JAMES by Percival Everett

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

James is a slave. His wife and daughter are also slaves. He works hard and talks with some of the local boys like Huckleberry (Huck) Finn and Tom Sawyer.

When James finds out that he is going to be sold and taken away from his family he has no choice. He runs. He runs in hopes that he can have time to think and to plan a way to get back to his family.
In the nearby woods, he finds Huck who is also on the run. Huck has faked his own death to escape the beatings of his father. This unlikely pair decide to run together, James wanting to protect Huck if he can, and Huck being white, may be able to help James as well.

With a little luck, they can build a raft, find a fish line, and their adventures begin… dodging the bounty on James’ head, running into sketchy characters, and near misses all build into this wild retelling of Huckleberry Finn from James’ perspective.

Honestly, this one surprised me as to how much I enjoyed this book. I have had a little run lately of books that grab me right away and this book was no exception. I mean when you start a book with “Those little Bastards…” you certainly have to be intrigued! 😀

And the book continues with the way with a delightful, thoughtful, and occasionally hard look at this retelling of Huckleberry Finn from James’ perspective. Sadly – I have not read Huckleberry Finn (yet) so other than what I know from hearing about the book, I did not have that perspective going into this read however IMP – I don’t think you need it. James is refreshingly a stand-alone and while I don’t know how close it sticks to the Huckleberry story – I am ok with wherever it landed.

There are several fun play-on words in the book that I really enjoyed:

“And you can read? I knew It. Aint we been freinds forever? And you never trusted me enough to tell me that? So you can write? I cain’t hardly write. What else can you do? Can you fly? What ain’t you told me, Jim?”


There were so many funny moments and I wish I would have captured the pages to share a couple more.

picked this book up on Sunday and finished it on Wednesday. I read it every chance I could and thankfully being in Florida at this time, I had a little more time to read than I usually do.

Highly recommended – a Barnes and Noble Book Of The Year
Good Reads Choice Award Winner
National Fiction Book Award Winner 2024
One of the New York Times Best Books Of The Year

Read this book. I believe you will be glad you did.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: no
Read Author Again: I would
Where Read: while in Fort Myers Florida

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Essence of McFadden… but also, a little Steven King. ~Sheila

Author Grady Green is having the best day of his life. He just received wonderful news from his publicist regarding his newest book. The only thing that would have made this moment better is if his wife had been there to celebrate with him. But she is on her way—he just spoke with her, and she is so close to home.
But as the minutes tick by, Grady begins to worry. Where is Abby? When he runs up the road, what he finds will haunt his dreams forever. Abby’s car is on the side of the road with the door open, her phone and car remain in the seat, and Abby is nowhere to be found.

A year later, Grady still does not have the answers. Abby was never found. Grady can no longer write. His finances have dwindled to nothing and he has moved into a cheap hotel with his dog. When his Editor offers him a three-month stay in a cabin she inherited on a remote island to clear his head and maybe start writing again – Grady has no choice but to humbly accept.

At first, the Island seems to be just the answer. It’s small, remote, and beautiful. Every shop is locally owned, and while admittedly, the folks seem a little odd, Grady thinks he can make this work.
But things are more than a little off on this small island and in short time strange things start happening that Grady can not ignore… and when he sees a woman in a red coat who looks just like Abby… things get even stranger yet.

I read this in two days in the RV on our way to Florida. (Yes you read that right – that may be the norm for many people – but not for me…I don’t have a lot of reading time usually so it takes a bit longer to finish a book) – this is a little bit of WOW for me 🙂

It’s a little hard to describe this book without giving anything away. While it held my attention all the way through, when the reveal came – I was….
admittedly confused – not that the reveal did not work… I’m just not sure if (IMO) it worked well. For me to fully grasp what just happened – I would need to go back and reread certain chapters and honestly – I just didn’t want to. If I were to describe how the reveal felt – it didn’t give me the “Ahhhhhhhh!” moment I think it was going for. It was more like a “huh.”

That said – the book is not bad- its good and I really enjoyed it except for that part. It feels a little like McFadden and oddly, I picked up vibes on Stephen King – especially on the small Island. I think if you think about it, you will too 🙂

I would love to hear other thoughts on this one.

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: I do not believe so
Read Author Again: I would give her another try
Where Read: Traveling to Florida in the RV – between Georgia and Florida 🙂

The Housemaid’s Secret by Frieda McFadden

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It’s fun to revisit the characters you enjoy – and Millie is definitely one to have on your side. ~Sheila

Millie has a reputation as being “a fixer”. As word got out that Millie had a way to take care of the bad husbands, she had a little stint with the help of a friend cleaning up some messy marriages.

Those days, however – are in the past. Millie still with a record of her jail time, just wants a nice easy job to pay the bills and keep her moving forward. When Douglas Garrick calls about her working for him and his wife – a little housekeeping, a little errand running, a little cooking – Millie says yes. The Garricks seem easy to work for, their house is never dirty and Mr Garrick is pleasant in their encounters. The only thing that makes Millie wonder is Mrs. Garrick, who keeps to herself in her room with some assorted health issues. And the longer she works for the Garrick’s the more mysterious it seems that Mr Garrick does not want Millie to talk to his wife…

What could possibly be going on?

I’m a little proud of myself with this one. I feel like I finally have a bit of a grasp on McFadden’s style and even predicted a couple of things in this one. (Go Me!!!) But – don’t get me wrong… when this story begins to fully unfold – there is the usual McFadden Origami style here that once again – in the end… had me fooled.

I enjoyed this one as a sequel but probably not as much as the first one – still a strong read and I am glad I did 🙂

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Of Course 🙂
Where Read: Listened to audio – finished right before leaving on our RV trip

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore

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Every bit as good as I was hoping it would be! ~Sheila

In August of 1975, a Camp counselor awakens to find one of her campers missing. Barbara Van Laar is not just any camper, she is the daughter of the Summer Camp Owners and also the sister of the boy who went missing from his very camp over a decade ago.

As the police are called in, and Counselors, Campers, Camp Staff, as well as Family Members are questioned… a tale begins to unfold like no other of betrayal and deceit, long-time grudges, and long-hidden secrets.

I don’t often get to sit and really READ READ. Like – a qty of time. This was a treat for me with days of RV travel and nothing but time while on the road I read this in two days. I loved this book and had no trouble picking it up and reading it for hours. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the tale told by so many different narrators – usually I do not like a lot of different characters to keep track of but in this case, they were well-developed and easy to follow the narration changes as pieces of the story unfolded from what happened then – to what was happening now.

Kudos also for the timeline that was being focussed on between 1950 – Fall 1975 was at the start of each chart with the timing of that chapter highlighted. I thought that was brilliant and I have never seen this done in such a way before.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend digging into a great campfire tale.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would!
Where Read: In the RV traveling between Minnesota and Tennessee (finished in Tennessee)

The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Yup. She did it again. #blownaway ~Sheila

Millie thought she had found the answer to her prayers when Nina Winchester said, “Welcome to the family – and please, call me Nina.”

After time in prison, Millie is just trying to get on her feet and the job cleaning and a little light cooking for the Winchesters seems to be just the ticket to setting herself back on track. Sure the house is an absolute mess, and their daughter Cecelia is awful, yet Millie is up for the challenge. It doesn’t help that Mr. Winchester is kind and well.. easy on the eyes.

Yet as days turn into weeks, Millie senses something is very very wrong. Nina, or Mrs. Winchester as she has told Millie more than once since her date of hire that they are not friends so not to call her Nina, seems to be… well… a little crazy. She tells Millie to do something and then screams at her that she never said that. She talks down to her every chance she has and often threatens to fire her. Millie knows she is so lucky that she has the job with her record and just needs to keep saving but it gets harder and harder – and the creepy attic bedroom she stays in with the lock outside the door is a bit much…

Do they not understand what she is capable of?

Somehow… in all the books I have read by McFadden, I missed this one, the one, by all accounts it seems, made Frieda McFadden an author to keep an eye on.
It was Jenny who does my hair who mentioned it a few months ago and with all the other books I was reading it didn’t stick to add it to my list. Then, this past week Jenny asked if I had read it as she is now reading the third book, The Housemaid Is Watching.
Well… I knew I was behind so got right on it!

The Housemaid is definitely good. As mentioned before, I am finding this pattern with me and the McFadden books. At some point – something usually makes me mad or feels like she is being too predictable – yet, I have discovered that IMO, she does this intentionally. I believe McFadden loves to throw the reader off – loves to make them think “Oh Frieda, really? That’s a little obvy isn’t it?” And then – she slams on the breaks – puts you in a tailspin and suddenly the book is upside down… what you thought was true was nothing but a bucket of red herrings and in the end….
Your hair is mussed, you are smoking a cigarette (you don’t smoke..) and you have a goofy look on your face.
Yeah… it be like that.

The Housemaid, in all of its glory, has rightfully earned the reputation of readers suddenly taking a closer look at what McFadeen is doing and she continues to create Psychological Thrillers that amaze. I was once again taken in and better for it. The Housemaid, while not perfect, is a book to add to your TBR list – and soon.

I’m already digging into The Housemaid’s Secret….book two.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Authro Before: Yes
Read Author Again: I already am 🙂
Where Read: I listen to this on audio at home while cleaning and puzzling… its Minnesota winter after all

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

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McFadden never ceases to surprise me! ~Sheila

Nora Davis knows to keep her eyes open and alert to her surroundings. She learned this lesson as a child when she watched her parents be incarcerated for kidnapping and killing women of a certain age and look.
Raised by her Grandmother, Nora, 26 years later, now a surgeon, keeps mostly to herself, living alone – well, unless you count the stray cat. Which she doesn’t… not yet. Her father remains in prison and will for the rest of his life. And thankfully, no one knows- not friends, not co-workers, about her past or her connection to the “Handyman”, the serial killer who removed his victim’s hands.
At least, she thought no one knew.

When two young women turn up dead with their hands severed AND they just happen to both be women who were Nora’s patients. The Police are knocking on Nora’s door and the similarities between what happened then – and what is happening now are just too great.
Is it a copycat killer looking for the notoriety of the famous Serial Killer the Handyman? Or is it something even more sinister?

It’s no secret that I am a McFadden fan. I was so excited to see a new book had been published and could not wait to be fully engaged in what new creation she has come up with – and for the most part… she did not disappoint.
My only time peeve (and it is a small one) – was the repeating of the description of the women victims too often (like… make a drinking game out of how often it said often)… I get that it was making a point and a connection to the victims of the past to those in the present as well as Nora noticing similar traits in her acquaintances which, in her mind, meant they could be potential targets for whoever was doing the killing…. but – it weighed on me as it was mentioned too frequently.
Other than the peeve, McFadden got me again. When you think you know that they know that you know and… well…. you are completely wrong – that’s a McFadden. The way it all wrapped up left me impressed again and of course… wanting more.

New to McFadden? If you like a good psychological thriller – take your pick:

One by One
The Perfect Son
The Inmate
The Coworker
The Teacher

Rating: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yup
Read Author Again: Oh Yeah
Where Read: Listened to on audio while cooking, cleaning and puzzling


The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

A different little tale but a good one! ~Sheila

When Phoebe Stone arrives at the Grand Cornwall Inn she is alone and she is without luggage… but she has a plan. Always dreamed of coming to this Inn with her husband – instead, she is alone, mourning the husband she lost to another woman, dressed in a gorgeous green dress and gold heels with a plan to splurge on herself and then end it all.
What she doesn’t expect is to find that the entire hotel is rented out to a large wedding party, and as soon as she enters the lobby she is mistaken for one of the guests. While in the elevator with the soon to be Bride Lila, Pheobe, and Lila strike up a conversation and an unlikely friendship between the floors as Lila shares fear and truths she can not share with the friends and family in the Inn, and Pheobe shares her plan to end it all.

In a twist, both women can help one another in ways neither expects.

It was the title that got me. Working in the wedding industry I was curious – the cover was almost a pass (being honest – I am kind of a cover snob) however once read, the cover is actually spot on – it gives insight into the book all the while being a little playful as well and that is really the same as the book.
It was a fun witty read and moved along at a nice pace as you find yourself among the crazy attendees of the wedding, the not-happy bride, an engaging groom, and more. It was absolutely what Phoebe needed and honestly, a pleasure to read.

In a nutshell – fun, witty, laugh-out-loud moments.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read author Again: Yes I would
Where read: At home

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Just a little too…. much. ~Sheila

Meg loves her gig as an undercover gal at the local casino apprehending cheaters. She has a habit of pushing a little too far and putting herself in danger more than she should. Hooked on pain pills from a serious scare the previous year, Meg doesn’t deal with reality very well including building friendships, connections, and certainly not a love relationship.

Meg’s famous sister Haley also struggles with addictions and while in Rehab, is found dead. When Meg reads the details of Haley’s death, Meg called bull shit. They may not have been the closest of sisters, but Meg feels strongly that something is not right. So strongly in fact, that she goes undercover and has herself admitted to the same Rehad to do some internal recon. Digging into a much more sinister scenario than even Meg could have imagined, and living through it remains to be seen.


This was our January read for the Bookies Book Club. While the start of the book detailing Meg’s life was interesting – once we enter the rehab and start digging in it gets a little too far-fetched (IMO). It was engaging enough to keep me going to see what would happen but felt like it too a long long time to get there and when I did.. it fell flat.

Fun fact – 7 of the 16 of the Bookies were on the Cruise we took in January 2025. We gathered together on what would have been our Book Club Night (on the 14th) and made a live video of our thoughts on this book to put on our private Bookies Facebook page. It worked! 😀

Rating: 3 out of 5
Read author Before: Not that I am aware of
Read Author Again: Maybe
Where Read: Started in Brainerd, finished on our Cruise




The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

It was a great twisty time spent in the halls of Ashby House! ~Sheila

Ruby McTavish has definitely lived an interesting and full life. She is the victim and the survivor of kidnapping as a child, and as an adult, she has been widowed 4 times and is the owner of Ashby House, her family’s estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Ruby never had children with any of her husbands, however, she did adopt a boy she named Camden who would be her sole heir. As Camden grows into a young man, there are many things he doesn’t approve of that his mother, as well as the extended McTavish, does. When Camden separates himself from the family as well as his full inheritance as Ruby’s only heir, he has no intention of ever returning to the Ashby House. Instead, he becomes a teacher in a small town in Colorado, where he meets Jules, also with a messy family past, who becomes his wife.

Ten years later, Ruby has long since passed away, and with the passing of his Uncle, Cam finds that he has to clean up some loose ties with the family and begrudgingly plans a trip back to the home and the people he closed the door to all those years ago. Jules is excited to see the magnificent home she has only seen in photos and what she has read online, but Cam has fears of what may be revealed to his wife when he reenters his past. But Cam is not the only one with secrets… secrets can come from any unsuspecting direction – even from the grave.

It’s been a while since I have read a truly can-not-put-down book and I am excited to share that I launched into 2025 with this one. Not the first book I said I would be reading (mainly because this one is paperback and easier to travel with on a plane).

This book grabbed me right from the start which is such a plus for me. The storyline was interesting and engaging, even the chapter transfers of narrator between Cam, Jules, and Ruby flowed so well that I never lost who was speaking or tried to recall what was going on when it came back to their story.

I am impressed with the book – the twists and turns made sense and I loved how many surprises there were along the way that fell right into line with the story. That sort of writing does not always work but it did here – and it worked well. HIGHLY Recommended.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes – years ago! Hex Hall (I actually did not connect this was the same author until I looked to see if I had read here before!)
Read this author again: Absolutely
Where read: Started in Brainerd MN, read while traveling to Florida and on a Cruise into Cazamel, finished in Miami.

~Sheila

Happy New Year! What Are You Reading? 12th Annual First Book Results Are Here!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Hey all! Happy New Year! If you are wondering where the First Book post is… here it is 😀 I have had a quiet morning of reflection and COFFEE… gone are the days of my staying up past midnight to have this post in your in boxes by 6 am…
I’m as devoted as ever… just not as insane about it lol.

I usually make you search for my book choice within the pics… oh I am in there, but I thought this year starting this post off with not only my book choice – but also my word of the year choice : JOY

Again – I hope to review more… get back into a rhythm here which also means writing more…. and learning how to find that balance.

With no further ado… below you will find the First Books of 2025. What a fun selection! Among these book selections, you will also find some authors – keep your eyes out for:
Cary Griffith
Kaira Rouda
Joshilyn Jackson
Heather Gudenkauf
Lorna Landvik

Fun Facts – very few duplications this year! That actually excites me! While in the past years there may have a been a hot tile that several selected – I love the diversity of what you will see below. I love that first book, as well as all books you choose, are a personal preference. Books/genres speak differently to us at different times in our lives. We have everything here from some heavy hitters, comfort reads, education, historical, non fiction, memoirs, fun, heart-wrenching, a little spooky, a little romantic and MORE! We played participants!

AND – below the pics the book titles (if I was able to read them :D) and links to the books so you too can learn about them and maybe select them for future reads this year.
If I missed anyone please let me know and I will post an update tomorrow. There is usually an add-on after I post and with all the ways the pics are sent between texts, emails, and Facebook messages… it is quite possible I missed something.

You Will Be Peter by Jerry Lathan

Keeping Watch: 30 Sheep, 24 Rabbits, 2 Llamas, 1 Alpaca, and a Shepherdess With A Day Job by Kathryn Sletto

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam

The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

The Day The World Came To Town: 911 in Gander, Newfoundland

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

The Brothers Karanazav by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Olive, Mabel, and Me: Life Adventures With Two Very Good Dogs by Andrew Cotter

The Secret History of Audrey James

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Who Will Carry The Fire? Darrell J Pedersen

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Breath: The New Science Of A Lost Art by James Nestor

Lighthouse by Eugenia Price

James by Percival Everett

A Place In The Woods by Helen Hoover

Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands

Titans by Leila Meacham

Family Doctor by J M Dalgliesh

Rough Pages by Lev AC Rosen

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

Wintering – The Power of Rest and Retreat by Katherine May

When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner

CHER The Memoir Part 1 by Cher

Horseman: A Tale Of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry

The French Winemaker’s Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens

How To Be Online and Also Be Happy by Issy Beach

Dog Songs: Poems by Mary Oliver

The Love Of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

Lula Dean’s Little Libray of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore ( second time selected AND the first repeat title!)

The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

The Brothers of Karamazov by Fyoder Dostoevsky (second time selected!)

Somewhere Beyond The Sea by TJ Klune

All The Colors Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker

James by Percival Everett (send time selected!)

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (second time selected!)

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca ThorneL

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin

The Second Mrs Astor by Shana Abe

Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson

Every year there are a few people that are head slapping right now going “DOH! I totally forgot to send mine in!” No worries – other years there have been a few that come in later and I add them and repost tomorrow so feel free to send 🙂
Thanks all – this is a project that helps me through the New Year and brings a smile to my face as I see the selections and learn about books that were not on my list to read but now are. (I added quite a few to my TBR this year by putting together this post.
Happiest of New Year and Happy Reading!
Sheila