Book Journey

The In Between Hours by Barbara Claypole White

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

When bestselling author Will Shepard’s young son is killed in a tragic car accident, Will is left with a tremendous amount of grief that he can not seem to get out from under. As Will’s aging father memory fades, Will uses his talent of writing to rewrite the truth. Amazingly enough, the fictional version of Will’s life brings relief that he never expected.

Hannah Linden rents a cottage next to where Will and his dad lives. Hannah comes with her own cross to bear as she deals with her grown sons struggles. As a holistic veterinarian and healer, she uses her gifts to try to bring peace to Will and his dad’s lives, finding her own solace in putting her energies into someone else.

The In Between Hours is one of those books that just makes me feel warm inside. I liked reading this book and perhaps, for a while, feeling like I too lived in the neighborhood and seen everything play our first hand as I watched Will, and his dad, and Hannah.

I am especially impressed on what an additional layer to the book Will’s dad brought to the read. While the book could have worked with the focus being on Will and Hannah, Will’s dad made me smile… he brings the icing on the cake, or in this case – the filling to an already engaging read.

I enjoyed The In Between Hours and will think about this one for quite a while.

**Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to spend time with a group of amazingly three dimensional characters!**

I am at the end of the tour on this one – but please feel free to stop in and see what others though of this book:

Tuesday, December 31st: bookchickdi
Thursday, January 2nd: Bibliotica
Monday, January 6th: cupcake’s book cupboard
Tuesday, January 7th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, January 8th: Tina’s Book Reviews
Thursday, January 9th: Chronicles …
Tuesday, January 14th: Becca Rowan
Wednesday, January 15th: From the TBR Pile
Friday, January 17th: Peeking Between the Pages
Friday, January 17th: Not in Jersey
Monday, January 20th: Staircase Wit
Tuesday, January 21st: Sweet Tea and Lollipops
Wednesday, January 22nd: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Friday, January 24th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Monday, January 27th: As I turn the pages
Tuesday, January 28th: Book Journey
Wednesday, January 29th: Found Between the Covers
Thursday, January 30th: Good Girl Gone Redneck

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on January 26, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)49 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 am late I know … I know. I was gone this weekend at our cabin and came straight form Finland Minnesota to a work retreat in Crosslake Minnesota. A 5 hour road trip and a long snowy drive… there is a lot more to this day (including a locksmith) but I will save that for later this week.

Anyhoo… this past week was not a big reading week. With a game night, an author event, and planning to leave for the weekend.. her is what I did manage to post this past week:

The Wrong Girl by Hank Philippi Ryan

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

Author event with Wendy Webb

Captain Phillips Movie Review

I don’t have a really big plan for this week. I will be at this retreat until Tuesday afternoon and then possibly going to an author event Tuesday night. Life will slow down after that, the rest of the week being mellow. I am too tired to come up with a real reading plan here…I can say I have this going on:

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Ok… this is a gratuitous listen… I listened to this audio a couple of years ago and it still ranks as one of my favorite all time audio books. If you have not read or listened to this book and you are a product of the 80’s… YOU MUST listen to this audio.

They live among us.

They are our neighbors, our mothers, our lovers.

They change.

When government agents kick down Claire Forrester’s front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is.

Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero.

Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy.

So far, the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge…and the battle for humanity will begin.

Minnesota author I have been hearing good things about. 😉

I am sure more will hit the radar as the week goes on.. 😀

SO what are you reading this last week of January? Please add your It’s MOnday 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!

Morning Meanderings.. Adventure Weekend!!!

Published on January 24, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

Good morning.

SSQQQUUUEEEEE!!!!!!

Just had to get that out of my system. 😉

I am taking something off the bucket list this weekend. 😀

Ok…

SSSQQQUUUEEEEE again.

I am leaving this morning for the cabin up North and later today my friends Farrah, Belinda and Sheila will join me. It is Sheila’s birthday this weekend and we are celebrating! 😀

On Saturday morning we will go into Duluth and meet up with Sheila’s sister where we will go DOG SLEDDING!!!!! *bucket list item…. check!* Then lunch and then off to Spirit Mountain for snow tubing. 😀 After that we will head back to the cabin for board games.

OOOHHHHH! My kind of fun!!!! 😀

I think today I will be hours ahead of everyone so I will have some reading time a bit and prepping the house for the company. 😀

I am back early Sunday to switch gears as then I have a work retreat from Sunday evening to Tuesday noon…. I will be in touch as I can. 😀

Captain Phillips – Movie Review

Published on January 23, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

In 2009, Captain Richard Phillips, while taking his crew into international waters is hijacked by a small group of Somali Pirates who board the massive ship. This is the first American ship to be hijacked in over 200 years.

Holy smokes. I went into watching this movie having no knowledge of the ship or of Captain Phillips. Sometimes I amaze myself how little I know. 😯

The movie is powerful. It is fast moving and anxiety creating. I was on the edge of the couch while watching as the Somali pirates led by their leader, Muse, took over this massive ship. I could not even believe that these 4 pirates in a small motor boat were able to overtake such a massive ship – but they did. I was amazed that the crew was unarmed. And it is a true story.

If you are looking to watch something AMAZING this weekend I highly recommend renting Captain Phillips. I will most definitely be watching this one again. There is also a book (YAY!) called Captain’s Duty.

Morning Meanderings… Author Event With Wendy Webb!

Published on January 23, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Good morning! Happy ~~Wednesday~~ Thursday! This post was supposed to go up yesterday morning but I just could not get it done and get to work on time so you know… I need my job, so yeah.

Tuesday night was a late one but a fun one! Myself and two of the girls from my book club, Brenda and Kathy, drove to the Cities to see Wendy Webb chat up her just released book, The Vanishing.

We initially had met Wendy when she was one of the authors for Wine and Words. Wendy at that time had two books out, The Tale Of Halcyon Crane and The Fate Of Mercy Alban.

She was fun to listen to last night. She read a bit out of her new book and answered some fun questions about writing.

Some of what I took away was:

When writing, it is important to describe the action, like a director. DO not say she was angry, instead say she stomped across the room….

Read like you just walked into the story

She described The Vanishing like a complex puzzle. Wendy mentioned one of the books that she had read that really stuck with her was the Lace Reader. She said that book, reading that to her was like reading about a complex puzzle. At the end she knew she wanted to write like that.

Wendy considers her writing to be “Northern Gothic” – a term I found to be fun! She had an article in yesterdays USA Today.

I left the book store not only purchasing her book…. but Brenda and I both bought The Lace Reader as well.

Our travel was… interesting. Everyone kept saying they could not believe we had braved the weather from Brainerd to the cities. I kept thinking.. what weather? The roads were good… there was a light snow…. but on the way home I got it. We ran into some serious snow and wind for a while. Still… worth it. 😀

Today I need to get it in gear. I have work and Navy Son (now Back In Brainerd Son) 😉 over for dinner and tomorrow morning I leave for the cabin. It will be the first time to the cabin this year and should be a good time. 😀

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

Published on January 21, 2014January 21, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

32 year old Holly Brennan was never what you would call a small girl. When her husband at a young age suddenly became ill, Holly comforted herself with food. When he passed away, the food addiction did not go away.

Then Holly meets Logan Montgomery on a plane. Logan is fit, self-assured, confident, and good-looking. Everything Holly feels she is not. When Logan shares with Holly that he is a personal trainer and would like to work with her at a discounted rate to get her moving in the right direction, Holly figures why not, after all… she is not moving in any direction currently.

Turns out, Holly has some natural-born skills when it comes to working out. She is hard-working, determined, has great strength and is flexible. Before long Holly is shaping up and more than one guy is noticing, including Logan. But is it really in the cards for Holly and Logan to be together?

Big Girl Panties for me, was a fun read with a great protagonist. I really enjoyed Holly, who is funny, quick-witted, and doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to her weight issues. She was an easy girl to cheer on as she reaches her goals. I even enjoyed Logan who is not perfect by far, and has a few strange habits but deep inside, despite this, I liked him.

Big Girl Panties was one of those books that I picked up planning to read a few pages and then just kept reading to the point I carried it around the house with me while I made dinner, let the dogs out, and propped it up on the bathroom sink while I styled my hair. It was quick and it was fun.

One word of advice, Big Girl Panties is a book that can easily be taken offense too. It deals with weight issues and eating disorders and not always kindly. There is talk of using liposuction to improve Holly’s body. There is also some odd interactions regarding sexual activities that mainly comes from the direction of Logan’s friend Chase, but in some cases, Logan too.

Over all, I liked the book. It’s not perfect, but I would probably be bored if it was. I do not have to like all the characters in a book – and in this book I didn’t. Holly is what keeps this book moving forward. She was someone I wanted to root for, I wanted things to go well for her and you will too. 🙂

Morning Meanderings…. We Are Off To See The Author!

Published on January 21, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Good morning! WOOT! 2 cups of COFFEE in and I am a pretty happy girl! Last night I hung out with friends and learned how to play two collaborative games! Collaborative games are games that the players work together against the board. Forbidden Island was one of them. You play against the board to seek out treasures and work as a team to get the treasures and get to the helicopter before the island sinks… good dorky fun! 😀 Gamers, I think you would enjoy this.

And today, besides my review going up for Stephanie Evanovich’s Big Girl Panties, that releases today in paperback (*WOOT to Stephanie!*), it is also the release day for Wendy Web’s the Vanishing! Wendy is a Minnesota author and one of our Wine and Words authors from last year. Myself and three other girls from the Bookies are driving to the cities tonight for her talk at Mager’s and Quinn bookstore tonight. We are excited to cheer her on.

That’s my day – working this morning… playing tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some pics and recap of the event for my morning readers. 😀

Have a super start to your day!

The Wrong Girl by Hank Philippi Ryan

Published on January 20, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

What if you were adopted and after years of hoping and searching you have a chance to be reunited with your birth mother? And what if this joyful moment is dimmed by a strong feeling that this is not your mother at all… that the agency has made a mistake. It is a mistake… right?

When Investigative Reporter Jane Rand is asked to check into her former co-worker, Tucker’s concerns about her supposed birth mother… things get interesting.

The Wong Girl is a sequel to The Other Women; this I did not know going into this read but it did not seem necessary to have the pre-knowledge of the first read. I enjoyed Jane’s strong lead woman role, as well as her partner, Jack. I liked the idea of the story line centered around an adoption agency.

My only reason for not gushing on this one is that on audio it felt drug out and I admit I became tired waiting for the story to move forward. While well written, and kudos to Ilyana Kudushin’s narration (she also narrated the Twilight audio series), I just became tired. 11 CDS.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on January 19, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)82 Comments

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

Well another week into the New Year. How ya’ all doin’? I have been reading right along. I had a pretty low key weekend (YAY!) so put in some reading time and finished an audiobook. Here is what I posted this past week:

Playing St. Barbara by Marian Szczepanski

Labor Day Book Party with Movie Anticipation

Then Again by Diane Keaton

Bookies Review Of Reconstructing Amelia

Recap Of The PINK Concert I went to Last Weekend w/ pics

Weekend Cooking – My First Attempt AT Hibachi

What Makes A Good Book – Book Club Worthy?

The Broken Path by Cami Chechetts (a light audiobook on the possibilities of moving on)

A pretty fair week, here is what is on tap this week:

For my ears:

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup is a memoir of a black man who was born free in New York state but kidnapped, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before the American Civil War. He provided details of slave markets in Washington, DC, as well as describing at length cotton cultivation on major plantations in Louisiana.

David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother’s wedding. He mops his sister’s floor. He gives directions to a lost traveler. He eats a hamburger. He has his blood sugar tested. It all sounds so normal, doesn’t it? In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives — a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.

For My Eyes:

When Eve Petworth writes to Jackson Cooper to praise a scene in one of his books, they discover a mutual love of cookery and food. Their friendship blossoms against the backdrop of Jackson’s colorful, but ultimately unsatisfying, love life and Eve’s tense relationship with her soon-to-be married daughter. As each of them offers, from behind the veils of semi-anonymity and distance, wise and increasingly affectionate counsel to the other, they both begin to confront their problems and plan a celebratory meeting in Paris–a meeting that Eve fears can never happen.

Holly Brennan used food to comfort herself through her husband’s illness and death. Now she’s alone at age thirty-two. And she weighs more than she ever has. When fate throws her in the path of Logan Montgomery, personal trainer to pro athletes, and he offers to train her, Holly concludes it must be a sign. Much as she dreads the thought of working out, Holly knows she needs to put on her big girl panties and see if she can sweat out some of her grief.

Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly to most intense and steamy workouts. But can Holly and Logan go the distance as a couple now that she’s met her goals—and other men are noticing?

It should be a good week! I am excited about the books i have going. How about you? What have you read this past week? Whats coming up this week? Please add your link to your Monday What Are You Reading post below so we can see what everyone is reading 😀

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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!

The Broken Path by Cami Checketts

Published on January 19, 2014January 19, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

Ethan Searle is a good looking guy by all accounts. With his legs injured in an accident as a child, he feels that when women do look at him it is with pity. Love has been something that has never really worked out for him.

Then one day while leaving church, Ethan catches the eye of two year old Britton and he thinks this beautiful little girl may have just stole his heart away. Unfortunately, one look from Britton’s mother Autumn as she at first cautiously looks Ethan over, and then with pity when she sees his legs, and Ethan knows all to well that familiar rejection.

Autumn, carries her own ghosts. After escaping an abusive marriage that left her miscarrying her first child and then escaping while pregnant with Brit, Autumn has no room in her heart for anyone but her own mother and Brit.

But does anyone know the magic that a two year old blue eyed baby girl holds in the palm of her hand? As Autumn starts to warm up to Ethan and dare herself to possibly dream of a future together, she is unaware of the danger that is approaching. Trent, her ex husband is recently out of jail and he has one thing on his mind, reclaiming what is his…. and what is his in his mind… is Autumn.

I have enjoyed Cami Checkett’s writing in the past. I was first introduced to her writing in Sister Pact that I really enjoyed, and then again in Dead Running. The Broken Road is the first of Cami’s books that I have listened to on audio.

The Broken Road is a sweet listen. It reminded me a little of some of Nicholas Spark earlier works, perhaps a bit predictable, but good all the same. I found Britton to be perhaps me favorite character, sweet and innocent she brought not only glue to Ethan and Autumn, but to the book itself.

Narrator Christy Crevier brought a sweet smooth rhythm to the audio. My only complaint was that the voice of Autumn came across as so young sounding that I found myself considering her age rather than listening, her voice sounded to be around 18 instead of a girl who had been married in her 20’s.

Autumn also comes across as a bit babyish at times, not only in narration, but in actions and words. While not a deal breaker, it was annoying at times.

The story as a whole is a good one. Checkett once again writes three dimensional characters that make for a pleasant reading experience. As I mentioned earlier, fans of Sparks and clean light romance reads will enjoy this one.