Morning Meanderings… A Dogs Life

 

 

Good morning!  It is Saturday!  😀  Tomorrow I have a 50 mile bike ride in St Joseph MN, a beautiful area to ride bike in and going with my friend Amy so this will be a wonderful time.  The weather should be descent, looks like it could hit 90 tomorrow but partly cloudy so that should help.  Last year we biked this ride and it was over 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky…. it was a HOT ride….LOL

For my Saturday snapshot today I thought I would post a few pics of Sam, the stray dog we adopted in April.  He is soooo fabulous and quirky…

Bailey and Sam laying together on the deck

Sam, after climbing to the top of the chair, now retreats
Sam, after climbing to the top of the chair, now retreats

Chilling

 

 

I am ready for my close up….

 

I have posted this one before, but it is soooo funny.

It has been a long hard day…

 

SO that is Sam.  Stop by and see Alyce at At Home With Books for Saturday Snapshot and see what everyone else has been taking pictures of!  😀 I am off to have my bike checked out for tomorrows ride and then a bike ride to get warmed up for tomorrow.  I will be back later as I am behind on a couple posts I need to write up (the survey one and the April, May, June, recap) as well as three reviews.  These are my goals for today…. oh, and a little reading too 😀

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Hazel Grace has never been anything but terminal.  At 16, her cancer has taken away her ability to breath for long on her own without oxygen, so much to her delight (NOT), she travels with oxygen wherever she goes.  Her life is a daily repeat of her parents watching and waiting, afraid to look away from her for fear it will be the last time…. this is no way for a teenager to live, or for a teenager to die…

During one of her Cancer Support Group Sessions, there is a new guy.  The easy on the eyes Augustus Walters shows up with a twinkle in his eye, and a limp in his step, having lost a leg to cancer and still struggling with the amputated one.  Augustus is not terminal, he has an 80% survival rate and therefore Hazel knows they have no chance of being together, after all – who wants to date someone like her, a grenade about to blow out of this world at any moment.

Yes, Augustus is like a drug, his quick wit, and great sense of humor are too much for Hazel and she finds herself falling even as she tried to hold back.  In a different life, in a different body, not one riddled with cancer, he would have been her Romeo…

Why did I want to listen to this audio?  For way too long I have heard the raves of this book and of John Green – yet I succumbed to neither.  I don’t know if the cover did not speak to me or if was the more obvious reason… who wants to read a book about teens with cancer?

The Fault In Our Stars is a book that I wish I would have read when it first came out.  After listening to this book on audio I am left a blubbering mass of emotion – and in a good way.  Like in the way when you know you have just experienced something BRILLIANT and you can not believe you are not surrounded by people so you can SQQQUUUUEEEEEE all about it.


“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”

This seven hour audio narrated by the amazing Kate Rudd is a “do not miss”.   Seriously, if I could wrap up a copy of this audio book and had it to each of you reading this review, I would… because audio book lovers, you are in for a listening experience   that is like going to a high-end restaurant, eating a wonderful meal and discovering the bill has already been paid… and non audio book lovers, if you were ever on the edge of trying audio, let me personally recommend you make The Fault It Our Stars your #1 book to try.

“What a slut time is. She screws everybody.”

Where do I began my gushing?  Hazel and Augustus may very well right now be my favorite fictional couple. Hazel is dry and funny, and you can not help but laugh out loud with some of the things she says.  And Augustus, so gets her.  He too is extremely funny and witty.  Now you have heard of the Make A Wish foundation and you hear how many people choose a trip to Disney World?  In this book you will find the great wish to be a trip to see an author of a much beloved book to find out what would have happened next if there had been a sequel. (These… are my people.)

You may think a book about cancer is just too much, but this book is not about cancer.  Cancer is there, sure, but it is merely a back drop on an incredible story of two young people who decide to take a chance despite the odds, and in the end, both are better for it.

Without experiencing great pain, you can never experience great joy.

I don’t think I can rave enough to do this book justice.  If I had a “John Green Rocks!” banner I would wave it. It made me laugh, it made me cry.  It made me think.  John Green has a way with words that sent me full speed hurdling towards another of his books.  I wanted more… I needed more…I may be an addict.

If you have already read this book, I highly HIGHLY recommend you go through it again on audio.  Treat yourself to something spectacular.

Amazon RAVING

Goodreads Review

Audible.com (listen to a sample here)

A few other reviews of this book by awesome bloggers:

Alisons Book Marks

Rhapsody In Books

S. Krishna’s Books

Cares On Line Book Club

Morning Meanderings… SCHOLASTIC!!!!

Good morning and HAPPY FRIDAY!  Rainy and wet here today and that is putting a damper on my garage sale plans… but waiting for a call from my friend to see if we are a go or a pass…. in the meantime, I am here, minus the coffee cup (day 10 of the cleanse), but hanging in there.  😀

So…. a few days ago when Kathy at Bermuda Onion posted about receiving her books from Scholastic I was all “YAY!!!!  They are coming!!!”  But secretly I was also like “Where are mine?  Are they coming?”  LOL 😛  Then my hubby brought up my box from the shop (sometimes UPS delivers there…. annoying) and I was so excited!

Why the excitement… I can not put justice to what an experience it was to be at the Scholastic event while in New York!  (Thank you Alison for connecting me!).  Not only were the authors wonderful and friendly , but when they all read from each others books and acted out chapters, seriously… it was one of the highlights of my New York experience this year. 

We were given a sheet of paper to check off the books that we would like sent to us from the authors who were there that evening and they all were so fantastic that it was hard to choose, but I did pick James Dashner new book (he is so funny how could I pass?), Eliot Schrefer (can not wait to read this one!), Raina Telegemeier ( they acted this one out – funny), Donna Cooner (this looks so good!) and Maggie Stiefvater (I want to read everything she writes!)

And if you know me, you know I am not a big fan of book trailers…. I really am not, but Maggie Stiefvater is a big exception.  This woman is so talented…. check out her book trailer for The Raven Boys… seriously do not pass this up, she makes her trailers herself. 

Just got the word, garage sales are on…. got to run!  Have a great day, I will be back later with a review that I am SOOOOO EXCITED about!

The Prophecy Sisters by Michelle Zinks

In 1890, sixteen year old twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe’s mom died when they were very young, and now with their father’s recent passing, Lia notices a strange mark show up her wrist – one much like her sister Alice has had since she was born…

When a mysterious book shows up in their father’s library, Lia learns that she and Alice are part of an ancient prophesy that involves one being a gate-keeper and one being a guardian… the power of one sister being able to return satan to earth, and the other sister to try to put an end to the prophesy..

but which sister is the good one, and which is evil?  Lia does not even know for sure herself….

As the prophesy unfolds Lia discovers the secrets behind her parents deaths, the meaning of the mark on her wrist, and the length Alice will go to put a stop to Lia’s prying.

Why did I choose this audio book?  Honestly?  Cover pic and title.  The cover is phenomenal… it makes me want to know more, and the title speaks of a spooky mystery….

The Prophesy On The Sisters was what I hoped it would be, a mysterious YA book that made me want to know what the prophesy was…. and it was also what I hoped it wouldn’t be, at times pieced together, making me wonder how two twin sisters could be so far apart, a couple of friends of Lia’s tossed in the mix that I either missed how they connected to everything and their role in the prophesy (keys, I believe) or they just sort of dropped into the book…

I think narrator Eliza Dushku saved this 8 hour audio for me, with her mysterious voice which was perfect for a book on prophesy, she connected me to the story wanting to know more.  I think if I would have read this one I probably would have given up on it.

In the end, while interesting, you will not find the answers they seek in this book, this is the beginning of a trilogy…. however, before you groan and tell me how much you hate waiting for the next book – know that you do not have to.  Guardian Of The Gate (book 2) and Circle of Fire (book 3) are available!  I didn’t love love this story, but it was an interesting listen non the less.  

 

Morning Meanderings…. July 5 and a Sugar Rush!

Happy July 5 y’all!  😀

Did everyone survive the fourth?  Our temps here reached over 100 degrees.  We went motor cycling with friends all day which was a lot of fun and stopped for a late lunch at a nice restaurant where I ate fruit and my stir fry (day 9 today of the cleanse).  It actually – was really a wonderful day. 

While on the back of the motorcycle I have discovered that audio on my IPOD is the way to go.  I finished listening to The Fault n Our Stars (If you have not listened to this on audio I INSIST you drop everything and do so…. NOW. But more on that in my review tomorrow 😀 )  And I started Will Grayson Will Grayson, also by John Green which I am enjoying…

Today I work, hopefully get my prom dress fixed… yup you read that right… next Tuesday is out book clubs annual Queen event and I have a dress I picked up at a Good Will store but it needs a new zipper, I am taking it to a friend today.

And my final through for today is I just seen the book trailer for Size 12 and Ready To Rock by Meg Cabot which is a little funny… a little cheesy, and I am not a big fan of book trailers but the 80’s vibe made me smile…. interested in reading this one soon…

 

Goal for the next few days?  I am 5 reviews behind on writing them up and I want tog et caught up so badly.  I hope to do that over the next few evenings. 

Have a great July 5!!!

Morning Meanderings….The Best Books Of July

 

Good morning and Happy 4th of July!  😀  Day 8 of the cleanse and I am holding strong.  Last night my son from the Navy (WOO HOO!) was over with three of us his good friends.  Two of them are his best friends from High School and I love that they all stay close.  All three of them are in the Navy.  A 4th friend, Adam, lives in ST Cloud now but is also in the reserves and will be here this weekend to hang out.  While I have no pictures from last night (I know, I know I should have!) here is that high school grad picture that still graces my refrigerator to this day.

 

I can’t even tell you how cool I think it is that they all still hang out together.   I love my friendships and its cool to see strong lasting friendships in my sons as well.

 

Anyway, on to books.  Amazon posted recently what they say are the best books of July.  Normally when I post a list like this I can usually point out 4 or 5 that I have read…. not this time.  I have read none of the books below, and in some cases have not even heard of them.  😀 

My question to you is, have you read any of these books?  Would you recommend any?

Best Books of the Month
Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life That Follows by Brian Castner
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
The Absolutist by John Boyne
Paperback  |  Kindle book
The Last Policeman by Ben Winters
Paperback  |  Kindle book
Office Girl by Joe Meno
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
Gold by Chris Cleave
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
Broken Harbor by Tana French
Hardcover  |  Kindle book
The Violinist’s Thumb by Sam Kean
Hardcover  |  Kindle book

 

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

 

After reading Camryn’s review below… now I want to go to Summer Brain Camp!  Looks to me like Sarah Dessen has done it again!

~Sheila

The Truth About Forever

Macy Queen is looking forward to a quiet, do-nothing summer. Her boyfriend, the perfect Jason Talbot, is away for the summer at Brain Camp, and she’s taking over his boring library-counter job. She plans on studying all summer, and hanging out with her mom. Macy carries a heavy burden in her heart. She feels responsible for her dad’s death. That is, until she meets the Wish Catering crew and gets a taste of the chaos that is catering. Macy, right away, gets a job at Wish for the summer. She meets new friends, and loves her summer job. But the best part of Wish, is not the food, or the chaos, but Wes. Artistic, perfect Wes. Wes and Macy grow closer over the summer, but before they can really be together, she has a hurdle to jump. That hurdle, is accepting that her dad’s death wasn’t her fault. But can she forgive herself? Or will she miss out on Wes because of her denial?

 

The Truth About Forever is a novel by Sarah Dessen. The majority of Sarah Dessen’s novels are great, light and easy summer reads. This is one of them. Recommended for a young adult audience, The Truth About Forever isn’t one you want to miss!

 

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.

 

 

Please check out Camryn’s other YA reviews here!

Morning Meanderings… Where I Share New Found Knowledge on Pineapple

Good morning!  I am on day 7 of the cleanse that I am on so it is really weird to put my coffee picture on these posts when I have not had coffee for seven days now.  SEVEN.  😯

A couple weeks ago I went to a friends Pampered Chef party.  I had not been to one in quite a long time.  Usually if people have them I just place an order without attending.  I am so glad I didn’t do that this time.  The Pampered Chef lady was a hoot… but just as importantly she actually taught me a few things I didn’t know. 

Lets talk pineapple.

 

I am not a big fan of buying whole pineapple.  My experience has been that the pineapple is dry, woody tasting even.  Here is what I learned:

To see if a pineapple is ripe before purchasing, reach in and pull two of the small center leaves.  If they pull out easy the pineapple is ripe.

One day before serving, put pineapple upside down in a bowl.  This distributes all the sweet juices that have settled to the bottom, to distribute evenly throughout the pineapple.  I have tried it twice now, it works… and it is delicious.

So all that said, what did I buy at the party?

The Pampered Chef Pineapple Cutter and corer of course!

and the brownie pan (watch for this to go into use for next weeks Bookies Book Club Queen Event!)

No idea why I wanted to share that, maybe you already knew but it was news to me and thought I would share 😀

I also have my last winner to announce form the Audio Book Week.  The winner of a copy of Ravens on Audio is:

Laurie from The Bay State Reading Advisory

Whoo Hoo!!!  Send me your address please Laurie and I will have that sent off to you directly from Amazon.

Today I work and then hopefully a bike ride 😀

Total Memory Makeover by Marilu Henner

 

Marilu Henner has a gift that is known to only six other people in the world.  She can recall every detail of her life, now just the big events like the day Kennedy was shot, 9-11, or a surprise birthday party…  but also a random Thursday in August of 1980, or a Sunday morning any year since she has been five. 

In Total Memory Makeover, Marilu shares the benefits to having such a memory, and shares exercises we can all do to strengthen our own memories.

 

Why did I want to listen to this audio?  I am a little fascinated with someone who can remember every day down to what they had for breakfast when I can barely remember what I did two days ago.  🙂  I also like that this is read by Marilu herself.

 

Total Memory Makeover is exactly what is says it is.  An audio book (or book) about Marilu’s gift of total recall, and what we can do to strengthen our own skills.  7 hours and 58 minutes long, Marilu takes us through her growing up with this skill, and how it can be used to help us makes better choices in our present day.  I found it interesting that Marilu explains that by remembering moments of great pain in our life (say, like a break up) it can help us see the red flags as we go into new relationships.  And that works for good things too… by remembering how great it felt to fit into a smaller size of jeans 4 years ago can help us say no to bad food choices today.

While the audio was interesting, there are a lot of times throughout the reading that Marilu had tasks for the reader.  We are asked to write down dates like our 21st birthday and remember everything we can about that event (which honestly, I have no recollection of, other than I was married and we had Brad then…) or to do short memory tests.  For me personally, I am an active audio listener, meaning I cook or clean while listening to audio and I did not do the little tests that required hitting pause.

Overall this is an interesting read, Marilu did a wonderful job of narrating, and I think if you are really looking to work on your memory skills she has some wonderful tips for doing so and advice to get you started.  There are times in the audio where Marilu tells personal stories that are both interesting, and at times… dare I say felt like she was bragging?  It was not the best fit for me, but I can see where someone willing to work at this could find it useful.

Because this seems to be almost like a work book in places, I think this is one of those instances where this would have been better for me in book format than audio.

 

Leave a comment here if you would like a chance to win my copy of Total Memory Makeover.  I will choose a winner using random.org on Friday July 6.

 

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Audible.com (listen to an audio sample here)

 

Thank you to Audio Jukebox for sending me this audio to listen to and review!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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:

Kristin H from The Book Monsters!!!

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

Can you even believe that it is July????  Half of the year is already over!  That blows my mind!  And I am now three months officially behind on updating my challenges, and I have the survey yet to post as well…. (thank you to all who took that, the results are really fun but it is taking me a long time to compile all the answers!)

So last week was audio book  week and all my posts were audio books… now if you are not an audio book reader, seriously check out some of these reviews.  You are truly missing out when you do not try some books on audio (one would be Ready Player One.)  I am currently listening to The Fault In Out Stars and seriously flipping out on how good this audio book is and so glad I listened to it instead of reading it.  Seriously…. expect a gushing review soon 😀

Here is what I posted this past week:

 

Lets Talk About Audio Baby!  (answering yours (and my) questions about audio books)

 

A Night To Remember by Walter Lord (The true retelling the night the Titanic sunk…. )

 

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (ooh… hello new narrator to me, Mark Bramhall)

 

Finding Ultra by Rich Roll (inspiring!!!)

 

LISTEN TO ME!  (a little audio info for newbies)

 

Ravens by George Dawes Green (oh wow this was FABULOUS!)

 

Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever (fun fun book!!!!)

 

 

Lots of good things to come this week too… I am in the middle of two pretty wonderful books and a couple audio books that will be ending this week as well that I am excited to talk about. 

For this upcoming week I have planned:

 

At the core of Krakauer’s book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.

 

 

 

 

Marcus Samuelsson was only three years old when he, his mother, and his sister—all battling tuberculosis—walked seventy-five miles to a hospital in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Adaba. Tragically, his mother succumbed to the disease shortly after she arrived, but Marcus and his sister recovered, and one year later they were welcomed into a loving middle-class white family in Göteborg, Sweden. It was there that Marcus’s new grandmother, Helga, sparked in him a lifelong passion for food and cooking with her pan-fried herring, her freshly baked bread, and her signature roast chicken. From a very early age, there was little question what Marcus was going to be when he grew up.
 
Yes, Chef chronicles Marcus Samuelsson’s remarkable journey from Helga’s humble kitchen to some of the most demanding and cutthroat restaurants in Switzerland and France, from his grueling stints on cruise ships to his arrival in New York City, where his outsize talent and ambition finally come together at Aquavit, earning him a coveted New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four. But Samuelsson’s career of  “chasing flavors,” as he calls it, had only just begun—in the intervening years, there have been White House state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs and, most important, the opening of the beloved Red Rooster in Harlem. At Red Rooster, Samuelsson has fufilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room—a place where presidents and prime ministers rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, bus drivers, and nurses. It is a place where an orphan from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, living in America, can feel at home.

 

 

 

Irene and Nate Stanley are living a quiet and contented life with their two children, Bliss and Shep, on their family farm in southern Illinois when Nate suddenly announces he’s been offered a job as a deputy sheriff in Oregon. Irene fights her husband. She does not want to uproot her family and has deep misgivings about the move. Nevertheless, the family leaves, and they are just settling into their life in Oregon’s high desert when the unthinkable happens. Fifteen-year-old Shep is shot and killed during an apparent robbery in their home. The murderer, a young mechanic with a history of assault, robbery, and drug-related offenses, is caught and sentenced to death.

Shep’s murder sends the Stanley family into a tailspin, with each member attempting to cope with the tragedy in his or her own way. Irene’s approach is to live, week after week, waiting for Daniel Robbin’s execution and the justice she feels she and her family deserve. Those weeks turn into months and then years. Ultimately, faced with a growing sense that Robbin’s death will not stop her pain, Irene takes the extraordinary and clandestine step of reaching out to her son’s killer. The two forge an unlikely connection that remains a secret from her family and friends.

Years later, Irene receives the notice that she had craved for so long—Daniel Robbin has stopped his appeals and will be executed within a month. This announcement shakes the very core of the Stanley family. Irene, it turns out, isn’t the only one with a shocking secret to hide. As the execution date nears, the Stanleys must face difficult truths and find a way to come to terms with the past.

 

 

I think that is it for this week, if there is time I may get a start on our read-a-long, Rebecca Now I want to know what you are reading!  Be sure to link your post below where it says click here:

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