This One Is Mine by Maria Semple (Bookies Book Club Review)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Violet Parry is bored.  She is bored with what her life has become.  Once vibrant and full of life (her rock and roll manager husband David used to call her “Ultra Violet”) Violet is now a stay at home mom.  Sure, life is good, she hand-picked the house they live in and money is certainly not an issue, but Violet has lost her zip.  Their toddler Dot has become an anchor holding her back from living, and she still has not lost the baby weight around her middle… and possibly her thighs… and for sure her rump… and David?  Well David is busy being David.  Closing deals, running around the country….. 

So when Violet meets Teddy, small time rock and roller with a bad boy image who seems to take an interest in Violet, she suddenly recalls a bit of her old spark…

Then there is Sally, David’s sister who is determined to land the perfect husband on her schedule.  When her eyes land on Jeremy who she foresees hitting the big time soon, she sets her plan in motion.  FAST motion… as in she has given herself a few weeks to meet (yeah, did I mention they had not met yet?), fall in love and get the ring… er, I mean get married. 

Both women throw caution to the wind and disaster awaits around every corner.

 

Why did I want to read this book?  When it was nominated for book club I knew I had this one on the review shelf.  This was an opportunity to not only read it, but read it with a group which is always fun.  I was also in charge of dessert for this meeting and I wanted to try to make this cover so badly…

 

So… This One Is Mine.  It has been a long long time since I have disliked a book so fully.  From the very beginning I found Violet to be spoiled and selfish… yes, I agree her marriage needed work – but she never gave it the opportunity to work.  Poor poor Violet *laced with sarcasm. and peas, because I really do not like peas either*

And then there was Sally.  Almost more unlikable then Violet.  Almost.  Depends on the chapter.  Selfish and determined to have her way no matter who was in her path.  Sally’s actions time and again throughout the book were not funny to me, but despicable, horrifying, and just down right gross.  There was nothing – NOTHING redeeming about her…. each page made me groan a little more.

Now I don’t have to like characters to enjoy a book…. but this one left so little to even hope for I just turned page after page hoping there would be something… but in the end, I found nothing.  I was reading this at our cabin recently and another girl from our book club was with me… I was about 50 pages in front of her and she kept asking, “does it get better”…. it did not.

My only silver lining in the book was 3/4 of the way through when an event went terribly wrong and by this time my mind was so filled with the sick that was Violet and Sally that I evilly wanted to rejoice…. but then… even that poofed out before I was satisfied. 

Now I get that this is a harsh review, but it is an honest one.  I loathed this book.  Now, if you look at Amazon reviews… I am in the minority, others loved this and found it hilarious.  I do not get these people.  🙂  Perhaps they were thinking of a different book…

 

Bookies Book Club Thoughts…

 

This was our book club read for September.  Prior to the group meeting a few that could not join us that night sent in their thoughts by email.  The emails were scathing.  Words used to describe the book were … well, I am not going to say here.

The review itself was interesting as I thought it would be.  We are such a diverse group of readers and I was curious where we would land on this one.  In our eleven years of this book club, this book rated the lowest rating we have ever given as a whole (and there are 18 of us!)  On a scale of 1 – 5 the highest rating for this book was a 1.  Many of the ratings fell below zero, I myself gave it a goose egg because I could not rate such a book. 

We marveled at the Amazon reviews.  We wondered if our thoughts on the book had to do with that we were from the mid west and perhaps we were more conservative readers (but please note many in this book club have read books in all sorts of genres and situations and enjoyed them so that can’t be it…).  Plus, I added to the group, through our years we have read other books in that environment and did not come out the last page with this much…. this much…. BLAH.

We did of course have food to go with our book:  (HAZAH!)

I did make the cupcakes, with help from a friend with the flowers. They were delicious! They are called high top cupcakes, recipe is on the Martha Stewart site.
Crackers and hummus and a couple hot dishes…
It was our first skyped in member meeting…. “Hey Suzanne!”

Not pictured (my bad – I thought I did take this pic) was the Ultra Violet Vodka (UV) which was funny because that was Violet’s nickname. 

Now all that said… this author has a new book out called Where’s You Go Bernadette that I have been hearing good things about.  I have this one on my shelf and plan to read it soon.  A few in the book club have started this one on their own and have said it was good. 

Here are a few other opinions on this book from bloggers I trust:

S Krishna’s Books

Life In The Thumb

Beth Fish Reads

Presenting Lenore

Nomad Reader

Amazon Review

Goodreads Rating

Morning Meanderings… Things are about to get CRAZY

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

 

Good morning!  It’s a gorgeous Fall (yeah, I said the “F” word) morning here and as I sit and sip at my coffee enjoying watching the dogs play I have an underlying buzz that things are about to take off…

and this is going to be fun. 😀

This morning I just posted out to my book club and a group of friends reminding them that this next Thursday is the kick off to our Meryl Streep Movie Club.  This is where we have decided to (those who want to anyway) to watch a Meryl Streep movie a month – randomly picked and our first one will be The Deer Hunter.  This movie was Meryl’s second movie released in 1978 and the trailer is super cheesy but I bet our gathering is fun.  I am going to open this up as an online club as well so those who wish to follow along and join in the discussion that I will post monthly may do so.  I will probably put that post up tomorrow afternoon….

 

 

Last night I stayed up late and emailed everyone who has signed up to participate in the Banned Book Week event I am hosting here and I assigned everyone their post dates and confirmed what they are doing.  This is going to be a lot of fun – there are over 50 blogs signed up to participate with banned book posts, giveaways, etc…  it’s not to late to sign up if you want to join in the fun. 

 

As I am enjoying a quiet morning I know that soon I need to continue working on the book room, clean off my deck in anticipation for next weekends family gathering here, finish laundry, start cleaning up the garage, run to town for a few things I need to pick up, mail out some invites this afternoon, and maybe – maybe take a little bike ride.

Tomorrow I run in the Mud run in Bloomington Minnesota and I am a tad apprehensive.  I have been so busy lately that I have not done any form of exercise in the last two weeks and this… must change.  My goal is to get in 7 hours of work outs a week – some days longer than an hour to have a day or two off but I need to get in some better habits. 

Reading wise, I have not picked up a book all week and once again thank goodness for audio.  I am sailing along listening to PREP for banned book week, and just picked up The Chocolate War from the library, also for banned book week.  Over this weekend I will finish Defending Jacob which has been very good, and Back Seat Saints.

So thats what is happening around here.  I am finally going to finish writing my post for this months book club book that rated the all time low in 11 years of the Bookies.  That post, will go up today 🙂

 

How is your weekend shaping up?  Anything fun happening?

Morning Meanderings… What DO YOU Do With All Those Books?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)65 Comments

Good morning.  COFFEE is good today as I sit in the early light anticipating a full day.  I work today and have an event to assist with tonight so I suspect it will be one of those days that I have maybe an hour or so between work and event so may just be at work all day and night… home around 9:00 pm. 

Right now though, I am still relaxing and thinking about my book room.

If you have been around here lately you know we are in the process of revamping the book room.  It was way too crowded with all the individual book shelves and I finally made the leap to putting the selves on the wall.  As of yesterday the person working on the room had run out of the wood that was needed for the shelves but half of the room is done and the other will be once the wood comes in.  The wood is on back order and has a 14 day lead time, they (the wood store) is unsure when the wood was ordered so while that is frustrating, the project is looking really good and I am hopeful it will still be done before the family gathering I have here at the end of the month.

When I came home yesterday I started working on the part of the room that is done and by that I started organizing by

1.  Creating review shelves (books to review)

2.  A food shelf (all books food related – memoirs, cook books, healthy eating…)

3.  I started alphabetizing my non review books (but many still need to be read) by authors last name. 

This…

is quite the project.

I worked on this from 3:30 – 8:30 and then decided that was enough for the night.  I have been sorting out my personal books between keepers, books for my book club to get first chance at, and books to donate to the library.  I have 4 big bags of books that will be leaving the house and that feels good. 

When the project is finished I want to find some sort of library check in that I can scan in all my books and know what I have.  I can not wait until it is finished and I can share the whole thing with you.  😀  I did post some before pics the other day… it will never look like that again.

One of the corners of the book room that I worked on last night. ALPHABETIZING.
Filling the shelves…
The books that will be donated.

Another thing to perhaps do with a book or two is give it to this great online program ran by Book Soulmates – RAK.  RAK is  Random Acts Of Kindness and book lovers can sign up with a list of books they have on their wish list and the point is that participants check the list – send a book off someones wish list to them and hopefully someone sends you one off your wish list as well.  It is a monthly program and this month I am finally participating.  I am watching the wish lists for books that I have and may be willing to pass on to someone else.  You can check out the program here.

What do you do with your books when you are done reading and they are not keepers? 

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

It’s 1920, and Alaska is a harsh place to try to build a life but that is exactly what Jack and Mabel have done.  Having never been able to have a child of their own, the couple now growing older seem to be drifting apart as Jack struggles to maintain the farmland and survive the brutal winters while Mabel suffers from loneliness and depression. 

When the seasons first snowfall comes, in a rare moment of lightness the couple build a child out of snow covering her with Mabel hat and scarf.  In the morning the snow child is gone, but the couple start seeing a mysterious young girl in the woods wearing the hat and scarf. 

At first the girl is a rare sighting, they only see her in the winter months and they speak to their friends about the girl in the woods they are told that no child lives in the area.  Yet Jack and Mabel continue to see her and one day she comes out of the woods, and when invited into their home she comes in.  The girl says her name is Faina and even though she comes for supper with the older couple, she always leaves and when spring comes she is gone until the following years snowfall…

Mabel’s sister sends her a book that their father used to read to them as children about a child made of snow, and to Mabel it almost seems as though the child has stepped right out of the pages of this fairy tale!  But the ending in the book is not a happy one and Mabel refuses to believe that Faina is merely something magical and will suffer the same fate, although seems seem to be following the books story line…

Why did I choose to read this book?  I blame the book bloggers!  A while back I seen this title popping up everywhere and it sounded like a sweet read.  When I found it on audible.com I had to give it a try.

The Snow Child is everything I hoped it would be.  The story line is filled with a richness that takes your breath away.  Told in this fairy tale like way I could easily picture the couple so desperately wanting a child that bring one to life out of snow.  You could envision the cold long winters of early Alaska and I would imagine being in a small house for months on end with little to do but try to make the food last and stay warm could wear on a person…. but now imagine if you could break up these long days with the chance of seeing a young girl who has become like a daughter to you.  You sew coats for her and talk to her and she appears to be everything you have been missing in life. 

The Snow Child is a book that makes you believe. 

Amazon Review

Goodreads

I purchased my copy of this audio from audible.com

Morning Meanderings…. Ever just feel weepy? (And The Midwest ROCKS!)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Good morning.  Its a bit nippy here in Minnesota this morning.  Currently a whopping 40 degrees with a high today of 59.  Ugh…. I finally have to admit, fall is here.  So, is that what is making me weepy?

Weepy could be because I am so close to have my book shelves done that I can taste it (wow, that don’t seem right…) and hopefully today will be the final day my home is invaded by the awesomeness of construction and alas when I come home from work I will be able to start moving books on to them.  SSQQQUUUEEEEE!

OR am I weepy because last night I watched Hunger Games and teared up when Prim’s name was called and Katniss says the all so famous line:

“I volunteer as tribute!”

OR…

was it Rue’s final moments and while Katniss weeps (apparently like me), she also shows she is still strong…

And just when I thought it was only last night where I was weepy, alas no…. because this morning I watched the World Book Night Video for the Midwest (give it up for my peeps!) and again… I tear up.

 

 

Awesome huh?   And as I sit here this morning I realize I still have not written my review for our book club book of September that rated the all time lowest rating we have ever given a book as a whole since we began in 2001.  😯

And that will have to wait for tomorrow because…

I already wrote today’s review last night and I have to go get ready for work as I want to be out of here and have the dogs settled before the construction begins today…

plus…. I really want a Caribou Coffee….

Whats the last big project you did at your home?

.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)58 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.

Since I was out of town last weekend I never got the previous winner posted so this is the two week ago winner and this past weeks winner using random.org (because that is how I roll!)

 

Last weeks winner:  Lori from Escape With Dollycas!

 

Wow what a whirlwind week.  I had something every single evening for the past seven days and today – (Sunday) I did pretty much nothing other than I visited a friend this morning and then vegged at home watching two movies and playing a little online scrabble which is a total time suck…. and I really should have written the reviews I still have pending.  😛

Anyhoo, this past week was BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week) and that was a lot of fun.  I did not get to participate to the level I had wanted to due to my heavy week, but this is what I did manage to post:

 

My interview with a twelve year old blogger!

Seconds Away by Harlan Coben review and giveaway!

What my book room looked like… and what it is looking like now.

The Bel Canto party has started!  Have you read it?  Come chat with me about it!

Hanging out with Author Sandra Brannon!

 

Oh and I am still taking participants for the awesome Banned Book Week!

 

Sadly, I am about 4 reviews behind… I just havent had time to write them – but this week looks mellower and promising 😀

As for this week, here is what I am planning on reading:

 

Rose Mae Lolley is a fierce and dirty girl, long-suppressed under flowery skirts and bow-trimmed ballet flats. As “Mrs. Ro Grandee” she’s trapped in a marriage that’s thick with love and sick with abuse. Her true self has been bound in the chains of marital bliss in rural Texas, letting “Ro” make eggs, iron shirts, and take her punches. She seems doomed to spend the rest of her life battered outside by her husband and inside by her former self, until fate throws her in the path of an airport gypsy—one who shares her past and knows her future. The tarot cards foretell that Rose’s beautiful, abusive husband is going to kill her. Unless she kills him first.

Hot-blooded Rose Mae escapes from under Ro’s perky compliance and emerges with a gun and a plan to beat the hand she’s been dealt. Following messages that her long-missing mother has left hidden for her in graffiti and behind paintings, Rose and her dog Gretel set out from Amarillo, TX back to her hometown of Fruiton, AL, and then on to California, unearthing a host of family secrets as she goes. Running for her life, she realizes that she must face her past in order to overcome her fate—death by marriage—and become a girl who is strong enough to save herself from the one who loves her best.

I started listening to this a few days ago… its actually kind of hilarious…

 

 

 

 

The third Liv Bergen mystery picks up right where the second one left off: the murder of Liv’s sister-in-law has been solved, but an older rancher has been bludgeoned to death in a style eerily reminiscent of a long-inactive killer known only as the Crooked Man. FBI agent Streeter Pierce, still on assignment in Sturgis, South Dakota, must now turn his sights on tracking down the killer, who happens to be his nemesis from ten years earlier. Pierce doesn’t complain, though; he’s falling in love with Liv Bergen and sets in motion an unconventional way to recruit her for the FBI’s training camp in Quantico, Virginia, as they work the case together. But is Liv falling for the brilliant, exotic-looking agent Jack Linwood instead? Once again, Liv’s vast knowledge of the Black Hills of South Dakota–the territory General Custer made famous–and the modern day ranchers and environmentalists who live there leads her to unearth critical clues about the Crooked Man. Aided by her elfin sister with rainbow-colored hair, a sad-eyed bloodhound, and a terminally ill Norwegian widow, Liv ultimately identifies the deranged killer. But will her barrage of questions be enough to fend off a fatal blow from the very cane he used to crush the skulls of thirteen other victims?

I adore Sandra and I am excited to dive into her third installment of the Liv Bergen mysteries!

 

 

 

 

Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee — whose thoughts Todd can hear, too, whether he wants to or not — stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden — a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

Yes, I have read this before…. but man… I loved it so much!  Now I am going in a second time in audio.

 

I am looking forward to what you are reading.  Please add your link below where it says click here and please, it you Tweet be sure to use the hashtag:  #IMWAYR

 

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and those of you who read mainly children’s through YA reads – please also link your post here:

Morning Meanderings… A Night With Sandra Brannan

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

 

Oh what a night, is what is in my head right now!  My friend and fellow Bookie Susan went with me yesterday afternoon to drive the 2 1/2 hours to Minneapolis to go to a book event at Magers and Quinn Booksellers (also where Michelle from Red Headed Book Child) works.  We arrived around 4:35 pm where we checked out the book store and then Sandra found us. 

The three of us went down the block to a Thai restaurant that was fun and delicious and then we proceeded to talk for the next two and a half hours about books and research and life and well… we had a BLAST!  We then went back to the store for Sandra’s book event where we shared more about her books, the direction they are going – and what might be coming next!  SSSQQQUUUEEEEE!

We were there until about 9:45 pm when we made out way to the parking ramp and started out trek home – but no complaints coming from this chick – we had so much fun – Sandra is so down to earth and so filled with awesomeness – really – if you get a chance to meet her do not hesitate to do so. 

 

 

That was a great night! 

As far as books that entered my home this week – it was a mellow week and the top two I purchased last night:

I have to run, I am meeting a friend this morning and then I want to get home to read and chill today – my life explodes back to BUSY tomorrow. 😀

The Bel Canto Party Is Here!!! Come One, Come All!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Welcome!  Welcome!  Come on in, the door is open wide and you are invited to come in.  May I take your coat?  The champagne is to the left and waiters are about with tasty hor duerves.  Be sure to head into the main lounge before too long as the party is about to begin.

I am very excited about chatting up Bel Canto with all of you.  If you read it for the read a long (YAY!) or you read it some time ago, you are welcome to join in the fun and conversation that is happening here today.

Bel Canto comes from a term meaning “beautiful singing” and is an opera term.  Bel Canto has won many awards including The Orange Prize for fiction, Faulkner Award and Amazons Best Books Of The Year Award in 2001.

Here are some questions to ponder for the discussion…

1.  What makes Bel Canto Work?  What is it about this book that draws you in and makes you imagine what if… and what would you do.

 

2.  If Ann Patchett’s book feasible – could this really ever happen.  Why or why not?

 

3.  What do you think is the authors motive for writing this story?

 

4.  What does Roxanne Cross bring to the book?  Why is her character so central?

 

5.  Was anyone to blame for what happened when the party was taken over and everyone became hostages?  What precautions were missing?

 

6.  Did you like the way the story was told, a narration of someone looking back and telling of past events.  Would it have been better told from a present perspective – why or why not?

 

7.  Would you recommend Bel Canto to others?  Why or why not.

 

 

Feel free to respond to any or all of the above questions and add your own thoughts and questions as well.   A linky has been set up for those who have also reviewed the book so please add your review to the link provided.  Those who link their reviews of this book will receive an entry for a couple of Bel Canto party giveaways – relevant comments on this post that add to the discussion will receive one entry per relevant comment.  I will announce winner on Tuesday morning.

The giveaways for this post are as follows:

 

Prima Bel Canto Fabric Flowers (set of 6)

 

 

A new copy of Ann Patchett’s book RUN

 

Link your reviews here:

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Morning Meanderings: We Are Off To See The Author!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)51 Comments

 

Good morning.  What a week and it has not ended yet.  I have a full morning and then a friend from Book Club and I are going to the cities to have dinner with Sandra Brannon and then go to her book event at Magers and Quinn Booksellers.  While I am tired now, I suspect as the time draws nearer I will get more and more excited.  😀

For Saturday Snapshot today I was hoping to have pictures for you of my new and finished book shelves – but no, while the racks are up… the shelves are not.  So… I will show you before and current state… and next week, hopefully the finished look.

One end of the book room before… (do not judge…) 🙂

 

 

Another section of the room

 

 

 

After I emptied the room….

 

 

And now, the beginning phases:

I am excited to get the shelves up and start organizing books!  😀 

Ok, final thing this morning…. winners from the BBAW week:

The Gods Of Gotham :  Lindsey from Literary Lindsey!!!

Seconds Away by Harlan Coben audio Elizabeth from Silver’s Reviews!!!

Night Road by Kristin Hannah:  Joys from Joys Book Blog!

and the $15 gift card goes to Karen White!!!

Thanks everyone – winners email me your mailing info (no po boxes please) to journeythroughbooks@gmail.com and I will get those shipped to you this week.  😀

BBAW: ANd so… the time has come…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

 

Wow did that week go by fast or what?  I am sitting here with COFFEE CUP looking at the books I was giving away this week – I still have one more – and well… wow.  This is it.

Todays questions was what did we get out of the week.  This was the first week, yesterday actually – where I was able to actually just sit down and enjoy blogs and blogging.  Usually I am squeezing in a few minutes here, half a post there, drafting when I can..but yesterday I had my first lay low day in a long time and I took full advantage of hanging out with Laptop and pounding out a couple posts and a lot of visits, and you know what?

It felt good.

Today will be a bit the same.  The crew is finally coming today to start my book shelves and I am going to take laptop and the dogs downstairs and do a little reading and writing and stay out of the construction.  (Unless I sneak up to get a picture or two….)

Have a great rest of BBAW everyone.  Be sure to check out the BBAW site and see the giveaways and the posts – and maybe meet a new blogger or two along the way. 😀

My last giveaway is Night Road by Kristin Hannah.  I have two copies of this book.  I have not read it yet but have heard good things.  Leave me a comment today sharing with me what you enjoy most about book blogs. 😀  I will choose a winner and announce tomorrow winner along with my other giveaways going on this blog this week.

 

Happy Friday! 😀