Book Journey

Bookies thoughts on Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff (and a picture of our very own Cleopatra!)

Published on November 15, 2011November 15, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)31 Comments

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (November 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316001929
ISBN-13: 978-0316001922

Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; assassination was a family specialty. Cleopatra appears to have had been with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and–after his murder–three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends.

This was our book club read while I was in Honduras. I had the best of intentions to read it before I left, but life happenings, a very sick dog, and hard decisions made that… ummm… not happen. Upon my return from Honduras I connected with a couple of the girls in the group and they shared not only their thoughts… but also pictures!!!

We were all surprised by the role of women in Egypt during this time. They had so many rights and were held in such high esteem. They were able to own land and many riches and sometimes the husbands were the ones left at home weaving by the loom. We wondered what created the shift in our culture to relegate women as so far beneath men that we had to struggle in the last century to get some of our rights back. One of the questions in the discussion guide asked if women could ever go backward in rights again and all of us believed it would not happen to us again.

While we still do not know a lot about Cleopatra even after reading the book, what we did learn was fascinating. She was very rich and slightly manipulative. She was charming and even (look at the pictures in the book) kind of ugly.

The Bookies advice to me.. dont bother reading it. Most of the girls did not finish it, finding it hard to get into. However I was also told it is not as long as it looks.. the last 60 pages are pictures.

Overall with 8 Bookies in attendance, the book rating was way below average.

The food however – was fun:

Fig Newtons because Cleopatra called for sweet figs on the day she committed suicide and also Greek yogurt because that is just fun. 🙂

and finally – Amy was our very own Cleopatra:

1aaa — Amy - really gets into the book club book

Which leads me to burst with pride for our AWESOME book club! As I sit here and write this review I am prompted to jot down a few (ok maybe more than a few) reasons I enjoy the Bookies so much:

1. We go the extra mile to make the reviews interesting

2. Special event months like our Summer Queen event, Classic Hat and Read month, and Christmas party

3. Digging deep for bonus info on books and authors

4. We value each others opinions

5. We agree to occasionally disagree 😛

6. Food that is prompted by the books we read

7. An amazing and passionate group of girls that have turned from a group of book lovers to friends

8. Stretched to read books and genres I may not have chosen but found out I enjoyed

9. It’s ok to not read the book. 😯

10. 10+ years of Bookies, started in August 2001 with 3 girls and now 10 years later we have 14.

Morning Meanderings… Things “Happen” while I am away….

Published on November 15, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Good morning!

I returned home from Honduras in the early hours of Saturday morning this past weekend. A few things I have noted over the past several days that have taken place while I was away….

1. My Chocolate Caramel Creamer.

Yes, I will admit it is not good for me but oh…. have you tried it? On Saturday evening I was craving a large cup of coffee and thought…. ooh, the creamer would be good. But – I could not find it in the refrigerator. Al (Hubby) does not usually drink coffee at home…. he leaves for work around 5 am and catches it at a coffee shop and he only drinks coffee in the morning… unlike me…. 😛

When I inquired about the missing creamer he responded, “Oh, that was really good.” When I mentioned he never drinks coffee at home, he responded, “Oh, I didnt drink coffee. It was like chocolate milk, I drank a little glass full of the creamer each night.

😯

2. My office.

Oh ha ha co-workers and evil minded boss! 😛 They cobwebbed my desk….

3. This morning…. I wake up to this:

So…. no creamer, cobwebby desk, and snow. Really?

GAH.

😛

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on November 13, 2011November 13, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)88 Comments

Hello and welcome to another fun addition of 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.

Two weeks ago winner:

Martha E from Martha’s Bookshelf!

and the previous weeks winner while I was in Honduras:

Jackie

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

I just returned from Honduras after 7 days in the wee hours of Saturday morning. It was a good trip but a full one and most of my reading happened on the plane. That said, I did finish two books and an audio and felt accomplished with that. While I was away a group of fabulous book bloggy friends covered the blog here keeping my virtual plants watered and greeting visitors with fun posts. Here is what did get posted since last Monday:

Danielle from There’s A Book gives us some of the best Children and Middle Grade books she has experienced this year

Here you can catch some pics of me eating and drinking some authentic Honduran food (the pics are fun because the food didn’t go down so well 😉 )

Sharon from Sharon’s Garden Of Books gives her thoughts on the book Mrs. Tom Thumb (I must read this one!)

My good buddy Alison from Alison’s Book Marks shares my thoughts exactly when she says “Don’t Miss This Book!”

Vicki From I’d Rather Be at The Beach shares her thoughts on The Help Movie

The Sinking of The Eastland by Jay Bonansinga (Incredible true story of the sinking of a great ship in Chicago in 1915)

The Team that I went to Honduras with: Back Left: Boris, Jay Haugh, Dima, Eric Crabtree, (Front: Left) Mark Bjorlo, Me, Al Steiff, and Julie Steiff

Thank you to everyone who shared a post here while I was away and thank you to those who visited and gave them some comment love… 😀 I still have reviews to write for books I finished in Honduras.

Now for this week…

At twenty-two, just out of college, Molly Birnbaum spent her nights reading cookbooks and her days working at a Boston bistro, preparing to start training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. She knew exactly where she wanted the life ahead to lead: She wanted to be a chef. But shortly before she was due to matriculate, she was hit by a car while out for a run in Boston. The accident fractured her skull, broke her pelvis, tore her knee to shreds—and destroyed her sense of smell. The flesh and bones would heal…but her sense of smell?And not being able to smell meant not being able to cook. She dropped her cooking school plans, quit her restaurant job, and sank into a depression.

Season to Taste is the story of what came next: how she picked herself up and set off on a grand, entertaining quest in the hopes of learning to smell again.

This one has been on the dock before but was set aside for life stuff…. and now is back again. I started it yesterday.

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets

First of all… SSSQQUUUEEEEE to the 80’s flashbacks!!!! SO AWESOME! I can not wait to start this!

Sam Travers is an ordinary guy desperately trying to preserve his sense of purpose in the months following an accident at work that has left him disabled. Still his life is good with a loving wife and young daughter who adores him like only a little girl can. But one morning, an unexplained gun shot that leaves no physical evidence sets into motion a series of events that puts Sam on a collision course with a darkness that has been brooding in the quiet rural hills for at least 150 years.

This one I am reading as an INSPY Award judge.

A Captain’s Journal is a personal account of events from Balad Air Force Base Hospital in Iraq during a six month period from 2006 – 2007. The stories are told from the personal perspective of Eric Charles, an Anesthesiologist. Eric recounts his patient encounters that range from pleasant to gut-wrenching and from laughable to tear-jerking. The descriptions of the events are occasionally graphic, but strike a realistic chord. Eric also weaves into the narrative many personal and philospohical interactions from the every day events of living in the midst of the Iraq War.

The cool thing about this one is Eric “Charles” is Eric Crabtree, who is pictured above and was on the Honduras Mission Trip I just returned from. He gave me this copy of his book this morning. 😀

So that is what is on the plate 😉 It feels like it has been forever since I have been able to get around and chat with all of you and see what you are reading. Please add your What Are You Reading link below where it says “click here” and I am planning to get around to all of you and I am excited to do so! 😀

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The Sinking Of The Eastland by Jay Bonansinga

Published on November 13, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)36 Comments

It was a morning to remember. On July 24th, 1915 in downtown Chicago, over 2,000 Western Electric Employees and their families, dressed in their best and went to board the Eastland for the annual company picnic. The Eastland was a breathtaking steamship and many came to watch as the ship loaded the excited and happy employees and families.

Then… the unthinkable happened.

The Eastland (as you will find out within the book, was never a very stable feeling ship) rolled over in the Chicago river, trapping many of those on board within its body. The woman, who were dressed in high boots, jewelery, large skirts, and over coats, became human anchors. Men were said to have trampled children, and shoved aside women in the panic to escape.

In the end, after three days of rescue attempts… 844 men, women, and children died.

The interior of the Eastland changed suddenly, as if by the dark magic of a fun house mirror. Floors became walls, port holes became skylights, and the gigantic influx of water turned the mahogany trimmed rooms into sealed chambers worthy of Harry Houdini’s worst nightmares.

Page 72

The entire Sinclair family - all eight of them perished on the Eastland

So Sheila, why the morbid fascination with tragedy?

Well… I don’t really know – but morbid fascination seems harsh… I would say more an interest in history, and what seems to me to be important history.

I am always surprised when I find out about something like this and realize if not for certain circumstances, I may have never heard of the Eastland and its tragic demise.

Readers of Book Journey may remember that in June of this year I went with three of my good friends to Chicago for a long girls exploratory weekend. The plan was… there was no plan. We would land where we landed, stay where we stay – but our destination was Chicago.

On our second day there we hopped on a double-decker tour bus and enjoyed the sights of Chicago…. at one point our tour guide stopped and showed up where this large steamliner, The Eastland, had overturned in 1915 killing 844 people.

I was stunned. As I looked at the spot being pointed to, I did not understand. The ship was docked – not moving. In still waters. Near the bridge where many people were watching. How did they all die? Why were they not saved? How does something like this happen?

I had to know more.

Upon returning home to Brainerd I was sharing my trip experience with Lloyd Anderson. He was familiar with the sinking of the Eastland and I mentioned to him I had to know more about this tragedy. A couple of weeks ago, Lloyd came into my office with this book that he had checked out of the library for me. Life had moved on for me and I had forgotten my desire to research this ship…. Lloyd had not.

The Sinking Of The Eastland traveled with me to Honduras and back. (Yes, Brainerd Library, the book is fine). I devoured the information inside.

Well written, and powerfully intense, I read about entire families being taken by this disaster, I learned of the divers who sent rescue teams at first into the chilly waters… that later became recovery teams instead. I read of every day public hero’s who dove in time and again to save people (and succeeded!) and I read of scoundrels who picked the pockets of the 800+ bodies lined up on the streets waiting to be identified.

For most of the book, I wept.

Jay Bonansinga writes a story that is at once heart wrenching and painful – he reveals mistakes that could have been avoided, and a captain that abandoned his ship. And while all this may be perceived as a hard HARD read… it is an important one. And you know what? Life is hard. All stories can not end sugary sweet and leaving you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

I for one am glad I spent time this past week with The Eastlander and its occupants. I now have a new mark on my heart… it is ship shaped.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading map has been updated to include The Sinking Of The Eastland

Thank you to Lloyd Anderson who borrowed this

from the Brainerd library on my behalf.

Morning Meanderings… what happened to yesterday (oh, and winners!)

Published on November 13, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Good morning and happy Sunday. 😀

I am sitting here… still coffee free (but not for long) wondering what happened to my yesterday. I had plans… not big ones… but baby steps back into my life routine. I was going to unpack (did not happen), I was going to do laundry (it made it to the washer)…

I was going to write reviews for the two books and one audio I finished while I was away this last week (instead I fell asleep in the chair).

At 3 pm yesterday Hubby Al came in the house and wanted to go out for supper…. right then as he had not eaten yet. At 3 pm. Supper. I told him we were not 80 and he could wait at least until 4:30. Then our friends Dan and Key called and they asked us to meet up with them so by 4:15, e were out of the house anyway. It was a good night, had dinner with them and then went back to their house for a while to chat.

We came home, watched the Survivor episode I missed while I was away and then bed.

Today – my agenda is wide open again and I am glad…. Monday will come soon enough. 😀

WINNERS!

Yesterday I announced a one day comment for a bag of Honduras Coffee that I brought back with me. This morning using random.org I chose the winner and that was:

Truly Simply Pink

For Snowflower and the Secret Fan the DVD or Blue Ray winner is:

Kailana from The Written World

The book goes to:

Dominique

The winners of the signed hard copy Laura Childs Skeleton Letters are:

Mary Preston

Carol Wong

Thanks everyone for entering. I need to go get ready now… but I will be back later with a review, and tonight of course with Monday What Are You Reading.

Morning Meanderings… HOME from Honduras

Published on November 12, 2011November 12, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)80 Comments

Good morning.

*YAWN*

*STRETCH*

A very tired group of people landed in Minneapolis last night around 10:30 pm… worked our way through baggage claim, shuttled back to our hotel by 11:30 and started the drive home… arriving in Brainerd around 1:30 am….

I was one of them.

In typical me fashion, I should be sleeping, but no… woke up at 8 am and now I am UP, showered, laundry started and sitting in my chair with a cup of Honduras coffee at my side.

Its good to be home.

I doubt if I will do much today… I may do a little reading to relax my mind, I may take a nap… I more than likely will have Chinese for lunch as there is something odd that happens every year… I return home craving Chinese food.

I thought I would post a few pics this morning of some of the beauty that is Honduras as this is Saturday and Alyce is busy over At Home With Books with her Saturday Snapshots.

348 — A little shop alongside of the road

I of course, also brought back a bag of Honduras Coffee for one lucky commenter today. Leave a comment here and you will be added automatically into the giveaway.

Vicki RAVES about The Help Movie

Published on November 11, 2011November 4, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Hi everyone! I’m Vicki from I’d Rather Be At The Beach. I started my first blog, Reading At The Beach, which I lost due to Malware, around the same time Sheila started her blog. Somehow we found each others blogs shortly after. I’m not really sure how, but it was probably from blog hopping, which I know we both do a lot of. I’m honored to be a guest here, and hope you will leave me a comment… we don’t want Sheila’s stats to go down now do we? LOL!

Today I’m going to share my thoughts of the movie “The Help”.

Since my daughter got married we don’t get to see each other on a daily basis, so we have a girls night out every so often. Recently we decided to go to a restaurant in a town nearby and then to see “The Help”! I was trying to wait until I’d read the book before I saw the movie, but with review obligations I knew I wouldn’t get to the book soon enough to suit me. So I did something I rarely do. I caved and saw the movie first. It wasn’t my fault though, it was all of those blog post I saw raving about the movie. You made it sound so awesome that I HAD to go see it.

I. Could. Not. Wait.

99.99% of the time, when a book or movie is built up in my mind due to glowing reviews such as “it was amazing”…it isn’t. But “The Help” was better than I was expecting. The characters were so real and vivid that I loved them all, even though I wanted to slap some of them. The movie had me laughing over and over, crying a few times, and even made feel ashamed as a person that there were some people who could treat other human beings so badly. That said, it was still such a feel good funny movie. There were many laugh out loud moments, but there was one scene in particular that had me laughing so hard I just about slid off my seat into the floor! Those of you who have seen the movie know which one I’m talking about.

There was never a dull moment and I thought this movie was FANTASTIC! It is now one of my favorite movies and I plan on buying it on DVD so that I can watch it over and over. I’d definitely give it a AAA+.

If you haven’t seen this, GO NOW!!! You won’t be disappointed! Want a sneak peak or refresher course? Here you go:

Thank you Sheila, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog while you’re in Honduras. I hope you’re having a great time. It’s wonderful that you give so much time and love to others!!

*Note from Sheila: I second Vicki’s thoughts here about The Help… the book is so good, and the movie is a fantastic companion to it. If you have not seen it… you need to.

Morning Meanderings…. Honduras and I Am Coming Home!

Published on November 11, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Good morning. 😀

I am here at the guest house in Tegucigalpa Honduras, a little groggy, but good. Yesterday was a fine day to travel and see areas we have worked in the past. We stopped at AFE (the dump school) and I was saddened to see that my little buddy Samir (who I see every year) was not there. I was told he had not been feeling good so was at his home.

1aa — Melissa and I. Melissa is one of the students of AFE.

053 — One of the buildings at AFE. I have put the rebar in the floor of this building and helped put in the cement floor years ago.

After AFE we went out to Manuelito where we used to work with the street kids. That was like a family reunion I love seeing those kids and how they have grown and matured…

Two of the girls I have known a long time from Manuelito.... Michelle, me, and Ava

Both stops were good and I know we will not do that every year, but it was good to see them.

We then went to the Valle de Angelas, which is the Valley Of The Angels. This is our shopping stop for the trip. Pretty much a Honduras tourist trap. I usually pick up a few bracelets or necklaces, the prices are good and the items are unique. Of course I always get coffee too to bring back 🙂

We returned to the guest house last night for dinner and had time to all talk together afterwards about our thoughts on the day. I am really enjoying my time with this group. Al, Julie, and Mark I have done this with many times – but Eric, Jay, Boris, and Dima have been wonderful new additions to the group and it has been a lot of fun getting to know them better.

Our team: Back left: Boris, Jay, Dima, Eric, *Front: Mark, me, Al, and JUlie

Today we start flying back. Our flight leaves Tegucigalpa at 1:59 pm. We will land in Atlanta around 6:30 pm…. in Minneapolis about 10:30 pm, and then out drive home will put us in around 1:30 am.

Alison is screaming “Don’t Miss This Book”!!!

Published on November 10, 2011November 4, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

DON’T MISS THIS BOOK!!

Good morning, Book Journey friends!

I am honored to be your substitute host today while Sheila is spreading her joy across the globe. I had the pleasure of meeting Sheila in May 2010 at the Book Expo America in New York. She is just as lovely in person as I hoped she would be, and we hit it off right away!! I’m not only a friend and fellow book blogger, I’m also a loyal reader of Book Journey, so I figured I could stop by and we could keep one another company in Sheila’s absence.

Photographic proof! This is from BEA 2010. With all the time we spent together this past May, I don’t have a photo of the two of us…Sheila? Do you have one??

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the Alison from Alison’s Book Marks. I have a little book blog on the other side of the Internets where I chat about an eclectic mix of books. Any book that is being read in my house is discussed on my blog – right now, The Man is working on KILLING LINCOLN; the 6 year old is tackling his first “real book”, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID; the 9 year old, is reading HOLES by Louis Sachar; and I am currently reading HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET. I am blessed with a reading family!!

There is one book I read this year that I can’t stop talking about with my book friends – THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday; Hardcover; 400 pgs.; September 13, 2011: 978-0385534635).

I would send you over to read my review of the book, but I think Sheila’s review was much better. Not only do I feel this is the best book I have read all year, but it has also earned a place on my Book Shelf of Fame, where I place my all-time favorites like THE BOOK THIEF, EAST OF EDEN, THE HELP, SARAH’S KEY, and HARRY POTTER.

I went into this book knowing very little. In fact, I didn’t even read the blurb on the back cover. All I was told was that there was magic and mystery, all wrapped up in a cast of characters one will not soon forget. It did not take me long to get sucked into the mystery of the Circus, which is a character in and of itself.

I read quite a bit, as you might imagine, and always looking forward to the next great book, but this is one of the few books that I can’t wait to read again and again. The next time I experience this book will probably be listening to the audio, by Jim Dale (of Harry Potter audio fame!) There are all these wonderful little details that I can’t wait to experience all over again. There was a reason for everything – the color of a dress, the shape of a tree, the taste of a dessert. This book was an all-sensory experience!

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern is a special book. I hope you read it this winter, and be sure to come back and chat with us when you do!

*Note from Sheila: Alison ROCKS! She is a lot of fun and I enjoy her blog and her friendship. Her review of Night Circus is awesome and it is linked here so check it out… and Alison, you asked if I had a picture of us from BEA 2011…. I do:

Morning Meanderings… Honduras – Day Five

Published on November 10, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Good morning. 😛

I did it again… I set my alarm according to my cell phone… got up, showered, and dressed… and then realized that it was actually an hour earlier than I thought it was.

😯

I had turned off my data and wifi in Honduras so as not to get the bill of a lifetime and due to this, my cell phone never updated to the correct time.

We are now in Tegucigalpa and it is good to be here. For one… the internet is much better and it is not taking me two hours to upload pictures and write a post.

I did not get many pics yesterday other than our traveling.

Of course… who would I be if I did not mention the coffee?

Cafe Americana - 18.9 limperos = 1 American dollar

Honduras limps can make you feel like you have a lot of money in your pocket but it takes 18.9 of the Limperos to equal one dollar. It feel weird to be paying 39 limps for a mocha coffee and a cookie until you think… until you realize this is only a little over $2.00.

Today we are going to AFE (the school fro the kids in the dump) and out to Manuelito, where my Honduras missions began, working with the street kids. Today, will be like a reunion. 🙂

Currently… two books completed for the week and one audio.