Book Journey

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – Bookies Review

Published on February 13, 2014February 13, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

This past Tuesday the Bookies gathered to discuss Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This is a book that will be hard to discuss here without spoilers so I will keep this light. To see a review with more detail and a spoiler page, see my review of Me Before You here, and for another great review by our Queen (front and center in picture), see it at her blog By Book Or by Crook.

A brief synopsis of Me Before You: (Setting – London village) Louisa Clark has recently lost her day job and at 27, still living at home but trying to get moving on life – this is not cool. She applies for a temporary position at a nearby castle for a rich boy who is not wheelchair bound due to an accident. Extremely unqualified, Louisa is shocked when she is given the job. Will Trainer (ie. “Rich boy”) is a bitter 30 something. He once had the world at his finger tips; skiing with friends, trips to beaches and around the world… now confined to the limitations of movement and a chair.

Louisa (probably due to her lack of professional training for this type of work) will have none of Will’s attitude. At first she is careful and shy but soon finds she is dealing with a sort of spoiled whiny baby who’s toys have been taken away. By Louisa calling Will out on this, Will develops a respect for Louisa and a friendship slowly grows.

Louisa soon discovers why her job taking care of Will is temporary and this knowledge changes everything. Now Louisa’s drive is to show Will that this new world of wheelchairs and limited movements is worth living in – and she only has so much time to convince him.

The Bookies rated this one fairly high. We seen “5” ratings out of people who rarely if ever give 5’s. (We rate on a scale of 1 – 5, 5 being the best). A book such as this brought out (as I had hoped) some deep discussion. We discussed choices and when do family and friends have a right to step in, and if they do – how much is permissible… how much is too much.

We were surprised to learn that we have a girl in our group who has a relative that has a similar story of living a full vibrant life and then an accident causing her to become a quadriplegic. To actually hear about someone who has gone through this was interesting and brought the book even more fully in focus.

Of course… we had food and wine with our discussion 🙂

Why is this a great book for book clubs?

There is great discussion points within this book. Hard questions come to the surface that will make for a lively and passionate discussion on both sides. If you like books that can get a rise of emotion out of your group let me say this is a book that will do just that.

Morning Meanderings… Gone Are My Innocent Days Of Gilmore….

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

In Winters past I have spent the slower months of the year watching all the seasons of The Gilmore Girls in the cool evenings. This was a tradition I loved, steeping myself with hot cups of tea while watching the fast paced dynamic duo of Lorelai and Rory. The coffee swigging mom and the bookish references made the show even more enduring to me. Oh how I longed to live in Star Hallow.

And then…. this year I was introduced to the Walking Dead by so-called friends (oh you know who you are…. 😉 ) A crazy zombie show that I thought I would never get into and then there I was buying all three seasons at the Thanksgiving Day sale and then proceeding to devour them with my husband… fully immersed in a story line of survival in the craziest of circumstances.

But oh no…. the three seasons were watched quickly and by the end of January it was still full on winter here in Minnesota and my evening fix was gone…. so I moved on to something more hard-core…

Breaking Bad.

Yes yes you goof ball people who said “It’s amazing!” as I shook my head furiously and responded, “It is a show about making meth? How can that be awesome?” Yet, in a desperate move for something interesting to watch last week Al and I pulled up the first season episode one on Netflix and wow…. a teacher who makes and sells meth to earn money for his cancer treatments and to provide for his family….

we are addicted.

I feel I am now ruined for all things cutesy and sweet. Now I am hard-core zombies and meth. 😯

Seriously…. who am I?

Spring can not come soon enough… clearly I need to get out of the house.

I Am Abraham by Jerome Charyn

Published on February 12, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Abraham Lincoln was not always the President Of The United States. He was once a young man filled with spirit and dreams. Before he was the man we have read about and look upon the penny and the five dollar bill, he was just a poor boy from Kentucky. He was a lawyer. he was a member of congress. He was a husband, and a father.This is his story.

Jerome Charyn takes what we know of Lincoln’s life from beginning until the end, and breathes life into the gaps in between using Lincoln’s own voice to tell this first person fictional masterpiece. In fact, I Am Lincoln, begins with the end…. in a theater in Washington DC with only the soft sound of movement and then a sting behind his left ear…

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I have always been fascinated with Lincoln’s life and death. He has always been my favorite of the presidents even though clearly we have never met nor even lived in the same century. 102 years after his death, I would be born.

Lincoln was the man who led us through the civil war, who pushed back against slavery, and did so with integrity. When this book was offered up for review, I did not hesitate on saying yes.

Jerome Charyn writes I Am Lincoln from an amazing perspective; Lincoln’s. For this I give him credit as those are big shoes to fill. Jerome Charyn not only lets us see history unfold, but through Lincoln’s own eyes and words is something pretty close to brilliant.

I adored this book and lapped up each page seeing Lincoln’s life as I never had before. Being able to write this review on Lincoln’s birthday is a great honor to me to be able to speak so enthusiastically about this book.

Thank you to Tribute books for allowing me a chance to bask in this incredible read on Lincoln’s life.

Morning Meanderings… The Morning After Book Club

Published on February 12, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Picture this.

Hair in my eyes, sleep pants and slip on sandals (I know… I know…), face still sleep lined but smile intact.

😀

That’s what the night after book club looks like.

Always.

After an evening of sharing food together, discussing the book, a glass of wine (or two), choosing the next book and just hanging out with a great group of girls…I always come home spent.

BUT in such a good way.

I marvel at this motley crew of girls from different backgrounds, assorted ages… and we all gather in a room and we send a book through the process of well.. whatever we do with it… love it – hate it – in between. Together we have shared tears, laughter, anger… but the cool thing is –

we genuinely care about one another.

AND THAT…

is the BEST part of Bookies. 😀

We reviewed Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I knew it would be a great discussion. And afterwards we decided to use our book in the bag money we collected (A library program where ten copies of the same book are checked out at once for groups) and purchase Me Before You so other groups can discuss this one as well.

Next up… Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. An older title but I do not believe any of us have read it yet.

On another completely (COMPLETELY) random note – I bought a Modern Family calendar in January. I bought is because I LOVE the show and they are so funny… I have been meaning to put the quote each day up here and I forget. I will put today’s up now – and if you do not get it – you MUST watch the show…. even if you do get it – you must watch the show. Hilarious 😀

Claire: Nothing from the mini-bar, and no pay-per-view

Manny: Can we at least –

Claire: No, you can not send things out for pressing.

Have an AWESOME start to your day 😀

That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay

Published on February 11, 2014February 11, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

I found McKinlay’s writing so delicious I had to say some of the lines out loud just to savor them on my tongue ~ Sheila

Eve Petworth finds her 40’s to be a bit of a rocky road. Living in London on her own after a divorce, and struggling as her own adult daughter is about to be married and leaning a little too hard on Eve, Eve takes solace in books written by a popular American Novelist, Jackson Cooper. When Eve writes to Cooper informing him of her appreciation of his books and comparing one of his lines about a watery summer day to ripe fruit, Cooper to her surprise, writes back.

Jackson Cooper has his own tales of love and loss. Now in his 50’s and divorced twice, he really does not know what he wants. Women fall all over him, and if that is what he wanted he would be set, but really he just wants to write that next book that seems stuck in his head without all the – well lets call it what it is: Drama. Writing to Eve in London is like writing to an old friend. They share recipes, they talk about books and the weather…

and both wonder in the middle of this messed up life… if their might be something more…

I am not even sure if I can tell you how impressed I am with That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay. Even now weeks after I have read the book, I glance over at it as I type with a little smile on my face.

This book reminds me a little of the flow of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but with a gentler flow to it. This one grabbed me as I enjoyed Eve and her struggles with her every day life as well as Jackson’s struggles as he continuously (sometimes hilariously) messed everything up.

This is the book I recommended for February in the Blogger Recommended publication. I hope you too will take a closer look at this book and give it a read. I seriously enjoyed it.

Morning Meanderings… Blogger Recommended

Published on February 11, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Good morning! I am back… or still here. Or something like that. 😀 The weekend was busy – good busy….

Today – briefly as the clock is a ticking…. I wanted to tell you that if you are not subscribed to Blogger Recommended you should be. This is a monthly newsletter/email by some of the amazing book bloggers out there giving you a heads up on what is coming out in the next month and what they fell is going to be HOT HOT HOT!

I am thrilled (SQQQUUUEEEEE) to be a part of this group and I do hope you will check it out. I am currently working on finding ways to bring this newsletter into the libraries and book stores around the country so if you have any connections or ideas, please chat with me 😀

In the meantime… .check out the current issue:

That’s what I have for today. Tonight is book club and I am excited to see the Bookies and discuss, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. 😀

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on February 9, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)60 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!

Hey all 🙂 Today is my birthday and I have had a wonderful weekend with both my sons and hubby. I went out to eat a couple times, bought a book, played WII, went to a movie, and learned to levitate….

No kidding – my son helped me create this:

I know right? Is that not fun? We also did one for him:

Fun! Seriously!

Here is what I posted this past week:

Labor Day By Joyce Maynard

Bookies – Pre Labor Day Movie Get Together pics!

Labor Day Movie Review

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (oh ha ha… don’t miss this!)

The Literary Blog Hop is going on now and I have a fun giveaway and a BONUS birthday giveaway as well 😀

And for what I am listening to/reading this week:

I do not think I will have new audio this week from the two I listed last week 🙂

Reading:

Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln’s life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley—the former slave, who became the First Lady’s dressmaker and confidante—and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores.

We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man’s-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln’s own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America’s bloodiest war.

Gettin’ my Lincoln on.

Nobody really believes in a curse. Until you know the people who disappear. Too much coincidence, you look for reason. Too much death, you grasp for something to blame. Carson pulled Delaney out and he died on the side of the road with her mouth pressed to his. Her air in his body. Troy. She told the cops it was suicide. Didn’t matter. The lake released her and grabbed another. But when Decker’s father dies in a pool of spilled water on their kitchen floor, all Decker can feel is a slow burning rage. Because he knows that Delaney knew that his dad was going to die. She knew and backed out of his house and never said a word. Falcon Lake still has a hold on them both, and Decker can’t forgive Delaney until he knows why.

My birthday gift from Justin 😀

That’s my week! How is yours looking? Please add your link to Monday What Are You Reading 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!

Morning Meanderings… Gift Or Entrapment? You Be The Judge ;)

Published on February 8, 2014February 8, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)41 Comments

So it is Saturday! *yay yay people applauding and dancing in the streets* Saturdays are my ABSOLUTE favorite day of the week 🙂 They are usually the only day I have where I choose what I do with my day without any “have to’s”. Love that.

In honor of this weeks Saturday Snapshot, I thought I would share with you a little visual story for (hopefully) your enjoyment.

Back story: This Sunday is my birthday.

So…. yesterday I meet my dear friend Gail for coffee at Cocoa Moon. Great name for a coffee shop right? 😀 Gail has brought me a beautiful gift bag for my birthday. We have coffee… we chat books, life, the strange dude who keeps peering through the window of the coffee shop at us, and weekend plans.

Gail asks me to open my gift.

*SQQQUUEEEE! I thought she would never ask!*

I start with the top tissue layer and in that is…

Ok…. YUM!

Then I unwrap the next layer of tissue and….

Shut the back door! Wine sleep pants! AWESOME! (Gail is my co-chair for Wine and Words)

So I have wine pants…. I unwrap the final tissue layer and….

Here are the words! A BEAUTIFUL copy of Gone With The Wind in a nice hard case.

Gone With The Wind is one of Gail’s all time favorite books. She knows I have never read it. (don’t look so shocked…. I have said this before 😯 ) The gift all goes together, I am supposed to get comfy in the sleep pants and enjoy the tasty goodies while curled up with Gone With The Wind.

Gift or Entrapment? I think… a little of both – but in a good way. 😀 Now that I have a lovely copy of Gone With The Wind I do want to stick my nose in it. And yes, possibly while wearing the pants and having the chocolate… maybe… just maybe….

Ok ok… I will put this book into action and will read Gone With The Wind in 2014. It is written. 😉 Thanks Gail!

See other Saturday Snapshots here

Today I am meeting my College Son who wants to hang out for the day in ST Cloud together for my birthday. He is taking me to lunch and Barnes and Noble, and maybe a movie. 😀 I haven’t seen him since Christmas so this is exciting!

Oh! And if you have not seen my super fun and awesome giveaway that ties in with the blog hop going on now with a bonus birthday opportunity from me, please checkout my post about that … I think you will be excited about what I am offering!

Have a SUPER Saturday!

Literary Blog Hop and Birthday Weekend Giveaway!

Published on February 7, 2014February 13, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)138 Comments

Note: This is a sticky post – all new posts are below this one 🙂

I am super excited to be a part of this blog hop! When Judith announced the dates I was thrilled as for once I did not have anything going on that would take me away from putting up my post PLUS it is my birthday this coming Sunday and I do like to celebrate (well… I like to celebrate just about anything really) with giveaways!

As this is a literary giveaway… I wanted to pick some delicious looking Literary reads… plus, a personal favorite of mine, The Book Club Cook Book – which is filled with delicious recipes and menus that go well with the literary books we love. ♥

The winner at Book Journey will have their choice of one of the above books mailed directly to them from Amazon.

How to enter?

In the comment area below tell me the title of the book you are reading currently, and what sort of food would go well with your book. (IE. if you are reading about Italy maybe you would be serving up steaming bowls of pasta and a nice wine, If you are reading Labor Day you most definitely must be having the peach pie 😉 )

One bonus entry if you follow Book Journey by email (see link to do that in the upper right side bar) – and of course let me know in a comment.

And there is a Birthday bonus. Being a HUGE fan of Ready Player One and the hidden Easter egg within that books story…. I have hidden an Easter Egg in one of the other participating blogs posts. Yes, just like that pretty gold one you see above. If you find the blog that has the egg, simply email me at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com with the correct blogs name and I will enter you into a bonus drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card. Oh and Shhhhhh! Don’t mention where you found it, and dont bring attention to it on the blog in which it sits. Just email me. Quietly… tiptoe away, of course after you enter that blogs amazing giveaway 😉

I will email both winners on February 13th. I do like to celebrate 😀

You can find the other blogs participating in this fun blog hop at our host site Leeswamme’s Blog or you can see them right here:

Happy Hopping to you!

Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim by David Sedaris

Published on February 7, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

Did you ever imitate your parents when you were a kid? Or better yet, imitate your parents imitating someone else? Or try to win favor by pretending to be well-behaved children talking in tones like, “yes father, I would be delighted to pick up the common area of all of my things”?

“Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you’re offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone’s feelings”

“I won’t put in a load of laundry, because the machine is too loud and would drown out other, more significant noises – namely, the shuffling footsteps of the living dead.”

“She’s afraid to tell me anything important, knowing I’ll only turn around and write about it. In my mind, I’m like a friendly junkman, building things from the little pieces of scrap I find here and there, but my family’s started to see things differently. Their personal lives are the so-called pieces of scrap I so casually pick up, and they’re sick of it. More and more often their stories begin with the line “You have to swear you’ll never repeat this.” I always promise, but it’s generally understood that my word means nothing.”

I fell in love with David Sedaris’ writing when I listened to his book Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls. I then went on to list to Me Talk Pretty One Day and his line about the youth in Asia (euthanasia) still cracks me up when I think about it.

It was only natural for me to crave his style of funny humor again. And trust me – David makes anything funny. He talks about anything from what to eat for dinner to doing laundry and I find myself giggling. Be warned though – nothing is sacred. NOTHING. You never quite know what David will say next.

While Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim is funny, it is not my favorite f the three I have listened to. It is good, and it filled my David fix. I will definitely be listening to him again.

If you are planning to give his books a try I highly recommend to listen to them on audio. David narrates them himself and he has just the right tone and pause in his voice that makes it all the better.