Morning Meanderings… Christmas In January

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Good morning.

For those who read the meandering yesterday – weigh in was 3 pounds down.  WOO HOO!!!

Last night for dinner I met up with girl friends who I used to work with.  LOVE these gals!  We had all been so busy since late November that we had not connected for our monthly get together in a while and this was our Christmas gathering.  We met at yummy El Tequila in town and I had a chicken fajita salad.

We also exchanged gifts.  I had bought each of them a photo frame that said “The Girls” and the idea along with it that we plan a fun getaway this fall that will result in great picture memories worthy of these frames.  Yes, I bought myself one too.  I also bought them yummy smelling candles.  I LOVE candles!

From them I received a wonderful $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble!!!  (Thank you Cindy you know me so well!).  From Heidi and Sara I received  a gorgeous book about the Split Rock Light House up by our cabin – SIGNED by the author!!!  You have to see this book!  It is beautiful – Sara and Heidi know me pretty well too!  😀


Then Sara produced a bag for each of us that had in it aprons for our newly annual baking weekend in November.  GAH!  They are so cool!  And she also had these super cute ornaments made for us!


So all in all – I love that Christmas has been spread out over a 5 week period!  Just makes it all so fun!

Today the plan was to peel out-of-town this morning to the cabin to write for the weekend but looks like I am going to have to put a pin in that idea and do what I can to catch up on my writing around here.  Maybe I will spend some time in the library this weekend and see if I can not concentrate there.  Either way – the plan for the weekend has been to write and that is what I am hoping to do.

Morning Meanderings… A No Coffee Morning…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)25 Comments

Good Morning!

For those of you that read me often you are probably SHOCKED.

Me.

NO coffee.

Is that even possible to operate that way?

I am currently back in my training mode for spring and biking and whatever else I can get myself into this year so each Thursday morning is a weigh in.  Until weigh in time, I do not eat or drink anything Thursdays mornings.

The current training going on around here is nothing fantastic – Group Power, elliptical, treadmill… I can add more once we have Spring.  (OOOHHHHH how I long for spring!)

So – I am off – weigh in is at 8:30 am…

and afterwards…

 

that’s right….

C O F F E E

True To Form by Elizabeth Berg

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

It is 1961 and 13-year-old Katie Nash lives with dad and step mom in Missouri.  Katie lived in Texas, but two years ago her mother passed away and life has not been easy.  Katie’s over bearing dad finds her summer jobs of helping to take care of an elderly neighborhood woman and babysitting three very rambunctious young boys.  She finds that she is losing connection with her best friend from Texas Cherylanne who has become boy crazy to the point of no return and has nothing in common with Katie anymore.

Then there is her new friend Cynthia who likes to do things that Katie does like eating way too much junk food, choosing clothing, and talking about boys at a more “thirteenish” level.   yet when Katie is offered a chance to go to an upscale school, she throws Cynthia under the bus to get in good with the popular rich girls.. only to quickly find out – that this group is not really where she longs to be.  Not Katie is left with trying to mend a broken friendship and learn some hard lessons as she does so.

Yes.  I am on a Berg kick.  This is my second adventure into Elizabeth Berg territory and I am once again glad to have experienced the adventure.  While I did not find this storyline as powerful as We Are All Welcome Here, Elizabeth Berg stills comes across in her mild manner of making a point from a young girls perspective.

Katie’s voice is captured so well that I could not help but laugh as she tells this story.  There is everything in this thirteen year old mind and actions that I would say many of us had experienced at that age:

snooping around at the house you are babysitting at

Turning the radio up really loud to tune out the parental figures

the stomping of feet and the slamming of doors

The inner thoughts about the teachers, the adults, the homework…

Elizabeth Berg captures Katie’s emotions so well you would think that she was thirteen years old as she wrote the book.  I do not know enough about Elizabeth’s Berg’s writing to say if this is her signature style yet, but if it is – I will happily read on.

This book has a smorgasbord of covers and I do love covers!  Look at these:



Amazon Rating

I have updated the 2011 Reading Map to include True to Form

Nabbed…. errrr… borrowed from my local Library

Morning Meanderings… Signs I Am A Book Dork

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)45 Comments

Ok…. as I look at this post title I am thinking that maybe this should be a series….

I believe a big sign of being a book dork is when you get a book in the mail and you actually do SSSQQQQQUUUEEEEE when you see what it is.

It is….


the Iron Queen.

I have not read any of this series yet but I have been wanting to.  Iron King has been on my shelf FOR-E-VER.  And then came Iron Daughter and it too waits on me…. then I seen Iron Queen and thought, ooh… if I could get a review copy of that book in my hands I will read all three books back to back and just have an Iron festival….

and the book came!

SSSQQQQQQQUUUUEEEEEEEEEE

(I just seen on Kathy – Bermuda Onion’s blog this morning that she is offering a chance to win the entire set of these books!  If you do not have them pop over and enter for a chance to win!)

Oh but I am sure as book lovers I am not the only one whose book dorkiness shows occasionally.  Come on.. share with me today – whats a “book dork” moment you have had?


Oh… and FYI:  I could have sworn I hit publish on this early this morning….  this post was ready to go at 7:00 am…..

Clementine, Friend Of The Week by Sara Pennypacker

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Clementine has been picked friend of the week!  This means at school she gets to be line leader, collect milk money, and feed the fish!  Even better, she will get a friend of the week booklet on Friday that all the other third graders in her class will fill in with things they like about her.

But when Clementine reads her friend Margaret’s Friend of The Week booklet she got when she was in third grade, Clementine starts to get nervous.  Margaret’s book has comments about how neat and organized she is – Clementine is neither of those things!  To get a great booklet filled with compliments by the end of the week, Clementine takes Margaret’s advice and starts offering her classmates compliments and gifts, hoping this will be reflected in their comments.

What is supposed to be the best week of her life soon turns into the worst.  Since when did friendship become so hard?

 

Read in one sitting in my dining room

 

 

So….

I am not much of a Middle Grade (MG) reader.  I thought when I started this blog that I would be more so, but it just never really went that way.  While I do enjoy the MG reads, I do not read much in this age group.

Clementine, Friend Of The Week was a book I picked up in New York at BEA this past year.  As of that date it sat in a box waiting for me and I finally picked it up this weekend not wanting anything real heavy in the middle of the Bloggiesta.

Turns out Clementine’s story is fantastic.  I was thoroughly captivated in Clementine’s dilemma’s and how she interacted with her friends, family, and classmates. I enjoyed how she constantly changes her little brothers name from Pea Pod, to Yam, to Broccoli, Corn, and Onion.  I also appreciated how Clementine’s third grade voice rings true throughout the pages.

After reading this book I found out that Clementine has had two previous stories as well by author Sara Pennypacker.  This is a fantastic books for grade school children to enjoy a fun and funny read, while learning a bit too about true friendship.


Amazon Rating


** The 2011 WHERE Am I Reading map IS NOT updated with this book as I can find no information of the books setting.

I received this book in New York at BEA

Morning Meanderings… I will probably never be a ski instructor

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)35 Comments

Good Morning!

I was not around much yesterday because I went skiing.

Considering I am from Minnesota you probably are thinking this is like fish being able to breathe under water – we are born with skis on our feet and can leap tall snow piles in a single bound.

Well…

If that is true…

I am an impostor and will need to speak to my parents about my true heritage… 😀

Skiing is not something I do.  I went once with my family to Lutzen and mastered the bunny hill.  You should have seen it…. small children aside, I was the master of this hill.  Nothing could stop me!  Yet, when I tried a different hill I started down and picked up speed and had visions of Sonny Bono in my head and promptly fell over to avoid such a fate.  I took the skis off and walked (and walked and walked as it was really large!) down the hill.

However…. I rarely back down from an opportunity to try something new or learn something new.  So when friends of ours asked me if I would be interested in going skiing with them and learning more about it, I said, “WELL YEAH!”

(Of course this was a few weeks ago and I am pretty brave when it is not an on the spot commitment)

And so – yesterday, after work, that “WELL YEAH” came back to collect.  I met my friend Wendy (who was also roped into this agreed to join in the fun).  And at 2 pm yesterday…. we were on the slopes.

First – kudos to our teacher – Al is a patient patient man.  He took us open a little incline and had us “ski” down.  And again… and again.  AL would have his wife Julie demonstrate.  They are quite the team! Then we learned the “snow plow” or “pizza” which I preferred…. and then how to turn.  After an hour or so of this… we were able to try a partial slope.  Yes, we went half way up a hill… and skied down.

By the end of the day Wendy and I were doing pretty good… we each had one wipe out and are still alive.  We went into the chalet to warm up and by the time I felt the warm air, I knew they would have a hard time getting me back out there.  I was cold and I was done.

Fun day – and I learned something new so I guess that makes it a good day too.

Al, me, Julie, and Wendy

Got to like that 🙂

 

Bloggiesta Finish Line

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

*gasp!*

There it is!  No longer a mirage…. it is… it is…

the finish line.

So what happened here?

I cleaned up my sidebars, uncluttered and put into storage the old challenges, seasonal links, and tossed the outdated.

I took part in all the mini challenges which are always such fun

I prepped posts for upcoming reviews with cover pictures and synopsis of book to give me a jump-start when writing the reviews

I took the vacuum cleaner attachment to my tag list and blew away all the unused and no purpose

I created a scrolling blogroll of my favorite blogs to read – thank you Hannah at Wordlily for walking me through the process!

I prepped “rainy day” posts – fun topics, bookish thoughts for the days my brain says “you got nothin’!”

For a brief moment I thought I would color tweak again as that has become a Bloggiesta tradition but I am happy to say that I changed my mind and feel I have finally come up with just the look I want for this blog and I am happy to stick with it.

My only task I thought I would accomplish and I did not was I wanted to visit all the participants.  I did this the last Bloggiestas but there was no way this time.  The participants list is huge and I just did not get there.  😀

Total hours invested:  27

I am thrilled with the outcome.  It was nice to set aside a weekend and dig into the things that have really been bugging me but I did not have time to do anything about.

And so…. until we the next Bloggiesta…. So long, farewell….

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)114 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

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.  You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

Last weeks winner:

Lori from Dollyas’s Thoughts


Congratulations!  Please choose an item out of the PRIZE BOX (selections updated!) and email me your choice with your mailing address as well!   journeythroughbooks@gmail.com

** Please note I did get behind on sending the last few weeks of books out but will get them out this week.

 

This was a pretty good week I think.  Here is what went on at Book Journey:


Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (A wonderful YA read)

What’s You Reading Story? (How did you become a reader?  Who or what were the influences in your life)

The Night Mobile by Audrey Niffenegger (A Graphic Novel with a message)

The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein (Oh man!  You do not want to miss out on this one!)

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull ( a MG fantasy that is a wonderful 5 book series!)

 

I would also like to mention that Author Brooks J Young asked me last week is she could start a spin-off of What Are You Reading and create a Monday discussion post called What Are You WRITING?  I love the idea and would really like if you could share that information with any authors/ or attempting authors you know who would like to join in her conversation.  I made a sidebar button for this too as I will be participating.

 

A s for this week, I am excited to get started on:

 

The last normal moment that Mia, a talented cellist, can remember is being in the car with her family. Then she is standing outside her body beside their mangled Buick and her parents’ corpses, watching herself and her little brother being tended by paramedics. As she ponders her state (Am I dead? I actually have to ask myself this), Mia is whisked away to a hospital, where, her body in a coma, she reflects on the past and tries to decide whether to fight to live. Via Mia’s thoughts and flashbacks, Forman (Sisters in Sanity) expertly explores the teenager’s life, her passion for classical music and her strong relationships with her family, friends and boyfriend, Adam.

This is our Bookies Book Club read for February.

 

 

In Certain Women , terminally ill David Wheaton, a prominent and much-married American actor, obsessively recalls an unfinished play about King David, a role he coveted. L’Engle explores Christian faith, love, and the nature of God by framing the delayed-maturation story of Emma, Wheaton’s daughter, within three subplots: the Wheaton family saga, the story of King David, and the history of the play’s development. The characterizations of both Davids are compelling, but the primary interest here is the community of women that surrounds each man. L’Engle describes complex truths very simply, pointing out, for instance, that “Life hurts” and that if there’s “no agony, there’s no joy.”

This is for the Faith N Fiction Roundtable we will be discussing in February.

 

It was supposed to be a quick trip to the grocery store, but it turned into an Unspeakable Journey.

On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Isabella is abducted in the parking lot of her local grocery store. Hasam, a sinister human trafficker, arranges for her to marry his longtime friend and Saudi Arabian prince, Latif.

Latif has everything–political prowess, success, and wealth–until he meets Isabella. She is beautiful, alluring, and all that he has dreamed of in a wife, and Isabella’s defiant refusal makes her even more desirable.

Far from home, in a land where women are oppressed, Isabella struggles with the loss of her husband and two daughters, imprisonment, and isolation. Will God rescue her from this nightmare? Will she give in to hopeless despair?

 

I have a couple of books from last week to finish up and review so that is enough for this week.  I will be skiing after work on Monday so I am not sure how quickly I will get around to visiting all your posts but I will get there!  I will start tonight and again early in the morning.

Be sure to link up below where it says click here.  I am excited to see what you are reading.

 

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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)32 Comments

Kendra and Seth are going to spend a couple of weeks with the grandparents in Connecticut, grandparents they hardly know.  The house is large and the yard is larger and there seems to be a lot of rules.  Their grandfather tells them not to go near the woods, and the is the strange man on the property who leaves out saucers of milk that they are told never to touch…

Then the day comes when the siblings do cross into the woods…. and they see the mysterious old woman with the rope, mystical creatures, and fairies…

what exactly is Fablehaven and what dangers have they unleashed by breaking the rules?


It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of all things Harry Potter.  I think J K Rowling is brilliant and every time I pick up one of the books I swear I catch something new that makes me smile…..

When I first heard of this book and heard it was being compared to the Harry Potter reads I was intrigued.  This is something  I could not pass up.  Of course there was also cover love…. its super creepy… and really shiny and that just made me want to read it more.

Fablehaven was an adventure is reading.  Our two characters Kendra and Seth being 13, and 11, gave this book a strong MG feeling to me.

I enjoyed the storyline and of course whats not to love about fairies?  Seth begins to drive me nuts in the book as he is a constant rule breaker and then “oh so sorry,” and then he breaks another rule.  Kendra is just the opposite and does as she is told and that is a big advantage as the book hits the climatic ending.

Overall, this is not Harry Potter.  However I can see MG students enjoy the vivid imagination that is written into the characters (and I do mean CHARACTERS!) of Fablehaven.

Another huge plus of this read is that as I am so late to this books party, that all following books in this series have been released.  So if you love this book, there is no waiting to see where the adventure will take you next!  Five books in all is a very doable set of reads!

Amazon Rating

The 2011 WHERE Are you reading map has been updated to include Fablehaven

I received this book as a win

Morning Meanderings… Bloggiesta Day Three

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)31 Comments

Good Morning! Hello to my little friend – COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE  😎

Yesterday was a pretty good day as well as I continued work on the Bloggiesta.  Between house cleaning, a little reading, and an afternoon movie – I managed to put in 6 hours for a total of 16 hours in the past two days.

Today being the big finale what I most want to do is visit other participants.  I love visiting new blogs.  I have a little more sidebar work to do and a couple of post ideas to finalize but I feel good about what has been accomplished.  I will post my wrap up tonight before I put up the Monday, What Are You Reading meme.

I hope everyone who has participated this time is having a lot of fun!  I think this time around is the first time I didn’t have a lot of internal work to do…. mainly, I have spent this Bloggiesta working on updating and future posts.  Two things I have wanted to be working on for a while now but did not have the time.

Now here is my early morning funny happening.  At 6:03 a, my cell phone rings.  It is in the kitchen on the counter but I can hear it from my bedroom.  I drag myself out of bed and fumble my way to the phone .  I check to see whose call I missed and it was my Pastor.  I dial back thinking something must be going on, first service starts at 8:15, maybe something is needed, there was an accident (my imagination is vivid!).  He answers the phone and I ask him what’s up.

He says, “Did I call you?”

“You did.”  I say.

“That’s weird,” he says, “this phone rarely does that, did I wake you?”

“Yes, but that’s ok, I thought maybe something happened.”

He laughs, “Nope…. sorry about that.”

I laugh and in a strained high-pitched voice I say, “Are you calling everyone?”

“Yes,” he responds.  “Just trying to drum up some first service attendees.”

LOL.  I LOVE my church.

Have a great morning everyone.  I am up now and going to make the most of it 😀