Board Meeting, Author at the Library at noon, a meeting at 1:30, a few hours of work and a few pics taken at a Wine Class later for marketing…. I was really debating the gym and arguing with myself back and forth that going was good and going was rockstarish and going would make the rest easier and.…

And then Mother Nature stepped in and I woke up to this:

...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation. Additional snow accumulations
of 6 to 9 inches, with localized amounts up to 10 inches, and
ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch are expected.

* WHERE...South Cass and Crow Wing Counties.

* WHEN...Until 6 AM CST Tuesday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions,
including during the evening commute. Tree branches could fall.
Winds gusting as high as 45 mph will cause areas of blowing and
drifting snow.

Weather in Minnesota can change EVERYTHING.

By 6:30 am the notifications were sent out by text that all Group Fitness classes were cancelled

By 7:30 am Friends Board members started conversing by email – what to do about our Board meeting and our Author event?

….

and my day has potential of change….

Then…. Minnesota kicks in….

The Authors… are already on their way. We made the decision that if the authors can drive three hours to get to us… we can have our board meeting for those of us who can get there. I live right on the State Hwy and its a straight stretch for me so I can do it. The rest of the day will play out as well.

On other notes. I bought a book. *insert gasp here*

Well, you know.. sometimes a girl needs a little reassuring. 😉

I have reviews to write – food to talk about, book events to talk about… just need to get ‘er done.

How is your Monday shaping up?

Morning Meanderings… Some Days Minnesota… Some Days…

Published on February 23, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Mmm hmmm. That pic is of me this morning… pre everything (make up, shower… well, not pre coffee).

I was up yesterday over 20 hours between my 4 am making the Donuts at The Center, to working all day, a road trip to one of the venues I work with, creating a package for a friend who just had cancer surgery, another meeting and then a dinner meet up with friends. I came home and spent an hour on the phone and then watched The Tudors too long… trying to stay awake for the moment when they take away Anne Boleyn. Finally gave up… that will have to wait for another day. Sorry Anne.

Then… I woke up to this….

Yeah.. Not sure how much snow dumped on Brainerd between yesterday evening and this morning… but always the optimist I tried to approach it as any Minnesota Girl worthy of the title would do:

You do… what you got to do.. knowing this too will pass… Spring will come no matter how hard Winter tries to believe otherwise.

Anyhoo… COFFEE, cleaning up, and off to work. I have bookish things to share… soon my book loving friends… soon…..

Morning Meanderings… Closet Gamer, Limping Dog, and a Book Event

Published on February 19, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Hmmmm…. I am feeling an update coming on for my Meandering photo… needs…. something.

SO… checking in here as I don’t read as fast as I once did. Correction… I probably read as fast as I ever did… its the time thingy to do it that is slowing me down. Life is crazy self inflicted busy in good ways so not complaining. And books still happen in book clubish ways and the occasional sneaking one in.

So today I ramble a bit. Because I have a little time having to skip the gym because I am taking Mater to the vet this morning… more on that soon….

Gamer. I am sure I have mentioned it here before… my love for games. ALL GAMES. Board games, team games, strategic games and yes… video games. And this weekend I bought an XBOX S.

Yes. Its true. I love strategy games. So I bought a few games and played…

AND then Mater…. the Beagle Basset Hound hurt his foot somehow. He has limped the last couple of days and last night I see one of his toenails was bleeding so I skipped the gym today and will be taking him in to the vet here shortly.

And last… but probably what you really want to hear about, Books, Burgers, and Brews is tonight and we have a full house of 65 RSVPS. We will be discussing the book The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah.

This GIGANTO book surprised me with the interest. Coming in at 570 pages, I figured this group would be smaller. I was wrong. For a while we had a wait list on this one as we had filled our space and more people wanted in. Wow…. magic book? Great discussion? Probably all of the above. 🙂 Should be a fun evening and I will post about it after.

So that’s my current sitch. I am reading The Thirteenth Tale for next weekends Books and Beans discussion. Another book I have always wanted to read – has been on my shelf FOR-EV-AH and now I am excited to read.

Ok. That’s it… I’m off.. to the vet… and then to a lunch… and then to prep for tonight.

What Are You Reading that is AWESOME?

Morning Meandering… Birthday Weekend Check In

Published on February 11, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

Sunday morning. What is not to love? Coffee, a good book planned for later, warm blanket and nothing on the agenda other than what I want to put out there in the universe. I LOVE LOVE LOVE no commitment days. They give me a chance to unwind, recharge, and prepare to hit it again.

So…. Friday was my birthday. It was epically uneventful. Its not that I had any big plans – I was just hoping to do something to make it memorable. My day just got away from me. My lunch date for that day had to cancel, my day went longer than I thought it would at work, and I arrived back home around 7:15 pm tired, and with no energy to do any of the things I was tossing around to make a memory.

It happens.

I was in a royal funk and had to remind myself that I am blessed in so many ways. I have great relationships. I am healthy. I have a new job that inspires me and uses my creative energy. I can always make a memory and know I will push myself to continue to live each day to the fullest.

So.. Saturday. I made up for it. I went to St Paul and I ran the Valentines Run with my friends Belinda and Sheila and FROZE. We had an amazing lunch and I stopped at Barnes and Noble on my way home and treated myself to the book club read (Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls) as well as a few other books and a couple trinkets for my book room. I went to Office Max ( I LOVE PAPER!) and purchased what I hope is a handy organizer as well as a few other things for my office. I stayed in last night and watched TV and ate a sub.

Today… I am going to read. I am going to maybe go to a movie, and I am going to cook something (not sure what) in my New Instant Pot that I super excited about. I am going to organize a few things to make my week a little easier. I am drinking coffee, and chilling in the recliner. BLISS. Really. BLISS.

What are you doing with your Sunday? What great read is lucky enough to spend time with you?

Morning Meanderings… Weekend Unwind

Published on February 3, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

I have been home from vacation for 7 days now and today…. TODAY is my first day that I am commitment free AND if all goes as I plan… I will not leave the house today. (If I owned flannel onesie pajamas I can assure you I would be in them for the duration)

This past week had been a can of mixed nuts. I went through a hard anniversary date, ran a book discussion on Left Neglected, moved up in hours (and title) in my marketing job, had my heart hurt, completed the Friends Of the Library Annual Meeting, cleaned up my house, took part in a Sign Making Class, cried much, met with the Penguin Publishing rep for the area, connected with authors for Wine and Words, made a hard decision to cancel an event, had lunch in St Paul with the AMAZING Sue Hall (no… that was not meant to rhyme) who was/is my connection to Opus and Olives the event I modeled Wine and Words after, had a positive meeting about one of the magazines I write for, and returned to my regularly scheduled work out yesterday morning after being out for almost a month.

Yeah. That’s A WEEK.

So…. today, and well the weekend, the plan is to lay as low as possible and re-energize. Of course laying low for me does not mean snuggled up in that coveted onesie eating Cheetos and drinking Diet Dr Pepper while watching hour after hour of Netflix or video games…. Damn tempting though…

No. Alas, to me it it still firing on all cylinders…. just no public involvement. For example… I made a list of weekend goals.

Of course this list will fluctuate as the weekend continues. Already I am thinking… “Oh, I should add on there that I need to do laundry” and “I need to create a Stride and Seek hand out for next Thursday,” and “I need to fix the mailing address info for Camp B’s GiveMN.”

Yeah. Sound familiar?

Anyway on a different note… books came in while I was away…

Lovely lovely reading choices…. 🙂

How are you spending your weekend?

Morning Meanderings… I wish I had Book Pics By The Pool

Published on January 28, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

It’s Sunday Morning. I returned in the very early morning hours this past Friday from 10 glorious days in St Lucia. It was sun, and fun, food, laughter, tears (of course), and friends. It took me from running in 26 below weather on January 1st in the Polar dash, to basking in Sunshine and rocking the sunglasses on January 16th:

I read…. oh I read. I read Interview With The Vampire and Still Me. Both books I have talked about recently here. I normally love to show where I read a book, but alas… due to a brain fart by me, I sat my phone in the sand of St Lucia to pose for a picture my friend was taking and the water came up and saltwater soaked it. Yes… day 5 of the 10 in St Lucia… I was phone-less… which meant I was camera-less as well. *insert sigh here*

Turns out…. one can live without their phone. Who knew? I was still able to read (HUZZAH!) and bask in the sun (HUZZAH!) and zip line and dune buggy ride and be on a boat and feel sand between my toes. I was able to eat great food, swim, and play games with the entertainment staff. Thanks to my friend Wendy, I do have pictures she sent me from her phone.
It is of course, good to be home. While Minnesota is not exactly sunny these days, and I have no desire to feel snow between my toes… it is home. It is comfort, and dogs, cozy blankets, and my library of books at my finger tips. It is also – trying to create a schedule for myself that is not overwhelming, but exciting – it is new opportunities that astound me as I dreamed it, I hoped it, I prayed it – and now it is coming true larger than I could have imagined, faster than anticipated after a long wait… and now yeah….

but that is a story for another day.

Fellow readers, what are you reading? Where are you reading? And what is happening these final days of January 2018?

Morning Meanderings: My Crazy Amazing Encounter with Sue Grafton

Published on January 12, 2018January 13, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)36 Comments

Good morning. Or Afternoon. Or evening. Wherever you are and whenever you are reading this. It is morning here in Minnesota on this exceptionally COLD day. The coffee is brewing and I am capturing a few minutes to myself before my day explodes into activity.

You are probably familiar with the name Sue Grafton. She was the author of the long running books that started with A is for Alibi, a series she started after having penned 7 previous books. It was this alphabet series that went on to make her the famous author she had become. She passed away in December, and although she was not an author I read (yet) she is one that holds a special place in my heart.

I have a personal story about her. It was at the Penguin Bash in New York during the Book Expo of 2013. I was at this event with my good friend Allison and my roommate that year Cindy (Cindy’s Love of Books).

I was siting and talking with a group of book reviewers when I believe it was Jill (Rhapsody in Books) who ran up to me and grabbed my arm. “You have to come and meet Sue Grafton!” she said. I remember feeling like a little kid putting the breaks on. I had not read Sue Grafton’s books and what would I say to a big name author who I had not read?

I was introduced and I came up with something awkward and surely cheesy by saying, “So.. you are on W. What happens when you get to Z? I mean, AA already means something and AAA means something else.”

GAH.

For some reason, she liked me. We talked for about 15 minutes about writing and my wanting to do so myself and having yet (even now) to find my direction. She gave me her email and told me to write her anytime to discuss writing.

Wait…

what?

Well as most things Expo for me… I have HUGE plans when I return home, however life kicks back in and many things, such as emailing Sue Grafton about writing… fall to the way side. It was a few weeks later the letter arrived.

It was a beautiful letter from Sue Grafton hoping that she was mailing the girl that she talked to about writing. (Gulp) I had not given my information to her but somehow she had come up with my mailing address and sent me this personal letter encouraging me to follow my passion. It was beautiful. Amazing. And somewhere I still have that letter.

From that year on, she sent me a Christmas card every year. Now, January 12th, I have put away all the Christmas cards of 2017… except hers. Hers is still on my refrigerator. I am savoring the memory of her, the conversation, the letter and knowing that this is the last Christmas card I will receive from this amazing author… who changed the world – and ended the alphabet with Y.

68a1dd10b60b20415ebf6e9bebecb8da--bonnie-big-little-lies-style-big-little-lies-book — Sue Grafton and I 2013

Morning Meanderings… A Week Of Experiences

Published on January 7, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

A week in! Anyone else feel like a rock star? Or just amazed that the first week of 2018 is coming to a close. I am a mixed bag of both 🙂

This week for me was a little crazy… I accepted a position (YAY!!!) that takes me out of my office at home a little more and into the world of marketing which I LOVE LOVE LOVE – yet it is new and I am adjusting to the change in my availability while still hanging on to the commitments I have with non profits, friends, and other projects. I need to borrow from my good friend Amy her word, BALANCE.

I read a little (thank you Jill Anderson!) and I listened to a little audio… I have reviews to write (Huzzah!), W9s to fill out, invoices to send, power point to design, and this recap of the week.

SO Experience….

January 1: COLD The 10k in ST Paul at 20 below zero. 6.2 miles.

January 2: Love and Friendship… a beautiful gift in the mail, my friends had their little boy

January 3: BOOKS. The donations at the library are overflowing. A few of us hauled books from the library to the sale spot set for spring. More book donations than I have ever seen at one time!

January 4: Purpose. I started my first day in an office in town. I was a little nervous, I have worked mainly out of my home office since July 2014. It went well. The others were super nice, I felt good, and I felt I had purpose, which surprised me in good ways.

January 5: Heartbreak. Bailey, who has been around for 20+ years was put down (horrible words). He was getting to be too much to handle – above assisted living care.. he needed someone all the time to carry him outside and in, he was blind and deaf and the HARD decision had to be made. UGH.

January 6: Creativity. I attended two jewelry making classes today – one for a necklace and one for a bracelet centered around our words of the year. I have never been to a jewelry making class before so this was new, exciting, fun, and took my mind off of (for a little while) the sorrow over Bailey.

As for today, the 7th… I do not know yet. The day is young… I am planning to stay at home for the most part and prepping some things to take pressure off my week… and it will be a week! Tomorrow Friends meeting, take down decorations at library, Author, Books Burgers and Brews in the evening, Tuesday office and lunch with friends, Wednesday gym, book hauling, a couple of meet ups for work, Thursday office, 2nd Thursday Happy Hour For A Cause in the evening, somewhere in the middle maybe some shopping for vacation next week, Friday gym, office.. somewhere in the week I should consider tanning as well….

Welcome to 2018. How was the first week for you?

Morning Meanderings… Experience Has A Bad Rap

Published on January 3, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

Good morning from Minnesota. *Yawns. Stretches.*

I am starting to feel that my word for the year “Experience” has a bad rap.

When looking up inspirational messages for my word, I am finding that often experience is connected negatively. Exhibit A:

Really Oscar Wilde? REALLY?

I was actually surprised as I dug more into the word. My 2016 word COURAGE was so inspirational and strong. My 2017 word SHINE followed suit and everywhere you looked positive things were said in regards to SHINE.

So what is up with Experience?

I don’t see it this way.

Experience is not something you get when something bad happens. Well – it sure can be, but that is not what the word is to me. I was thinking way more positively. EXPERIENCE is moving forward and EXPERIENCING what this world/life has to offer. Doing something new, EXPERIENCING an event, a taste, a challenge, an accomplishment. It is getting up, getting out, and moving in a positive direction.

I plan to run my 1st half marathon in July of this year. That is an experience I am excited for. I am signed up to do RAGBRAI, a 7 day bike ride across Iowa. THAT is an experience.

I am not saying my year will be all sunshine and lollipops. Of all people, I know better than that. I also know that some experiences would be ones I would have rather passed on if given the choice. There may be painful experiences ahead – but guess what? The year of Courage and Shine also had their moments.

Thank you Emily. I have always liked you.

When I looked at the lists of words that are suggested for your One Word of the year, Experience does not even make the list. I kind of like that. I have always been an outside the box kind of girl and I kind of like the thought of turning Experiences reputation and the way we think of it around.

Challenge accepted.

If I can keep up with my own ambitions (ha ha … always a challenge) I will share with you here the experiences of each day… come what may –

It will be an EXPERIENCE.

January 1st… ran a 10k in 20- zero weather in St Paul Minnesota… Experience was: COLD, Invigorating, Inspirational… great way to start the New Year

January 2nd: Started a new position with a company I so enjoy working with. My friends had their baby, a little earlier than expected – but he is beautiful and he is a fighter. I received a lovely gift in the mail… a Gryffindor scarf (HOW have I not already had one of these?) And a beautiful copy of The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. Something I have never read, but would like to.

Experience was: Excitement, Joy, and a little sadness too mixed in as milestones and holidays tend to do that to me.

How are you? If you chose a word this year, how is it working for you these first few days? How are you implementing it in your life?

First Book 2018 Updated

Published on January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Good morning! Happy January 2nd. It has been fun to watch my E-mailbox fill with these pictures and stories about to be/being enjoyed. Each title inspires me and as some of you noted on yesterday’s post – with as many entries as we have, there is not one duplicate. I love that in so many ways. The diversity in our choices.

This morning, my friend Mary sent in her book choice of Gone Girl with a message that her son asked her to read it so they can discuss it. This opened up a flood of memories for me. On our last trip to Happy Potter world in 2014, Justin and I went to the movie. I had already seen the movie, and I had already read the book prior to that, and wanted to EXPERIENCE (see what I did there?) this with him.

He loved it. We left the theater in an Orlando mall and we immediately walked over to the malls book store where he purchased the book. We talked about it for weeks afterwards. Differences between the book and the movie, plot… I cherish those conversations.

AND that is just one of the many delights of a good book. Not only experiencing it for yourself… but sharing it. I love the book you hand to a friend and say, “Call me… as soon as you are done. We need to talk about this.” ♥

Here is the UPDATED post of the 2018 books. 93 of you in all submitted your First Book. Thank you. This is always so much fun to do and kick starts my year in books, and in blogging, off right. I am bringing over much of the info from yesterday’s post (the places and the book links) to this post so you can click away and perhaps find your second book here.

(The top 2 sets are the newly added pics)

Here are the areas where these books were sent in from: Alabama, Arkansas, Australia, Bermuda, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jamaica, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Scotland, Singapore, Switzerland, Tennessee, Texas, UK, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming