Morning Meanderings… Creating The Book Clown Car

Published on June 12, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)31 Comments

Good morning! What a great night last night! 14 of us were at the Bookies gathering and book review – I am tired, but they are all so fun….. I will talk about that tomorrow – I did not have time to put my pictures together of last night yet and I really want to do that event justice. 😀

Instead, today I thought I would share with you my recent bought with donated books. Our local Brainerd Library had a spring and fall book sale. The books come from discards from the library – but mostly they come from book lovers who donate the books they have read. This has been our largest fundraiser for the library for years as the books are 100% profit to the library and they turn around and sell them at 50 cents a piece which is awesome for book lovers all around. (You may have seen my posts of the sales and waiting outside at the break of dawn!) 😀

Our spring sale is the bigger sale of the two as we gather the books from late August through April. The fall sale being a smaller collection window from mid April through the third week of August. However… I am trying to make that sale a bigger event. 😀 I have been working with our friends group to encourage those who have lots of books at garage sales who do not wish to pack up the left overs to donate them to the library. I even made us little cards to hand out with a phone number on it and if they want – we will even come pick them up.

Yes…. I am trying that hard…LOL

😛

Gail, from the friends Board always had great success with this… each week she tells me how she picked up books from here or there for the fall sale. I however have been getting nada. Nothing. Crickets. I hand out my little card each weekend when I am garage saling, I offer to come and pick up the books… nobody calls.

Until…

last weekend.

I was at a sale that had a lot of books. A LOT of awesome looking great books. When I left the sale I told the ladies running it that if they wanted to donate the leftovers after the sale I would be happy to pick them up. They could even leave them at the end of the driveway I offered. I left my number.

Saturday afternoon I received a call that yes they were done with the sale and while most of the books sold they would love it if I would come and pick up the rest. I told them that I had to be on that end of town in a few hours for a birthday gathering and I would stop by on my way there to gather the books.

Does everyone know I drive a little red jeep? 😀

Boxes upon boxes were left which is AWESOME. And I had to laugh as the lady helped me put them in the jeep, I… assuring her they would fit. And they did.

So yeah….

I drove to my friend’s house with my crock pot of beans on my lap. 😀 People joining the gathering that walked by my vehicle would approach me saying… “Ummm…. Sheila…. are you having a little issue with your love of books?”

As this was on Saturday evening – and the library is not open on Sundays I left all the books in the jeep until Monday afternoon after work. I was not about to move them again… but unloading the jeep was like… clowns coming out of a car….

Wait – there are more books…. still coming…. *cue circus music*

😀

I work today and tonight I may bike ride – I am way behind on riding this year with the long winter and overload of rain. It is supposed to be nice today and I do need to get some miles in 😀

However Long The Night by Aimee Molloy

Published on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

In 1974, Molly Melching embarked on her adventure out of her comfortable surroundings in Illinois right into the heart of Africa. What was supposed to be a short term mission trip of 6 months turned into something much more.

Molly, coming from an American background found that the women of Africa did not have the rights that she was used tom in fact she found some of what was happening to the women to be shocking. (If you are not familiar with FGC, a practice in areas of Africa, look it up and get ready to cringe!)

Through Molly’s time in Africa, she helps to empower women to learn to take care of themselves, founding Tostan (,meaning “breakthrough” in the Wolof language) a foundation for human rights. This foundation led to the drastic reduction of FGC and child forced marriages.

However Long The Night is Molly’s story…

Breathtaking. Painful. Empowering. All of these words come to mind as I try to think of what to say about this amazing read. Always an advocate of strong independent women, I was fully engrossed in Molly’s mission. What Molly started in Africa was that human rights were for both men and women.

I found myself looking things up on-line to follow along even more deeply of who Molly is and what she has accomplished. I could not get enough.

However Long The Night reads like a page turning novel. Molly is doing the things I wish I would have been involved in when I was right out of school. Being a part of the peace corp is right up my alley! Molly’s story is one of the power of one person making a change in our world for the better. She is an example of how no problem is too big and how passion and determination can truly make a difference. A definite keeper for my book shelf.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for

the experience of Molly Melching

Authors website

Morning Meanderings… Sheila… Friend Of The Power Readers :)

Published on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Good morning! Its going to be one of those days… I first typed “goo morning” and then corrected it to say “goof morning”… hopefully this post is not a miss typed mess. 😛

So I shared a little bit on my Day 5 BEA recap about the two Power Readers I met in the elevator of my hotel while I was in New York. (Power Readers…. I love that.. it brings up images of super powers and awesome capes… two things I want 😀 ) There were two ladies I met in the elevator I gave my card to, chatted with, was excited for them and encouraged them to start a blog and come back to BEA next year as bloggers. Now I don’t know if they will do that, but I was super excited yesterday to see I had a comment from them:

My twin and I are the Power Readers from your Day 5: Getting Your Potter on BEA update. We were not disappointed with BEA! Got to meet great authors, got some great reads and met lots and lots of other Power Readers. Already have the date saved for BEA 2014 (thank goodness it’s in NYC again).

I love love love that they contacted me and that they had a great time! 😀 That is so cool!

What I did not share with you is that this was not my only Power Reader encounter. Later that last day of the expo I was in the shipping area trying to decide what to do with my half full box of books. If you have been to the expo you know the shipping is a bit spooky and UPS is $39 before they ever even weigh the box, that’s just for the honor of them being there (Thank you thank you UPS *bows low*). So needless to say, I did not want to ship a half empty box home.

Next to me was a girl who I learned her name was Hannah. It was her first year at the expo as a Power Reader and she was gushing about her experience. We started talking about my half empty box and I told her it was fine as I had sent other books home already. Some how we got on the subject of blogging ( go figure!) and I gave her my card and told her she should start a blog and come back next year as a blogger. I told her that if she emailed me, I would help her get going. Shortly after I returned home she emailed me.

Hannah has started a blog that she has coolly called Indiereadergirl0329. Cool right? She has posted a couple of reviews and joined the Monday meme yesterday. She is doing great and we have continued to email and I have encouraged her to start commenting and building a reader base. I would love it if you would take a moment and pop on over to her blog and welcome her. How fun that she has taken this next step! 😀

Tonight is book club and I am uber excited! This is the review of The Fate Of Mercy Alban and we do our secret book exchange for July! I don’t even know what book I am going to bring yet! 😀

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading!

Published on June 10, 2013June 10, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)79 Comments

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. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

Under the new and hopefully improved 2013 guidelines, the winner each week will receive a $5 Amazon gift card. This past weeks winner is:

Jay Riv

Congratulations Jay! please send me an email at journeythrougnbook@gmail.com and I will get this out to you later this week!

It was a pretty good week here, I did manage some posts:

BEA: Day 1 What Is Up With My Pants?

Lets Explore Diabetes With Owls by Davis Sedaris

BEA: Day 2 Blogger Con and the Harper Parties

Safe Haven Movie Review

BEA: Recap Day 3 Least Favorite Book Of The Expo

BEA: Recap Day 4 Breakfast at a favorite authors house!

BEA: Recap Day 5 Potted Potter and the books!

Blogiversary Party (lots of fun going on here!)

I have a few still to review. I hope to get caught up this week. As for what I have going now:

David Sedaris’ new collection of essays – including live recordings! – tells a most unconventional life story. It begins with a North Carolina childhood filled with speech-therapy classes (“There was the lisp, of course, but more troubling than that was my voice itself, with its excitable tone and high, girlish pitch”) and unwanted guitar lessons taught by a midget. From budding performance artist (“The only crimp in my plan was that I seemed to have no talent whatsoever”) to “clearly unqualified” writing teacher in Chicago, Sedaris’ career leads him to New York City and eventually, of all places, France. His move to Paris poses a number of challenges, chief among them his inability to speak the language. Arriving a “spooky man-child” capable of communicating only through nouns, he undertakes language instruction that leads him ever deeper into cultural confusion. Whether describing the Easter bunny to puzzled classmates or watching a group of men play soccer with a cow, Sedaris brings a view and a voice like no other to every unforgettable encounter.

I listened to him on audio and really enjoyed it – I needed more 😀

I also need to give the winners of the packages from yesterdays Blogiversary party – using random.org…. here is the winners:

Package #1: Bonnie at Bonnie’s Books!

Package #2: Kara McManus!

Package #3: Nise Under The Boardwalk!!!

Package #4: Sharon Chance Sharon’s Garden Of Books

That’s it. What are you reading this week? Please add your link below where it says click here.

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

And for those of you who read mainly YA or Middle grade books, feel free to also link up the younger version of # IMWAYR as well

Blogiversary! Year 4 – and Gifts Galore!!!

Published on June 8, 2013June 8, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)229 Comments

Hi everyone! Welcome to my 4 years of blogging blogiversary – this is the actual day, June 9th, when I officially became a blogger.

I never dreamed when I started writing reviews on line in 2009 that 4 years later I would still be doing it. Blogging has really changed my life in positive ways that I would never have expected :

Writing reviews for a local magazine
being on a Twin Cities Panel
Going to the Book Expo for the past 4 years
Becoming President of The Friends Of The Library
Being on the city board for the library

Now you might think that some of these things I would have done without the blog but I dot think that is true. Through this community of bloggers I have learned the value of reading and sharing what we read. I have also read post after post of libraries and book stores closing, so I have become an even stronger advocate for the written word. All that I owe to this little space on the internet that I call Book Journey.

For those of you who have come to my party the last few years, the basics are pretty much the same… to be entered for the great giveaways (pictured below), simply leave me a comment here telling me how you traveled to the party, and what virtual gift or food item you brought with you: For example, you may have rollerbladed to the party and brought with you foot long licorice vines … (really be as crazy as you want… I love the fun imaginative comments!) For a little bonus if you would like to share how long we have known each other (blog or otherwise) and if you are brand new to the house of Book Journey – feel free to share that too! I love new friends!

My party will go for 24 hours so this post will go up at 12:01 am on June 9 (central time) and stay up until midnight. Every comment will be entered into the random drawings and winners (using random.org)will be announced here on Monday morning on Its Monday What Are You Reading Post.

See last years party here

Your comment will go into a drawing (using random.org) for one of the following packages:

**Package #1: 4 books, a sample chapter, swag and book bag**

**Package 2: YA pack – 3 books, swag items and book bag**

**Package #3: 4 books, swag and book bag**

**Package #4: 4 books, swag and book bag**

♥Thank you readers, you make this blog a whole lot of fun! I am so excited to celebrate with you. I have cleaned the house and set out the “red solo cups” and have the punch on ice…. just waiting to see who will be knocking on my door…

wait! There’s a knock! Who could it be?

*opens door and looking surprised!*

PARTY TIME!!!

Morning Meanderings… BEA: Day 5 – Getting My Potter on (oh and the BOOKS!)

Published on June 8, 2013June 8, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)50 Comments

Good morning! Happy Saturday ya all! 😀 Today will be my final BEA recap post and I will be tying it in with the Saturday Snapshot post now being done by West Metro Mommy!

BEA: Day 5

Last Saturday was the last day of the book expo in New York and the day that for the last two years they have opened up the expo to Power Readers. What are power readers? They are basically book lovers like fellow bloggers, but without the blog (in most cases). When I got up Saturday morning and went down the elevator to breakfast there were two women in the elevator with me.

“She is going too!” I heard one say to the other. They had seen my BEA Badge I was wearing. I asked if they were at the expo as well and they said just today. Power Readers. I told them they were going to have an amazing time. We exited the elevator and picked up our breakfast. I had brought my lap top and was going to write until Cindy came to join me but the two Power Readers were asking questions and I got caught up in their excitement so I wound up sitting with them. I shared my experience with the expo and as they were both book lovers and twin sisters, I found out, I suggested maybe they start a blog together. They were excited and I gave them my info if they wanted to bounce questions off me.

Once at the expo I had to get my yearly pic behind the info desk. If you recall, two years ago Reagan and I set there to enjoy our coffee prior to the first days opening of the expo and we had about 50 questions. We had a blast answering the questions, we knew all the answers except one, and therefore it has become a yearly thing. That’s how I roll….

Sure enough, Cindy took the picture for me and while I was there I answered three questions. 😀


Chris Matthews *Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked* Simon & Schuster (November 12, 2013)	Helen Fielding *Title TBA* Alfred A. Knopf (November 2013)	John Lewis *March (Book One)* Top Shelf Productions (August 13, 2013) Photo Credit: Eric Etheridge	Diana Gabaldon *Written In My Own Heart’s Blood* Delacorte Press Hardcover (December 10, 2013) Photo Credit: Elenna Loughlin

I had another Author Breakfast on Saturday. Again I sat with Jill and Candice, and Alison too. As you can see above, this is who was speaking. This was a great group to listen too and we were excited to learn almost first hand that Diana Gabaldon’s series is going to be a movie. She had just found out the night before. That is great news! For me, that means I have work to do as I have not yet read her series. 😛

After the breakfast, I met Alison’s book club members who had come for the Power Reader day. She was going to show them around so I went my merry way thinking I would do more browsing today then picking up books. Uh yeah…. that is not true. The following are a few author signings I went to:

1024x768_bestfit (63) — **Jamie Ford! Author of Hotel of Bitter and Sweet and has now written another one, Songs of Willow and Frost. SQQQUUEEE!!!!**
**I told him my book club loved his book.**

20130530_113048 — **Nancy Horan author of Loving Frank has written a new book, Under The Wide and Starry Sky.**

1024x768_bestfit (24) — **The Harry Potter new book cover unveiling was actually earlier in the week but I forgot to post about it.**

**Not super clear as I had hoped but there it is…**

**The yearly pic of Alison and I…. not at Harper (we forgot!) but at the Penguin Bash!**

Around 1:00 the expo started to wind down. People were closing up their booths, books were no longer plentiful… it was pretty much over. I shipped the last of my books and Cindy and I walked over to where the Potted Potter play was showing to see if we could get tickets. We did, and we picked up the $99 tickets for $49 which was great seats. We went to that at 5 pm and it was a BLAST! We laughed so hard we cried and I HIGHLY recommend that if you love Hatty Potter, you have to see this show. It is 70 minutes of all 7 books. AMAZING!

After the show we walked over to Cake Boss (you just have to when you are in New York!) and picked up a couple of cookies to bring home for Al.

We (Cindy and I) ended the evening by meeting up with Jill, Candice, and Kathy at that Irish Pub I mentioned in my Day 1 post. We were all leaving at different times the next day and it was fun to wrap up the week together.

Ok and now, I hate to do this today but I am done with the BEA posts so please bear with me as I give you… the books I brought home from the expo:

Ok, that is a LONG post and I know… a lot of books. Be sure to come back tomorrow which is my official 4 year Blogiversary where some of these books will be offered in several giveaways in celebration! 😀 (that post will go up right after midnight – central time. )

Have a great Saturday – my day is full… I have a funeral this afternoon and a birthday celebration tonight. In between, I hope to get out in my garden a bit and work on my hostas as – it is NOT raining.

For the previous BEA recap posts…

BEA Day 1: What is up with my pants????

BEA Day 2: Blogger Con and I love Harper!!!!!

BEA: Day 3: Least Favorite Book Of The Expo

BEA Day 4: The Home of A Favorite Author!

Blogiversary Year 4 Invite and Save The Date!

Published on June 7, 2013June 8, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)

Hi everyone, This coming Sunday June 9th is my 4 Year Blogiversary and I am asking each of you to please save the date and stop on by this Sunday. Each year I have a lot of fun with the blogiversary post and each year there are BIG FUN giveaways here to celebrate. Mark your calendar and be sure to stop by and see one of the biggest posts on the blog each year. Its going to be AWESOME and I want you to be a part of that awesomeness 😀

See you there!(see my 2012 Blogiversary here to get an idea of what will be happening 😀 )

Morning Meanderings… BEA Day 4: The Home Of A Favorite Author

Published on June 7, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Good morning! It is Friday! That is exciting to me in so many ways! I was supposed to be heading out this afternoon for the MS 150 but sadly my commitments caused me to have to cancel out. I do have one work commitment today – and tomorrow I have a funeral to attend and a birthday celebration. I am bummed about the ride, but as I sit here with a sinus infection coughing and sniffling it is probably for the best. I do love that ride though and have to figure out a way to make it work along with New York and not becoming over committed/ booked.

Today I will talk about the 2nd official day of the expo in New York:

BEA Day 4:

Last Friday, Cindy (roomy) and I woke up early to get ready to go to breakfast at Adriana Trigiani’s home. Yes, you read that right. We were going to her home in Greenwich Village for breakfast at 7:30 am. We walked down the block to another hotel to meet up with Candice and Jill, and the 4 of us took the subway. Note: I never take the Subway in New York, I do not know my way around well enough but when others know their way around I am happy to follow their lead. 😀

We arrived a little early so we sat in a beautiful park in the area.

1024x768_bestfit (55) — **Far end of the bench: Candice, Cindy, and then Jill closest to this end.**

When it was time to go to Adriana’s we joined about 12 other blogger/reviewers at her home. Adriana was gracious as always. She had out lovely china for us to use saying, “What’s the point of having china you do not use, only to die and people saying, well she had a lovely set of china.”

Adrianna is someone I could listen to for hours. For people who have not read her books I say if you listened to her speak, so passionately and witty, you would find yourself wanting to read everything this woman has written. She is an amazing story-teller. What a gift!

About 9:30 am Cindy and I grabbed a taxi back to the Javits. After walking around for about a half hour I wondered over to the autograph area to see who was signing. As I was reading the names I seen one said, “Adriana Trigiani signing 10 – 11 am”. I thought, that can not be right, when I left at 9:30 she still had a good 15 people in her home and she was completely relaxed and chatting away – but sure enough, unless Adriana has a twin, there she was with a long line leading up to her to have books signed.

Amazing.

😛

Friday as you can imagine I was quite wiped out. Before I had gone back to the Javits that morning I had stopped at a little store and picked up an iced coffee and this bag of some sort of grainy chips. After I got the Javits I stared at this bag of chips and thought, seriously, I am not carrying these around. So I put them in my shipping box to keep. 😀 Later, actually not that much later as I was wiped out – I was in the shipping area, people watching and eating those chips. My Facebook and twitter status was something like this:

Is it wrong that I am so tired that I am hanging out in shipping, people watching and eating grain chips?

I did leave the Javitz for a while to go relax at our hotel room and catch a break. At 4 pm that afternoon I had a ticket to the narrators tea, but I also had an rsvp in to go with a group of bloggers to have cocktails with Dorothy Benton Frank. I tried (and failed) to do both. Since Dorothy’s event went from 3:15 – 6 pm, I thought I could do the first half of the authors tea, leave there by 4:30, catch a taxi and catch up with the rest by 5:00, hang out until 5:45 or so and then catch up with Cindy at the Random House Canada get together.

Yeah… that didn’t work. At 4:30 when I left to catch the taxi I started by the Javits and could not catch a cab. I moved around to other blocks eventually winding up by my hotel. I tried until I was hot and tired at 5:30 and then I called the wonderful ladies who had sat this gathering up apologizing for my lack or appearance and then caught up with Cindy to go to her invite. Sadly, I could not do it all. 😦

Cindy and I were at the Random House get together for a little over an hour. They had lovely horduerves and she and I were able just to relax and talk and that was nice as we were both tired out. We ended out evening by going over to Chipolte which Cindy had never had before and I told her it was a must!

That was out Friday. Back in the hotel we were asleep in no time. 😀

Today, this morning I am going garage sailing. YAY!!! Then I have a meeting, and this afternoon a friend of mine and her daughter our coming over to help me open up my BEA boxes. (You may remember Camryn, she wrote YA reviews for me last summer 😀 )Then I will spend my later afternoon organizing the books. All of which, as us book lovers know – is so much fun. 😀

For the previous BEA recap posts…

BEA Day 1: What is up with my pants????

BEA Day 2: Blogger Con and I love Harper!!!!!

BEA: Day 3: Least Favorite Book Of The Expo

Morning Meanderings…. BEA Day 3 – And least favorite book of the expo

Published on June 6, 2013June 6, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Good morning! It is Thursday and looks like it is going to rain – but is not raining. Looking at the forecast, it calls for rain, tomorrow no rain, and then this weekend… RAIN.

😯

So, we will talk about better things…

BEA Day 3

Last Thursday was the first day of BEA. Wednesday was the conference, but the actual expo did not open until Thursday morning and I did things a bit differently this year. For instance, in past years I have walked to the Javits about 7 am grabbing a coffee along the way at a Mr. Donut. Then I would people watch (occasionally behind the info booth – but that is another story coming up in a couple of days). This time, I had bought the author breakfast tickets. This would be my first time checking these out. Rumor had it that you would have the authors books waiting for you on your chair when you went in and then each of the authors would talk about their upcoming book.

This Thursday morning breakfast was as you can see above, Chelsea Handler, Ishmael Beah, Doris Goodwin, and Wally Lamb. I have read Ishmael and Wally before.

When we entered, I was hanging out with Jill (Rhapsody in Books) and Candice (Beth Fish Reads), there was Wally’s new book on our chairs, an insert for Ishmaels upcoming book, and a postcard about Chelsea’s. I was a little disappointed we did not get Ishmael’s full book and Doris’s would have been great too – I probably would not read Chelsea’s, but it was fine – for $27 it still was fun to hear them all talk about their books, Chelsea was funny, Ishmael deep, and Wally really has a quick wit that I enjoyed – playfully poking at Chelsea.

After the breakfast the Expo was in full swing. By this time I had caught up with Alison (Alison’s Book Marks ) and we walked the floor touching base with publishing houses that we work with, and picking up a few books along the way. We did this for hours. And eventually made our way over to where the Autograph signing are was. This is is where there are about 25 lines of authors signing their books. You can find a line for an author whose book you would like and have it signed.

I seen one author with no one in their line. This is not unusual, sometimes when they are at the end of their signing hour everyone has gone through. I looked at the cover of the book that was being held up and nodded at Alison, “I am going to go and check out this book.” Alison said she would come as well.

When we made it to the author, I asked her if it was her first book, “No,” she said, it was her third. As we made small talk she opened the book cover and asked who she should write it too. Now – normally I juts have them sign it unless I know the author, but for some reason I held up my badge and said, “make it out to Sheila.” That is when I noticed, in a small paragraph on the inside page it said,

Short stories and essays of erotica.

😯

Now, if you know me… this is not my genre or choice at all. But – here I am, about to get my name signed on her book and there was nothing I could do but smile and think, “oh no, Alison is behind me.” Then Alison has her turn and I wait for her. Gracious as always, Alison asks the author what her book is about and the author proceeds to tell her. Alison does not miss a beat, has her book signed (not autographed) and we make our way out of the line. We are not making eye contact at this point. Once out of the line, and out of ear shot, I turn to Alison…. “I am so sorry…. I owe you for that one.” We both laughed….well…. it makes for a funny memory.

As the day went on I did wind up with a box worthy of books and took my books to the US post office where it was must more reasonable to ship books home. What would have cost $56.00+ at the expo USP, cost me $17.95 at the post office. I do this every year and my post office boxes always beat and UPS boxes I ship to my door. Same is true this year, the post office boxes are here. I hope UPS arrives today.

We had a full evening schedule this day. Alison and I headed back to our hotels around 3 pm. I cleaned up, changed and was out the door by 4:20 pm for our 5:00 pm gathering at Simon and Schuster. I was so excited as my great friend Sarah Pekkanen was going to be there as well as other authors. It was a lot of fun, the usual blogger friends I hang out with were there and we chatted away for about an hour.

Then… Alison and I grabbed a taxi and went to Workman Publishing’s open house. We had never been there before but had heard it was crazy busy and amazing. Yes it was. We went up the elevator and it was so crowded we could hardly get off the elevator. Completely insane!

256x256_fit_one_bestfit (30) — Workman Publishing party

I made my way to a safe “non trampling” corner and talked for about 20 minutes with a book store owner from Wisconsin. He was baffled that us bloggers do what we do without being paid. I told him the expo was my yearly reward (oh yeah, plus lots of great reading!) 😀

Next stop – Penguin Publishing. My roomy Cindy was already there having secured one of the only tables available. Nice! This was a blast as always! I was able to catch up with many bloggers, meet a few authors and had an amazing conversation with author Sue Grafton and her husband who gave me her email to talk to her about writing. (There are moments each year at the expo I have to say…. this is not my life.) 😀

After the AWESOME (did I mention it was awesome?) Penguin Bash, Alison and I had one more commitment. We had been invited to the City Of Bones party, in celebration of Cassandra Clare’s book being made into a movie. It was AWESOME!!! We went in not knowing what to expect but the venue was one of the best I have been in, in my 4 years of BEA attending.

Let me just say it was pretty amazing. We had a great time, and we were able to hang out a bit with Cassandra Clare!

**Yup, that is me with Cassandra Clare!**

They also had a signature drink, a blood orange jalapeno margarita. I know, right? But yes, I had to try it and it was….ok.

There were rumors that John Green was going to make an appearance and that was enough for Alison and I to hang out in that case, although we never seen him. We left around 10:15 or so, tired but happy.

So that was last Thursday. Today I work, hope my UPS boxes arrive today (I have a connection at the local UPS so they will call if they see them), I also have a friend’s birthday dinner tonight so life…. is never dull. 😀

For the previous BEA recap posts…

BEA Day 1: What is up with my pants????

BEA Day 2: Blogger Con and I love Harper!!!!!

Safe Haven (Movie Review)

Published on June 5, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Katie (actress Julianne Hough) has had enough of walking on egg shells whenever her husband, Tierney (David Lyons), is near. The abuse both physical and mental raises to such a level that Katie fears for her life. One night she decided there is only one thing she can do.

She runs.

After cutting and dyeing her hair, Katie seeks shelter in a small North Carolina town where townsfolk are curious about this newcomer who keeps to herself and has rented the small home in the woods on the outskirts of town. Alex (Josh Duhamel), a widowed store owner seems particularly curious about Katie, as she turns down any offer of help he gives for home improvements or transportation. Eventually Katie befriends another single girl named Jo who lives not far from Katie and becomes a kind of confidant.

But as Katie is starting to relax into her new life, Tierney has not given up on looking for his wife and the longer it takes to find her the angrier he becomes. Practically psychotic with thoughts of her with someone else he finds a clue that sets him in the right direction.

Holy awesomeness! When I read Safe Haven a few months back, I was so impressed by the book that I was nervous about the movie not living up to it. I need not have feared. Once I put this DVD on, I stopped everything and just watched.

Safe Haven was beautifully done, and while you may think you have it all wrapped up in a neat “Sparks like” bow you will (oh yes you will!) find yourself blown away by a plot twist that is ovation worthy and really took me for a loop – yes, even after I had read the book. I loved this movie. The acting was well done, I was fully engaged in the story line – Tierney was every bit of whacked out creepy that I felt he should be for a crazed abusive nut case husband (think Sleeping With The Enemy creepy… and then double it).

I hope you will consider renting or purchasing this movie. Not only is a good cold evening chick flick, it also would make for a good couples or girls night in showing. I was impressed and I will definitely watch this one again.

Thank you to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

for the review copy of this movie in exchange for an honest review.