Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… The Final Week Of January

Published on January 25, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Good morning! I have today off and while I have a check list of errands to run and things to do… I am still enjoying hot tea this morning and chilling in my house as the wind and snow blow outside.

January, book wise has been very good to me. Its like I broke through the Willy Wonka glass ceiling and now I am no longer too tired and too busy to enjoy some great reads. AND I have read and listened to some pretty amazing books this month. I plan on doing a recap later this week of the month and I am excited to review what I have read and update the few challenges I had signed up for this year. 😀

One more thing before I move on with my morning, through my blog visits this week I seen a good looking read over at Estelle’s Revenge, The Midwife Of Hope River. Stop by and read her review. This one goes on my wish list. 😀

Currently reading: March With Me by Rosalie T Turner

Currently Listening to: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (in house), The Gilly Salt Sisters (in car)

Any books showing up that you are adding to your reading list?

Born This Way by Paul Vitagliano

Published on January 24, 2013January 24, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Paul Vitagliano knows first hand what it is like to grow up gay. Even in today’s day and age it is still hard to find acceptance without judgement so in 2011 Paul started the blog site “Born This Way” which is a place to share stories and support for the LGBTQ community. The blog exploded with responses, so much so… Paul wrote this book, Born This Way, filling it with pictures of boys and girls at young ages and their stories about when they knew and what it was like when (and if) they came out and told their families and friends.

The short stories share what growing up was like. In some cases there was name calling and bullying which led to many of these children keeping to themselves and doing anything they could to avoid conflict.

The book is a quick read, the stories are short and sometimes funny, and sometimes heart breaking. In many cases, by the time they told family and friends, they had known and were just waiting for them to tell them. In other more heartbreaking (and thankfully rare) circumstances, families turned their backs… not understanding. Yet story after story no matter what the outcome, each person said life was so much better once they said it out loud and were their true selves.

This book is a short read but a powerful one. I smiled at the stories, occasionally laughed, and yes, at times my heart broke a little too. Everyone deserves to be accepted and Paul Vitagliano has taken great steps towards doing just that.

**I first read a review of this book in October when I seen the book at Kathy’s Bermuda Onion blog. And I knew then I wanted to read it, I bought it that day and finally had the privilege of reading it this past weekend.

The Midwife’s Tale by Sam Thomas (HOLY SMOKES! It is GOOD!)

Published on January 23, 2013January 23, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

1644. Armies have risen against the King and have attacked on and off the city of York. For widowed midwife Bridget Hodgson, life must go on. Servants call day and night requesting her services for babies about to be born.

When one of Bridget’s friends is convicted for killing her husband and scheduled to be burned at the stake, Bridget along with her newly acquired maid servant Martha set out to prove her innocence. Many obstacles are in their way as Bridget and Martha avoid the rebels, the higher ups of the community, and an unwelcome appearance from Martha’s past.

As this unusual duo digs into the case, they uncover much more than they had bargained for and many people that would rather keep things covered up.

I started this book late one evening while I was looking for a read before bed. With the little bit I read before sleep, I was already hooked. I spent the next day reading every chance I got.

The Midwife’s Tale is an excellent work of historical fiction. Sam Thomas wrote a story that is so engaging, so informative; I had a hard time putting it down. For a woman of the 1600’s, Bridget is strong, smart, and independent, my favorite type of female character. And while Martha comes with some weird baggage, she adds just the right mix to an already appealing story.

7 hours later I emerge out of this book completely satisfied with all of it. The beginning brought me in from page one, the middle held me, never feeling drug out or pages of “filler” and the ending superb. There are not many books I can say that about.

In the end it was interesting to know that the author Sam Thomas is a history professor who created the character Bridget Hodgson from a will of a once living midwife of the same name. While some names in the story are from the real Bridget Hodgson’s life, the book is fiction, and a remarkable one at that.

Morning Meanderings… You even get obsessed with a movie?

Published on January 23, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Good morning all. Another cold morning here in Minnesota but I think we are on the upswing. Currently 4 degrees… practically a heat wave.

When I was in Mankato for a bike ride this past October my college son and I went to the movie Pitch Perfect. It was good, really good. This past week it came out in dvd and I rented it and now, returning it (LATE!) today, I can tell you I have watched it 5 times over the weekend.

Yup.

I love the music, love the humor… really, it is the music though.

In other news, tonight will by my swearing into the Library Board. EEP! Sounds a little scary, but a whole lot of fun. I think. I hope. It will be ;).

And lastly, a plug for my 12K challenge. We have 22 people signed up so far and we start February 1st. If you haven’t checked it out, please do…. it’s going to be fun and we have a great team! 😀

Do you have any movies that you can watch again and again and again?

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Published on January 22, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

Felicia Ward is now in a place that is out of this world. Literally. Since her death right before her eighteen birthday things has been a little…

off.

Felicia now lives in a place called Level 2 where she and the others there spend time in “pods” where they access memories from their life day after day after day.

Then one day someone who Felicia knew on earth breaks into her chamber and this is no memory, this is real! Julian in life was a dangerous distraction… and now here on Level 2, Felicia has to wonder what his motive is for looking her up. Julian wants to break her out of her chamber saying there is a war going on and Felicia is a big part of if they succeed or fail. Though reluctant to trust Julian, he makes her a promise that is she goes with him now, he will make sure she sees Neil again, the one she loved more than anything.

Felicia follows Julian and learns there is way more to Level 2 than meets the eye and a battle is about to begin… a battle of souls and Felicia is right in the heart of it all.

Level 2 is my favorite type of YA fiction, when you take our world and make it different…. JK Rowling did it in the Harry Potter books, and Lenore Appelhans does it in Level 2. See, in both of these books/series, the world as we know it still exists… there is just something more that we do not know about it.

Lenore creates a sub world that is both dismal and intriguing, after all, on one hand you have full access to your memories and you program them in your mind just like you would if you watched a DVD that was programmed into your mind, reliving all your favorite moments with all the feelings and all the emotions… on the other hand that is really all you have is your memories.

I enjoyed Level 2. I like Felicia’s spunk, Julian’s mysterious ways, and Neil’s goodness. Level 2 itself is a great world character filled with new unthought-of things that fully engaged me and at times, frightened me… (wait until you hear about the lakes of the underworld….)

Level 2 is a wonderful read and in the end it left me feeling there must be more, I hope there is more.

Morning Meanderings… Dang… It is COLD Outside

Published on January 22, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Good morning from the middle of Minnesota. Current temp, -22F. It’s true. Here is the warning I just pulled off the weather website:

Wind Chill Warning remains in effect until noon CST today.

The National Weather Service in Duluth has issued a Wind Chill Warning, which is in effect until noon CST today.

Location: northeastern Minnesota including the locations of Walker, Brainerd, Aitkin and Hinckley.
Wind Chill values: expect wind chills of 25 to 40 below zero. Winds this morning will be a bit lighter than yesterday, but morning lows will be colder. The coldest wind chills will occur through about 10 am.
Impacts: Frostbite can occur on exposed skin within 5 to 10 minutes in these conditions.

Mmmm hmmm…. sun lover me…. why do I live here? Oh yeah, because I LOVE spring through fall… and yes, spring is coming. 😀

I was on the North shore this weekend… I know I know… why not go where it is even colder? And I took a couple pics of my jeep that was going to go in a post on Saturday but I have no internet at the cabin and when I drove into town to use their internet my laptop battery died and well… anyway… no pics. BUT – here they are now:

20130118_144632 — **Friday afternoon when I arrived in Finland Minnesota. Mmmm hhhhhmmmmm there is a Finland Minnesota.**

20130119_084246 — **Saturday morning, when I woke up at 6:30 am in Finland Minnesota.**

Anyhoo…. got to use a shovel….

Today I am off work but busy with a couple appointments that I need to get ready for so wanted to pop in and say its cold but I am a Minnesotan therefore chances are I will survive this too. Later I will be posting my review of Level 2 (do not miss this!) and I though since I am rambling and random this morning, I would leave you with this funny book trailer that was with my Shelf Awareness email this morning:

The Murder Of The Century by Paul Collins

Published on January 21, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

June 26, 1897, New York. A farmer in Long Island is startled when he finds that his duck pond, and his ducks are red with blood. Meanwhile, two boys playing on a pier on the Lower East Side discover a human floating torso wrapped in oil cloth. In Harlem, blueberry pickers find neatly severed limbs in a ditch.

Who was this mystery man? No witnesses… no suspects, and there was no head.

In the midst of this hideous crime two of the big media moguls Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph’s went after the media side of the case without holding back. The headlines battled one another, reporters lurked around looking for suspects, awards were posted for the finding of the head and even children took to the streets for a chance at winning the loot.

Considering this is based on a true crime… truth really can be staggering than fiction.

In the end, what is discovered is beyond imagination for the time….

Why did I read this? Honestly… I do not know. I found I had downloaded it from audible.com in September and I can not recall if it was on a recommendation, a sale audio…. or what drew me too it. But too it… I was.

Murder of The Century was interesting. I had not considered before what newspapers went through to get the big scoop and in this read you discover that not too much is off-limits, including one part where the one newspaper company sends all of its reporters out to cut the lines on the phone booths so when the other newspaper got there to call in their notes, they would not be able to.

As the murder unfolds and people come forward a trial starts that is also quiet interesting and eventually a solution to the crime that is both surprising and through provoking.

My only complaint is that somewhere int he middle it bogged down…. suddenly the audio felt long and I was waiting to get interested again, which I did… but not a big fan of books or audio that drag out.

Fans of true crime I think will enjoy this for the amazing story and a gruesome crime that is unthinkable and when you hear the motive behind it….

WOW.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on January 20, 2013January 20, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)65 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:

Laurel Rain Snow!!!!

Oh my gosh… first of all I had no intention of going “dark” over the weekend. I was at the cabin which has no internet but I drove to the cafe in town about 10 miles away so I could write a Saturday post, put up some pics and write a review. Well, my battery is very bad on this laptop and only goes for about an hour without being plugged in (super annoying… really). So….. I almost finish the first post when it runs out and shuts off. So…. I was not about to go back to the cabin, charge up and drive in again so I call it a fail for the weekend – but what a treat for this week because….

I read 5 books this weekend!!! Yes 5!!!! WOW that feels good…. and some good ones too so watch for come pretty exciting reviews coming up this week! Gushers…. really… and thinkers too. 🙂

So before ,y weekend away my week was going pretty awesome too… here is what I did get posted:

Between The lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer (SOOOOOO good!)

Mad River by John Sanford (my first Sanford…and in audio!)

GONE by Randy Wayne White (audio review)

I finally finally finally posted my super fun fitness challenge for 2013. Oh yes readers…. we can be super cool readers… and be fit! It;s true! 😀 Please check it out 😀

It feels soooo good to be reading again! From this weekend you can also add Level 2, The Midwife’s Tale, Born This Way, Will To Murder and Where God Finds You. All to be reviewed soon.

As for whats next…. well….

It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

EEP right? I started this one this morning and it is so far…. delicious!

Eddie Huang is the thirty-year-old proprietor of Baohaus—the hot East Village hangout where foodies, stoners, and students come to stuff their faces with delicious Taiwanese street food late into the night—and one of the food world’s brightest and most controversial young stars. But before he created the perfect home for himself in a small patch of downtown New York, Eddie wandered the American wilderness looking for a place to call his own.

Eddie grew up in theme-park America, on a could-be-anywhere cul-de-sac in suburban Orlando, raised by a wild family of FOB (“fresh off the boat”) hustlers and hysterics from Taiwan. While his father improbably launched a series of successful seafood and steak restaurants, Eddie burned his way through American culture, defying every “model minority” stereotype along the way. He obsessed over football, fought the all-American boys who called him a chink, partied like a gremlin, sold drugs with his crew, and idolized Tupac. His anchor through it all was food—from making Southern ribs with the Haitian cooks in his dad’s restaurant to preparing traditional meals in his mother’s kitchen to haunting the midnight markets of Taipei when he was shipped off to the homeland. After misadventures as an unlikely lawyer, street fashion renegade, and stand-up comic, Eddie finally threw everything he loved—past and present, family and food—into his own restaurant, bringing together a legacy stretching back to China and the shards of global culture he’d melded into his own identity.

When I read Anthony Bodain’s book I loved it… I just love food memoirs… so here I go again… 🙂

The compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos–and herself–from a violent coup.

The Congo is a dangerous place, even for people who are trying to do good.

When one girl has to follow her mother to her sanctuary for bonobos, she’s not thrilled to be there. It’s her mother’s passion, and she’d rather have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.

I hear Eliot read a part of his book in New York this past June and I was sold. I knew then I had to read this book.

That’s my week! I am wondering what you are reading these days 🙂 Please add your link below where it says click here so myself and others can some and see what you are reading. I am curious if you too are getting in good reading this time of year or if this is a slower time for you to read. 😀 You never know where that next great read may come from….

(On Twitter our hashtag is #IMWAYR)

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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:

morning Meanderings… Packing Up and Off I Go!

Published on January 18, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Good morning! Happy Friday!

This morning I am packing up the jeep and Sammy (the dog) and I are heading to the cabin for the weekend. I need some “get away and write” time so here I go.

Going with me are several books to read while I take breaks and of course some movies for the late night “my eyes are too tired to write” times.

I will be checking in throughout the weekend when I pop into areas that have internet. Someday I am really hoping the cabin will have internet… that would be pretty awesome. 😀

I hope you all have something wonderful planned for the weekend… be it books, or getting out and enjoying whatever weather you have happening! 😀

Oh and if you are looking for a fun health challenge this year… click the button below. 😀

GONE by Randy Wayne White

Published on January 16, 2013January 16, 2013 by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Hannah Smith comes from a long line of Hannah Smith’s before her. And Hannah one, two, and three all seemed to be these strong self-sufficient women, who have left Hannah (Hannah four by the way) feeling as thought their shoes might just be too big for her to fill.

Hannah is a fishing guide and she enjoys this sort of living, but then inherits her Uncles PI agency as well. When asked by a fishing client to search for his missing niece, Hannah sees a way she can combine her love of the sea with her newly inherited position. This Hannah thinks, will be a great way to try her hand at this PI stuff.

What Hannah discovers is a sick sociopath who likes to seduce young rich unsure of themselves women, kidnaps them and then after robbing them of their fortunes disposes of them however he pleases. As Hannah works to hopefully save this latest missing girl, she learns a lot about herself along the way.

GONE was my first book I have read (or in this case listened to) by Randy Wayne White. In the beginning I had a hard time absorbing all that was going on. The constant mentions of the Hannah’s who has gone before our current protagonist Hannah four, had me thinking there must have been previous books featuring these Hannah’s… which as I learned, there was not. This was the first book.

This was a book that felt like the plot had many holes, and relationships were just as holey and I didn’t understand the closeness of characters who had just met – both male and female.

Eventually I found some rhythm to the book and started to enjoy the story line as long as I didn’t think about it too closely.