This is my first working Friday as my co-worker went on maternity leave yesterday so I will bump up to full-time while she is away. It’s a good thing as normally I am 25 hours a week and this “bump” is going to pay for me to go to BEA this year. 😀
When I came home yesterday afternoon to get ready to go to dinner with my cousins, I seen two small boxes sitting on my front deck. Book size boxes always excites me so I quickly parked in the garage and hauled in the stuff from my car….
and then grabbed the boxes.
There were two books that I had recently ordered due to blog reviews and gushing….. and well, yeah….
I pre ordered this one when I seen it hmmmmm….. on Vasilly’s post first I think? Now I can’t recall…..
and then…. after seeing the buzz around the debut authors of 2012, I had to jump on the book wagon and also ordered this:
Love the look and sound of this one….
and then – one I have not picked up yet but one day….
(LOL) is…..
Thank you to April at Good Books and Wine to put this book on my radar…. and now…. the heart wants… what the heart wants. 😀
And then as I see I am pushing my time here, Trish at Love, Laughter and a Touch Of Insanity wrote this fun post about how to know you are book obsessed. Now really, I am linking this not for me…. as of course I AM FINE and not obsessed with books at all, but I worry about all of you and think maybe you should check it out. Seriously…. find help…. I worry about you. It’s you who has the problem with books…. not me. 😛
My day yesterday was well…. AWESOME! But long…. BUT AWESOME! But yeah… I am a bit groggy this morning… We had a large meeting I was in charge of setting up last night and it was a lot of prep work… a lot of planning…. and I worked 12 hours yesterday to make it happen….. but it did, and it was fun… and there was cake (but I didnt eat any)… 😛
Yesterday I had posted about the SOPA/PIPA thing coming down the pipe and what that could mean for our little corners of the world. I am believing it is not going to affect us Book Bloggers much but I can see why people are in an uproar about it.
This morning I received this encouraging note:
Google launched a petition. Wikipedia voted to shut itself off. Senators’ websites went down just from the sheer surge of voters trying to write them. NYC and SF geeks had protests that packed city blocks.
You made history today: nothing like this has ever happened before. Tech companies and users teamed up. Tens of millions of people who make the internet what it is joined together to defend their freedoms. The free network defended itself. Whatever you call it, the bottom line is clear: from today forward, it will be muchharder to mess up the internet.
The really crazy part? We might even win.
Approaching Monday’s crucial Senate vote there are now 35 Senators publicly opposing PIPA. Last week there were 5. And it just takes just 41 solid “no” votes to permanently stall PIPA (and SOPA) in the Senate. What seemed like miles away a few weeks ago is now within reach.
But don’t trust predictions. The forces behind SOPA & PIPA (mostly movie companies) can make small changes to these bills until they know they have the votes to pass. Members of Congress know SOPA & PIPA are unpopular, but they don’t understand why–so they’re easily duped by superficial changes. The Senate returns next week, and the next few days are critical. Here are two things to think about:
1. Plan on calling your Senator every day next week. Pick up the phone each morning and call your Senators’ offices, until they vote “no” on cloture. If your site participated today, consider running a “Call the Senate” link all next week.
2. Drop in at your Senators’ district offices. We don’t have a cool map widget to show you the offices nearest you (we’re too exhausted! any takers?). So do it the old fashioned way: use Google, or the phonebook to find the address, and just walk in, say you oppose PIPA, and urge the Senator to vote “no” on cloture. These drop-in visits make our spectacular online protests more tangible and credible.
I guess we shall see…
Then I was just reading a new comment on the post I wrote January 8th about Changes In The Book Blogging World and feeling sad about it. Which, now, 11 days later and MANY MANY great comments… I am still sad about those we have lost along the way (the good one’s that is…) but from responses I also am now encouraged as there are many of us still out here that are enjoying what we do…. not attacking each other or authors or publishers, but genuinely having a good time and doing it well. That my friends, is the camp I want to be in. 😀
So is it the end of blogging as we know it? I don’t think so. I think we are going to be just fine.
I made a comment on that post this morning, and as I thought about it I agreed it was how I feel. I like my little planet Book Journey. It’s cozy here…. I have friends who gather here…. and we talk books. Whats not to love? 😛
Have a fabulous day – I am off to work to clean up the destruction fun of last night. I am also picking up a great cup of COFFEE on my way 😀
What does wine tasting and clean water in Sudan have in common?
Doc Hendley.
Doc Hendley was born into a Christian family. His father a Pastor, his mother a devout follower, and his siblings following in their footsteps. Yet while Doc believed in God… he was more in his Harley, drinks with friends, and making a living bar-tending. He preferred to lay low in life, Doc just wanted to do his own thing and be left to himself to do it.
Then one night after having a dream that left him with the words “wine to water” in his head… he spent some time on Google and was shocked at what he discovered:
One in every six people do not have access to clean water
In developing countries, women and children walk 4 or 5 hours to get water each day
Unclean water kills a child every twenty seconds
An idea was born. With a little help from his friends, Doc organized the first Wine to Water charity event. In a nightclub with a Deejay and many donated cases of wine, they opened up the event on Saturday February 4 , 2004 to more than 300 people attending. They made over $6,000 dollars… and that was just the beginning…
Little did Doc know at the time that he would be traveling to one of the world’s most dangerous hot spots: Darfur, Sudan, in the name of clean water.
If you have spent any time frequenting this blog then you probably know a little bit about me. My first trip to Honduras was in February 2004, the same month and year that Doc Hendley would be having a fundraiser called “Wine To Water”. While what pulled at my heartstrings to bring me to Honduras was kids who lived in the streets, Doc was drawn to areas where the water was undrinkable and used as a weapon just as dangerous as a nuclear bomb. My heart for those in need… was what initially drew me to this book.
How can I describe this book? Mostly I found it interesting. I loved the descriptions of Sudan, and what Doc experiences, from my own time in a impoverish country, I could imagine quite well what is must have been like. And it was also heart breaking. When Doc describes going out to the one shack of a restaurant one day with one of his team members and each eating a whole chicken before they see the small boy inching towards their table, bone thin and half-starved with tears in his eyes… I had to sit the book down and compose myself.
Can you imagine never having enough to eat? Never having experienced a restaurant? Can you imagine seeing someone come to where you live in the world… with things you never have had – clean clothes and the means to eat when hungry?
This book really touched me. Not only did it give me a closer look at a country that struggles to have clean water, but also a look at how we can make a difference. I sit in a home as I am believing all of you do as well, where the water is clean and unlimited. It’s easy to forget that is not the case for everyone… and I appreciate what Doc has written here to remind me that in whatever way I can…I need to make a difference either small or large, in some way in our world. What a powerful calling to give families in need the life saving gift of water.
As of November 2011, I have traveled to Honduras 10 times, one a year since 2004 and a couple of years I went twice. As surely as I am drawn to those children, I can understand Doc’s draw to clean water to save lives.
Doc grew as a person from the beginning to the end of this book. I did too as I read it.
I have been offered one copy of this book to give away to one of my readers! To enter this giveaway please let me know in a comment below a place you would like to go to make a difference/ or where you have gone to make a difference and what that difference would be . It does not have to be out of the country, shoot… it doesn’t even have to be out of your town! 😀 I will choose a winner this coming Saturday and then forward their information on to the publisher.
Thank you to TLC for allowing me this opportunity to read and review this book
It’s probably no big surprise with the lifestyle I lead that I don’t get around to watching the news much or getting into any super in-depth on-line “happenings”.
That said… it was not until Tuesday evening when I opened my email that I found out from WordPress about a US legislation that is threatening our internet freedom, apparently including those of us who have personal blogs.
WordPress gave us an option to “go black” today in protest of this, however I am on a book tour today for Wine To Water, otherwise I would have.
What I was able to do was put the ribbon on my blog that you will see in the upper right hand corner. That will remain on Book Journey until January 28th. I am however, taking Team Kickin It, down for the day in support of those working to make a difference in our favor.
Here is what was sent to me from wordpress:
Many websites are blacked out today to protest proposed U.S. legislation that threatens internet freedom: the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). From personal blogs to Wikipedia, sites all over the web — including this one — are asking you to help stop this dangerous legislation from being passed.
I will be back to respond to comments after 8 pm tonight. I hope everyone has a wonderful day enjoying a GREAT read! 😀
It’s 1996 and Josh and Emma have not only been neighbors all their lives, but also close friends. When Emma gets a new computer and Josh brings over a free AOL CD they received in the mail to install on it. Yet there is an error in the CD and when they log on it automatically loads up to something called Facebook. Something that won’t be around for eight years. And they see their future selves.
At first they are weirded out by the fact that people share so much about their lives. After all, who really cares what someone is making for dinner, or how long it took them to get to work in the heavy traffic? But more interesting is where they find themselves in the future. While Josh is extremely thrilled that way it seems his life will turn out, Emma has concerns for her future self. She learns that her decisions she makes today – can change her tomorrow…. and she tests that theory. Yet when Emma changes her future, it also affects Josh’s and those around them.
My biggest draw to this book was author Jay Asher. I really enjoyed Thirteen Reasons Why and felt it held some strong messages within its pages, so I was excited to see what The Future Of Us had in store.
The book is just smart. For me, it was odd to think of the years before Facebook. When Emma and Josh are surprised how open people are on Facebook, I was startled to remember that people were not always so open with their personal lives. There was a time, not all that long ago when I did not know where my friends were going for dinner, or who was in town for the night, or who had a crappy day at work.
When I thought about how Josh and Emma could see their future and yet change it in present day it reminded me of Back To The Future…. except trade the Delorean for an old school computer. 😉
Emma's computer kind of works like the Delorean!
Jay Asher did not let me down, The Future Of Us was not only entertaining it was smart and was a good reminder that no matter how old or young we are, the decisions we make today can effect our futures.
I have not read Carolyn Mackler yet, but I think I need to make a point too.
A great YA read with a good message. I think all ages would enjoy this read.
Good morning! Tuesday already? Smoking through the week…. 😀
Hubby and I usually drive to church separately. He almost always heads one direction after church (things to pick up for our business or a job to check on) and me to the grocery store, the gym, or home. Soooo…. this past Sunday I am booking to church at 8:30 am and go in and do not find hubby in our usual spot (don’t ask me why we all have usual spots but I think it is true of all of us… odd… but true).
Anyhoo.. I do not see him. So I pop back out into the hall and call his cell phone asking where he is and is he on his way. I leave a message. I go back in. I scan the room… nada… nothing… no hubster. I go back in the hall… I call again. No answer. I go back in and I sit towards the back, alone… but I am texting. ANGRY texting.
Me: Where are you?
(2 minutes later)
Me: Seriously. You better be on your way!
(3 minutes later)
Me: You are making me angry!
At this point we all stand up for a song and I notice a man who could possibly be my husband sitting on the end of an aisle about ten rows in front of me. (I know… I know… after 24 years you would think I could recognize the man!) As my row is empty except for me, to the beat of the song I sidled down the row until I am behind my friend Sandi. I whisper in her ear, “Sandi, is that my hubby up there?”
To which she replies, “Yes. I was wondering what was going on with you two!”
Well… in my defense he was wearing gray when I seen him in the morning and now it was a reddish sweatshirt. I sidled back to my seat… grab up my stuff and make my way towards him. Once sitting… I lean in and whisper “Just ignore your phone messages when you get them later.”
Holy meltdown batman!
😳
In other news (Yes, I am changing the subject) 😀 My friend and BEA two time roommate Reagan at Miss Remmers Reviews has an interesting little project going on. She is calling it Book Blogger Readers Appreciation Week and I think it is a pretty sweet idea. You can check out her post here, I have already added it to my sidebar, and I will talk about it again as we get closer to the dates of the event. I love things like this that build up the community so way to go Reagan!!!
And last but not least, Tuesday is check in day for Mari at Bookworm with A Views Checkpoint and I have posted my work out week here:
Rees Dolly comes from a life of pure poverty. At age 17 she struggles to take care pf herself, her two brothers, and her sickly mother. Her father, a meth addict is constantly out of the picture and dealing with the law. When Rees learns that her father has skipped out on bail AND that he had used the family home for his bond, she embarks out on her own to find him and bring him to his court date to save the family from becoming homeless.
Her journey is not one of ease as the terrain of the Ozarks is rough and the relatives she meets along the way just as unpredictable as the land.
I read many thoughts on Winter’s Bone in the last couple of years. It was always in the back burner of my mind that this would some day be a book I would like to try.
When I recently found it on audible.com I was thrilled that I could try it on audio. My results from this listen are not as raving as other reviews I have read.
First, let me say – it may have been the fact that I listened to it on audio. As much as I LOVE audio, occasionally I find one that may have worked better in book format for me. I think this may be one of those times.
I found myself lost in the Ozarks much of the book. I had trouble following the different routes that Rees was taking along the way, the people she met, and ultimately her discovery.
Honestly…. I think it was me.
I will watch the movie now that I have experienced the audio. I still think this has a lot of potential and I don’t think I connected well, but feel I missed something early on that left me baffled the rest of the time. A wonderful review of this book can be found at Linus’ Blanket. This is one of the reviews I had read that made me want to read this as well.
Fun Fact: Just as I was getting ready to post this review I took a second look at the actress who plays Rees in the movie. After a fast search on Google, I discovered that the actresses name is Jennifer Lawrence, and as per my suspicions… she is also the actress who is playing Katniss in the Hunger Games movie.
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.
Well, the week wasn’t all that I had hoped book wise. I actually had a FULL week of long work hours and evening plans every single night Monday thru Friday. So busy in fact, I hardly made it around to see any of your posts. I had little book time until these last couple of days which has been wonderful.
The week was skimpy but I have plans for this next one. While I will have evening events Monday and Wednesday and possibly Thursday… I should get a little time during the week, late evenings and over the weekend.
The plan?
Doc Hendley never set out to be a hero. In 2004, Hendley-a small- town bartender- launched a series of wine-tasting events to raise funds for clean-water projects and to bring awareness to the world’s freshwater crisis. He planned to donate the proceeds through traditional channels, but instead found himself traveling to one of the world’s most dangerous hot spots: Darfur, Sudan.
There, Doc witnessed a government-sponsored genocide where the number-one weapon wasn’t bullets-it was water. The Janjaweed terrorists had figured out that shooting up a bladder containing 10,000 liters of water, or dumping rotting corpses into a primary water source is remarkably efficient for the purposes of mass extermination. With limited funds, Doc realized that he couldn’t build new wells costing $10,000 a pop, but he could hire local workers to restore a damaged well for a mere $50 each. He’d found his mission. Today, Doc and Wine to Water continue to help stricken peoples repair and maintain water- containment systems in places like Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, and Haiti.
Doc is a regular, rough-and-tumble guy who loves booze, music, and his Harley- but he also wanted to help. Wine to Water is a gripping story about braving tribal warfare and natural disasters and encountering fascinating characters in far-flung regions of the world. It is also an authoritative account of a global crisis and an inspirational tale that proves how ordinary people can improve the world.
This book is seriously right up my alley and I can not wait to read and chat with you about it!
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
Ok… we will see on this one. It may be a genre stretch but I LOVE this cover!
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.
While still listening to the second in this series, Crescendo, Reagan from Miss Remmers Reviews raved to me about the third book. Silence…. so…. onward we go! 😀
After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska, where he went to live in the wilderness. Four months later, he turned up dead. His diary, letters and two notes found at a remote campsite tell of his desperate effort to survive, apparently stranded by an injury and slowly starving. They also reflect the posturing of a confused young man, raised in affluent Annandale, Va., who self-consciously adopted a Tolstoyan renunciation of wealth and return to nature. Krakauer, a contributing editor to Outside and Men’s Journal, retraces McCandless’s ill-fated antagonism toward his father, Walt, an eminent aerospace engineer. Krakauer also draws parallels to his own reckless youthful exploit in 1977 when he climbed Devils Thumb, a mountain on the Alaska-British Columbia border, partly as a symbolic act of rebellion against his autocratic father.
A book I have wanted to read for years… and never had. Until now.
Thats the week. How is yours looking? I am hoping to make my rounds and see what you are reading. Please add your linky below where it ways Click here.
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
and for those who read mainly YA, Middle Grade, and Childrens books, be sure to add your link to the MG version as well here:
Steve Martin. Probably a household name, if not for his stand up comedy act, then for his many movies through the years: The Jerk, Three Amigo’s, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Pink Panther, Cheaper By The Dozen, It’s Complicated, and Father Of The Bride (my fav!) just to name a few that I am aware of.
At age 10, Steve Martin got his start selling guidebooks at the newly opened Disneyland. In the years that followed, he worked in Disney’s magic shop, print shop, and theater, and developed his own magic/comedy act. By age 20, he was performing a dozen times a week, most often at the Disney rival, Knott’s Berry Farm.
As time went on, Steve found himself being hired in clubs to do his magic act and stand up comedy and for many years these night clubs were close to having no patrons come see his show, or in one case, a group of Japanese salesmen who did not speak any english.
When Steve did become a big name – it was fast and it was furious and taught Steve not only about the business of acting – but much about himself as well.
I remember in about 8th or 9th grade I became fan of Steve Martin. I had his comedy act on a record (20 somethings and younger ask your parents what this is…) and my friends would come over and laugh ourselves silly while listening to it. I remember it was the first record (that word again) that I was allowed to have that had any sort of mild foul language in it and I thought it was fantastic.
The funny thing is that until I listened to this audio, I have no idea how old Steve Martin must have been when I was listening to him in the 80’s. I discovered the year I was born…. he was 21. That would put him probably in his mid 30’s by the time I started listening to him and thinking he was funny. I think that is a little mind-blowing to think from his perspective that as his career is starting to take off at age 21, I am born and it will be another 14 – 15 years before I laugh at him. 😛
I really wanted to love this audio… I really did. In all honesty perhaps it was other audio memoirs that I have listened to recently that made this one a bit of a disappointment to me. Rob Lowe’s story blew me away. Jane Lynch’s tell all was informative and funny.
So what was wrong with Steve, Sheila?
I felt it lacked pizzazz. While Steve read this himself, which I LOVE, he almost read it monotone. Even when he talked about the jokes , and tag lines he had been known for (IE. “I am a wild and crazy guy!!!!”), they came off as thought Steve was reading from a script.
As the audio, went on, it was interesting. I liked learning about the early days, when he almost gave up as he performed to minimal audiences, to the 5 years of amazing career, when the age of stand up comedy exploded and Steve rose to the top filling arenas with 45,000+ people a show. I can imagine that is some pretty heady stuff.
It was also interesting learning about his family. His fathers lack of approval in what Steve was doing, and his distancing himself away from his entire family, including his sister who adored him.
And then, I think most disappointing was that as his on stage career came to an end – so did the audio. Abruptly. As in I was getting ready this morning and thought the audio was pausing between chapters… but no, it was over. Steve did not go into his steps beyond the comedy. He talked little of his movies, relationships, or other stars he friended along the way. It felt lacking and left me….
hanging.
I feel a little bad about this as I read other reviews and they are raves. Yet I honestly checked my audible account to make sure it wasnt a two-part audio and I had missed something. It really felt… unfinished.
Is the audio worth listening too?
Sure. I think maybe I was expecting more and discovering this audio is only about his stand up career…. was disheartening, and that is all on me. Steve shares a true rags to riches story that is interesting, but a lot of details even during that time period feel left out.
Is this weekend moving fast or what? I had a few free hours yesterday afternoon and today is spotted with activity…. church in the morning… an early afternoon workout…. Floor Hockey starts tonight at 7…
I am basking this morning in the quiet of the house in the en minutes I have here before I need to start moving. Hello COFFEE CUP. 😛
After such an activity this past week I am looking forward to a little book time. I want to finish The Future Of Us today (its good…. real good…) and hope to start on Ellen Degeneres’s Seriously I am Kidding by later afternoon.
Books.
What is it about them that brings us such joy? Is it the escape, is it living in someone else’s world for a while? I don’t know but I absolutely love my time spent in books. AND I get excited when I see others reading as well. College son started reading again and after we celebrated Christmas with Navy son last night, College son found a $25 Amazon gift card laying on his Kindle last night. I know he can’t afford to be spending money on books and I am more than happy to feed that habit. 😀
My friend sent me a video yesterday about books… I thought it was rather cool:
Book Journey 