Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… Lending Library Road Trip

Published on May 16, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Good morning bookish people! Whaz up? It is Friday! FRIDAY! I feel there should be dancing in the streets – not only is it Friday… but it is a fairly low-key weekend which is awesome… I don’t see another one of those for a while 🙂

This morning my friend and fellow Library Advocate are road tripping to Nisswa Minnesota to support a Lending Library; about a 20 minute drive. Zaiser’s is a shoe store in Nisswa that has put a lending library outside of the store. It is a cool one too, made out of a hundred year old tree that had fallen. Their opportunity is that the books are going out faster than they are coming in. They put a little blurb on Facebook about this (brilliant idea!) and now Gail and I are taking books there this morning and then having coffee to celebrate.

So what books did I pull off my shelves for them?

I chose an assortment of books for kids and adults. I picked a few favorites I have duplicates of as well as a few that would make good summer reading or hopefully cause a person to want to read more by a certain author. As you may see in the middle, there is a copy of Summer House and Return to Summer House by Jude Deveroux, two books that speak to me (especially Summer House).

Later today is the Jon Hassler event at the Brainerd College… it is going to be a bookish day 😀

Creativity INC. Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

Published on May 15, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Ed Catmull, Co-Founder of Pixar Animations (along with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) tells about creating winning teams and taking your team to the next level. Ed takes us behind the scenes of Pixar and shares the inner workings of how they created movies (such as Toy Story 2) by trusting in their teams, striving towards excellence every time but also bringing their teams to a point of trust and support that is unheard of in most companies.

Pixar has been the name to strive for in animated movies due to this attitude by their lead team of being real with the employees, not separating yourself as a leader as “better” or “above” others and making themselves accessible for ideas lie “braintrust” the team that takes each movie as it begins and breaks it down to what they like and what they do not and repeats this process over and over with the creative team.

From the wins, to the expensive fails, Et Catmull gives advice from his own experiences and shares ideas to build work teams that become as one, and treats them with the respect that creates long-term relationships.

I read this (listened to it actually) because I love to work on winning teams. That may sound like a weird thing to say, but it is true. If you have worked with a group of people for a job or career, you know what I mean. There are great teams to work with that feel safe to bounce ideas off each other without being shut down and then there are not so great teams that you feel “thumbed over” watched every move – and creativity….

fails. There is no room for it.

There is a section towards the end where Ed talks about his working relationship for Steve Jobs. I loved this as Steve Jobs, while clearly having his faults was a brilliant mind. Ed said Steve would walk into a meeting, listen, and say something like, “I am not a movie maker, but what if….” and whatever he said would be brilliant advice and then he would walk out and let the team work their magic.

I really enjoyed this listen and this is one I will look for in book format as well. What Ed describes here with his working relationship with the teams as well as the co-founders of Pixar is the way to find the right people for the job and how to treat them.

I believe the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do not know—not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and strive to clear the path for them; and always, they must pay attention to and engage with anything that creates fear. Moreover, successful leaders embrace the reality that their models may be wrong or incomplete. Only when we admit what we don’t know can we ever hope to learn it.”
― Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.

“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
― Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.

“If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.” ― Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.

Honestly, I strive for this kind of work environment. I am a creative person and when I am placed with great teams that share ideas and lift each other up instead of pulling them down- I thrive. In a way I think I feed off their energy and excitement; it is like fuel to my soul. I find that when I looking for creative outlets I am drawn to the ones that allow me the most freedom to be who I am and create in ways that will inspire others to join in. I want the teams I work with to do an amazing job and have fun along the way by doing it.

Creative minds, people in management or Leadership positions that want to build winning teams, this is a great read for you.

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert (Bookies Book Club Review)

Published on May 14, 2014May 14, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Small synopsis: Hawaii in the late 1800’s was a beautiful place but a potentially frightening one as well. With the outbreak of Leprosy everyone was on the look out for anyone who may have this contagious disease. When little Rachel “Aouli” Kalama found a sore on the back of her leg that would not heal. She is eventually taken away from her family to live in Kaulapapa, an are off the island of Moloka’i for those with Leprosy. Here is where Rachel lives her life.

In May of 2014, 15 of the Bookies Book Club showed up for a review of Moloka’i. We sampled Hawaiian culture foods and discussed this read of a time in Hawaii most of us were unfamiliar with.

Using the questions provided int he back of the book, we discussed Leprosy compared to the AIDS scare if the 80’s, and what that must have felt like at the time to those who were in fear for their lives and the lives of their families. As in Rachel’s case, being taken away from her family had to be devastating on both sides; and Rachel’s diagnosis put a huge label on her family and even though they did not have it themselves they were shunned by their community.

Rachel herself makes for a great protagonist. Learning at a young age that she was pretty much on her own, she has a strong will, but also a sensible one. While she may stretch the boarders, she does have a wonderful sense of right and wrong and it shows throughout the storyline.

The Bookies overall enjoyed the book. A few found it a bit drug out, certainly not a fast read at almost 400 pages, but filled with deep historical facts that made for a good read.

What makes this a good book club read?

Moloka’i does make a good book group discussion due to it’s historical nature. There is plenty to discuss around the subject of Leprosy and what we can compare that to today. The characters of this book and how they respond to Rachel is also discussion-worthy. Once you label a person, how does that change us?

The questions in the back of the book are great for the discussion. There is also a section in the back of more detailed facts behind the fiction that makes for interesting follow up. A group could bring items of Hawaiian culture or information off the websites marked in the back pages to add to this discussion.

The natural deepness of this read also makes you feel like you read something important. Deeper reads deepen your book discussions.

Morning Meanderings…. Bookies Night In! (w/Poi results!)

Published on May 14, 2014May 14, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Good morning! Cup number two of coffee here…. deserved though… yesterday was pretty great. 😀

I had yesterday off work to catch up on my house which lacked some attention in the past few weeks. Then I spent the late afternoon preparing for book club which was to be at my home… Hawaiian Style after reading Moloka’i. Bookies – true to form brought this book to the next level with food like Chocolate Mochi, Hawaiian roast, Sweet Potato Casserole, seafood salad, pineapple… more on that later. 😉

As I mentioned yesterday I was going to try my hand at Poi; and I did. It was not purple like I seen in the pictures on-line (still have not figured out why). Warm, it tasted a little like a sticky potato product. One of the girls said they heard it was better for you than potatoes.

It was not super hard to make but of course I did not sit in the lawn in a grass skirt and pound it with a rock and a board… no, I used my handy blender. Aloha!

Then the real test was the thickness. There is one finger, two finger three finger poi, depending on how many fingers it takes for you to scoop it up. I am proud to say that I made a one finger poi.

So that’s my night. I need to get ready for work but watch for the Bookies thoughts on Molokai coming up later today. 😀

Any Poi makers out there? Why was mine not purple?

Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Published on May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

When a homeroom of New York Sophomores receive their mandatory flu shot they get a little more than a sore arm. Apparently the batch of the flu vaccine was a little off, and now this group has discovered that they can hear each others thoughts.

Super cool right?

They all know now that Mackenzie cheated on Cooper last summer. They now all know what people really think of them. They know now what their teachers are really thinking about while they are taking tests and they know what their parents are thinking about while in their bedrooms.

Ugh. Maybe not so cool….

Nothing. NOTHING is a secret anymore.

Don’t Even Think About It is a fun concept. What if something that was supposed to keep you healthy… actually had a freaky side effect? The results as related in this book are sometimes funny, sometimes hurtful, and definitely something that this group had to come terms with as nothing is sacred.

A fun easy read I think YA readers would enjoy… after all as a teenager, what could be worse than someone knowing everything you think about? While I personally enjoyed the read, I think Young Adults would probably find this even more entertaining.

Morning Meanderings… Oh Boy! Poi!

Published on May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Good morning! Happiest of Tuesdays to you! So much AWESOME is going on right now I hardly know where to begin. 😀

Let’s see… the Her Voice Magazine came out this morning and my report on my friends Sky Diving Experience made the cover. SQUEEEEE!!!!

And yesterday afternoon I was offered to speak on a panel at this years Book Expo in New York at the end of this month on “Engaging your Readers, Taking Your Writing To The Next Level”, a subject I am passionate about so I am SUPER Excited!

On Friday of this week our Friends Of The Library group will be a part of a ceremony dedicating a plaque to a Minnesota author Jon Hassler who passed away in 2008, and left an incredible legacy to Central Minnesota. This plaque will be one of 4 that are in the state of Minnesota so this is quite an honor and we are thrilled to be a part of it. I will have pictures of the event on this weekends Saturday Snapshot post.

And then…. tonight is Book Club! YAY!!! We are reviewing Molokai by Alan Brennert which is a fictional story set in Hawaii in the 1890’s and the leprosy outbreak including our main protagonist, an 8-year-old girl. Our theme of course is Hawaii and I am making a side dish of Hawaiian sweet potato casserole and poi. Yes… I am trying my hand at poi.

1aaa — **I will probably not look like this….**

the resulting product should look like this:

Yes I think it looks nasty… this is more for the “yeah we have had poi” experience then my hopes of it tasting good. I have my bag of taro root and I will be boiling them later today. Yes, I will document the process. 😀

I took the day off of work today. After the big garage sale two weeks ago now and this last weekends graduation of our son I have been running like crazy. Today I will work on loving on my house and prepping for tonight with a little audio in between 😀

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Published on May 12, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Camille Preaker would have been just fine if she had never stepped foot in her hometown again. Yet working as a reporter comes with its nasty bits.

When two young girls are murdered where Camille grew up, her boss finds this to be a good opportunity to go back and investigate the story, after all these people know her and will open up to her. Camille, knows better.

Back in her neurotic mothers home with her step dad and half-sister, Camille has unpleasant memories rush back. As she investigates the story behind the two little girls, Camille is finding things to be too close to her own demons she carries… and what she is about to find out, may very well be the thing that unravels life as she knows it.

I listened to this audio for several reasons. 1. A friend of mine recommended this book a few years back before Gone Girl ever existed. 2. This is the author of Gone Girl which blew me away. 3. Sharp Objects is going to be a movie and I had to take the time to know the story.

Results? Sharp Objects, if you can believe it – is a darker story than Gone Girl. There are not very many likable qualities in Camille and her actions along the way felt jumbled for me and took away from the story line. I personally feel that this protagonist could have been written in a completely different way and come out better. But, that is just my opinion.

The creepy dark nature of many of the cast in this book left me with a bit of an uneasy feeling. I didn’t love that feeling. I wanted to know what was going to happen but over all I think if I would have been reading this book instead of listening to it I probably would have given up on it, or at least skimmed through some very strange parts. (I will not even get started on Camille’s 13-year-old half-sister whose actions I felt were far-fetched and unbelievable.)

Sharp Objects has its mind-blowing moments. Especially towards the end of the book I am tossed upside down and Gillian Flynn pulls an amazing flip of what I thought to be true and left me going…. “Holy Smokes”. The woman can write amazing stories… this one just wasn’t for me. Jury is still out if I will see the movie, I think some of the main subject lines will make this one a pass.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on May 11, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

Hey there! Welcome to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading!

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. Fair warning… this meme tends to add to your reading list!

I just returned this afternoon from being gone all weekend for our College Sons graduation. It was an excellent time but I am wiped out so I am hopefully going to keep this short and sweet 🙂 Here is what I posted this past week:

The Storied Life of A J Fikry – there is something about this story…

Blogger Recommend for May – are you signed up to receive this awesome monthly guide?

The Accidental Book Club by Jennifer Scott – it had me at “book club”

The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert – fantastic fantastical reading on the power of flowers

Straight Flush by Ben Mezrich – great listen, the movie 21 was made form this true story

Bob Harper Skinny Meals – delicious recipes!

How Do You Receive Advanced books for review?

Not a bad week, thanks to a few reading times I did have a run on books and a couple more yet to review and a couple I should be finishing up in the next few days. The plan for this week is:

For My Ears

From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business—sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath.

Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in history are made. It is, at heart, a book about how to build a creative culture—but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, “an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.”

For nearly twenty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, and WALL-E, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner thirty Academy Awards. The joyousness of the storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable.

As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, where many computer science pioneers got their start, and then forged a partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his founding Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986. Nine years later, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. The essential ingredient in that movie’s success—and in the thirteen movies that followed—was the unique environment that Catmull and his colleagues built at Pixar, based on philosophies that protect the creative process and defy convention, such as:

• Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team, and they will either fix it or come up with something better.
• If you don’t strive to uncover what is unseen and understand its nature, you will be ill prepared to lead.
• It’s not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe for others to take them.
• The cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them.
• A company’s communication structure should not mirror its organizational structure. Everybody should be able to talk to anybody.
• Do not assume that general agreement will lead to change—it takes substantial energy to move a group, even when all are on board.

Twenty years ago, one man’s murderous rampage destroyed his own family . . . and devastated a community. Now the only survivor – his daughter – tells her story at last.

On April 14, 1989, for reasons still debated today, Mexican immigrant RamÓn Salcido went on a violent rampage in the idyllic Sonoma Valley wine country where he lived and worked. In the course of just two hours, he killed his wife, Angela, her two younger sisters, his mother-in-law, and the man with whom he suspected Angela was having an affair. He then slashed the throats of his three young daughters – four-year-old Sophia, three-year-old Carmina, and twenty-two-month-old Teresa – leaving them for dead in the county dump. A little more than a day later, the bodies of his daughters were discovered. Miraculously, tiny Carmina was still alive and able to tell her rescuers, “My daddy cut me.”

In Not Lost Forever, Carmina Salcido explores the events surrounding these headline-making murders with extraordinary clarity and composure. Reaching back to understand the events that traumatized her in childhood – and weaving them together with the recollections of detectives and witnesses – she reconstructs the story of her father’s crimes, and their aftermath, in sobering detail.

Yet Carmina’s story doesn’t end there. Those who remember her as the tiny victim of these murders will also be shocked by what followed: how she was adopted by a Catholic extremist family who tried to change her name and bury her past; how she tried to escape their sheltering influence by joining a Carmelite convent and then a ranch for troubled girls; and how the psychological trials she endured along the way nearly broke her spirit – until, at last, she found peace by turning to the one relative still alive to share her grief: her grandfather.

As a young woman, Carmina returned to California to share her experiences and discover the family that was brutally taken from her. The devout Catholic also returned to look into her father’s eyes on death row and confront the man who took away her entire family. With clear-eyed candor, courage, and grace, this brave young woman takes readers along on her miraculous journey of survival, discovery, and hope.

I dont think I will add any books, I still have last weeks to finish 🙂 What are you reading? Please add your Its Monday What Are You Reading post link below where it says click here.

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For those of you that read mainly middle grade and children’s books, be sure to also link to the younger version of It’s Monday by using the link below!

How Do You Receive Advanced Reading Copies of Books for Review? (Or…how do I get books for FREE?) ;)

Published on May 11, 2014May 11, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)45 Comments

For new book reviewers, this can be a big draw…. a chance to receive books (Glorious books!) in the mail not only before they are released to the public (insert squueeee here) but also at no cost to you.

When I first discovered that publishing houses and authors would offer you their books to read in exchange for hopefully a review on your blog… that was so exciting. And for the record…

I totally blew it.

By blew it I mean…. when offers started coming in for books I said Yes. I said Yes to just about everything – books I may or may not be interested in, self published books because I wanted to help the author… and when the books arrived… I knew I had agreed to read them and now it felt like work. A few of those books… I never did review and I still feel bad about that.

For the record – you do not want your love of reading and enjoying books to feel like work.

So – with that little trip down memory lane, let’s get back on track here and let me share with you a few tips to bringing books to you for review. 😀

First and foremost, I am not an expert. I am not the first person to write about this topic and I am more than likely not the best source for this topic. I am mainly writing this post because I am often asked through email and through posts, how does a newer book blogger connect to the authors and publishers, and for those who are asking for the right reasons – to be able to read a book prior to publication and post reviews on these books, I am more than happy to offer what little knowledge I have gathered through the years. I hope something here is helpful.

Before you start looking for publishing houses to start pounding down your blogs door… ESTABLISH your blog and its name. How do you do that? Do what your blog was set up to do… write reviews. Write reviews on books you have read, write reviews on new books you have purchased, write reviews on books you check out from your library. Basically write reviews. A publishing house usually likes to see several months of reviews happening. They like to see what you are reviewing and how you review. It’s your blog… do it proud. *insert chest bump here*

Write a review policy. That may seem premature. Maybe it is – but I know once I started looking at the blogs that I admired, they all had one. And you will find out it is a life saver at times to spell out exactly what your policy is. Here is mine, tweaked and re-tweaked through the years but it is a necessity for those interested in you reviewing to know what you are able to do and what you are not.

Have a way for people to email you that is not hidden. A contact me area on your blog is essential. If a publishing house likes what you are reviewing, they need to be able to connect with you. Make it easy to find your “contact me” area. Most people will not work for it.
- As a side note here – I created a new email for all of my bookish/bloggish emails to go to. I personally would recommend that. It is nice to have one email to go to for all my blog conversations and book review requests. It is also nice not to have the book emails mixed into my personal emails.

Post frequently. It does not have to be every day, but 3 -5 times a week is a good standard to set. If a blog sits idle, it is hard to increase readership. It is hard to establish good connections with publishing houses if you do not have a readership. During your start up period this is a great time to work on your readership as well. How? Write interesting reviews and bookish topics. AND – read other blogs AND comment. Your interest in other blogs does bring readers to you – it is how I established this blog… I set a guideline of visiting and commenting on twenty blogs a day and I did it. Most of those bloggers, visited me in return. I believe it works. Put yourself on social network sites – Facebook, Twitter… it is hard to make your blog grow if you write a post and then sit back and wait for people to notice. Keep up these practices – your blog will grow.

Now you may be thinking, “Wow Sheila… all I wanted to know is how to start receiving books for review in the mail and I get all this extra stuff to do!” Well, that extra stuff is important and should help you to start building relationships in the publishing world to start receiving the books you wish to read and review.

Ok…. so you have done all of the above. You are excited…. in fact, you may have already had contact from an author or publisher and you about wet yourself. Been there… I get it. But remember what happened to me…. proceed with caution.

Remember you are a professional. Maybe you didn’t think you were… you are just writing a fun blog about books… but once you are making contact with the publishing houses and authors- surprise…. you just upgraded to professional. This basically means…. act it. Do not approach a publishing house with your long list of book requests – ESPECIALLY when you are new. Introduce yourself. Link to your blog. Tell them a little bit about what you review, how often you review and your readership. You may be thinking, “Really Sheila? Isn’t that a bit TMI?” In which I look at you dead pan and say, “It is not.” This is information many may ask from you anyway. After introductions, request an advanced copy of a book (yes one). If they send it…. READ IT. REVIEW IT. Then – email the person who sent it to you thanking them for the opportunity to read the book and link your review. Relationship established… or at least the beginning of one.

Always ALWAYS be professional when inquiring about books for review. At the Book Expo one year publishing houses told horror stories of how some bloggers have made requests for books – practically demanding books, or as I mentioned before, requesting long lists of reads and even to the point of becoming angry with the publishing house when their request was refused. You would think common courtesy would be a no-brainer but as a book blogger; this sort of poor behavior gives us a bad name. So – I say it out loud. Introduce yourself – inquire nicely – if you are turned down – do what has been asked (establish blog more, have more reviews, work on readership…) and politely try again at a later date.

Do not make promises you can not keep. Sure things come up occasional that were unanticipated, however if you are telling an author or publishing house that you can review within a certain amount of time or on a certain date – you should do your best to do so. This is an important piece of my review policy – with my busy schedule I no longer can give a time frame when I will be able to review a book. As an established blogger, I suspect I have a bit more leeway because most of the publishing houses know me. When I started blogging however, my policy said I would read and review within 6 weeks.

As I mentioned – it is easy to get in over your head and as book lovers it is not hard to act like a kid in a candy store and want and want and want. Start slow…. receive a few books, review them… repeat. As you do this – you may be surprised how the publishing houses start to find you. Remember – you never know who is looking at your blog…. maybe they found it by searching for a particular book title…. so keep it professional. I dont mean don’t have fun… of course have fun…. just remember if you want to grow the blog – your reviews need to be something that publishing houses want their books on.

Here are a few suggestions of places other than the publishing houses to possibly pick up a review or two:

TLC Book Tours – A great group to work with that connects to book reviews to books to review on specific dates

Netgalley – books to download to your phone or e reader.

Blogging For Books – the more established you become – the more book choices will be offered.

Library Thing – you can request books and they go into a drawing to see who receives the copies, a lot like Good Reads Giveaways.

Booklook Bloggers – a lot like blogging for books.

BookBrowse.com – sign up and receive a monthly list of available books

Audio Jukebox – for those who like to listen to and review audio

Receiving great reads and reviewing them can be a lot of fun. I really enjoy it and I have been doing this since 2009. I still am not as organized as some with their contacts list and knowing which books I want to pursue months in advance. Some day… I hope to get there 😀

Fellow book reviewers – please feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments – I am sure there are vital steps I should have mentioned and neglected to 🙂 Newer bloggers, if I didn’t answer something – please inquire about it in the comments and I will answer it then. 🙂

Morning Meanderings From Mankato

Published on May 11, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

Good morning! We are still in Mankato this morning, having brunch for Mother’s Day with the College Grad before we head back home. The past two days have been fun hanging out with our youngest, chilling a bit in Mankato and trying out a few restaurants.

Not much reading happening but I am about half way through with Molokai by Alan Brennert and the book just took an interesting turn… I will be digging back into it this morning.

Happy Mothers Day to everyone out there 🙂