Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

Published on July 24, 2012July 24, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Sarah Dessen is an author who still eludes me… I have to read one of her books and I know Camryn has gushed about her before! ~ Sheila

Along for the Ride

Austen is a teenager with teenager issues. Her parent’s divorce gave her a case of insomnia, and her mother’s relationships with her grad students doesn’t sit well with her. Her dad is a professor who like strange names, such as Austen. He believes that great writers deserve to have his children named after them. His new wife, Heidi, gets a taste of this when their child is named Thisbe. Luckily, Heidi convinced him to allow her to make Caroline her middle name, instead of Andromeda. Austen, fed up with her mother’s attitude and games, packs up to live with her dad in Colby, a small beach town. She wants her last summer before college to be different. Her first few days consisted of prepping for Defriese, the college she was going to attend, but soon turns into a friendship with Heidi, and a job at Clementine, Heidi’s store, as Heidi’s book-keeper. In Colby, she meets a fellow insomniac, Eli. Eli is different; he is mysterious, a sort of closed book. As Auden becomes better and better friends with Eli, she starts to learn about his past, and what made him the person he is today.

Along for the Ride is Sarah Dessen’s most recent novel. It’s also my favorite of all of her books. It is for the same preteen to teenager audience, but it’s really great. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good summer read.

Camryn is 13 years old, and enjoys reading YA books of the fantasy and romance genre. A few of her favorite books are “Hourglass” by Myra McEntire, “The Other Countess” by Eve Edwards, “Hush, Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, “The Immortals” series, the “Marked” series and the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series. When she’s not reading she enjoys watching Gilmore Girls or going to book sales for more books to add to her ever-growing collection.

Check out Camryn’s other YA reviews here

Morning Meanderings… Key word: RELAXATION

Published on July 24, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

Good morning. Day two of my “bonus” days off and I am enjoying the down time. Yesterday I read, I napped in the sun, I wrote a bit, I blogged a bit, I visited with a couple of friends, I left the house only briefly, otherwise I layed low, listened to audio and not much else 😀

Today I need to ship some books but other than that I plan to repeat yesterday because once you master something so well… I think it is best to repeat 😀

So what am I reading? Well… that remains to be seen. I started The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjallian…

… but seemed to struggle getting into… I am thinking just a bit heavy for my deck hanging out plan, so I switched to The Reunion by Lauraine Snelling…

…. and the book is perfectly fine and I may continue it today but what is calling me thanks to my friend Angie, is Gone Girl…

Which I quote Angie: ” Has anyone read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn? I definitely need to talk to someone about this one!” SO, my copy arrived yesterday and I may just drop everything and do that one instead. 😀

Do you find that this time of year your book attention span is ummm…. smaller? I know mine is… I need books that grab me right away and hang on tight. My attention span grows again as we get into fall and winter.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on July 22, 2012 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.

This past weeks winner:

Martha from Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf!!!

Congratulations! Please email me your book choice out of the Reading Cafe at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com.

Another crazy week has gone by and I wish I had more to report but this is what I accomplished this past week in posts:

Rebecca Read-A-Long (ooh this was fun!!!!)

will grayson, will grayson by John Green (what? I am liking John Green books!!!) 😛

**Looking For Alaska by John Green (sigh I am so living John Green’s books!)**

Yeah…. nothing impressive, still reading the same books… working on some new audio…. New for this week will be:

Lucy Bloom is broke, has been dumped by her boyfriend, and had to sell her house to send her 19-year-old son to drug rehab. Although she’s lost it all, she’s determined to start over. So when she’s offered a high-paying gig helping clear the clutter from the home of reclusive and eccentric painter Marva Meier Rios, Lucy grabs it. Armed with the organizing expertise she gained while writing her book, Things Are Not People, and fueled by a burning desire to get her life back on track, Lucy rolls up her sleeves to take on the mess that fills every room of Marva’s huge home. Lucy soon learns that the real challenge may be taking on Marva, who seems to love the objects in her home too much to let go of any of them.

While trying to stay on course toward a strict deadline – and with an ex-boyfriend back in the picture, a new romance on the scene, and her son’s rehab not going as planned – Lucy discovers that Marva isn’t just hoarding: she is also hiding a big secret. The two form an unlikely bond, as each learns from the other that there are those things in life we keep and those we need to let go – but it’s not always easy to know the difference.

I started this one yesterday and I am really enjoying it so far.

Other than that, I am still trying to clean up some books I want to finish. This week should be good for that as I have Monday and Tuesday off this week and I am sooooooo thrilled!!!! 😀 REST AND RELAXATION time!!!

What are you reading this week? What did you read last week? I am actually going to have time this week to stop by and see for myself what you are reading and I can not wait! 😀

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

Morning Meanderings…. I wish I was THAT Girl

Published on July 22, 2012July 22, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Its no secret here that I love the back deck to our house. This time of year it is my FAVORITE “room”. This morning is gorgeous as it has been for a while now and I like to get up as the sun in barely coming up, grab my coffee cup and stand on the deck listening to the earth awaken.

I sometimes wish I was out on that deck, which faces away from the road and is quite secluded…. I wish that I would be out there in the morning doing yoga or pilates…. striking a warrior pose and preparing mentally for my day….. stretching, maybe doing a short run around the property….

but uhhh…. yeah, wishes and all that – I am not that girl. 😛

Books that came in this week:

Books I found at a sale:

Have to go… running late!

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Published on July 21, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

When sixteen year old Miles Halter leaves his home to go to a boarding school in Birmingham, Alabama he had no idea how his life would change. He left a minor life in Florida, one that had little friends and little significance…. Miles own words. He first meets his roommate Chip who what he lacks in statute he makes up for in attitude. Instantly Miles is dubbed the nickname “Pudge” even though he is quite the opposite and Chip asks to be called The Colonel, . While things seem to be off to a good start in Miles, errr… Pudge’s new adventure, he was unprepared to meet Chips, best friend Alaska Young.

Alaska is a free spirit, she is smart, beautiful, witty and reckless. She has books everywhere called her life books, the books she hopes to read in her life time. She smokes on campus which is strictly taboo, and drinks in her room long after lights out. Miles is instantly infatuated with all that she is.

That was 136 days before….

Why I wanted to read/listen to this book: If you read me, you know I am on a John Green binge. After my heart exploded listening to The Fault In Our Stars, I joined a John Green “in my mind” fan club. I am so enjoying his writing and honestly, I am devouring his writing through audio because oh my gosh…. they are good. REALLY GOOD.

In Looking For Alaska, Miles is looking for something more. He is a huge fan of “famous last words” and wants to make sure his own life has some sort of significance worthy of his own last words.

I am stopping here to say, I really like Miles. He is just the level of geek that I can appreciate because I am one too. He is looking for the meaning of his life, in fact, due to an assignment he is given by a teacher regarding the after life, this is a small background theme in the book, so small and smoke screen like, you can easily miss that it is there at all.

Anyhoo…. as much as I enjoyed Miles/Pudge’s straight-laced life…. I just as much enjoyed Alaska’s free will “lets try anything” attitude. I think… some of both live in me.

As you may have picked up, our story starts out 136 days before. You may be wondering “before what?” and that… I can not share as that is really a huge part of the story… as the book counts down, you can have a sense of the foreboding… what are we counting down to. Is it good? Is it bad? What happens at day 0? Is there an after? That is the beauty of John Green.

I loved this book on audio. The narration by Jeff Woodman was good…. really good and captures the teen voices well.

I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time shutting it off as I wondered what would happen and where do they go from there? I highly count this read/audio as gush worthy and recommend if you have not yet experienced the greatness of John Green please do so soon so you can gush with me…. we will chat on-line, drink coffee or iced tea and gush Green! 😀

Amazon Rating

Goodreads review

Audible.com (listen to a sample here)

Morning Meanderings… A Week In Review

Published on July 21, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)55 Comments

Good morning! Another gorgeous day here in Minnesota and I am excited to get out in it! 😀 This past seven days have been a whirlwind of activity and if you have been around at all this past week you have heard some of this but I thought for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot I would give you a peek into my “Seven Days Of Past” so you can see why I have not popped into blogs or had much of an online presence….

Last Thursday – Saturday evening I went to our cabin up North with my friend Heidi.

021 — **My first “really bad for me food but oh so good” after the 16 day cleanse**

**My first non water drink in 16 days after the cleanse….. Reward!!! 🙂**

043 — **The band we listened to Friday night… Psycho Jane…. and they were really good!**

Then I went to The Minnesota State Fair Grounds on Sunday and met my college son Justin and a few friends and we participated in the color run.

**Look how lovely we are…. all clean and white….**

Then I came home and we had a family get together to hang out with Brad, Navy son who was going back to the Navy.

**The fam: Left – Justin, Brad, Me, and Al.**

On Monday, we rescued and adopted an abused puppy…. meet Mater, 18 weeks old, part Basset Hound and part Beagle.

20120719_063935 — **Sam and Mater playing on both sides of the sliding glass door.**

Tuesday I was in an 12 hour meeting… no kidding, 9:30 am – 9:30 pm.

Wednesday I worked, had a meeting, and it was my anniversary!

Thursday – first day I have had nothing in the evening in over a week….. hung out at home with the pups. 😀

Friday garage sales, lawn mowing, an open house, and finally at 8 pm…. home.

Today – I need to do some shopping for tomorrows picnic for 300, help out at IHN tonight (working with the homeless)

Sunday – church picnic and tear down of IHN and move to the next church. I hope to be completely done with all tasks and commitments by 3 pm.

And that…. Sunday afternoon, will end my craziness for a while *whew* 😀

For other fun pictures and happenings, be sure to go check out Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots post. Always a good time!

Morning Meanderings… Winners Of The Read A Long Discussion

Published on July 20, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Good morning! Popping in for a few minutes before I go garage saling this morning (which I LOVE!). I love to find a good deal. A couple of weeks ago I found covers for my deck chairs which was a huge score and I use them all the time. 😀

However before I plunge myself in to sale mode… we have a few winners from the Rebecca Read a Long. And seriously, how awesome was this book? I loved the discussion and think for the most part, we were all glad we read it. 😀 I still need to post my review….. behind, behind, behind….. 😛

The winner of the new copy of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Mairer is….

Meg at A Bookish Affair

The copy of the DVD “Rebecca” is….

Words and Peace

and the $5 Amazon Gift Card goes to….

Christina from the Blue Bookcase

Thank you everyone for another great book discussion. I will post soon suggestions for our next read-a-long…. I am trying to keep the reads relevant to the time of year so I am thinking Summer….. 😀

will grayson, will grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Published on July 19, 2012July 19, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

Will Grayson has been best friends with “Tiny” Cooper since 5th grade. They make for an odd friendship. For one thing, Tiny is anything but Tiny. Tipping close to 300 pounds, he is quite the opposite of his thin friend, Will. Also, Tiny is gay. Scratch that, Tiny describes himself as really, really gay. And sings it out loud. Really, he does. Will, is not gay. Now in high school, Will enjoys life as it comes to him, not really pursuing a girlfriend, life, can be complicated enough at this point without adding relationships to the mix. That is… until recently… because now there is this girl, who he doesn’t want to like… doesn’t want to be in a relationship…but cant stop thinking about her.

Then, there is Will Grayson. Not the Will Grayson, mentioned above. This Will is also in high school. He has a harder personality and not a lot of close friends. He has a secret from everyone. He likes a guy he met on line, Isaac.

ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC ISAAC…

It really is all Will (hence forth known as the “OWG” , other Will Grayson, thinks about, waiting for him to be on line, waiting to read what he will say… and one day he says the magic words… “Let’s meet.”

A random change encounter puts both Will Grayson’s in the same place at the same time, and this encounter changes both of their lives forever.

Why did I want to read/listen to this book? I am having an author crush on John Green. After listening to The Fault In Our Stars ( SUPERB narration – highly recommended!) I had to listen to another audio by him, and this one sounded like a really interesting one.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is told in alternating chapters by the two Will Grayson’s. At first, this confused me on the audio as chapter two opened it took me a minute or two to realize that this rougher, angrier Will Grayson was not the gentle fun Will I had just met in the previous chapter. After that, the book just flowed.

While I enjoyed the original Will, I think it is safe to say that Tiny is the adored character. Obviously he is a really big guy. And he is gay, so he is used to a little harder lifestyle, a little more jokes and cruelty than most. But Tiny …. shines. He doesn’t care what you think of him. He knows he is BIG. He knows he is gay. And… he is about to write a musical about his life.

Yup.

Another beauty of listening to this in audio is yes, it does involve a musical and I am not sure how that translates on paper, but on audio…. it is not only all sorts of awesome, it is hilarious. Narrated by Nick Podehl is a real treat to the ears. (Nick also narrates The Knife Of Never Letting Go series, Wonder, and several Harlan Coben books). I seriously not only fell in love with a sweet story, I laughed a lot, and received strange looks form my husband if he entered a room where my audio was cranking out a song about Tiny.

Note that if the sound of a musical makes you scrunch up your nose like you smelled something bad, don’t worry – the musical is not all through the story. It shows up towards the end and by that time you love these characters so much you want to see how they are going to pull this off.

I recommend Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It is a 9th grade and up read and I think that is appropriate. There is nothing in this book to cause a young reader alarm. If anything, it may help them understand others better, and perhaps… even themselves.

Purchased from audible.com

Morning Meanderings…. Remember Reading?

Published on July 19, 2012July 19, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

Good morning! Wow! Look at me, posting consistently four in a row…..LOL. Working on getting my mojo back or something like that. 😀

I am sitting here this morning and I was looking at my side bar longingly at Yes! Chef. I seriously thought I would have that book read and reviewed weeks ago. I love it, I really do but when was the last time I picked it up? Ummmm…. over last weekend while I was at the cabin. How many pages did I read then? Oh, about 3. 😯

But – that is what life has been like as of late – the cabin weekend was full of activity and we were on the road early, and back late…. exhausted but chatty… we could talk, but I could not read. And then the Color Run with College Son, and Brad (Navy Son) home for two weeks which meant family dinners, and friends, and company…. 😯

and then Monday we adopted Mater, who is adorable…. don’t get me wrong…. but a handful like I did not imagine. I have never owned a part beagle/ part basset hound before and he is high energy. And he is barky (my word). When he plays, he barks, and in the night-time I put him in a kennel in our entry way as that is what he is used to…. he barks. AND his teeth are sharp so playing with him is not like playing with Sam or Bailey. So…. anyhoo, I have work to do with the rescue puppy.

AND we are serving with IHN this week (the homeless) so I am juggling volunteers and “opportunities” that tend to arise… AND this coming Sunday is our annual church picnic which falls quite a bit on me.

So by now, you may be seeing why I have not had time to pick up a book, or chat away with all of you on-line (which I LOVE to do!)

I do see a light (I think) at the end of the tunnel. I took Monday and Tuesday off next week to recoup. That should give me time to rest up, play with the dog and oh…. READ. Books…. how I miss you! 😀

Whats happening in your July? Plenty of reading being done or is summer a distraction for you as well? 😀

Rebecca Read-A-Long (Party With Rebecca Party!!!)

Published on July 18, 2012July 18, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)106 Comments

Welcome to the “Party With Rebecca” Party…. “SSSQQQQUUUEEE!” Thank you to everyone who joined me on this adventure of reading Rebecca. This was my first time through this book!

Here is how todays party will work:

For those of you who link your reviews and thoughts today and tomorrow you will receive one entry to win, the link to add your posts is below where it says click here. Participating in the discussion (if you read and reviewed the book or not)will earn you one extra entry per relevant comment.

Since this is a party… we have some fun party gifts– if you link your review that gives you one entry… for participating in the discussion questions you will get a second entry.

Whats up for the giveaway?

2aaa — **Written by the author of Rebecca**

Here are some bookish thoughts to get our discussion rolling…

1. Du Maurier admitted that her heroine has no name because she could never think of an appropriate one—which in itself is a telling comment. What effect does it have on the novel that the new Mrs. De Winters has no first name?

2. What kind of character is our heroine—as she presents herself at the beginning of her flashback? Describe her and her companion, Mrs. Hopper.

3. What kind of character is Maxim de Winter, and why does a man of his stature fall in love with the young heroine? What draws him to her?

4. The heroine describes Maxim thus: “His face…was arresting, sensitive, medieval in some strange inexplicable way…rob him of his English tweeds, and put him in black, with lace at his throat and wrists, he would stare down at us in our new world from a long distant past—a past where men walked cloaked at night, and stood in the shadow of old doorways, a past of narrow stairways and dim dungeons, a past of whispers in the dark, of shimmering rapier blades, of silent, exquisite courtesy.” Why is this an apt description? In other words, how does it set the tone and foretell the events of the novel?

5. In what way does the relationship between the young heroine and Maxim change during the months after their arrival to Manderley?

6. What role does Mrs. Danvers play in this story—in her relationships to the characters (dead and alive) and also in relation to the suspense within the novel?

7. What is the heroine led to believe about Rebecca? In what way does the dead woman exert power over Manderley? At this point, what are your feelings about the new Ms. de Winter? Are you sympathetic toward her plight…or impatient with her lack of assertion? Or are you confused and frightened along with her?

8. What is the heroine’s relationship with Maxim’s sister Beatrice and her husband Giles? What about the advice Beatrice offers the heroine? ?

9. Both Beatrice and Frank Crawley talk to the heroine about Rebecca. Beatrice tells the heroine, “you are so very different from Rebecca.” Frank Crawley says that “kindliness, and sincerity, and…modesty…are worth far more to a man, to a husband, than all the wit and beatufy in the world.” What are both characters trying to convey to the heroine…and how does she interpret their words?

10. What are some of the other clues about Rebecca’s true nature that the author carefully plants along the way?

11. How might the costume ball—and the heroine’s appearance in Rebecca’s gown—stand as a symbol for young Mrs. de Winter’s situation at Manderley?

12. Were you suprised by the twist the plot takes when Rebecca’s body is found…and when Maxim finally tells the truth about his and Rebecca’s marriage? Did the strange details of plot fall into place for you?

13. How, if at all, do Maxim’s revelations change your attitude toward him? Did you feel relief upon first reading his confessions? Can you sympathize with his predicament, or do you censure his actions? What do you think of the heroine’s reaction? In her place, how might you have reacted?

14. How does this new knowledge alter the heroine’s behavior and her sense of herself?

15. After Favell threatens to blackmail him, Maxim calls on Colonel Julyan. Why? Why does Maxim act in a way that seems opposed to his own best interests?

16. In the end, what really happened to Rebecca? What is the full story of her death? Is it right that Maxim is absolved of any crime? Was he caught in an untenable position? Was Rebecca simply too evil—did she end up getting what she deserved?

17. How do you view the destruction of Manderley? Is it horrific…or freeing…or justified vengeance on Rebecca’s part? Would the De Winters have had a fulfilling life at Manderley had it not burned?

18. Now return to the beginning of the book. How would you put into words, or explain, the sense of loss and exile that permeates tone of the opening? (You might think about a spiritual as well as physical exile.)