Book Journey

One For The Money – The Book and the Movie Review

Published on January 29, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)40 Comments

A long time ago… (long before this blog or before I even knew what a blog was) I had read Janet Evanovich’s book One For The Money. It was light, it was funny. It was about this big haired girl named Stephanie Plum from New Jersey who was down on her luck after losing her job. The bills were piling up and she found herself looking for a job from her cousin Vinnie who owned the local Bond Agency.

Then it gets hilarious. Stephanie has no idea what she has got herself into but tries to bring in the biggest bail, Morrelli, who she had a brief encounter with many years ago and thinks this could be some pay back. Morelli is not only a good-looking guy, he is also a cop – on bail for a crime he did not commit but all evidence to say so seems to has disappeared.

When Stephanie requires a little assistance in her new job, she is introduced to Ranger (yay!!!! Three cheers from my section *doing the wave* !!!!) Ranger is dark and mysterious and has a way of showing up just when Stephanie needs him. He also teaches her how to shoot a gun, and how to break into a suspects home… but you know… that’s just part of the fun.

The book… is fun. Really it is. SO much fun in fact I went on to read Two For The Dough, Three To Get Deadly, Four To Score, High Five, Hot Six, Seven Up, Hard Eight, To The Nines, Ten Big Ones, Eleven On Top and Twelve Sharp. (In Twelve Sharp the book irritated me/ got a little gross and I stopped reading the series there). Currently I think the books are on eighteen.

The series is just funny bail bond situations that Stephanie gets involved in and Morrelli and Ranger dig her out of messes. She usually winds up accidentally uncovering something that leads to big arrests….

Movie…

On Saturday I went to the movie with four other Bookies (my book club). Although we never read this book as a book club, we had read a couple of the later ones in the series. A few in my book club are HUGE fans of the series and have read every book.

I felt the movie was well done. Although there has been grumblings of the casting of Katherine Heigl as Stephanie (too tall, and too sophisticated), I thought she did a great job. Morrelli and Ranger were wonderful and over all I personally thought this movie version was even better than the book. Yup. I did just say that.

If you are looking for a fun laugh out loud movie, I would recommend giving this one a try.

Morning Meanderings…. NEVER Say Never

Published on January 29, 2012January 29, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)32 Comments

Good morning!!!

UP early – ready to go…. things to do…. things to do….

Do I feel better? For the most part, yes. Not 100% and I did just sneeze… but I am moving.

Do you have any of those authors you read and then one day you decide… never again? I had that with Stephen King. As a teen and early 20’s – LOVED just about everything he wrote. In fact between him and Dean Koontz…. my favorite genre at the time was dark mystery with a touch occasionally of horror. (My how times have a changed….LOL)

Then… at some point… his writing became just odd. I didn’t get it… I didn’t want to get it… and I gave up on King, never to be read again by me.

There’s that word never.

But who was to know that someday in the future that King would write something that would make me curious. Who among us seen 11-22-63 coming from this author? Not me…. and even when it did I was skeptical…. but I added it to my wish list anyway, just in case… and then the positive murmurs began.

The final selling point for me was Kathy from Bermuda Onion said she was listening to it and enjoying it very much. I knew then my next audible credit would go to this audio chunkster… 30+ hours of audio is a BIG commitment…. but I did it a couple of days ago and I am into the story and…

wow.

Not only so far has King impressed me with this story of going back in time to save Kennedy on that fatal day, it’s not cheesy weird. It’s actually something I can visualize… and I like it. It’s also smart and I have to tell you it is scoring big time with me. As in this story, a way has been found to go back in time, yet each consecutive time you go back it sets everything you have done previously back to the way it was. Basically – you have to do it right… and then never go back again. AND no matter how long you are in the past – when you return to the future only two minutes have past, errr.. in the future.

Looking for a good read or a good way to spend your audible credit that is worthy? I think…. this may very well be it. Treat yourself. Surprise yourself. Way to go King.

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Published on January 28, 2012January 28, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Austin Parker knows he will never see his eighteen birthday. The leukemia he had for years now has slowly eaten away his once strong athletic build and he is tired of fighting.

Really tired.

Yet, before he goes… Austin has made a list of people he wants to talk with and places he wants to see. With the help of his best friend Kaylee and her car that she constantly changes the name of, they take a weekend to right wrongs, to speak truth, to try new things, and to come clean about true feelings… no matter what the cost.

One of the songs from Austins play list:

When I went to BEA in 2010 I had the opportunity to hand with the Class of 2011 Debut YA Authors. Let’s just say…. it was a blast and I had so much fun chatting it up with these authors who’s books were going to be released in 2011. What a high energy group!!! I loaded up on their books, read many of them… and still have more to get to!

So when the buzz was starting about the Class of 2K12 I became excited all over again! Here was a whole new group of authors coming into the scene, and one of those authors happened to be Megan Bostic with her book here, Never Eighteen.

I had such a good time reading this book. How do I describe it’s impact on me? Yes, it is sad. BUT it is also powerful, smart, important, insightful, kind, sweet, brilliant, thought provoking and a page turner.

For a YA read I was impressed how this book makes you think of the what if’s in our lives… and the relationships we have that are either broken, damaged, or there are words that need to be said… but the time never seems right. What does it take to motivate us into action? How could lives change if we were the ones to make the steps toward repairing, if we were the ones to point out truths that no one has been brave enough to say out loud?

Seriously – keep an eye on Megan Bostic…

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Morning Meanderings… a little road trip this morning

Published on January 28, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Good morning. Still under the weather here… a little sniffly and a little sneezy (that sounds like two dwarfs!) still, but moving forward. That said, it did not stop me from putting a baseball cap on my head, throwing on tennis shoes and a sweatshirt over my t shirt and sleep pants and taking a drive down the road to capture some pictures this morning for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshot.

Just down the road from where I live is The old Brainerd State Hospital. Once a flourishing environment of 22 large buildings and many State jobs, the hospital opened in 1958 and was able to house as many as 1,500 patients. In fact, in 1981, my first job was there, I worked in building 16 one summer as an activity assistant. I wasn’t old enough to drive then, but I road my bike to and from, Monday through Friday. Being a state job, it was the best pay scale I had for many years to come.

As Health Treatment philosophy changed in the later 1980’s the patient load declined rapidly until as of the last few years, the only buildings being used are 20,21, and 22. Last month they began to demo the other buildings.

I have lived in this home for the most part, since I was 3 years old. The State Hospital, besides a job – holds many memories for me. My cousins and I used to ride our bikes through the roadways within the property from the ages of 8 to 14.

This morning… I grabbed up my camera and took these pictures:

It is the end of an era.

Today I plan to lay low and recover. I have a book to read this morning, and a few of us from my book club are going to go to the afternoon showing of One For The Money, based off the book by Janet Evanovich.

The Condition by Jennifer Haigh

Published on January 27, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)35 Comments

At the age of thirteen Gwen McKotch is at the beach with her younger cousin Charlotte. As Gwen’s father passes by and glances at the girls he is shocked to see how small Gwen looks in her child sized bikini next to the younger Charlotte. At this moment the McKotch’s get the first inkling that there is something wrong with their daughter and they soon learn she has Turner’s Syndrome; a genetic condition that stops the body from maturing trapping her forever in the body of a child.

Twenty years later, Gwen’s parents are now divorced. Her older brother Billy is a cardiologist dutiful and dedicated to a fault battling his own thoughts on what a relationship should be. Her other brother Scott has struggled with drugs, a lousy soul sucking job, and a lousy soul sucking marriage. And then there is Gwen, silent and emotionally aloof, bright and accomplished. She has made peace with the hand she has been dealt and now in her early thirties she is falling in love for the first time.

Suddenly… the McKotch’s world is once again tipped on it’s axis.

Turner syndrome or Ullrich-Turner syndrome (also known as “Gonadal dysgenesis”^[1]^:550) encompasses several conditions in human females, of which monosomy X (absence of an entire sex chromosome, the Barr body) is most common. It is a chromosomal abnormality in which all or part of one of the sex chromosomes is absent (unaffected humans have 46 chromosomes, of which two are sex chromosomes). Normal females have two X chromosomes, but in Turner syndrome, one of those sex chromosomes is missing or has other abnormalities. In some cases, the chromosome is missing in some cells but not others, a condition referred to as mosaicism^[2] or ‘Turner mosaicism’.

Occurring in 1 in 2000^[3] – 1 in 5000 phenotypic females,^[4] the syndrome manifests itself in a number of ways. There are characteristic physical abnormalities, such as short stature, swelling, broad chest, low hairline, low-set ears, and webbed necks.^[5] Girls with Turner syndrome typically experience gonadal dysfunction (non-working ovaries), which results in amenorrhea (absence of menstrual cycle) and sterility. Concurrent health concerns are also frequently present, including congenital heart disease, hypothyroidism (reduced hormone secretion by the thyroid), diabetes, vision problems, hearing concerns, and many autoimmune diseases.^[6] Finally, a specific pattern of cognitive deficits is often observed, with particular difficulties in visuospatial, mathematical, and memory areas.^[7]

Wikepedia

I knew I wanted to read a Jennifer Haigh book. I have known this for over a year now. When the opportunity presented itself to a part of a tour and I had choice of reviewing one of several titles, I asked for the book to be chosen for me. The Condition is what was offered, and I accepted.

The Condition, after all, is right up my alley. Books about families with real issues, real feeling tragedy’s and triumphs is something I enjoy reading about. After all, in today’s world the family without struggles of some kind is extremely rare. Some of us are born with deficiencies we have no control over, others grow into habits and addictions brought on by may causes… and it is amazing how one family member can stumble, and the repercussions can tumble down for years and years to come.

So…. did Jennifer Haigh deliver?

When I sat down and opened this book one thing really impressed on me immediately…. I felt like I landed right in the story. This is not one of those reads where someone says, “hang on… after page 105 it really gets good!”, no, this book grabbed me from the start. In fact when I sat down that first day to start it, I only planned on checking out how it started, read a page or two to get the feel of it and then continue the next day.

That is not what happened. Instead, I was sucked in and each page made me want to read another. Right from the start the story pulls at you, causing you to want to know more… to want to read more. You can’t stop, because you are always in the “happening moment” and who wants to stop while stuff is happening? 😀

I am not going to describe a lot here as this is a book that is best left to the reader to discover. I will say that I liked how Jennifer Haigh skillfully broke the narration into five parts and each of the McKotch family has a voice, all giving their take on the same event. This was handled smoothly and allowed me to feel as though I knew and understood each family member.

At first glance, you would think The Condition is about Gwen’s diagnosis, but as you read you will discover that the condition, is part of each of them.

An intelligent read that I will continue to think about for a long time.

Morning Meanderings…. Should the Sniffling and Sneezing be telling me something?

Published on January 27, 2012January 27, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Good morning.

Stuffy head…. sniffling… sneezing…

I feel like a walking ad for some sort of cold and flu commercial.

I don’t get sick often but when I do…. it knocks me down.

I am ready for work…. just Advil’d up to hopefully take the edge of the queasy and moving forward. I have to get a couple of things done for sure today… if this does not pass I will be home early…

One thing I wanted to be sure and share today (not the sickness…. your safe from that :razz:) is a sale my fellow book lovers need to be aware of:

Yup. And it’s a good sale! As my head has allowed I have put a couple of things into my cart on their site…. still have not made it all the way through but found a Laura Lipman, and a couple of others so far. Beware – it’s an addicting site when you can find good titles for $1.99.

I have a review up later and hopefully will be 100% better after today…. 😀

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

Published on January 26, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

In 1992 Christopher McCandless, a top student of the University of Atlanta, known to be strong-willed, idealistic, and an exceptional athlete, walked away from his family never to be seen by them again. It was soon to be discovered that Christopher had given away his entire savings of $24,000 to a hunger charity. Later yet, his beloved car was found abandoned with a note on it basically saying “finders… keepers. It’s yours.”

Four months later he was found dead inside an old bus in the Alaska wilderness.

What would cause a young man with such a bright future, a good home, family and friends who loved him, to shut everyone out without a reason why?

His diary which was found at a remote camp site tell a tale that is so unbelievable – it has to be true. Chris (who changed his name to Alex at this time) writes of odd jobs he found along the way to earn enough to get by, the people he met, and continued to connect with, the loss of his car, no food for days, and eventually moving into the Alaskan wilderness believing he would live off the land – catch and kill what he needed to eat to survive.

The bus where Chris spent his last days. The bus still remains in the deep wilderness of Denalie National Park in Alaska and local guides can take you there.

Into the Wild has been a book that has interested me since I first heard about it. Christopher McCandless was someone I wanted to know more about. I could imagine the pain of a family not knowing where there son was, and I was curious about a boy just graduated who could walk away from his family and not look back. Not so much as a note to say “I am ok”.

I found Chris’ story – as told from what he left in a dairy of his journeys to be one that was both sad and fascinating at the same time. I was sad for his family and could not imagine what it felt like to not know where there son was… and I was fascinated at the decisions Chris made along the way… for a while it seemed like quite the adventure.

Even after listening to this book on audio, I am still left with questions. Did Chris have a death wish? He had not packed properly for his journey, not even having a compass. And no one knew where he was. No one. Or was Chris just a boy with an over inflated idea of himself and his knowledge to survive away from people and the comforts of home. He had several books on identifying edible plants after all….

The world will never know… but I like to believe the latter.

An audio that astounded me. I was held to listening to it long after I should have been running my errands, or moving on to another project. It is a rare audio that stops me to just sit and listen… and that is what I did.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I purchased this audio from audible.com

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Published on January 25, 2012January 25, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)40 Comments

Cinder is 17 and works in the market of New Beijing as a gifted mechanic. In this new world Cinder repairs many things among them, androids. When the handsome and kind Prince Kai’s stops by her booth in the market with a request for a repair, and sparks fly…. (in a good way)

What Prince Kai does not know that Cinder is not just a pretty girl who is handy with a wrench… she is actually a cyborg from the result of an accident she had as a child, lives with her step mother who treats her like hired help and has two-step sisters one she adores and one…. well… not so much…

What Cinder does not know is that her destiny and Prince Kai’s are about to collide.

Did I mention there is going to be a Ball?

Another cover that is pretty AWESOME! (oh and sssqqquuueeee about that shoe right?)

Gushing flood gates…… “OPEN!”

The buzz around Cinder intrigued me…

and I wasn’t sure if it would be for me. 😯

I am not sure if I have ever read a book with androids in it before… a little border line sci-fi for me…. yes the raves were out there and I could not ignore them. Lenore at Presenting Lenore, Jill at Rhapsody In Books, and Reagan at Miss Remmers Reviews (just to name a few) all wrote reviews that made me want to read it MORE and read it NOW.

When I picked Cinder up a couple of nights ago, my plan was to just get a feel for the book before I went to bed. But Cinder grabs you from the start and before I knew it I was 176 pages in and having to put the book down. I finished it the next evening.

Cinder is the first have read like this and I loved how incredibly well done the book is. Marissa Meyer weaves between this Apocolyptic time and the storyline of the original Cinderella I am amazed at how she does it. All the key elements are there, the crabby step mother, the prince, the ball, the dress, and even something orange to arrive in but I wont tell you what…. 😉

AND…. while all this is going on it does not feel forced but flows nicely and made me want to cheer “Go Marissa Meyer Go!!!”

Cinder is going to be a part of a series and it does leave you at an exciting point of …. “WHA??? WAIT!!!”” so I warned you…. I even went on-line to see if I could get an idea for the time line for the other books and here is what I found:

Cinder is based on Cinderella. Scarlet, the second book in the series, will be based on Little Red Ridinghood. Crest will be based on Rapunzel. And, Winter will be based on Snow White. Cinder will be the main character in each of these books and you can count me in on this wild Apocolyptic tale ride 😀

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Thank you Shelf Awareness!

Morning Meanderings… Something…. UNUSUAL

Published on January 24, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Good morning.

SO something unusual happened after I posted my Monday What Are You Reading post on Sunday evening.

I did not log on to Asus (Laptop) at all yesterday.

😯

Truth is, I can’t remember the last time that has happened unless I was at the cabin for a weekend – separated from laptop by miles and miles of road and trees and the occasional moose….

but no…

I just got up yesterday morning…. got ready for work…. worked until 3:45, picked up food for the IHN Group we are serving, dropped chicken off at my home for hubby when he got off work, picked people up to take to the church we were serving the dinner at, helped with dinner and home around 7:30 pm.

I looked at laptop and proceeded to finish reading Cinder instead…. which, was…..

well…. my review will be up tomorrow. 😀

I need to go…. promise I will be better going forward this week 😀

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on January 22, 2012January 22, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)77 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:

Lori at Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

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

Woo another week already! I am kind of exciting because it was a good week. I had a nice mix between life and books… work and work outs….

Here’s what happened here:

Winters Bone by Daniel Woodrell (not what I was expecting)

The Future Of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler (SOOOOO good!!!!)

Wine To Water by Doc Hendley with a giveaway copy!!!! (AMAZING good story!)

This World We Live In By Susan Beth Pfeffer (Oops! AN audio I listened to in December and for got to review! :shock:)

Seriously I’m Kidding by Ellen Degenerous (Seriously… I was dissapointed!)

Recommended Audio Listening – Audio Listeners Share Their Best Of The Best In Audio

It was a pretty good week. I did not get to Cinder yet but will be starting it tonight. I have so looked forward to reading time lately… and here is what I have coming up this week:

One enchanting romance. Two lovers keeping secrets. And a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever.

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself . . .

The Thorn and the Blossom is a remarkable literary artifact: You can open the book in either direction to decide whether you’ll first read Brendan’s, or Evelyn’s account of the mysterious love affair. Choose a side, read it like a regular novel—and when you get to the end, you’ll find yourself at a whole new beginning.

How exciting does this book sound? I hope to be into it by mid week!

A dysfunctional New England family struggles toward normalcy in this poignant novel from PEN/Hemingway-winner Haigh, who follows the children of resentful, controlling, Paulette and distracted, needy Frank. Even during a childhood in idyllic Cape Cod, there are hints of a rocky future. When that future arrives, Billy, the most successful of the children, keeps a secret about his sophisticated New York life from almost everyone. Scott, formerly the uncontrollable brat of the bunch, sees himself in his own troubled son. Meanwhile, Gwen suffers from a genetic condition that prevents her from developing into womanhood.

This one is for a tour… I have heard good things about author Jennifer Haigh.

Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life. Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go. But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

This is one from the Debut Authors of 2012 and I am so excited to read this one!

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. Neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all — love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart? Travel to both sides of the tracks in a passionate love story about looking beneath the surface.

I have wanted to read this ever since I met Simone Elkeles in New York in 2010!

After years of wandering from whim to whim, thirty-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of her land on the family’s seaside compound to get Charlotte started. Though Charlotte’s skill with plants is bringing her success, cultivating something deeper with people-particulary her handsome neighbor Coop-might be more of a challenge.Nona’s generosity to Charlotte, secretly her favorite grandchild, doesn’t sit well with the rest of the Wheelwright clan, however, as they worry that Charlotte may be positioning herself to inherit the entire estate. With summer upon them, everyone is making their annual pilgrimage to the homestead-some with hopes of thwarting Charlotte’s dreams, others in anticipation of Nona’s latest pronouncements at the annual family meeting, and still others with surprising news of their own. Charlotte’s mother, Helen, a Wheelwright by marriage, brings a heavy heart. She once set aside her own ambitions to fit in with the Wheelwrights, but now she must confront a betrayal that threatens both her sense of place and her sense of self.As summer progresses, these three women-Charlotte, Nona, and Helen-come to terms with the decisons they have made. Revisiting the lives and loves that have crossed their paths and the possibilities of the the roads not taken, they may just discover that what they’ve always sought out was right in front of them all along.

One of my favorite all time reads is called Summer House (Jude Deveroux) and since then the title always sparks up visions of friends and get aways, giggles, and magical moments. I read any book I find with this title.

There’s my week – it probably looks HUGE. It does look huge doesn’t it? But really – The Thorn and The Blossom looks small and so does Never Eighteen. The audio books are replacing two I have ending so may not finish them this week, but I am starting them…. and probably a third too… 😀

Now I want to know what you are reading! Add your link below to where it says “click here”

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