Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… Finally I Share With You The BIG News!

Published on March 14, 2013March 14, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)36 Comments

Good morning! Finally I am able to share news with you that I am soooo exited to share and I hope you will just be excited for me… for us… for our area…. ok you get the picture. 😀

Since last fall I have been stewing around with an idea that stemmed off a larger event that is held in the cities. During a Literary session myself and two other wonderful ladies were working on for a grant for our Local Library, we were having a session on Fundraising. “Ugh” I though… as I really do dislike fundraising…..

Yet little did I know what this man was about to talk of would get my creative juices flowing…

I learned about an event that has went on for now ten years right here in my own state that I had never heard of. It is called Opus and Olives and it is a HUGE literary event that is held as a fundraiser every October for the ST Paul Library.

Well… color me interested.

At that moment I knew I wanted to do something similar on a smaller scale here in Brainerd. So…. (and this is where the sssqqqquuuuueeeeee comes in) I have been working since probably last October on ideas of what to call it, where to have it, what it is, etc… and I can now say out loud the BIG piece fell into place on Tuesday of this week.

Our event will be called Wine and Words and it will be held at a beautiful venue in the Brainerd Lakes area on August 23rd at the Arrowwood Lodge. Not only have they offered us a wonderful venue and price for our event tickets, they have sponsored 5 rooms for us to be able to give to our authors who travel to speak.

Uh huh. 😛

So…. basic layout is, I have the wine being donated during our social time at 5:30 by Cash Wise Liquor (Mark, you rock!) During that time guests will be able to browse the wonderful silent auction (I already have several signed books donated!) At 6:30 a lovely sit down dinner will be had, and at 7:15 we will have 4 authors (this is what I am now starting to work on) will speak a little on their latest book and afterwards they will be available for book purchases and signing. At the end we will have a few giveaway for our attendees including an IPAD.

A good friend of mine who owns Brown Design in Brainerd *waves to Christy!* is donating her amazing skills to designing our logo and brochure. As of last night, Insty Prints in Brainerd (thank you Ron!) has offered to sponsor our printing.

Last night I was up until 2:00 in the morning working on a website for the event. I am new to this whole website stuff but I was having sooooo much fun that I really forgot to go to bed. 😛

So that is the news. Wine and Words has went from an idea on paper to a reality and people are coming forward and helping. I do hope that if you live anywhere near me you consider attending. All proceeds will go to our local library which does so much good for our community.

Website should be for the most part completed over the next week and go live after that. Tickets will be available hopefully at the end of next week as well.

There it is. The news. 😀

I can’t stop smiling….

The Tale Of Lucia Grandi by Susan Speranza

Published on March 12, 2013March 12, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

The world thinks me dead, but there is a lot of life left in these old bones, yet. I’ve been absent from the world for a long time. But I’m here. Waiting.

`Lucia Grandi

Born the first day of June, Lucia Grandi has lived a long life. Having just celebrated her one hundred and tenth birthday she is startled when a young female visitor, as Lucia does not receive much company, comes to see her. She is more startled, or perhaps a better word is amused, when this stranger asks if she will share her life story. Having outlived friends, family, and other loved ones, Lucia had seen much in her long life. Still with her wits about her (not sure if that was a gift or a curse) Lucia decided that perhaps she could share her memories… just this once…

And so Lucia does share her life stories, from being an unwanted child from the moment of birth, witnessing a suicide at 3 years of age, difficulty with parents and siblings, running away, sent to a strict Catholic school, and more, Lucia opens up her life to the stranger a chapter at a time….

My love of mixing genres amuse me. In the middle of reading a paranormal YA, a good old-fashioned crime novel, and Little Women, I find my way into The Tale Of Lucia Grandi with a “lets see where this goes” attitude.

Oh… how I amuse me. 😀

Lucia Grandi speaks with a voice of someone I could listen to a long time. (How fun is that to say we can put a voice to writing, a voice I have never heard except for the one in my head I have given to this elderly protagonist). As chapter by chapter unfolded I was more and more memorized by the book. Never heavy, but always interesting, what a life this woman lead!I am finding it hard to put into words the beauty of this writing. Rhythmic comes to mind. Poetic. Resigning. There were quite a few passages that I had to pause after reading, think about how I liked what was said, and then read it again to go even deeper into the meaning. Time and again this happened throughout this read, never distracting, but instead engaging me even more. What a fascinating way to write a book.

Over all, I am thoroughly impressed. I enjoyed this book so much that for several days it became a constant companion everywhere I went so I could get in a few pages while waiting in the car, before meetings started…

Take note – this is called “The Early Years” and we do not hear all of Lucia’s life within this book and I suspect there will be more to come… Yet reader, sigh not, for I believe that by the time you turn the last page of this book, you will have no problem wanting to read the next as well. After all Lucia’s story needs to be told.

I wish to thank TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest opinion and for allowing me to spend time with a remarkable woman named Lucia Grandi.

Here are the other tour stops this week so you can see more thoughts on this book:

Monday, March 11th: Becca’s BylineTuesday, March 12th: Book Journey

Wednesday, March 13th: Between the CoversThursday, March 14th: Reflections of a BookaholicFriday, March 15th: Chaotic Compendiums

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on March 10, 2013March 10, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)55 Comments

Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

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:

Lexie at Unconventional Book Views !!!!

It was a pretty fair week, I was typically busy but did get in a little reading time. Here is what I accomplished this last week:

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

Mater’s Birthday! One year old – rescued from abuse and amazing he was able to have a first birthday!

The Dogs Of Winter by Bobbie Pyron

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah

Not too bad a week but I do need to pick up my reading again. This week I am reading:

In Warsaw in 1939, a boy wanders the streets and survives by stealing what food he can. He knows nothing of his background: Is he a Jew? A Gypsy? Was he ever called something other than Stopthief? Befriended by a band of orphaned Jewish boys, he begins to share their sleeping quarters. He understands very little of what is happening. When the Nazi “Jackboots” march into the town, he greets them happily, admires their shiny boots and tanks, and hopes he can join their ranks someday. He eventually adopts a name, Misha, and a family, that of his friend Janina Milgrom, a girl he meets while stealing food in her comfortable neighborhood. When the Milgroms are forced to move into the newly created ghetto, Misha cheerfully accompanies them. There, he is one of the few small enough to slip through holes in the wall to smuggle in food. By the time trains come to take the ghetto’s residents away, Misha realizes what many adults do not-that the passengers won’t be going to the resettlement villages at the journey’s end.

Our book club read for March.

Alcott’s story begins with the four March girls—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—sitting in their living room, lamenting their poverty. The girls decide that they will each buy themselves a present in order to brighten their Christmas. Soon, however, they change their minds and decide that instead of buying presents for themselves, they will buy presents for their mother, Marmee…

You know the story… this is a read along over at Fizzy Thoughts for March.

When someone you love vanishes without a trace, how far would you go to get them back?
For ex-FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, it’s the beginning of his worst nightmare: a car abandoned on a desolate stretch of Oregon highway, engine running, purse on the driver’s seat. And his estranged wife, Rainie Conner, gone, leaving no clue to her fate.

Did one of the ghosts from Rainie’s troubled past finally catch up with her? Or could her disappearance be the result of one of the cases they’d been working–a particularly vicious double homicide or the possible abuse of a deeply disturbed child Rainie took too close to heart? Together with his daughter, FBI agent Kimberly Quincy, Pierce is battling the local authorities, racing against time, and frantically searching for answers to all the questions he’s been afraid to ask.

One man knows what happened that night. Adopting the alias of a killer caught eighty years before, he has already contacted the press. His terms are clear: he wants money, he wants power, he wants celebrity. And if he doesn’t get what he wants, Rainie will be gone for good.

Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, it’s still not enough.
As the clock winds down on a terrifying deadline, Pierce plunges headlong into the most desperate hunt of his life, into the shattering search for a killer, a lethal truth, and for the love of his life, who may forever be…gone.

That’s whats on for this week. What are you reading? Add your post to the line below where it says click here.

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For those of you who review mainly Middle Grade (MG) and/or Young Adult (YA) reads, please also add your link to this meme as well:

Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah

Published on March 10, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Elizabeth Shore used to love to paint and was considered to be possibly good with a little direction and training. Yet, at a young age Elizabeth met and fell in love with Jack and dreams of painting went to the wayside as they raise two beautiful daughters, and follow Jack around to wherever his sports career will take them.

When the girls are raised and off to college, Jack struggles to keep his career afloat and when an opportunity to jump-start that career is offered, Jack jumps at the chance to take it, once again disrupting their lives for his needs without consulting Elizabeth first. No longer having the buffer of her daughters, and worrying about her ailing father, Elizabeth decided enough is enough. She is tired of feeding Jack’s ego while her dreams wash away. While Jack goes on and on about what HE wants and what HE needs… Elizabeth wondered if he even has a clue of what she would like or need.

Elizabeth decided its time for her to find the woman she lost within herself and asks Jack to move to New York without her for his career while she takes time away. She goes to their isolated beach house to discover a wonderful womans groups, a link to painting again, and a connection with her step mother she never had before.

Finding herself seems to also open doors to discovering who she is without Jack and leading up to doors opening before her she never dreamed were there and the ultimate decision of choosing a life with or without Jack.

Kristin Hannah has a formula in her writing of couples and families in crisis, separating and them finding happiness again. Yes it can be predictable, but you know what? It can also be fun. Hannah’s characters jump off the pages and I truly felt for Elizabeth’s loss of identity and she for years spent time in her husbands shadow.

What I liked about this particular book is that you do not only get Elizabeth’s side, but Jack’s too. I liked reading that Jack was surprised when the woman he has loved all his life stands up and says “enough”. I liked watching his reevaluation of his life and decisions as well, coming to the ultimate decision that could either make or break his connection to his wife.

Distant Shores is a lovely read of love and loss and the possibility of starting again. Its beautifully written, engaging, and filled with hope.

Morning Meanderings… .Getting DUMPED (on)!

Published on March 10, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

Good morning. 😀 If I were a grumbly sort this would be just the occasion to pull out the grumbles. GAH. SNOW.

Yet another 8,9, 10 inches fell between yesterday afternoon and late last night.

**This was the back deck yesterday afternoon when it started to snow really big quarter size flakes.**

**At 6:00 am this morning this was my driveway.**

6 days out now from the 7K in the cities. Seriously… should I run in snow boots? 😯

In other better happier news… a few books arrived this week:

So what craziness awaits me today? Well shoveling for one. While Al is plowing I need to get snow odd that back deck before my dogs can just leap over the railing. At some point there is talk of it turning to rain and at that point the snow will freeze and it will be even a bigger mess.

I have church this morning, I think the gym this afternoon, and an early “healthy eating” get together where I still need to figure out what I am going to bring. I am doing a main dish for about 18 people.

How are things in your corner of the world… please share with me sunshine and green grass and temperatures over 30 degrees…. I need the encouragement. 😀

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Published on March 9, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

For a while, Jordan and Courtney were the unlikely “it” couple in High School. For a while things were going well, and for a while they even looked like they were going to make it, even planning to go to the same college. And it was working.

For a while…

Then Jordan meets a girl on the internet and suddenly, Courtney is dumped.

Two weeks later, the college road trip Jordan and Courtney had planned is happening and since no other arrangements had been planned, the two are forced back together for the drive across country for orientation. Courtney is hurt and doing her best to hide it, and most surprising of all, Jordan is struggling with deep pain because he does still love Courtney, and he never wanted to break up…

Jordan has a secret one that is ripping him apart and it has everything to do with why they broke up and nothing to do with another girl (and no for you quick thinkers out there, it doesn’t have to do with another boy either. 😉 ) Jordan has been forced to break it off with Courtney and if he told her… she would hate him…. and that, as painful as this is, would even be worse.

Overall I really liked Two Way Street. The storyline was interesting, two teenagers who had been dating and recently broke up but are now on this planned a while back road trip to their college. The fact that they are put together in the truck for the long drive is interesting enough, the story behind the scenes of why they broke up and only one of them knowing that reason makes it reach for the next level.

Twists and turns, I like Jordan a lot who is trying to do the right thing but as we all know, at times when we try to spare feelings and “do the right thing” we weave an even bigger mess. I like Courtney too but not as much because she is a bit too dramatic and a bit too whiny and yes, yes I know… she is a teenager.

SPOILER- I have to give out a “Creepiest character” award to… (scroll your mouse over the following text if you want to know: Courtney’s dad. Seriously – a bit too involved and the over-calling to Jordan is uber controlling in a way not cool way.

The over all story was good, it kept me engaged and it kept me in my car after I had pulled into the garage so I didn’t have to shut it off (always a good sign). Two things however stand out to me about this read. One was that for a 2010 book, they constantly mentioned My Space. My Space? I have never used My Space. Does My Space even exist any more? AND – the overuse of the word : hooking up. Yes, hooking up. I don’t mind the word, I even get the word, but seriously… I wish I had the book version just so I could count how many times it was used. I would guess close to 100 times and I am not kidding. “Then they were hoping to hook up”, “Next thing you knew they were hooking up”, I hope he didn’t expect me to hook up”, “It was cool that they hooked up”… and so on and so on. It actually became a game in the car for me. Every time they said it on the audio I would repeat it by yelling “HOOKING UP!” *please note, I am usually in my car alone so therefore did not give any passengers heart attacks with my spontaneous yelling.

Seriously though, I did enjoy the book and had fun listening to it.

Bonus note: Why I think the book may be better than the audio:

As an audio lover, I am always bragging up the many virtues of audio. However, as any audio lover knows, occasionally an audio does not 100% work for all books – it can be book subject, it can be book topic, and yes, it can sometimes be that the narrator was not the best choice for the book.

Narrator Cassandra Morris has a wonderfully youthful and girly voice. If you look at the list of books she narrates I am sure she adds a great voice to them. For this book however, If anything her voice struck me as a little too young for college age students. The hardest thing for me was that Cassandra’s voice did not change between the alternating chapters being told from Courtney and Jordan’s perspectives. The Courtney parts were fine, but when Jordan was being narrated and talking about hooking up (HOOKING UP!) with girls or checking out someones skirt, it would kill my train of thought because I would have to remind myself that this was Jordan… the boy…. . I had to pay close attention to when the chapters alternated too as occasionally I would miss that we had switched from Courtney to Jordan and suddenly the conversation would throw me again.

I added this audio review to the fun meme at Devourer of Books:

Morning Meanderings…Through The Years and A Trip To OZ

Published on March 9, 2013March 9, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Good morning! It’s Saturday and I am sooooooo excited. Today I have nothing concrete on the agenda. I LOVE days like this. I can hang out, blog, read, clean, nap, whatever – at my leisure. These days are too few and far between and other than a possible trip to the gym this afternoon (I am 7 days out from the 7K) and maybe a movie with hubby…. I am here for the day. 😀

Today I thought I would post a couple of pictures of my boys for Saturday Snapshot:

I love this picture. That is Brad left and Justin right. This picture graces my book room. This past winter, right after Christmas I was on Facebook one day and seen this picture on Justin’s page. He was having a voting contest to see who thought who was cuter, he or Brad. *Take note, Justin is 22 now and in College. Brad is 25 and in the Navy.

I was stunned, but it was pretty hilarious. Both boys were going back and forth trying to get their friends to comment on who was cuter. I popped in with a “Boys! What is going on here?” 😛

Then Brad made a comment that I had text him and told him that he was cuter but couldn’t put it on Facebook as I did not want to hurt Justin’s feelings. Justin commented back that he thought that was funny because I had text him and told him that same thing about him.

This thing went on for days and I don’t recall who won – or even if the votes were fair but they had over 100 comments and it was pretty funny.

This one I really like too. Justin looks like someone from a century ago. I remember doing Brad’s hair that day… he wanted it that way.

Currently, Justin is in Honduras on his 5th Mission trip to the country working with the kids who live on the street. Brad, as of last night was in Georgia sitting on his back deck with friends having a fire and conversation. He has 3 out of 4 weekends off in the Navy.

As you can imagine, I am so proud of both of them. 😀

These pictures were posted today for the Saturday Snapshot meme, check it out at At Home With Books.

Last night my friend Wendy and I went to OZ, The Great and Powerful. I thought it was done so well and it was impressive to watch the actors, they played some fun rolls. Mila Kunis was incredible, especially the later part of the movie. Rachel Weisz? Well first let me say wow does she look incredible. She easily passes as Mila’s sister. Michelle Williams… awesome. I think my favorite was the China Doll… really once she entered the picture I lost my heart to that little broken girl.

I am not sure what to think of James Franco… maybe he was perfect, what do I know. 😀 At times, he just seemed off and maybe that was intentional… I have no idea who could have done it better.

My thoughts… yes, see it. I loved the fact that some of the scenes and settings are more to the original book then the past movies. 😀

The Dogs Of Winter by Bobbie Pyron

Published on March 8, 2013March 8, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

Ivan’s world is quickly turned upside down when one day he is happily in the care of his mother and grandmother and it feels like almost the next he is alone… abandoned, on the streets of Moscow.

What happened?

When Ivan’s grandmother suddenly dies, his mother falls into a deep crushing depression and can not escape it. She leaves Ivan to the man she loved who wants nothing to do with him (after all… his relationship was never about Ivan) and puts him in an orphanage. When Ivan escapes, he finds help in the form of a pack of dogs who become his source of self-esteem and in a way his family.

Ivan soon finds himself living a life of a pack, roaming the countryside, searching for food and adventure, wild and free. His once gentle nature changes to a more cunning, street smart way of thinking. When eventually help is offered, Ivan must choose to go back to being in a secure home or remain with his new friends and understanding of the world.

The Dogs of Winter will blow you away. Not only is this a gorgeous middle grade (and up) style of read written in beautiful chapters, it is a knock your socks off in your face reality of how quickly our world, our security can change.

Uhhh…. did I mention this is based on a true story?

I am always careful when choosing books about animals – especially dogs as they are too near and dear to my heart. However this is not an “Old Yeller” read… it is more of an adventure, and a wild one at that. For every young boy or girl who ever dreamed of BIG adventure, this is an incredible story… but it is also a very real and at times painful story as well of loss and crushing loneliness. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I would think if middle grade students read it (ages 9- 12) they may want someone to talk to about it afterwards.

For me, I am so impressed by this book, the incredible story of the human spirit and the amazing connections we can have between dog and man.

Morning Meanderings… Funny Facebook Happenings

Published on March 8, 2013March 8, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Good Morning Friends of Book Journey! Do not be afraid! I come in peace and with coffee. 😛

What a great week I have been having. I am accomplishing much, feeling good, working out, and digging my way through preparations for the Spring book sale at the Library, camp registrations for Camp Benedict, organizing paperwork, using Luminosity to keep sharp….

about the only thing that is lacking, is my reading. Hopefully I can get that back in the mix too… Book club is next Tuesday – I need to read that book this weekend 😀

So, for fun I thought I would share with a friend of mines post on Facebook last night:

Just for fun I thought I’d try to walk with a swagger. Dang. Blew out a knee. (Guess it’s a lot harder than ‘they’ make it look!)

Thats true! She did! 😛 I laughed…then I felt bad. But she is ok, and laughing at herself as well. She posted this morning the link to the commercial she was watching that made her try it:

Hee hee. SO my suggestion was that no one should swagger unless taking swagger lessons at their local gym and of course… stretching first. 😀

I’m off. I have a fun and busy morning and early afternoon. Lots of good things going on. Hope your Friday is wonderful 😀

Morning Meanderings… Happy Birthday Mater!

Published on March 6, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Good morning! Today is all about Mater! Recently when looking at his papers he came with from the vet, I noted that he was born on March 6. I made a note not to forget that. 😀

Mater came on our radar last July when my Navy son was home and had a friend who worked at a Vet near by and told him the story of Mater. Mater was an abused puppy part beagle part basset hound who had a serious surgery at 10 weeks old because his owners were giving him alcohol. After the surgery, Mater was placed in a foster home where he fell out of the back of a movie truck and broke his shoulder and had another surgery.

Hearing his story my heart went out to this little dog. They were looking to find him a good home and were interviewing people. I was told that many people had tried to get him and were denied. They wanted to make sure whoever adopted him would provide him a “forever home”.

That third week on July, after an hour interview with the vet and three hours of waiting by the phone, we were told he was ours.