Book Journey

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Published on April 15, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

Imagine… you are a single, attractive, woman in your early 30’s, you are a Realtor and you do ok for yourself. At this time in your life your biggest concerns are selling a house, practicing patience with your quirky mother, and being on time for dinner with your boyfriend.

You are spending a gorgeous Saturday afternoon stuck at an Open House showing that is extremely slow. As you are packing up your things and calling it a day a van pulls into the driveway. A well dressed man gets out of the vehicle and you can tell he is really interested in seeing the house. Maybe this day wont be such a loss after all. As you take him through the house and start into the back yard you feel something blunt and cold press against the middle of your back.

A gun.

Suddenly you find yourself in a cabin, God only knows where. Your abductor, soon to be known as “The Freak” in your mind, certainly never said out loud, has thought of everything and you have no escape. You are put on a strict schedule of when you can eat, and when you can use the bathroom. Any changes to this resulted in being hit or having to drink out of the toilet. And honestly, this was not even the worst part. There were the scheduled baths…

Certainly someone will find you. Certainly it is only a matter of time. Yet days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. And survival is your only thought.

The book, Still Missing, is the story I described above. This is a thriller told about Annie O’Sullivan and her abduction, eventually her escape. Much of the book is Annie talking to her Therapist, reliving the past and sharing the present. Annie still lives in fear of sounds in the dark, strangers, and being alone. Of course, its hard to be with people when you have trust issues.

I have read books where the flash backs and present time chapters do not work. They are confusing. This is not one of those books. I listened to this on audio and the book flowed smoothly. I never felt lost in the story, instead I found myself right from the start thinking “this is good, this is really really good.”

I have become a little gun-shy of thrillers as I find they are either gory or over the top unbelievable. Again, author Chevy Stevens knocked that chip off my shoulder. Well told, very believable (maybe a little too believable!) and kept me listening. I wanted to know, HAD TO KNOW what was going to happen.

Extremely well done I give high marks to a very talented author who blew me away with the story line and kept me guessing all the way through.

I cant wait to read Chevy Stevens again! Make sure you do as well!

Need more convincing? Check out these great reviews:

Alison’s Book Marks

Presenting Lenore

Life With Books

Devourer Of Books

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Purchased from audible.com and an excellent selection!

Morning Meanderings… Sunday Salon

Published on April 15, 2012April 15, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Good morning and Happy Sunday! 😀

It is back to dreary rainy weather here which… is getting old and I hope it clears up this week as I have a pretty much “no commitment week”

I know right???

That never happens for me. I usually have a study group on Mondays, and we are not meeting this week. Tuesdays are usually something I have to do, but not this time, Wednesdays I work with students and they are going to a Rally this week and my services will not be needed, Thursday free, Friday free, Saturday is the Dewey Read a Thon..

Whoa… what?

Yes. The 24 hour Dewey Read A Thon is Saturday April 21st and I plan to participate and it is not to late for you to sign up as well. Seriously… get on that. 😀 I love this read-a-thon, it’s about the only one I do, and I read for charity, which I will share more about later this week. Oh and there are always fun mini challenges where you can win books or bookish items like gift certificates. I will be hosting one here you will not want to miss out on – it is going to be on so fun! 😛

At some point this next week I also need to road trip to go pick up my books for World Book Night. Are you participating in World Book Night? If so what books are you handing out on April 23rd? I will have 20 copies of The Hunger Games at my finger tips! AND at some point soon I have an idea to go along with this that I must also get posted this week. 😀

Hmmmm…. what else? I received one book this week in the mail:

The second book to Wolf Hall. Which admittedly, I have yet to read. NOW I really need to get on it as this one sounds good!

And finally, today marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a topic that always touches me. I have some artifacts in my home surrounding the Titanic that I am pulling our for a post later. And today I will spend some time reading Titanic related reads, in memory of the day.

Have a great day, I am off to church and then back home here to write-up a couple posts and get some reading done this afternoon. I may go to the Titanic movie today if I find someone to go with. Pretty sure my hubby will not sit through that 3 hour movie again. 😀 Oh, and one more thing – I added a giveaway to my post that went up yesterday for 2108 Eyes Open.

2108 Eyes Open by K.L. Glanville w/ GIVEAWAY!

Published on April 14, 2012April 15, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

It’s 2018. Jewel (or Charmskinned as fondly called by her dad) has just turned 16. 16! That means she can finally access the autopilot on her Aerokopa (think of the Jetsons cartoon and how they traveled). Life is opening new doors right and left!

But really what good is being 16 and being able to explore the countryside when you do not have a date to your BFF’s party of the century? Well, except for that one boy, Loyal who’s cute and all but he is also a HOLDOUT… and that is a can of grief Jewel is not ready to open. And of course there is the whole hush hush business of the Trollers docked at the quay , believed to be spies working with the Aliens, but Jewel’s dad is a big shot in the Government and he is on top of all of that. It’s best to avoid that area, and it would be all out treason to make friends with one of these Trollers, even if he was a really cute teenage one, who seems to be really nice and brings you gifts….

That would be the wrong thing for Jewel to do right? Right?

I am not a big sci fi “fan girl”, yet when asked if I would take a closer look at this new book by K.L. Glanville, something caught me. It might have been the fun synopsis of a young girl about to get in a heap of potential trouble. And really if I followed my own rule of things “I will not enjoy” then I never would have experienced Hunger Games, Pandemonium, The Knife Of Never Letting Go,” so seriously… what do I know?

What I liked about 2108 is that this is what I would call a great young YA read. By young YA I mean although it is written about teenagers, and there is a mention of champagne towards the end of the book, it is a clean read, almost upper MG. (I hope I am making sense)

The people of the book are categorized:

Naturals: People like Jewel and her dad. They live as nature intended, no alterations to their DNA or bodies. Most live in New Zealand which is the only area where no Bionics or Aliens live, which is a big bonus!

Aliens: Those who invaded the globe. Untrustworthy.

Bionics: People who are in cahoots with the Aliens. Some of them even have their DNA altered to mix with the Aliens DNA.

Holdouts: People who still believe in the old ways, they have two parent families and usually a number of children (how crazy is that?)

Jewel’s character was interesting and I felt well developed. I felt the futuristic feel of this book was not over the top. It was fun, and I got into the story line, wondering what would happen next.

Fair waring: This book does leave you with unanswered questions and I see on Amazon it is marketed as Volume 1, on the bright side, that means there is more to come of this interesting and fun story!

I am connecting this review to Julie at Booking Mama’s Kid Connections. A meme I wish I took part in more often!

I was just notified by the publishing company that I can give away one SIGNED copy of this book with 5 books marks to one lucky commenter! Simply leave a comment on this post between April 14 – April 18th, and on the morning of the 19th I will announce the winner. 😀

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book:

Luminations Media Group, Inc.

“2108: Eyes Open” New Young Adult Book Release!

www.KLGlanville.com

Morning Meanderings… Spring and a new family member!

Published on April 14, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)50 Comments

Good morning. Yesterday was a dreary wet day, gloomy and overcast, cold and windy. A perfect day to read and write. Today…. looks to be a little different.

I was on the deck at 6:30 am this morning and the air was not unpleasant. I am thinking it is going to be a gorgeous day which in my Saturday world means: bike rides, fresh air, and probably a little more reading as weekends that are not over booked are rare and will get rarer as the weeks go on… bike rides, cabin weekends, and events will soon fill up my luxurious low-key Saturdays.

This morning for Saturday Snapshots (*waves at Alyce*) I thought I would show you some pictures of my world from the back deck this morning.

Let me set the scene…. this is Brainerd Minnesota. Currently the temp is 42 degrees. (Yesterday it didn’t even touch 42 degrees).

**Taken from the back deck... the yard swing.**

**My reading swing on the deck. Still a little early in the year for me to be in it but once that sun warms up - I will be there!**

**The tree in the deck. When we expanded the deck in 1997, I told Al the tree had to stay. So... the deck was built around the tree.**
**And that little guy in the pic... that is Sam.**

Earlier this week, I posted a pic of this "maybe ours" dog. A girl in my book club had found him about a week ago and brought him to Book Club on Tuesday. We decided on Thursday morning that he could stay. We are calling him Sam.

Stop over to Alyce’s At Home With Books to find more pictures posted for Saturday Snapshots.

Tonight we are going to dinner with friends. That will be nice. As for this morning and afternoon I am going to spend a little time writing a review, read a little and hopefully a bike ride.

What are your weekend plans?

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Words Will Never Hurt Me?

Published on April 13, 2012April 13, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

Remember that child hood sing-song saying”Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

What a load of crap.

😯

This week as I was listening to Home Front by Kristin Hannah, a story of a military woman with a rocky marriage who is called away to fight in Afghanistan. Shortly before her deployment while in yet another heated argument with her husband over his time management skills and being there for their children he says these words,

“I can’t do this anymore. I just don’t love you.”

The woman is shocked. It is just an argument. The book describes that she collapses and reaches out for the counter as the words sink into her very soul. It is like the bottom just fell out of her life.

And they say words don’t hurt. 🙄

It was about that moment when that old saying about sticks and stones hit me. I flashed back to a grade school version of me in a playground with friends while a boy taunted us over one thing or another. I can recall my little voice singing out the sticks and stones thing and tossing my braids over my shoulder and off I went with my posse.

BUT…

The truth is there is a lot of power to words. As writers, they are must have tools. As readers we want the words to make us feel… feel pain, hurt, betrayal, love, fear adoration, sorrow, triumph, anger….

the list really goes on and on.

In fact as I ramble on here and apparently am building up steam on this topic, words that make us feel are what we crave in a book. We WANT to feel, even… if it is painful.

And really – what a rush a good book is when it does make us feel. From the very comforts of our own home we get the privilege of experiencing all this emotion through the books we choose to read.. through the words the writer gives out minds to play around with.

Who among us has not experienced emotion through reading? Have you laughed or cried while in a book? Have you turned a page in anger over what you have just read, or turned it slowly and fearfully… afraid what you will read next?

Honestly – I love it when a book makes me feel big emotions one way or another. When I read a review, I want to know how the book made the reader feel.

How about you? Do you like your books to bring out emotions? Do you agree or disagree that words have power? On and off the pages? Would love to dissect this topic with you!

Morning Meanderings: Are You Pre-Ordering This? (And WINNER!)

Published on April 13, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Good morning! Happy Friday The 13th! 😯 I know right? I feel like I need to rent a spooky movie or something!

Today is my day off and it looks gloomy out there. The weather may sabotage my bike ride plan for the day… but that may mean that I will be inside reading instead which… makes me smile.

When asked the question… uh, Sheila… if you were sent to live on a deserted island for five years and you could only take along with you 5 books, what would those books be? While I would no doubt sweat this decision… I can guarantee you there would be at least one Harry Potter book in this mix.

SO…. that said…

yesterday Shelf Awareness revealed that J K Rowling (master mind of all that is Harry Potter) is releasing a new book called The Casual Vacancy. This books sounds as though it will have none of the magic that bought Harry a permanent residence in my heart, however… it is JK Rowling, and that makes me interested.

Publisher Little, Brown called the novel a “blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising” tale of what happens in the English village of Pagford after parish council member Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly. “Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.”

according to Little Brown Publishing

I quickly popped on-line and pre-ordered this book that is due to release in late September. While currently the hard cover is sitting at a hefty $21, I believe it will go down in price before release.

My question is, do you pre-order books from favorite authors? Would you pre-order this one?

**I also need to announce the winner of the gift card for the Easter Egg Hunt that took place during the Monday What Are You Reading meme! Thank you to all who participated! I was really pleasantly surprised of how many of you went egg hunting. I had a lot of emails saying that you really enjoyed doing this… enough so, that I will probably do it again in the future. 😀

The criteria was that you had to 1) find 3 of the 4 hidden eggs and email me where they were AND 2) you had to comment on each of these blog posts that had the Easter Egg in order to qualify. (a couple of you forgot that part!). That said, using random.org, the winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card is:

Lindsey from Literary Lindsey

Congratulations Lindsey!!! The gift card will be in your e mail yet this morning, please let me know here that you have received it. 😀

Also…. thank you to my wonderful Egg Hosts: Mari from Bookworm With A View, Lori from Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book, Kathy from Inside Of A Dog, and Reagan from Miss Remmer’s Reviews. You all ROCK in my book! 😛

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (A Bookies Review)

Published on April 12, 2012April 14, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of her family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how both she and her mother became plural wives. Yet soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death. And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love, family, and faith.

1aaa — Temple Garments, referred to as "secret underwear" in the book, were work under all clothing at all times. Even when you went to bed.

Members of Joseph F. Smith's family, including his sons and daughters, as well as their spouses and children, circa 1900.

I thought I knew what Polygamy was. I knew there were those who believe in plural wives. I haven’t watched it, but know there is a tv series right now called Sister Wives, about a man and his four wives.

Really I had no idea.

There’s something I really love about Historical Fiction. I love the facts I find within the pages. The 19th Wife is a fictional story, however woven through the chapters is a true story, the story of Ann Eliza Young the all too real woman who was married to Brigham Young and made the bold move to separate herself from what everyone in her circle believed. From the very first pages I was hooked into something new, and different, and felt like I had walked into a world I knew little of.

A large part of this book is told through Jordan’s perspective. Jordan is one of the “lost boys.” As you come to find out, the lost boys are what is referred to when a boy in his early teens usually is excommunicated from the home and dumped out into the world to fend for themselves.

Why?

The crude explanation is, this leaves more women to go around. With the births being almost equally divided into boys and girls, and men are expected to have at least three wives… the numbers just do not add up.

Although Jordan’s life has not been easy (there are some horrifying early years stories of what he did to survive), he is now at peace with where he is at in life and who he has become. Or… so he thinks.

When Jordan’s mother is jailed and possibly going to be executed for a crime he does not believe she committed, Jordan sets his own judgements aside, and walks back into the life he never thought he would return to, to try to figure out what really happened.

The result is a twisting, informative, and all so close walk into the lives of those surrounded by what they believe to be God’s truth. I personally, found it fascinating, like walking on the edge of something dangerous that I did not understand, but knowing I was safe as all was locked in the pages of the book.

I personally think this makes for an incredible discussion for a book group. There are discussion group questions in the back of the book and out group made it through about 4 of them. Our conversation flowed without the guidance of questions, facts and fiction mixed in our voices, from those who were appalled and did not enjoy the book (very few), to those of us who found it interesting and fascinating (the majority).

Honestly, as we reviewed it, I felt this is what a book discussion is meant to be… we were bursting to discuss this book.

As for the food:

"book lovers never sleep alone" — Had to use these napkins!

I missed some of the food pics. There was also a delicious looking fruit salad.

In the end, out of the eighteen women who sat down and reviewed this book, the average rating (scale of 1-5), the book rated a strong 4. We felt it was very discussion worthy, informative and really… I could go on and on with this review … but yeah…. it has to end sometime. 😀

I think people who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy this book.

Looking for some other thoughts on it? here are some awesome book bloggers and their thoughts on The 19th Wife:

Becky’s Book Reviews

Caribou’s Mom

Devourer Of Books

Reviews By Lola

LoVe In A Nutshell by Janet Evanovich

Published on April 11, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Kate Appleton’s life had hit the skids. Suddenly jobless, husbandless, and really feeling kind of low, she decided that the only she wants to be right now is at her parents summerhouse, The Nutshell in Keenes’ Harbor Michigan. Unfortunately, much like her life, The Nutshell has seen better days as well and Kate finds herself needing cash in supply if she is about to renovate this house into her dream, a bed and breakfast.

Enter Matt Culhane, owner of a local brewery but having some major issues with someone sabotaging his company. When Matt meets Kate, he likes her spunk and hires her to be an undercover spy on his employees. If Kate can figure out who is out to get him, he will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Kate quickly accepts this “dangled carrot” and tries to wiggle her way into the trusts of the brewery employees.

Only… there are a few problems. Kate despises beer and has an odd reaction if she drinks it. None of the employees seem to trust her. Oh, and she is falling for her boss.

Janet Evanovich and I have not crossed paths for years. Recently when I was in my local library I wandered over to a display they put up of new arrivals. I like to see what audio has come in and there this was. Evanovich writing something new after the recent release of the movie from her book One For The Money…. I admit I was curious.

While a fun listen (nice job narrator Lorelie King!) it was what I have come to expect of Janet Evanovich, cooky characters, a romance in the making, a small plot that unrolls throughout the book. Kate is nowhere near as doopy (my word) as Stephanie Plum, and I did like that. Where Plum is surrounded by family, Kate only has her potato chip addicted dog, a brief cameo of her mother and a briefer of her father, and a hostile ex husband.

It was a good listen and I think Evanovich fans will enjoy this one as much as they have enjoyed her other books.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I borrowed this from my local library

Morning Meanderings… I’m Just In It For The Discussion… and a dog

Published on April 11, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Good Morning!

Happy Wednesday all, hopefully this day finds you well rested and ready to tackle whatever is to come. Yesterday was second Tuesday of the month which for the past 11 years has meant something awesome to me….

Book Club!

Have I gushed recently about my book club? Probably. Am I about to again? Probably.

So last night eighteen of us gathered in my home to discuss the 19th Wife. We laughed, if only we could have had one more… 😛

I absolutely loved our discussion surrounding this book on Polygamy, the mix of truth and fiction together made for an interesting topic and these girls really did their homework. If you are looking for a great discussion book for your group I would recommend this one.

I was hoping that after all was said and done last night I would sit down and write the review and Bookies thoughts on the 19th Wife for the blog today. However, after I had worked yesterday came home, cooked and cleaned and then cleaned up after everyone left around 8:30… I had little energy to do anything but answer a few email.

Watch for it tomorrow. 😀

Oh… and I did mention a dog didn’t I.

His name is….. well, I don’t know.

My friend Kerri sent me a picture of him a couple of days ago. Abandoned in her neighborhood seems to be the answer. she’s called the police, all the animal hospitals and no one has turned in a missing dog. She’s had him since last Thursday but already has a dog, a cat, and a day care, and does not want another dog.

I told her in so many words…. no. With the loss of Elmo last October, Bailey (our shih tsu) has not been the same. I didn’t want him to think “what is this? A replacement program???”

Yet…

she could not find the dog a home. I told her the dog could come with her to book club. If the dog did not freak Bailey out, it could stay over night…. no promises.

Long story short… the dog is still here. He knows how to work a room, laying down not bothering anyone… house broken… we will see. I have a friend who may be interested in him if it is not us. Bailey is neutral right now… not freaking out, but not hanging out either. We will see what happens when I leave the two together in the house ll day while I am at work.

Speaking of work… I need to go there.

Have an awesome day!

The GIRL WHO WAS ON FIRE by Your favorite authors

Published on April 10, 2012April 10, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

Still hungry for Hunger Games? You have read the books, seen the movie, and now what? This book will give you that fulfillment! ~Sheila

Sixteen YA authors come together and take you back to the world of the Hunger Games with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, even Buttercup (the cat), reality TV, survival, and more. From the trilogy’s darker themes of violence and social control to fashion and weaponry, the collection’s exploration of the Hunger Games reveals exactly how rich, and how perilous, Panem, and the series, really is.

Who is Katniss?

Comparisons to the book 1984

The Peeta Factor

Could Tracker Jackers Exist

Fashion

Does The Last Book Suck (arguments both ways by the same author)

CONTRIBUTORS: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Mary Borsellino, Sarah Rees Brennan, Terri Clark, Bree Despain, Adrienne Kress, Sarah Darer Littman, Cara Lockwood, Elizabeth M. Rees, Carrie Ryan, Ned Vizzini, Lili Wilkinson, Blythe Woolston, Diana Peterfreund (NEW), Brent Hartinger (NEW), Jackson Pearce (NEW)

Yes. I read the books. I followed up by listening to Hunger games on audio as well. Yes, I went to the movie. Twice. And yes, I was one of those people who did not love love the last book, Mockingjay.

Yet… hungry for more, much like I still am with the Harry Potter books. I want something more.

Thanks to this group of authors there is more, a lot more! The Girl Who Was On Fire is not a bashing of the books by Susanne Collins. Quite the opposite. It’s taking the books (all three of them) and breaking them down into bite size pieces. It is sometimes funny (Katniss being compared to Buttercup the cat – keeps surviving against all odds, doesn’t let people in easy), it is sometimes sad (could Katniss pick who she really loved or did she know what she had to do, who to choose to survive, and isn’t that what it is really all about?)

Each chapter, or topic, is told by a different author who gives their insight on a part of the books. I found this interesting and have to admit I loved the chapter called Did The Third Book Suck, told from the perspective of an author who lists all the ways he felt as a writer it could have been done so much better, and then turns around and explains why just the opposite could be true as well, and why Susan Collins choices in Mockingjay may have been the authors road less traveled but also shows a deeper look into Katniss and Panem by writing it the way she did. (for the record, I did lean more towards this chapters first synopsis, and while I did not think Mockingjay sucked, it was my least favorite of the three books.) My review of Mockingjay.

Who should read this? Hunger Games fans this is a fantastic addition to the three books. It will make you think, nod your head, and occasionally laugh out loud. It is brilliant and fun – all rolled into one.

Why did I read it? I loved the trilogy as a whole. I thought the idea behind Hunger Games was so incredibly detailed and unique from anything I had read before. And yes, I was left Hungry… especially after the release of the movie… I wanted more. The Girl Who Was On Fire gave me that.