SON by Jack Olsen

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments


I admit, I have always been a bit fascinated with true crime.  That – I realize feels weird to say.  How to put this… the human mind is a fascinating thing, when you add in whatever makes psychopath’s do what they do… and usually justify it – I don’t even know what to say.  ~Sheila

 

Disclaimer…  I see as this year starts out my reviews have been ummmm… border line murderous?  Those of you who have read my reviews (or look at my review list) know better.  I read all over the board – just for some reason as I am catching up on reviews I see I have had a series in a row of these reads – not as dark as this one I am about to share with you.. but mystery dark all the same.  I assure you, lighter stuff is on the way 🙂  There have been some re-reads for book groups I am involved in such as Left Neglected (sooooo good), The Husbands Secret (ooh!), Big Little Lies (I will talk about this discussion soon), and Turtles All The Way Down for my book club that meets tonight).  See – they are coming 😉

SON.

I believe, if I recall correctly, I found SON while choosing audio on Audible.com.  I do, as I mentioned, enjoy (cringes at the word) the occasional true crime and SON’s synopsis of being an old crime and then rewritten with a new forward by another author.  That caught my attention.  Why rewrite a true crime? 

SON is about a serial raper in the Spokane Washington area in the 1980’s.  Fred Coe raped more women than can be actually known over a two year period.  He was described as handsome, kind, and a down to earth attitude that would not make you think twice about him (Bundy?).  He mainly watched bus lines or jogging trails for women alone.  The crazy think IMO – was he was not that good at it and I was mostly baffled by how long it took to capture him.

What do I mean?

Well, often his face was not covered.  He threatened the women of course to not tell or he would be back, and they did not.  Often – he could not perform.  He would ask the women if they enjoyed what he was doing, using vulgar language, etc…

A newspaper offered a reward for the rapists arrest – as it turns out, Gordon Coe, the editor of the newspaper took the calls that came in about the reward, only to later find out it was Fred Coe – Gordon’s son who was the rapist.

This book (I went with audio) was way longer than it needed to be.  The narration took a bit of getting used to, a monotone style voice that was used when they described the rapes and what the women said or what Fred said, grated at me for a large part of the audio as I felt it did not fit the scene.  The book is (IMO) over detailed, dragging out way longer than it needed to be.  I mainly kept listening as I was baffled by all that was said, that it took local law enforcement so long to capture him.  I had to know what finally happened.

As true crime goes, I would not recommend this one.  As mentioned, it was too drawn out for me, and while it held my attention, it was not something I could not wait to get back to. Unless you have connection to the Spokane area or the crimes themselves, I would say pass on this.

 

Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments


Yes, my Esken’s gush continues from yesterdays posting of The Heavens May Fall.  A brilliant writer who I have found to capture a bounty of talent within a binding.  Allen Esken’s never ceases to surprise me.

~Sheila

 

Detective Max Rupert has never come to terms with his wife’s death, the result of a hit and run.  When evidence is found that proves Max’s suspicions, that her death was no accident but cold-blooded murder,  Max falls into a world of grief and despair and an unquenchable desire to seek revenge on those involved.

As Max follows the clues he becomes more consumed to the point of not carrying what his decisions going forward could mean for himself.  When his obsessive need for revenge brings him to a cold and frozen lake on the far outstretches of Minnesota somewhere where his actions may never be brought to light, Max steps over a line that he himself had convicted many people for less.

Whoa and whoa.  Seriously whoa.  This book, and its nature really starts in Heavens May Fall as you learn more about Max’s growing obsession with his dead wife.  As heaven’s May Fall comes to a close, facts (bread crumbs) are dropped into the reader’s mind that all that surrounds Jenni Rupert’s death is not as it was to seem.  Deep Dark Descending really is all about what Max does with this new-found knowledge that his friend Boady placed in his care.

Deep Dark Descending is dark, however I will say understandably so.  If you follow Max’s love for his wife and her untimely death as well as other factors that are revealed in this book, you can indeed follow Max down the spiral rabbit hole of Deep Dark Descending.

For myself, I am fascinated with what Allen Esken’s brings into a book.  Knowing his background as an attorney makes it all the more fascinating for me as I imagine he is pulling from his own experiences and then adding his own spin to what happens when someone is pushed right to their breaking point.

I devoured Deep Dark Descending on audio, listening every chance I had to know what would happen as Max uncovers hard truths and makes even harder decisions of what to do with these truths now that they are fully revealed.

The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments


Allen Eskens is a Minnesota gem.  His works are drawing attention all over and he is not only a best seller but has won many awards for his writing.  I am thrilled to have met him in New York at the Book Expo and he and his lovely wife attended Wine and Words in 2016.  He is an author I watch to see what he will put to paper next.  His first book, The Life We Bury was a delight to review with The Bookies.

~Sheila

Boady Sanden has happily enjoyed his retirement, that is until his friend Ben Pruitt shows up on his doorstep broken and grieving announcing that his wife, Jennavieve has just been murdered and he, Ben, is considered a suspect.  Boady, who still carries guilt over an innocent client from years ago feels this may be his chance to lift the burden a little and agrees to come out of retirement and represent Ben.

Detective Max Rupert is friends with Boady but does not share in Boady’s strong belief that Ben is innocent.  Max, carrying the weight on his own wife’s murder 4 years earlier, finds that Ben’s situation is stirring things in him that have never been resolved.

In a case that has friends on opposite ends of the court room, Boady and Max agree to disagree as both men work to unravel the mystery surrounding Jennavieve’s untimely death.  What will be the final verdict for all involved?

As I mentioned, you don’t have to sell me on an Allen Eskens book.  Lets just say, you had me at Esken’s.  I listened to this one on audio while painting my office recently and the story line, smooth narration by R. C. Bray (Narrator),‎ David Colacci (Narrator),‎ Amy McFadden (Narrator) was the perfect mix.  Nothing makes a project go by smoother than great audio.

I loved it.  The twists the turns had me all the way through… just when I thought I knew.. BAH.  I knew nothing.

Note:  You meet Boady and Max in The Life We Bury, although you do not need to have read The Life We Bury to dig into this read.  In fact for myself, I had forgotten that I had met these two men in a previous book with over a year for me between the reads.  I do however recommend you read this one before you read Esken’s next book, The Deep Dark Descending. 

In DDD, you really follow Max Rupert down a rabbit hole and I feel you need The Heavens May Fall to grasp where Max is at.  I have two friends (well I have a few more but this scenario is about two of them…) one read them as I suggested here and LOVED Deep Dark Descending. The one who read Deep Dark Descending without reading this one first found it to be dark, and did not fully grasp how Max Rupert came to be where he is in that book. 

Morning Meanderings… A Week Of Experiences

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

A week in!  Anyone else feel like a rock star?  Or just amazed that the first week of 2018 is coming to a close.  I am a mixed bag of both 🙂

This week for me was a little crazy…  I accepted a position (YAY!!!) that takes me out of my office at home a little more and into the world of marketing which I LOVE LOVE LOVE – yet it is new and I am adjusting to the change in my availability while still hanging on to the commitments I have with non profits, friends, and other projects.  I need to borrow from my good friend Amy her word, BALANCE.

I read a little (thank you Jill Anderson!) and I listened to a little audio… I have reviews to write (Huzzah!), W9s to fill out, invoices to send, power point to design, and this recap of the week.

SO Experience….

January 1:  COLD The 10k in ST Paul at 20 below zero.  6.2 miles.

January 2:  Love and Friendship…  a beautiful gift in the mail, my friends had their little boy

January 3:  BOOKS.  The donations at the library are overflowing.  A few of us hauled books from the library to the sale spot set for spring.  More book donations than I have ever seen at one time!

January 4:  Purpose.  I started my first day in an office in town.  I was a little nervous, I have worked mainly out of my home office since July 2014.  It went well.  The others were super nice, I felt good, and I felt I had purpose, which surprised me in good ways.

January 5:  Heartbreak.  Bailey, who has been around for 20+ years was put down (horrible words). He was getting to be too much to handle – above assisted living care.. he needed someone all the time to carry him outside and in, he was blind and deaf and the HARD decision had to be made.  UGH.

January 6:  Creativity.  I attended two jewelry making classes today – one for a necklace and one for a bracelet centered around our words of the year.  I have never been to a jewelry making class before so this was new, exciting, fun, and took my mind off of (for a little while) the sorrow over Bailey.

As for today, the 7th… I do not know yet.  The day is young…  I am planning to stay at home for the most part and prepping some things to take pressure off my week…  and it will be a week!  Tomorrow Friends meeting, take down decorations at library, Author, Books Burgers and Brews in the evening, Tuesday office and lunch with friends, Wednesday gym, book hauling, a couple of meet ups for work, Thursday office, 2nd Thursday Happy Hour For A Cause in the evening, somewhere in the middle maybe some shopping for vacation next week, Friday gym, office.. somewhere in the week I should consider tanning as well….

Welcome to 2018.  How was the first week for you?

Morning Meanderings… Experience Has A Bad Rap

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments


Good morning from Minnesota.  *Yawns.  Stretches.*

I am starting to feel that my word for the year “Experience” has a bad rap.

When looking up inspirational messages for my word, I am finding that often experience is connected negatively.  Exhibit A:

Really Oscar Wilde? REALLY?

I was actually surprised as I dug more into the word.  My 2016 word COURAGE was so inspirational and strong.  My 2017 word SHINE followed suit and everywhere you looked positive things were said in regards to SHINE.

So what is up with Experience?

I don’t see it this way.

Experience is not something you get when something bad happens.  Well – it sure can be, but that is not what the word is to me.  I was thinking way more positively. EXPERIENCE is moving forward and EXPERIENCING what this world/life has to offer.  Doing something new, EXPERIENCING an event, a taste, a challenge, an accomplishment.  It is getting up, getting out, and moving in a positive direction.

I plan to run my 1st half marathon in July of this year.  That is an experience I am excited for.  I am signed up to do RAGBRAI, a 7 day bike ride across Iowa.  THAT is an experience.

I am not saying my year will be all sunshine and lollipops.  Of all people, I know better than that.  I also know that some experiences would be ones I would have rather passed on if given the choice.  There may be painful experiences ahead – but guess what?  The year of Courage and Shine also had their moments.


Thank you Emily.  I have always liked you.

When I looked at the lists of words that are suggested for your One Word of the year, Experience does not even make the list.  I kind of like that.  I have always been an outside the box kind of girl and I kind of like the thought of turning Experiences reputation and the way we think of it around.

Challenge accepted.

If I can keep up with my own ambitions (ha ha … always a challenge) I will share with you here the experiences of each day… come what may –

It will be an EXPERIENCE.

January 1st…  ran a 10k in 20- zero weather in St Paul Minnesota…  Experience was:  COLD, Invigorating, Inspirational… great way to start the New Year

January 2nd:  Started a new position with a company I so enjoy working with.  My friends had their baby, a little earlier than expected – but he is beautiful and he is a fighter.  I received a lovely gift in the mail… a Gryffindor scarf (HOW have I not already had one of these?)  And a beautiful copy of The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.  Something I have never read, but would like to.

Experience was:  Excitement, Joy, and a little sadness too mixed in as milestones and holidays tend to do that to me.

How are you?  If you chose a word this year, how is it working for you these first few days?  How are you implementing it in your life?

First Book 2018 Updated

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments


Good morning!  Happy January 2nd.  It has been fun to watch my E-mailbox fill with these pictures and stories about to be/being enjoyed.  Each title inspires me and as some of you noted on yesterday’s post – with as many entries as we have, there is not one duplicate.  I love that in so many ways.  The diversity in our choices.

This morning, my friend Mary sent in her book choice of Gone Girl with a message that her son asked her to read it so they can discuss it.  This opened up a flood of memories for me.  On our last trip to Happy Potter world in 2014,  Justin and I went to the movie.  I had already seen the movie, and I had already read the book prior to that, and wanted to EXPERIENCE (see what I did there?) this with him.

He loved it.  We left the theater in an Orlando mall and we immediately walked over to the malls book store where he purchased the book.  We talked about it for weeks afterwards. Differences between the book and the movie, plot…  I cherish those conversations.

AND that is just one of the many delights of a good book.  Not only experiencing it for yourself… but sharing it.  I love the book you hand to a friend and say, “Call me… as soon as you are done.  We need to talk about this.”  ♥

Here is the UPDATED post of the 2018 books.  93 of you in all submitted your First Book.  Thank you.  This is always so much fun to do and kick starts my year in books, and in blogging, off right.  I am bringing over much of the info from yesterday’s post (the places and the book links) to this post so you can click away and perhaps find your second book here.

(The top 2 sets are the newly added pics)


Here are the areas where these books were sent in from:    Alabama, Arkansas, Australia, Bermuda, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jamaica, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Scotland, Singapore, Switzerland, Tennessee, Texas, UK, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming

First Books:

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

The Hearts Invisible Furries by John Boyne

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The Sandcastle by Iris Murdock

Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs

A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev

The Wake Up by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Ginger Snapped by Gail Oust

Wonder by RJ Palacio

The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White

Copy Cat by Alex Lake

Jack Reacher The Midnight Line by Lee Child

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Little French Bistro by Nina George

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Bear Town by Fredrich Backman

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Tremontaine by Ellen Kushner

The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIivanney

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter

Degrees of Love by Lisa Slabach

Killers Of The Flower Moon by David Grann

The Leavers by Lisa Ko

My Antonia by Willa Cather

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin

Freya by Matthew Lawrence

The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu

The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

American War by Omar El Akkad

Palo Duro by Max Knight

American Indians American Presidents

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

The Reminders by Val Emmich

The African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe

Year One by Nora Roberts

Reset Reset Reset by Ellen Pao

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Crown of Stars by Sophie Jaff

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

Jacqueline Willoughby by Schuyler Randall

The World To Come by Dara Horn

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Those who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

White Bodies by Jane Robins

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi

Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

Origin by Dan Brown

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

The Listener by Robert McCammom

What If God Wrote Your To Do List by Jay Payleitner

The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

In the Moment by Karen Kingsbury

A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman

The Perfect Girl by Gilly MacMillan

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Hunger by Roxanne Gay

The Man In The Black Suit by Sylvia Reynard

Glittering Images by Susan Howatch

Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights by Catherine Matthew

I Am A Truck by Michelle Winters

Sitting Murder by AJ Wright

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Lighthouse Road by Peter Geye

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

Weave A Circle Round by Kari Maaren

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

River City Secrets Stories from Richmond by Lana Krumwiede

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

 

 

 

First Book Of The Year 2018

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)93 Comments


Thank you to everyone who sent in your first book pics of the year.  This is absolutely one of my favorite posts to put up each year and the fact that it is the first post each year….  even better.

The following are the pictures that came in from around the world of what people have chosen as their first book of the year.  For me… it was a huge deal trying to pick what I wanted to read and when I found it… I was thrilled and will be listening to it this morning on audio while I drive to the first run of the year.  (Hint in the pics below I am wearing a penguin hat)

Below everyone’s pics I have listed the areas in which these pictures came in from and under that the books that were chosen.  If you missed out, and still want to send your picture and first book in – please email me today at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com including where you live and I will add these pictures tomorrow.

Thank you again to everyone and Happy New Year.

 


Pics are from:  Alabama, Arkansas, Australia, Bermuda, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Scotland, Tennessee, Texas, UK, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming

First Books:

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

The Hearts Invisible Furries by John Boyne

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The Sandcastle by Iris Murdock

Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs

A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev

The Wake Up by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Ginger Snapped by Gail Oust

Wonder by RJ Palacio

The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White

Copy Cat by Alex Lake

Jack Reacher The Midnight Line by Lee Child

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Little French Bistro by Nina George

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Bear Town by Fredrich Backman

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Tremontaine by Ellen Kushner

The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIivanney

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter

Degrees of Love by Lisa Slabach

Killers Of The Flower Moon by David Grann

The Leavers by Lisa Ko

My Antonia by Willa Cather

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin

Freya by Matthew Lawrence

The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu

The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

American War by Omar El Akkad

Palo Duro by Max Knight

American Indians American Presidents

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

The Reminders by Val Emmich

The African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe

Year One by Nora Roberts

Reset Reset Reset by Ellen Pao

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Crown of Stars by Sophie Jaff

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

Jacqueline Willoughby by Schuyler Randall

The World To Come by Dara Horn

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Those who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

White Bodies by Jane Robins

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi

Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

Origin by Dan Brown

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

The Listener by Robert McCammom

What If God Wrote Your To Do List by Jay Payleitner

The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

In the Moment by Karen Kingsbury

 

Morning Meanderings… The Day Of The Eve

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Good morning.  *Yawns stretches*  How are we doing this New Years Eve Day?

I am sitting here with LAPTOP and COFFEE looking out at a very chilly day (22 below is the current Minnesota temp) and thinking of all the little things I want to accomplish today.

I have some laundry in the works, and a website I am building for an upcoming event, and pictures to go and take for an article, and what to make for dinner… and I am of course thinking about The First Book Of The Year… not only the post (which I love love love) but also… what my book will be.

My book will possibly be at least partially completed on audio since I leave early to get to a 10K run in the AM in St Paul and listening to audio makes that 2+ hour drive way more enjoyable… but alas… which book?  (The first book is almost as hard to pick as the word of the year lol)


If you are considering participating in First Book or if you are reading this thinking what the heck is First Book?  Here is a link to that post.  It is not to late to send in a pic to me of you and the book to add to the collage of readers going into 2018.

I am also looking at Goodreads.  I love that challenge, I am just trying to think what I can realistically do.  There was a time I could read over 100 books a year.  Now with all the things I have added in my life, I do not think that is a reachable goal.  I want to partake for sure, and I don’t want to drop the ball on it like I did in 2017.

So thats me.

The First Book post will go up early due to my run.  If you miss getting your pic in on time, do not worry – I almost always have some that come in after the posting and I add them to a post on January 2nd.

In the mean time… enjoy this day as we close out 2017 and all it has held… and look forward to 2018 and what this New Year will bring.

My Word!!! My One Word for 2018. What Is Yours?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)41 Comments

It is (beyond) time for the One Word of the year.  I have been doing this since 2013 and make a GIGANTIC deal out of my word as I know I want it to be valid for the year – come what may.

2017 word was SHINE and as you can see by last years post, it fell into my lap in a remarkable way and when I had the word – I knew it was the word.  SHINE has served me amazingly well, and really stuck with me through the year as I continued to find a way to move forward with the tragedy that hit my family in 2015.  Many people sent SHINE things through the year which make me smile to even think about it.  What an amazing support team I have!  ♥


This year, words were suggested that were great ideas – but didn’t quite fit what I thought would be what I needed for where I am in this world.  It wasn’t until this morning as I thought about the new things I would be doing in 2018, the physical challenges I had signed up for including my first half marathon (yeah… I said first) and my first 7 days bike ride across Iowa and then I knew…

 

EXPERIENCE


Definition:  An experience is something that you do or that happens to you, especially something important that affects you.  

the act of living through an event or events; personal involvement in or observation of events as they occur, anything observed or lived through

For me, I look at this new year as an opportunity to experience new things.  To taste, to travel, to feel, to push myself, to EXPERIENCE whatever life has to offer.  If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that life is short and it is precious.  None of us know if there is a tomorrow (or what tomorrow will bring).   We need to live well and to the fullest today.  Every day is an opportunity to experience something new – to choose to move out of our comfort zone and BE and DO.

I am well aware that my own life circumstances have brought me to this opinion on how we (I) should live.  Your life circumstances may be completely different as well as your choices of what to do with your time on this earth.

I ask again, for the 4th year on this site, please consider doing One Word with me.  Here is a site with a list of words to start you thinking.  When you choose your word – say it out loud to everyone.  Own it.  The more you place it in your life, the better it will stick and become truly your motivational inspirational direction of the year.

I recently wrote an article in the local Her Voice magazine about One Word.  They are now taking submissions of people telling them the word they have chosen for 2018 and they will post them in the February printing of the magazine.  Here is a link to that Facebook post if you would like to be part of the article.

Feel free to submit your own word below.  I would love to cheer you on!

First Book Of The Year – The Tradition Continues

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)67 Comments

 

Fifth year.  I LOVE First book so much.  This tradition for me goes further back than the 5 years I have opened up to the reading world here on Book Journey.  I am THRILLED to be doing it again and thank you to those who have messaged me to ask.

The answer is…

Of course we are doing it.

Here is what First Book is.  The first book of the New Year should be:

A.  A coveted book that you have wanted to read but have just not found the time.

B.  A delicious favorite… one you have read before, but crave to read again.

C.  Really whatever you want it to – it is after all YOUR First Book Of the year.

Make it AWESOME.

Then, once you have picked what it will be, email me a picture of you with the book.  This adds to the excitement of the First Book.  On January 1st I will post all the pics in a collage format of all of you around the world that are doing First Book.  Here is some (yes some…  so many participate it is incredible!)  of what came in last year:


Fill out this form – its easy and gives you all the info you need.  I hope you will join in.  Even now I look at these pics from last year and think, ooh…  I need to read that.  🙂  Cant wait to pick mine….cant wait to see what you choose!