Forbidden Fruit by Pearce J Carefoote

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)25 Comments

128 pages

Cover Story:  Love it!  So appropriate and love how the authors name goes over Anne Frank’s mouth.  That is censorship!


From the New Testament to The Diary of Anne Frank to current objections to the Harry Potter series–dubbed the most frequently challenged books of the 21st century by the American Library Association–the tradition of banning, censoring, and challenging books has been remarkably enduring.


Seriously… what is it about the word “forbidden” that makes you want to put a toe over the line? I almost have a sort of sick fascination with the books that are labeled as such. I have visions of women covered from head to toe in long shapeless black dresses and a bonnet and suit clad “bow tie too tight” men standing around a bonfire clucking away as as they toss the book in….

ok…

maybe that’s not fair.

The point being I get a little riled up when I see books in here that are near and dear to my heart.  I see Harry Potter once again being tossed to the wolves and I stand on the sidelines looking amazed as these are the very books that made my sons readers.  The series that kept my kids up past curfew… not because they were playing war video games, not because they were in awe of late night crappy TV shows….  no.  I had to ask them to shut their books and go to sleep.  (The equivalent of a Norman Rockwell moment.

And why?  Because the books are set in the supernatural world and therefore must be satanic.   Because kids who fly brooms and wave wands at teachers are surely going to cause our own kids to become broom riding thugs.

Seriously.  If that is the reasoning then for the life of me I don’t know why I am not running  for my car in the dead of night  at top speed and screaming like a banshee in fear of the flying monkeys that are present in the ever popular Wizard Of Oz.

And sure I have a certain soft spot for the Potter series so of course I will defend – but there are others.

Authors the likes of D.H. Lawrence, Margaret Atwood,  James Joyce, John Steinbeck, Anne Frank, Mark Twain…. oh and did I mention the New Testament?  Pearce Carefoote sticks to books that we are familiar with and leaves a good amount of information as to why the books have been challenged.

While the book is small and doesn’t even tap anywhere near into all the books that have been challenged, censored, and banned, what it does share is quite informative.

Pearce Carefoote even starts the book with a Primer On Censorship.


“Oh Harry, don’t you see”, Hermione breathed.  “If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person  in the school will read your interview, it was banning it.”

J K Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

And while book censorship continues to rear its ugly head… it also continues to be defeated… time and time again.  Page after page.

I borrowed this book from our local library




Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments


Good morning everyone 😀  I am back from my group power class this morning.  It was what I hope to be a strategic plan – get the class that I normally take on Wednesdays at 4:15 (after work)  in the afternoon and instead do the 5:45 am (pre-work) class.  The plan being that now the afternoon is freed up and I can rollerblade with my friend Wendy this afternoon.  These gorgeous days in Minnesota you just don’t want to be stuck in a building on.

Now back from class I have a few moments to type out this post over my morning oatmeal and of course COFFEE.  Feel free to grab a cup and join me.  I will wait.  🙂

………………………………………………….

Ok!  Now that we are properly caffeinated lets see whats got me going today.  BEA – yes…. heading to Minneapolis Saturday evening to catch my early Sunday plane.  A little anxious, but a lot excited.  😀

Biggest Loser.  Do you watch this?  I am so addicted to this show and I am so Team Daris.  (he is the one left from the orange team.  Watching what this group goes through…. wow.  And daris had me from the first time he stepped on that scale in episode one.

Makeover week was a couple weeks back and it is one of my favorites!

Ok obviously I am rambling this morning and pushing my luck on getting to work on time.  GAH!  Have a super fab day and check in later for the review of Forbidden Fruit – Banned Books.

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)46 Comments


Warning:  This review is about the Columbine School Massacre.  This is not a fiction story.  It is a sensitive subject matter and this book has touched me deeply.


Columbine.  It is one word that brings forth 1,000 memories.  Do you remember it?  Do you remember where you were when you first heard?  The Columbine shooting is one of those things you remember – much like when there was an assassination attempt on a president, or Princess Diana’s death.   This is an event that will stay with us forever.

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dlyan Klebold, students of Columbine High school, came to school like any other day.  Except, this wasn’t any other day.  Dressed in black trench coats, carrying sawed of shotguns and carrying bombs, they had a plan.  The plan was to take out as many students as possible, the bombs were suppose to take out entire floors of the school and by doing so eliminate most of the student body.  When this horrible event concluded, 12 students were left dead, one teacher, and 24 other students were injured.


Dave Cullen’s book takes us as the reader behind the scenes.   We learn about the two boys, Dylan and Eric.  Their lives, their friendships, their families, and the planning of the event long before it took place, the signs – on-line, in journals, in their rooms, on their computers… all missed.

And…

my heart ached as I read this book.  I wept several times during this read.  At times I was angry, and I hurt for the families, the students, and the parents of Dylan and Eric.   There are parts of this book where tears streamed down my face.  I can only imagine…

It’s hard to describe this book.  There are no spoilers to reveal… we all know what happened.  The right words…. escape me.  I think I can say that I appreciated this read.  Knowing more about what happened that day was and is, of interest to me .  I am thankful that I read this.  My heart breaks again for each and every victim and their families.  Dave Cullen writes with a compassionate pen and this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.


I borrowed this book from our local library

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)41 Comments

Good morning!  😀

My blog cards came in the mail yesterday and I have to say woo hoo – I like them!  I was a bit nervous as I had picked a random company off line and designed my own, but Overnight Prints did a wonderful job on them.  I ordered them on May 12th, used standard shipping and they came in today’s mail.  I will use this company again.  If you did not get a look at them last week when I posted the pics – here they are:

↑ front ↑

↑ back ↑

I am off to an early gym time this morning before work and hopefully after work I am going rollerblading with my friend Wendy.  Last week was extremely rainy and cold so I want to take advantage of these sunny days!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)106 Comments


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 (using Random.Org) was:

Super from Super Librarian!!!

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

**All books that are due to people were mailed this morning.  Sorry about the delay on my end.  😀


Due to a crazy fun and busy traveling day with a group of friends on Saturday I did not get a chance to post my Mailbox goodies on Sunday like I normally do (thank you to Kristi at Story Siren for hosting this!)  So I am going to pop it up here in this short and cheesy video:


I can not even believe we are less than a week out from when I go to New York.  I am nervous, anxious, and so excited.  I have never done anything like this before so this is a major leap for me.  I am beyond excited to meet so many of my fellow bloggers, the wonderful publishers I have emailed with, and of course the authors!

Here is what happened here the past week:


Love In Mid Air by Kim Wright review


The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano – my review as well as my book clubs review


House Rules by Jodi Piccoult audio review


Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann – review and giveaway!


A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve giveaway!


Announcement of the Threadbare Heart winner!


I still have reviews to catch up on as well as giveaway winners to announce and I am hopeful to get all of this done so I can leave for New York with no worries of things to come.  🙂

I will be taking my laptop with me and will be doing daily updates of the BEA experience and this blog will continue as usual including this meme so know that I will still be here chatting up books with you – even though I will be posting from New York.  (Did I just say that?  Squee!)


What is Brewing this week

Clean up of several ongoing reads….

Columbine by Dave Cullen- finished need to write review

Kite Runner audio – last two cd’s!

Forbidden Fruit by Pearce Carefoote – done and need to write review

Guest House by Barbara Richardson – 3/4 of the way through

At Witt’s End by Beth Solheim – done and need to write review

Boneman’s Daughter by Ted Dekker – 1/2 completed

Nyphron Rising by Michael Sullivan – not as far as I had hoped but this one is my focus this week

So that is my week…. cant wait to see what you are reading so be sure to use the linky below and stop back with a comment here of how many Monday What Are You Reading posts you commented on to be entered in next weeks drawing!  😀

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

The Threadbare Heart Winner

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

I have a few contests that I need to wrap up in the next 48 hours here and this is one of them.  The Threadbare Heart Contest was one that really interested me as I lost my own mother to a car accident in 1996.  She was an incredible strong woman and I will forever have a piece of me missing with that loss.  Mother daughter relationships are a wonderful thing and those who have them – cherish them.

I had a hard time choosing a winner as the entries that were sent to me were all so wonderful.  However, I had committed to the contest and to the requirement of choosing a winning entry, and this one really warmed my heart:

I really loved the book “When I Married My Mother” by Jo Maeder!
I could really relate to this book, as my mother is elderly and dealing with many health issues.
I myself am confined to a wheelchair and have been for many years. My mother helped me through a great deal of tough times and now it is my turn to help her.
She needs a heart transplant, but due to her age, she does not qualify for the transplant list. She is also dealing with numerous other health issues including congestive heart failure, lung problems, arthritis and many more.
Some people say that it looks odd for a person in a wheelchair to be helping another person in a wheelchair, but I guess they will have to say whatever they want. We will continue to help each other, as long as we both have the breathe and strength to do so.

Thank you to J.L. Lacey for sharing this with me and my readers. You are the winner of the signed copy of The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash.  I am emailing you for your shipping information.

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments


Happy Sunday everyone.  True – I do not normally post a Morning Meandering on Sunday morning due to my participation in “In My Mailbox”, but I spent all day yesterday traveling and hanging out with friends and honestly…

last night…

I came home…

and was so tired I fell asleep on the couch.

I had good intentions of putting together my mailbox post, but think I will just add it to tomorrows It’s Monday, What Are You Reading.

Today will be a catch up day.  I need to hang out with our Kinship Partner Chance at some point, work out, prep packages to be mailed, start packing for New York, finish laundry….  and tonight is the Season Finale of Survivor.

Has anyone seen any preview for the new movie with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruiz.  I ran across this clip this morning and it cracked me up.  As  i book out the door I am going to share it with you.

A Change In Altitude by Anita Shreve Giveaway

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)65 Comments

Thank you to Hachette Book Group who has allowed me give away 3 copies of this book to my readers!

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn’t know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

Reading Group Guide

How To Enter this Giveaway

Anita Shreve is the author of many wonderful books.  To enter this giveaway, please leave me a comment here of a book you have read by Anita that you really enjoyed – or one that you would really like to read some day (besides this one).   Here is a list of her books.

Want more chances to win?

For two extra chances to win, become a subscriber  (or be a current subscriber) of this blog (do this in the upper right side bar) and let me know in a separate comment here

Blog about this giveaway and let me know in a separate comment and receive two more entries

Twitter about this giveaway or link tot his giveaway on Facebook and let me know here for another entry

This giveaway will end on June 4.  USA and Canada entrants only please.

Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann w/Giveaway

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)59 Comments


Book Journey traveled to Redford, Colorado (see updated map here)

In Colorado be sure to check in at Tenn Street Coffee and Books

336 pages

Cover Story:  I suppose fitting, but not a cover that would stop me in a book store….

Battling his own personal demons, Police Chief Jonah Westfall knows the dark side of life and has committed himself to eradicating it. When a pair of raccoons are found mutilated in Redford, Colorado, Jonah investigates the gruesome act, knowing the strange event could escalate and destroy the tranquility of his small mountain town. With a rising drug threat and never-ending conflict with Tia Manning, a formidable childhood friend with whom he has more than a passing history, Jonah fights for answers—and his fragile sobriety.

But he can’t penetrate every wound or secret—especially one fueled by a love and guilt teetering on madness.


Always game for a good suspenseful read, Indivisible really appealed to me.   I mean the synopsis alone had me thinking, “Ok, what is with the raccoons?”

It did take a while for me to get into the flow of the book.  With a lot of extra words put into the beginning as well as back ground character information I felt a little overloaded with information. What kept me going was the drive to know what this was all about and sticking with this book does pay off.  Jonathon and Tia were characters I came to enjoy and even enjoyed the romance of the book which surprised me.

Read The First Two Chapters Here

Would you like to win this book for yourself?

Leave a comment here with what you would think would be a catchy one word book title (not for this book, just for a book)

Want more chances to win?

For two extra chances to win, become a subscriber  (or be a current subscriber) of this blog (do this in the upper right side bar) and let me know in a separate comment here

Blog about this giveaway and let me know in a separate comment and receive two more entries

Twitter about this giveaway or link to this giveaway on Facebook and let me know here for another entry

This giveaway will end on June 1.  USA and Canada entrants only please.


I received my review copy as well as the giveaway copy from Waterbrook Multnomah

Morning Meanderings

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments


Mornin’…..

Yup – off and running again today so couldn’t even finish the word morning!  😀  I have a group of friends that I used to work with “back in the day” when I worked for Wal-Mart.  I left that job in the fall of 2005 when our business was really taking off, but still hung on to this group of close friends I had made during my 14 (yes that’s right) 14 years there.

We try to get together once a month and we are each responsible for different months.  It can be what ever the person chosing wants to do and we have done small things like:

  • getting together for lunch
  • dinner and a movie
  • out dancing
  • campfires
  • board game night
  • spa events
  • shopping

To larger events:

  • murder mystery parties
  • exploring Minnesota
  • weekend cabin retreats
  • festivals
  • cooking and self-defense classes
  • Wisconsin Dells weekend

Etc…

Today we are meeting at my house at 7 am and road tripping.  I think we are going to Cambridge for the day for hanging out, some shopping, for sure some eating, and who knows.   As tired as I am of running – it is always a good time to get together with the girls.

The Girls weekend Fall of 2009: (left to right) Sara, Heidi, Me, and Cindy

On a bookish note – if any of you are going to BEA and want to connect that would be sooooo cool!  Email me at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com and let me know!  😀