What is your most treasured book?

Published on April 10, 2011April 10, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)77 Comments

I have been wanting to write this post for a while now. I am curious if you have a book in your collection that has special meaning to you… it may be your favorite book in the world…. or it may (like in my case) be one you have never even read. It could be one a parent or adult read to you as a child that still holds fond memories or one handed down for generations. Really… it could be anything.

My most treasured book, the one I keep in a protective box, belonged to my dad. My dad died in a house fire along with my sister in 1980. This book was found in the ashes… while the cover is damaged, the pages are remarkably clean. The book is one he was given in 1966 when he was in Vietnam. It is a Viet-Anh Vietnamese to English dictionary.

I have very few items of my dads… pretty much everything was destroyed, so this is a treasure. Later this week would have been his birthday and I like to take this out of the box and touch it knowing that a long time ago, his strong hands held this book too.

I would love to hear about your book treasures…. feel free to comment here and if you do decide to write a post about yours, let me know and I will link it here.

Morning Meanderings… Sunday Something…

Published on April 10, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Good morning. I have just a few minutes this morning as I have an early commitment. For all of you who did the read-a-thon yesterday, how much fun was that? I had a blast even with a few things in my day that pulled me away. I made it to hour 18 and then it was literally light out for me. I was done – kupoot…. I wanted to do more… I could not.

I will gather totals later – probably Tuesday morning as tomorrow is all Monday What Are You Reading and I try hard to keep Mondays clear for that purpose alone.

Anyhoo…. I would love to hear if you participated how did you do? What did you read? What did you love? What was the best part of the read-a-thon for you?

I am out… but I wanted to leave you with this….

This was my cover made up for one of the mini challenges….. below is the actual cover… and yes, that is ET….. he was my stand in. 😛

LOL…. have a sweet day! 😀

Dewey Read-A-Thon…. we interrupt the regularly scheduled hoo hah and what nots of this blog…

Published on April 9, 2011April 9, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)63 Comments

And I am OFF and READING! I am up and ready to READ READ READ today! If you are scratching your head saying Read-A-Thon… what read-A-Thon… you can check it out on the Dewey Read A Thon site. My book list is not impressive or well thought out as I just didn’t plan for any thing really and plan to use the old “grab as I go” technique. Seriously – I am not lacking for any reading materials here…

First here’s a bit about me:

1)I am reading from Central Minnesota

2)Three random facts about me are – I just took up kick boxing this week (OW!), I have been to Honduras 8 times to work with kids who live on the street, and I have a once in-house office that now serves as my library (and thank goodness as the option would be to have books EVERYWHERE… er, which I kind of do anyway.

3)I have plans to read 5 or 6 books throughout the read-a-thon (see book list below)

4)I have no real goals other than to commit to reading instead of seeing something shiny and getting distracted… oh and to have fun. Fun is a good thing 😛

5)This is my 4th read-a-thon…. my advice to newcomers is just have fun…. (oh, I said that already?) Well…. that’s how important it is… tackle the books that you want too…. read at least one guilty pleasure book – that book on your shelf that you want to read sooooooo bad and just never seem to get to it. Oh, you know the one. Shoot…. so do I… now I need to change my list! “Doh!”

Midnight Book Girls Mini Challenge was to create a sentence using books only. FANTASTIC! Here is what I got:

Thirteen Reasons Why The Outside Boy Sold The Dress Lodger. (LOL)

I had to try Hungry Readers Challenge which was to recreate a book cover for a book I am currently reading for the readathon…. so here goes…

and the actual cover….

LOL – that was AWESOME! And yes I used my ET from Disney World for the cover pick….LOL

In Hour 7 here is Hannah’s (Word Lilly) Challenge where we were asked to try origami:

011 — This.... is a frog. Yes.. feel free to laugh 😛

A total epic fail on my part, but decided to post it anyway… at least for a smile 😀

Ok entering Mini Challenge for hour Four: Book Puzzle – we are asked to create a puzzle using book titles…. so FUN!!! 😛

I do have a few in the planning and I will let you in on them here:

I eat Hate Lists for breakfast! Oh… well, uhhh… in this case I do. I am kicking off on this book that I was able to read a few pages last night and I am moving forward on as soon as this post is up.

Dreamland is my “I need an eye break” audio all set up in the kitchen ready to play if I stop for substance….

Berg of course is on the agenda… what would a read-a-thon be if I had not included Berg in the mix…. that’s like having a party without chips…… UNHEARD OF!

Partially read and then set down for I don’t know why…. I need to complete this book. I think the read-a-thon is a good time to finish the books I have not but have meant too.

Another one I have started and not finished yet…. today (HOPEFULLY) could be the day I complete it.

Hmmm….. I guess I do kind of have a plan then. Well – Excellent! Also, I am reading for a cause – my post of where my pages are being donated to is here. 😀

I will post updates on this post throughout the day.

Off I go to read and hope to see you all back here for the mini challenge later today!

Dewey Read-A-Thon Mini Challenge: Book Club Recommendations

Published on April 9, 2011April 9, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)150 Comments

Hey there all you read-a-thoners…. how YOU doing? 😛

Had a little Joey from friends flash back…

This challenge is now completed – the winner using random.org is Shel from The Hungry Readers! Congratulations Shel! 😀 Please email me at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com with your book choice from Amazon up to a $15 value.

Ok…. on to the Mini Challenge! It’s no secret I LOVE talking books and honestly – not all books are “chat worthy”. I have been in my book club for 10 years now and the book reviews I enjoyed the most and remember the most are the ones that really brought out great discussion. My challenge for you today – if you choose to accept it, is to share with me in the comments a book you would recommend as being very chat or discussion worthy. You do not have to be part of a book club to do this challenge, I am just looking for a book title with author that you would recommend as being a great thought-provoking and/or discussion worthy book.

***For a bonus entry – add in a menu that would go along with the book discussion – (my book club loves to theme food around the books we review).

That’s it! I plan to eventually make a post of all the book club recommendations that show up on this post and link back to you as suggesting that book (if you have a blog). Yes, it is ok to put down a book that someone else recommends, I am looking for a list of different reads but certainly will count your entry even if someone else already suggested it.

When this mini challenge ends I will choose one winner using random.org to choose a book I can purchase from Amazon.com that is $15.00 or less and I will send that book to you.

Oh – and get up and stretch your arms and grab a fresh cup of coffee, a bottle of water or a granola bar…. stay strong and keep on reading!!! 😛

Dewey Read A Thon: Reading For Charity

Published on April 8, 2011April 9, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Spring is finally here in Minnesota and I can not be more THRILLED! Today I took my bike out for the first time in 2011! I am a big bike rider and do quite a few rides throughout the season for fun or for charity. The one I want to talk to you about today is one that holds a special place in my heart.

Camp Benedict is a yearly camp for those affected and/or infected by AIDS. My friend Connie who works hard to make this camp happen each year is a 30 year AIDS survivor. Connie was infected by AIDS in 1981 when she received an emergency blood transfusion for a hysterectomy. Connie is an amazing women who works with many others to make this camp a success each year providing support and education to those who have been touched by the AIDS virus.

On April 9th 2011 is the April Read-A-Thon. As timing would have it, it is also the day that Connie is having her silent auction at the Brainerd Arboretum from 1- 4 pm to raise money for this years camp. I am going to help support this cause from home by reading for the camp.

I plan to personally contribute $1 for every ten minutes I read or every ten minutes I listen to audio. You can help support me in this cause if you wish by pledging in the comments a per page or in audio per minute) contribution or by using this link to make a one time pledge for the bike ride I will participate in this fall that all the money I raise goes directly to the camp. The read a thon is for a 24 hour period on April 9th 2011.

Morning Meanderings… Kick Boxing Day 2 (OW!) A Read-A-Thon and Book Love

Published on April 8, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Good morning.

Yes it is still morning, but yes… I am late. First of all… my fingers hurt. Well.. I think maybe it is my arms hurt all the way to my wrists and therefore it is effecting my fingers. 😛 Kickboxing Day 2 did not come out as pain free as day one. I think I over achieved, over confidently thought that since day 1 was pretty much pain free why not jump back in to the ring? Well… I definitely felt weaker last night, seemed that my arms tired more quickly and I watched the clock…. a lot. Is it over yet? I was supposed to do to the 5:00 pm class tonight with my friend Christy but I am pretty sure I will be canceling out and waiting to start again on Monday.

The Dewey Read-A-Thon is tomorrow – SSSQQQQUUUEEEEE!!! This is so much fun and I hope you are planning to participate….don’t worry if you cant do the full 24 hours (oh I tried once… at 2 am it was not pretty… :razz:) If you can take any amount of time at all to read and join in the fun you should go sign up! 😀 And they have fun mini challenges throughout the day to break up the reading time and I love that! I have the 2 pm (central time) challenge right here and make a note to come check it out because you are not going to want to miss this one! 😀 I have a couple must do’s tomorrow – one being going to my friends silent auction so I will listen to audio while traveling there… keeping in the readathon theme…

And as for book love…. ahhhh… I just am craving book time. I am going to sit down here in a few minutes and wrap up Little Princes. Yeah, that was on my agenda for yesterday but the day was crazy busy and after kick boxing and dinner I fell asleep on the couch at 9 pm. Boy that is embarrassing. 😛

Today I am doing group power at noon, dropping off items for the auction, going to the library, prepping my post for tomorrow, and reading. Yes – I am hitting the pause button on life and getting in a little reading time….. warming up for tomorrow 😀

Morning Meanderings…. A BEA Scholarship Opportunity and Kick Boxing

Published on April 7, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Good Morning.

Things I need to share this morning before I take the dogs (Elmo and Bailey) to get their haircuts while I am at work….

First – exciting news for those who would LOVE to go to BEA but find costs to be a big factor in attending. Lenore at Presenting Lenore is having a book blogger convention scholarship giveaway – hurry, you must sign up by April 13! I met Lenore last year when we both were on the Adrianna Trigianni Tea experience and she is so sweet and fun – AND she recently received a book deal which is so ssssqqqquuuuueeeee worthy I can not even put into words 😛

I received a BEA scholarship last year when I entered a contest held by author Sarah Pekkanen (author of Opposite of Me and Skipping A Beat) and therefore I can tell you that you never know who may win! 😀 (BEA recap on a stick)

And on to kick boxing…. I took my first ever kickboxing class last night at the Warrior Alliance. My friend Christy has been going and I was interested…. but let me tell you – this is not your Wii boxing….. nope.

I walked into the room which is all workout mats and surrounded by cage like walls and touch looking girls wearing boxing gloves…. Oh wow, I thought – this is so real.

AWESOME!

I had a BLAST and am going to try to attend tonight as well. It’s not a bad deal -$40 a month and you can go up to 5 times a week. I really enjoyed it and I know I got a good work out. Surprisingly, other than a little bit in my shoulders, I do not hurt today and was able to leap (yes leap!) out of bed without feeling like I was hit by a truck. 😛 Always – ALWAYS a good thing.

Ok… time is ticking and I need to move. Hopefully tonight I will have some time to visit a few blogs and finish Little Princes and start Hate List. 😀

Morning Meanderings… I am missing books that require the SPOILER PAGE

Published on April 6, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Good morning people of Wednesday. I come to you in peace. 😛

I was reading my friend and fellow Bookie, Angie’s review of ROOM yesterday evening over at By Book Or By Crook. I always enjoy seeing thoughts on books that I have read and enjoyed. I left her a comment about the controversial discussion I found by using the spoiler button link in my review. Then I thought… wow… it has been a long time since I have read a book that required use of the Spoiler Button.

What is the Spoiler Button?

It is a link I would use if I read an extremely awesome book that I wanted to discuss deeper with others who have read it as well. The button would link to a separate page where we could really discuss the book in great detail without fear of spoiling the book for those who had not read it.

I started wondering what books would be ones that I could use the Spoiler Button again and thought I would engage you in this…. I think perhaps when I read Hate List, that might be one…. or the Mortal Instrument Series (City Of Bones…)

What else would you recommend as books that stir up the discussion… books that you would enjoy a safe place to discuss openly about?

This morning I am sipping coffee and hurrying off to work. I want to leave you with this memory of Gilmore Girls that pops in my head every time I go to bed without washing my face first…

Mmmmmm Hmmmmm…. let this be a lesson to me. 🙂

Have a super day!!!

Good Bye To Sookie Stackhouse (Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris)

Published on April 5, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)48 Comments

Sookie Stackhouse is a small time waitress who has a disability. She can read minds and let me tell you that makes dating – well…. impossible. Imagine trying to date someone when you constantly can hear what they are thinking! No real worries about that, as pretty much everyone in Sookie’s neck of the woods (oops – did I say neck? 😉 ) thinks she is weird.

Then one day who should walk into Sookie’s bar but Bill Compton… he’s tall, handsome… and a vampire. best thing of all? Sookie can not hear his thoughts and there is something so peaceful and appealing about that she can hardly believe it. Thanks to synthetic blood now being available, vampires can now live (oops – did I say live? 😉 ) among the errr….. living. Some people are ok with this coexistence, others not so much – and others still fall into a groupie sort who think that vampires are the coolest thing since sliced bread and this group is referred to as fang-bangers…. (yes, crude but there it is) 😛

Suddenly these “groupies” are turning up dead and the heat is on all vampires – good or bad. As Sookie has taken quite a liking to Bill and he to her, she worries for his safety – and as a vampires girlfriend – her own as well. When the deaths seem to be hitting to close for comfort, Sookie has to make decisions to protect herself and her brother who really is her only family she has still living.

……………………………………..

Ok.

*Deep breath*

I wanted to read this book because I have heard so much about the HBO series True Blood and of course, the books that are made around this series. I have never seen True Blood, but thought I would try a book or two and see where I landed. I landed.. flat.

I thought I would like the characters and the story line, but honestly… I didn’t. Sookie was too ditsy for words and in her defense, maybe if I could have seen her in True Blood and had a better picture of what they were going for here… but as I listened to this on audio…. she just seemed ridiculously naive, and not appealing as a character at all. Bill was not clearly described and happenings later into the book made me clearly “not a fan” no matter what his excuse. I know many of you love this series and that is awesome – I just found it not to fit for me. 🙂

While at times witty, parts were a bit out there for my liking and when it ended – it ended with a large gap in the story that would probably take most readers to the next book to see what happens – but for me… Sookie was a fun acquaintance to meet, but we are probably not going to be life long friends.

There are many other opinions on this book out there and if you have written a review on this please let me know and I will gladly link your thoughts here. I would also like to hear from you if you have watched the HBO series is it better than the books or are the books better than the show? Which did you experience first? What do you like or dislike about this series?

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include dead until Dark

I purchased this audio from audible.com

Morning Meanderings… Eating A Half Pound Of Fudge Is Probably Not The Best Idea On The Day I Was Starting To Eat Right…

Published on April 5, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)41 Comments

Good Morning. 😀

Oh… yeah… about this post title.

Ok… here’s my story. 😛

The Missions banquet was on March 25th and I was bidding on a few silent auction baskets for the ~~fudge~~ cause. Throughout the night I wound up winning two – one with home made bread (mmmmmmm!) and another which was a basket of new tools and a pound of homemade fudge. I really thought the basket was cool with the ~~fudge~~ tools.

“But Sheila, March 25th was over a week ago, how did this fudge devouring just come up?”

Great question!

Al and I had driven separate to the banquet as I was part of the set up and tear down. At the end of the night I sent him and Chance home with both baskets. When I came home about an hour after them the bread was on the kitchen counter… the ~~fudge~~ tool basket was no where to be found.

When I asked Al about this he told me that I said the tools were for him and so he left it down at our shop behind our house. *a slight sweat broke out across my brow* I agreed with him that the tools were for him, but I did want to try the fudge. He said he would bring it up, and I said, “no, no… it was better this way”… out of sight… out of mind. I did not need the fudge – I was getting ready for biking season…

and that should have been the end of the story.

Then last night Al comes in the house after work with the ~~fudge~~ tool basket. I asked why it was in the house…. this basket of ~~fudge~~ tools, and he said that I had mentioned wanting to try the fudge.

“Oh, that’s right, there is fudge in there.” I replied, not meeting his eyes.

We had dinner and after dinner Al opened up the fudge that was cut into nice large 1/4 pound pieces. He took the top piece with a glass of milk. When I looked at him he said, “What? Is that too much fudge?”

I told him 1/4 pound piece of fudge was pretty large. He smiled and took the fudge and milk downstairs to watch tv.

I waited of course, until he was comfy downstairs, and out of eye sight.

I made my way to the fudge and tore off a bit of one of the 1/4 pound pieces.

Oh….

HEAVEN.

(Have I mentioned that anything chocolate is pretty much like kryptonite to me?)

I took a bigger corner off the chunk and grabbed a cup of coffee…. mmmmmm even better.

Then I joined Al downstairs.

Then I came up and let the dogs out… little piece of fudge.

Then I came up and changed into my pj’s… little piece of fudge.

When Al went to bed I had another cup of coffee and yup you guessed it… BIGGER piece of fudge.

By the time I stopped…. I had eaten two of the quarter pound pieces.

Uhhh….

“oh.”

😯

This morning when Al got up for work at 5 a.m, the tool basket, some left over pizza and the rest of the fudge was by his keys with a note…

“Please take down to shop with you”

😳

So today…. April 5, enough of that… tonight I am taking a Turbo kick class followed by Zumba. On Wednesday a friend is taking me to my first kick boxing class where I do believe… I may not be able to type on Thursday. 😛

Have an awesome awesome day – and just say NO to the fudge.