Book Journey

Life Is A Trip by Judie Fein (and a giveaway!)

Published on February 9, 2012March 2, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)42 Comments

Judith Fein does not let grass grow under her feet. She, like her husband, enjoy travel and experiencing what this world has to offer. In this book, Life Is A Journey, Judith shares 14 journeys where she learns from other cultures about their families, death, measuring success, faith, overcoming trauma, and forgiveness.

I have always enjoyed traveling and experiencing the world. As a child, I experienced California and Alaska as we have relatives in both areas. Once married and the kids were old enough to enjoy traveling, as a family we went to Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, California (a couple of times), Haiti, an awkward experience in the Bahama’s….. (a story for another time), and then eventually and most recent Honduras, Al and I and then our college son Justin.

I love to see how people live, how they do life day to day, the sights the smells…. the culture. I too have a bit of the “Judith Fein” bug. 😀

1aa — The High Priest on the Holy Mountain (Har Gerizim)

In well written chapters, Judith shares 14 experience around the world. Places I would LOVE to experience, but most likely, I will experience them through shared stories, and books like this. From stories like Tales Of The Tomb Of Israel (breathtaking…really), to a Mexican Prison, Forgiveness in Vietnam, a

funeral in Micronesia just to name a few.

What I enjoyed most about this read is that the stories are not only about the places, sites, food, and cultural experiences, BUT about the people. I loved reading how a kindergarten teacher of Israel prayed for a husband and found him at age 40 and a Maya woman from Guatemala never gave up on her impossible dream to come and visit the United States (and succeeded against all odds!).

This is a book I will look to again…. when I feel I need a little cultural inspiration. The variety of the chapters were interesting, captivating, and delightful…. they left me thinking of people I would never meet, but thanks to Judith Fein…. feel I have.

If you enjoy books about people, travel and culture, I suggest in your travels you pick up a copy of this book.

In celebration of my birthday…. leave a comment here about where you have traveled… or wish to one day travel and I will enter you into a random giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card (this will be emailed to the winner). I will draw a winner using random.org on Sunday morning.

Birthday! Fun story! Oh, and a Giveaway

Published on February 9, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)150 Comments

Good morning!
*yawn* * Stretch*

COFFEE!

I am up and not quite ready to go but feel good… and am up at least 😀

Yes… it is that yearly event today. Another birthday and I have a fun story and a giveaway for you!

Here’s the story….

Right before Christmas I made a wish list of books I was hoping to someday own…. on that list was the book Miss Peregrine’s School For Peculiar Children. See exhibit A:

I have liked the reviews I have read on this book, it sounds mysterious…. and I would like to read it… so put it on the list. THEN….

I signed up for a couple of the Secret Santa sign ups on line and when my first one came guess what was in the package? That’s right…. SSSQQQUUUEEEE!!!! The book!

I was so excited and added it to the To Be Read pile! And then a package came from a publishing company….

Well… that’s just funny! So I put that on the TBR pile as well to offer a giveaway along with my reading of this book.

Then a bookish friend sent me a gift for Christmas…. She is so sweet…. what could it be?

Yup. NO kidding…. a third copy of this beautiful hard cover book. I couldn’t even believe it myself. I had taken the title off my wishlist previously but somewhere somehow….. the book just kept coming! 😛

So when me second secret santa package arrived I was curious but I waited until Christmas to open it…. and

(oh you already know….)

TRUE story! 4 copies of the same book in a matter of a two-week time frame. So yea, I have 4 copies of this book that I still need to read. 😀

Today – I want to have a giveaway to celebrate my birthday! I will choose the winner(s) Sunday morning here. One random commenter will receive a copy of this book (I know you are surprised…. you thought it would be something else….. LOL) and one winner will win a $10 Amazon gift card.

All you have to do is leave a comment here… 😀

I will have another giveaway later today.

SO what do I have going on today? Work for one… and a birthday lunch… and then later I am going to a wine tasting with a couple of friends for charity. That’s my day. I leave you now with a song that I LOVE and I am going to probably dance in my house while I get ready for work. 😛

Oh and a special thank you to my BEA roomy and book pal Care from Care’s Online Book Club who sent me a sweet card in the mail. You rock Care! Your card made me SMILE. 😀

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Published on February 8, 2012March 2, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

At Fairfield High School, right on the outskirts of Chicago, it’s well-known that the south siders and the north siders do not mix. Picture…. um…. west side story 😛 . Alex Fuentes knows this well, he is from the south side, and part of a feared gang. Life has never been easy for Alex and his family but thanks to his ties to the gang, he is able to protect them… just like his father did. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis becomes his chemistry partner, the results are like dynamite!

Alex pictures life for Brittany picture perfect. She has the designer clothes that he will never afford, she lives in a house that his own home would fit into seven times over. She is exactly what is wrong with this world. When Brittany looks at Alex, she sees a gang member, he is scary, strong, and from the wrong side of the tracks…. yet she can’t help but notice he is also strong, tall, and behind the hardness, something kind lays behind his eyes.

Can each break through the stereo types, their family beliefs of right and wrong, and their friends opinions? Is there more to their chemistry than a class assignment and a grade?

Go back in time with me. It is May 2010, and this Minnesota girl has found herself doing something she has never done before. I had hopped a plane, and went to New York to BEA and I was at an author event for new YA authors. For me? This was book heaven. 😀

At an event on my first night there with Reagan (Miss Remmer’s Reviews) I met Simone Elkeles, author of Perfect Chemistry. She was bold, she was funny, and she was talking about her first book.

Flash forward to 2012. Last year I had bought Simone’s book, I have always meant to read it…. but it went on the shelf waiting for me. Then more recently I found it on audio at my library and decided more than enough time has passed while I waited to experience this book.

So what did I think?

At first, honestly, I didn’t know if I would like it. When the audio starts, Alex has a thick Latino accent and I thought, too much… too stereo type…. bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks… perfect girl with everything…. too over done (think Pretty in Pink….Grease ) but author Simone Elkeles surprises me…

As the story unfolds, you learn that all is not as it seems…. Alex’s life is hard yes, but there is a reason he lives the way he does… and Brittany’s world behind the perfect front… is not so perfect at all…. in fact, these two have way more in common than you would have thought.

It didn’t take much time for me to really like Alex and what he stood for… and while Brittany took a little longer for me to warm too… I did… and wound up liking both protagonists very much.

In the end the only thing that took away from this read was the fact the last part of it seems to go good to great to bad, repeat…. good, to great, to bad… repeat.

And maybe… as I type this…. it had to. Alex and Brittany were so different…. it had to be difficult.

Rules of Attraction is the conclusion of this story. I will probably check it out as I feel I am invested in the love story that is Alex and Brittany.

Morning Meanderings…. Well…. that’s new!

Published on February 8, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

Morning all! 😀 I was gone all day yesterday as I figured I would be… finally landing home around 8 pm, tired… and wanting nothing more than a cup of tea and Laptop. I read an responded to comments and then found my way through my emails in my personal emails, and then my book emails. Two things in the book email that caught my eye:

To the upper left on the sidebar is a new Linky follow widget. I have never had a follow widget before and not sure if I want one now… but this is the first time I have been able to link to one on wordpress so thought I would put it up for kicks. I am impressed with Brent and Linky coming forward with a solution for those who are going to lose the GF (Google Friends) follow widget.

Secondly, Audible.com (oh how I love them!) is having a sale:

Sorry audio book listeners but I must take you down with me…. I do love audio and at this price I had to check this out. SO what did I get?

That’s enough to entertain me for a while. The first two are new to me, but Gorky Park I read as a teenager and loved it – in fact in hind site, it is probably the first serious topic book I have ever read. To this day I am still impressed that I got into it, survived the book, and enjoyed it enough that all these years later I still carry pieces of it in the edges of my mind. I am ready to visit the park again.

Morning Meanderings…. Bueller. Bueller. Bueller.

Published on February 7, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

Good morning. 😀

Did you all watch the game on Sunday? I didn’t… not really. I was supposed to go to a friend’s house and instead got caught up in cleaning a spare room that needed attention and after tearing that all up… well I had to big of a mess to leave. 😀 It was on the tv in the other room… and I watched the half time show and a few commercials… which really is what I enjoy most about the Super Bowl.

Which brings me to my point. I being an 80’s chick…. LOVED 80’s movies. AND if you have never had the opportunity to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off get to your last standing video store (they will be thrilled you did!) or Netflix and rent this classic 80’s movie. You will thank me. 😀

One of the Super Bowl commercials was a spoof off this 80’s movie and I LOVED it and laughed because I knew “Ferris” then… and I know Mathew Broderick now (well… know of him… not like I know him like we chat on-line or car pool). As always I find the Super Bowl commercials BRILLIANT (not all… but some) and this one… well…. ROCKS.

LOL… I may need to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off some day soon… LOVED that movie!

In book news, SPIN releases today and my super plan was to have my review go up today as well…. but thats not going to happen. I am reading it … .but not done yet. 😀

Today I work and then tonight I have a two hour work out session with my friends Amanda and Christie (Wendy if you are out there… care to join us? 😀 )

Click on the pic to check out the Team Kickin’ It update!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on February 5, 2012February 5, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)70 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:

Belle at Bookbelle

WOO HOO!!!! Please choose an item out of the Reading Cafe Grab Shelves and email me your choice with your mailing address as well! journeythroughbooks@gmail.com

Well happy February! Anyone else watch the Super Bowl on Sunday? I didn’t relaly watch it… but it was (and is as I type this) on the tv like background cheering.

My week was fair… I read and listened to everything I said I was going to except Wonderstruck. I couldn’t get into it. I haven;t given up on it… just sat it aside for other reads….

Here is what did happen here at Book Journey this past week:

A Run In With My Nemesis (ugh…. yes she’s back….)

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (audio review)

January Recap – what I read, how much, how many pages, how many audio minutes, etc… fun and goofy charts….

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews (audio review)

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euler Wolfe (audio review)

Enjoy Every Sandwich with Lee Lipsenthal w/ a GIVEAWAY!!!!

The HIGHLIGHT of my week – The Book Club Cook Book came in the mail and oh yeah…. The Bookies (my book club( are in this book twice!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Oh yeah… and I read and reviewed it too. 😛

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (audio – the third in this set of four books)

Ok…. my audio week does look impressive – however, Make Lemonade and The Fixer Upper were finished earlier this month, just had not reviewed yet. 🙂

As for this week…. here is what is on special…. or on the grill…. or up to bat…. or in the hopper….. or next in line….. or, oh you get the picture:

When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed Donna Underwood’s father and drove her mother mad. Her own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by alchemy—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. Now seventeen, Donna feels like a freak, doomed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. Only her relationship with her best friend, Navin, is keeping her sane.

But when vicious wood elves abduct Navin, Donna is forced to accept her role in the centuries-old war between human alchemists and these darkest outcasts of Faerie. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous guy with faery blood running through his veins and secrets of his own, Donna races to save Navin—even if it means betraying everything her parents fought to the death to protect.

I’m in a book funk… cant find one that calls to me and nabbed this one off the TBR…. hope it is a win! 😀

We ve Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary-, middle-, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham, Alalama, between May 2 and May 11, 1963. Fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi s and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. s precept to fill the jails, they succeeded where adults had failed in desegregating one of the most racially violent cities in America. Focusing on four of the original participants who have participated in extensive interviews, We ve Got a Job recounts the astonishing events before, during, and after the Children s March.

This one I started last night… and wow. I am already fired up and passionate about this book.

When Kate Sandford lands an interview at her favorite music magazine, The Line, it’s the chance of a lifetime. So Kate goes out to celebrate—and shows up still drunk to the interview the next morning. It’s no surprise that she doesn’t get the job, but her performance has convinced the editors that she’d be perfect for an undercover assignment for their gossip rag. All Kate has to do is follow “It Girl” Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop—and complete the thirty-day program—they’ll reconsider her for the position at The Line. Kate takes the assignment, but when real friendships start to develop, she has to decide if what she has to gain is worth the price she’ll have to pay.

OOH… this sounds like fun….

As for audio…. I don’t know…. 11-22-63 is still going but it is 30 hours long so I will be here a while… I just started part 2 of 4 parts. I will finish Perfect Chemistry this week and Bitter Melon. I will probably need to make a trip to the library because I really have nothing on deck to go into next.

So that’s the week plan 😀 Note I will have a birthday celebration here on Thursday – I do love excuses to celebrate and that usually means a give away (or two) for those of you I celebrate with long distance 😀

Now I am super excited to see what you have on your reading agendas this week (Maybe I will find that audio I am looking for…. 😛 ) Add your What Are You Reading link below where it says click here and I will try very hard to pop in and see you! 😀

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Also… don’t forget if you review Middle Grade Reads and Children’s books… don’t forget to link on to the kid version of this meme here:

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Published on February 5, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Book three of the Hush Hush series….

Nora has been missing for months… and when she does return home she is missing a chunk of her memory. She is not sure what happened to her during the time she was away and is even missing memories of her life prior to the disappearance…

No recollection of Rickson….. no recollection of Patch…

All she does know is that the man who is dating her mom gives her some serious creep vibes… and that guy named Scott that seems like more than a friend and something… something on the edge of her memory, and in her dreams…

there is a guy…

Silence was a stronger book than Hush Hush and Crescendo… now three books in, this is more than a Paranormal love story… now there is a war being fought between fallen angels and Nephilim. There is a battle to be won and most impressive – Nora has grown into a much stronger protagonist than she previously was!

The romance between Patch and Nora is pretty awesome too – and I am by no means a lover of romance novels so that is HUGE for me to say.

I went into Silence thinking this was the last book in the Hush Hush trilogy and I wanted to know where it was all going. Turns out… Becca Fitzpatrick had other plans and I discovered after I started listening to this one that there will be one more book, Finale coming in Fall 2012! I am super excited to see where this story line goes from here!

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I borrowed this book from my local library

Morning Meanderings and The Weekend Review

Published on February 5, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

Good morning! 😀

Hmmmm…. I am thinking maybe I should start connecting to the Sunday Salon that many of the blogs I enjoy reading connect to. I love reading about their week, whats coming up, etc… and this morning, sitting here with COFFEE CUP, I feel like chatting with my bookish friends as thought you were sitting here with me.

Al has been out-of-town on a job this week so I have been working and working out and then hanging out at home. Normally I don’t mind being alone but this weekend have felt a little stir crazy so I am glad he will be popping in later tonight and not leaving again until tomorrow night.

Yesterday I went to the gym and a Zumba class with my friend Christy. Thank you Christy! Prior to going I had no energy and was considering a nap (AND it was only 10 am!). The class energized me and made me laugh as I am no Zumba expert…. but I have fun trying.

In the afternoon I listened to the rest of Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick on audio while cleaning around the house. I went into this audio thinking it was the last of the trilogy (check it out on Amazon – it actually says it is the last book!) Then thanks to comments here this past week I learned that there will be a fourth book coming out this fall. That’s cool, but I probably would not have rushed through this last one… if I knew it was not…. errrr…. the last one. 😀

I hit the grocery store for a couple of things and at the check out impulse bought the new March edition of Every Day With Rachael Ray…. they had a recipe in there for Tortilla Soup that caught my eye….

Note - this is not the March 2012 edition but I could not find a pic of that one on line....

I wrote a couple of reviews, talked with a friend on the phone (twice!) and eventually ordered a vegie pizza for delivery and watched the movie What’s Your Number? which was sent to me for review. (Review to come this week).

This morning I am on my way to church, have work out plans this afternoon, then home to hopefully do some writing and make soup! 😀 I am working towards healthier eating (ignore the vegie pizza above!) to get ready for some fun activities coming this spring through fall that are going to challenge me physically. More on that…. later. 🙂

Have an awesome Sunday everyone! 😀

The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

Published on February 4, 2012March 2, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

What if there was a book that not only recommended GREAT book club reads with synopsis, but also recipes to go with the books from well-known authors and book clubs? For a book club gal, and a book lover – this is a GREAT FIND! Books such as Cutting For Stone, The Book Thief,The Help, ROOM, Reading Lolita, Bel Canto, Water For Elephants, Snow Flower And The Secret Fan, Jane Eyre, Freedom, Devil In The White City, etc…

Many years ago I discovered the first edition of this book. I loved the concept and used it religiously when planning out books to read for our group as well as food to go with the book. In fact, as I write this now, I think the first edition of this book was the beginning of our book club, The Bookies, introduction to food made to go with our reviews.

To this day, this very book sits in my front sitting room, in an honor spot on a stand next to the rocking chair.

1aa — The first edition: released in 2004

Now knowing all this, you can imagine my delight when last summer author Judy Gelman emailed me saying she had noticed my book club book and food combination reviews and wanted to know if our book club would consider reviewing a couple of books on her list and cook food themed to them. I admit to saying “YES!” before even asking my book club. 😛

Of course The bookies were honored and wanted to participate so we chose three books off the list Judy provided, Olive Kitteridge, Cutting For Stone, and Little Bee. We already had our monthly book club books chosen so these reviews became bonus reads and we would gather at my home with food and discuss the book.

We had a lot of fun and when I reviewed the books and food, I emailed Judith our reviews as well.

When the advanced release version of this book made its way into my hands recently I was sooooo excited! Not only for the fact that The Bookies are mentioned in the book, but also that I had in my hot little hands a second version of a book that I have loved through the years… a new Book Club cook book… new books… new authors… new recipes and ideas! (It’s probably no big surprise that I did not wait long to dive it!)

Now you might think this review is a little bias, but remember – I read and loved the first one years before I was reviewing books…. this one would have been on my list to own anyway!

Book Club members, book lovers, and food lovers will all appreciate this book! Not only does it list a wonderful group of books that make for wonderful discussion, but the food and the ideas to go along with the books will put that little extra into your discussion and have people waiting to get into your book group!

And of course I loved it! Each book gives a full page synopsis as well as publishing information, followed by food that would go well with the book, sometimes by the author, and always ideas from a book club as well. If anything, this book is dangerous as I drank in all the books I have yet to read and delicious food to go with them. The ideas were already forming in my mind….

I want to do a Bel Canto party… dress up the whole works…. maybe I can talk the Bookies into doing this one for our October classic read….. and I would love to do a Chocolat by Joanne Harris review as well with melt in your mouth chocolates…. maybe we could follow-up with the movie….. AND….

See what did I tell you? The book is dangerous!

This is a book I will keep close and refer to time and again, not only do I get a good taste of wonderful book club reads… but ideas to go along with the reviews!

This review is part of Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking. Pop over and see what wonderful food related books are being read and what is cooking this weekend!

Amazon Link

Goodreads Review

I received this book from the authors

Morning Meanderings…

Published on February 4, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)42 Comments

Good morning! SATURDAY!!!! Did you know this is my favorite day of the week? I love Saturdays, they are days that only have things “to do” in them (usually) that I put there… not put there for me :D. Today is one of those Saturdays. I am going to go help a friend this morning and then hit the gym for Zumba after that.

Then I think I will be home. I would love to do a little reading… and little writing.

For Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot I thought I would post some old pics’. Don’t you love old pictures? I always look at them in awe when I think how much photography has changed in just a couple of generations…. we can do so much with a picture now…

This is my Uncle Dallas on the bike and my mom, Elaine riding on the back. My mom said her nick name growing up was "ping pong" because her hair was white blond as a child.

This is my my Great Grandmother (left) holding my Aunnt Jackie and my Great Great Grandmother (right) holding my Uncle Dallas) — This is my Great Grandmother (left) holding my Aunt Jackie and my Great Great Grandmother (right) holding my Uncle Dallas)

Neither of the pictures have dates on them but my mom was born in 1948 so I am guessing the top pic has to be the early 50’s and the lower pic as my Aunt Jackie is older than my mom would have to be mid to late 40’s.

That’s it for this morning… working on a review for this afternoon. 😀