Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)25 Comments

Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani’s millions of fans around the world.

In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family’s old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected. Very Valentine is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani’s trademark heart and humor.


I first met author Adiana Trigiani within the pages of Viola In Reel Life.  I was reading the at book last fall in a group discussion and fell in love with her writing style.  When the offer came along to review Very Valentine, I was sold as soon as I seen the word Trigiani.

First off I have to say shoe lovers, this is a book for you!   Can you imagine making custom wedding shoes?  I would love to just tour a place like that!  And what is not to love about a large Italian family?  Just reading this I am filled with the visions of homes filled with laughter and love, and spicy scents of food always cooking.  Coming form a very small family – this scene in my head becomes very “Norman Rockwellesque”.

I mentioned food and I love a book filled with food.  These are the type of books I like for book club because we can then potluck around the food items.  Very Valentine not only fills my ead with delicious thoughts…. but also provides the recipes in the back of the book!  Right there made my decision to recommend this read for our next Book Club Meeting.

Truly an enjoyable read with wonderful characters.  Adriana has a gift with her writing and reading about her makes me think she would be just a wonderful full of life person who I would enjoy hanging out with.  These are my people.  🙂


Adriana was raised in a small coal mining town in southwest Virginia in a big Italian family. She chose her hometown for the setting and title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed and bestselling Big Stone Gap, followed by the sequels Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and the fall 2006 release Home to Big Stone Gap. Lucia, Lucia, The Queen of the Big Time, Rococo and Very Valentine were all instant New York Times bestsellers. Adriana’s novels have been translated and sold in over 30 countries around the world.

Adriana also teamed up with her family in 2005 to pen Cooking With My Sisters, which was co-authored by her sister Mary, with contributions from their sisters and mom; the cookbook-memoir features recipes and stories dating back a hundred years from both sides of their Italian-American family.

Reading Group Guide

I received my review copy from TLC Book Tours



April Challenge

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

When I thought of how to do this challenge I really liked the concept of giving up something I enjoy for one month, and putting that money aside to help someone else.  However, when it came time for me to write my post… I struggled.  Not on the cause to give to – the charities and causes I believe in are numerous and I was not at lack of ideas for that part.  I struggled on the what to give up.

I enjoy coffee, but I make it at home and hardly ever go into a coffee shop.  I am not a big pop drinker, and I am not a smoker.  I thought about giving up book purchases for a month, but wasn’t sure how to monitor that.  I don’t buy a lot of shoes.

I do however – cave in for snacks, baked chips, candy, McDonalds Hot Fudge Sundaes…..     so that is what I am giving up for a month.  Whenever I crave a snacky item…. instead of giving in, the money instead will go into a jar for the cause.  I am afraid I may scare myself with how much I may spend in a month on snacky items.

My cause for the month is going to be Wild And Free.   Wild and Free is a non-profit organization, is dedicated to the education of the public regarding wildlife and their habitat, and relieving the pain and suffering of wild animals. Professional and humane care is provided in efforts to preserve our local wildlife.  We are a non-profit organization, supported entirely by grants and donations and the many hours donated by a talented group of volunteers. Wild and Free receives no federal or state funding for any portion of our program. We provide food, shelter, medical and surgical care to orphaned or injured wildlife under permits from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This otter was captured by a cat and was injured

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for suffering and animals are no exception.   We have used Wild and Free personally twice.  One time about 4 years ago we were on our way to a football banquet for our son in a snow storm and on the highway by our driveway was a pigeon that would not fly.  I shooed him off the road so he did not get hit by a car and we went on our way.  That night when we came home he was on our back deck hiding in the leaves that had gathered under our outdoor grill.  I put on big gloves, caught him, put him in a large box in our entryway for the night and in the morning took him to Wild And Free.  They do not charge for their services, but appreciate donations.  They fixed his broken wing, and brought him back to our house when he was healed to be released.  It was an amazing experience.

This baby owls nest was blown out of a tree and he was injured.

Orphaned baby deer
Orphaned baby kesrels - all from the same nest

Orphaned baby foxes

I hope you will consider joining me in this challenge.  Click here for more details.

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Did anyone else pick up on the fact that is was April Fools Day yesterday?  I knew it was April 1st, but much like St Patricks Day I didnt really consider the holiday.

Never fear…. Brett who works in the office with me did not forget.  In fact, I am pretty sure he was looking forward to April 1st.  Take a look here at the office I walked into yesterday morning:

Foiled again!  Well… not again, really first time.  🙂

So this morning I am off to the gym, have a couple meetings, possibly a bike ride if the weather looks good and then hopefully home with book in later afternoon. Later today I will post my April Challenge – what I will be doing this month.  If you haven’t looked at this challenge yet, I hope you do and I hope you consider joining me.

Tomorrow I help sort the Mini Challenge Hosts for the Readathon on April 10th.  If you are out of the loop on this, jump in the loop!  Here is the link to the readathon info, and here is the link to sign up to be a Mini Challenge Host.

Any big Easter Weekend plans?

We Have W I N N E R S ! ! !

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

I have no idea how it happens but as hard as I try (and I really do try!) I seem to always be late on announcing my giveaway winners.  I do seriously hope to get better at this so please bear with me.

*By the way – when saying bear with me I was unsure if it was bare or bear so I had to look it up…. here is what I found.


There are actually three words here. The simple one is the big growly creature (unless you prefer the Winnie-the-Pooh type). Hardly anyone past the age of ten gets that one wrong. The problem is the other two. Stevedores bear burdens on their backs and mothers bear children. Both mean “carry” (in the case of mothers, the meaning has been extended from carrying the child during pregnancy to actually giving birth). But strippers bare their bodies—sometimes bare-naked. The confusion between this latter verb and “bear” creates many unintentionally amusing sentences; so if you want to entertain your readers while convincing them that you are a dolt, by all means mix them up. “Bear with me,” the standard expression, is a request for forbearance or patience.
“Bare with me” would be an invitation to undress. “Bare” has an adjectival form: “The pioneers stripped the forest bare.”

Ok now that I have that straight, lets have some winners!

La de da, la da dee… winners I have to the count of three!

1) LYDIA

2) SEAN PYNAERT

3) MARJORIE

YEAH!  Woo Hoo!


This is so super cool – we have three winners of Crazy School!

1)  ALEXIA561

2)  JANET F

3) TINA

The Girl She Used To Be goes to another group of three!

1)  SHARI D

2)  JOANNE

3)  NATALIE

Congratulations to the winners!  I have emailed all of you!

I have more winners coming up in the next couple of days, in the mean time be sure you check out the giveaways still open.

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments


Happy April 1st!  😀  I had high hopes to be much more organized before today but I have to admit I am not….  I have a challenge in my head for April – but have not taken the time to put it to laptop yet.  I will be working on that today because I am pretty excited about it.

Yesterday evening I biked 10 miles with my friend Jennifer…. (thank you Jennifer!) bringing me to 28 miles for the two days.  I hope to go out again later today, but am watching the weather as there is a chance for rain today.  If all works well, weather wise too – I would like to do the Merrifield run again.

In Bookish News…. while blog hopping yesterday, I read over at Luxury Reading about the newest to the Twilight books….  The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner.  Has everyone else heard about this?  It was news to me!  Here is what Amazon has to say about the book:

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

I have to admit… I don’t remember Bree.  It’s bugging me now.  For those of you who have read the Twilight Series, do you remember Bree?  Anyway – I think the idea is brilliant!  Stephanie Meyer should capture the Twilight fans with this one.  I think it will be interesting to see how the book will do.  Any predictions?


Thank you everyone who visited and chatted with me in March.  I will have a recap post of the month up soon with my top commenter winner as well as my Random winners.  I appreciate you all so much!  Have a BEAUTIFUL Day!



Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)31 Comments

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover.  I mean, look at it.  I will wait…….  The colors are eye-catching – bright and delicious… it reminds me of Skittles!  🙂

The second draw to this book was the back cover synopsis….. books about women friendships have always been a draw for me.  I know how important my friendships are to me and just love to read about others.

After that – cover love (yeah Skittles!) and synopsis (women friendships!) the rest was left up to what was between these two draws…. the story itself.

And I entered into the world of Charlie, who owns the Yoga store and I like her instantly.  As I am introduced in pretty much a rapid fire manner to the other characters I got a bit entangled in the who’s who….

Balancing Act is exactly what is taking place as these women evaluate their lives and build school acquaintances into important friendships.   Zoe Fisherman has a way with words and how she initially introduced each woman individually with their own chapter was refreshing.  Zoe has a way with words and I found the story line to be engaging.  While the book wasnt as deep as I had hoped, I was left with a good feeling as the last page was turned.

Yoga anyone?

My Amazon Review


Zoe grew up in Mobile, Alabama. As a wee one, she would walk home from school and talk to herself as she verbally mapped out Barbie and Ken’s upcoming altercation(s) with Skipper. She loved homework and cleaning. She was wild!

Later, she attended Boston University, where she spent her time destroying her teeth with Swedish Fish and explaining to her peers that people actually did wear shoes in Alabama.

After college, she arrived in New York with nary a clue and an inflated sense of self-importance. Her first apartment was dubbed ‘Wild Kingdom’ because of her mouse, roach and pigeon roommates. She took a job in book publishing and, despite a brief foray into the world of web writing – touting luxury goods out of a beige office with bad carpeting in Chelsea and writing horoscopes based on planet formations from Iceland (best job ever, by the way) – never looked back.

Today, Zoe is the Foreign Rights Director and an agent for The Nancy Yost Literary Agency. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, whom she met on the subway after four plus years of trying to get up the nerve to say hello to him. Balancing Acts is her first novel.

I received my review copy of this book from Harper Collins

**Note – there was some light language in the book

Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

I took my bike out for the first time yesterday afternoon.  I took it to Trailblazers in Brainerd and had the tires properly filled with air and after a few errands, I hit the bike trail and I am THRILLED to say that I went 18 miles for my first ride of 2010.

It was windy out and I probably would not have went that far if I would have turned my bike around earlier and felt how hard going against the wind would be… but it was good for me.  🙂

SO if you haven’t heard all the buzz on Alice in wonderland lately you truly must have fallen down a rabbit hole!  Between all the books out there on Alice and of course the movie …. I ran across this fun questionnaire and thought I would send a few questions your way to ponder over.  🙂


These questions are based on the 1951, Walt Disney’s animated classic “Alice in Wonderland”

1) Kathryn Beaumont voiced Alice – what other Disney heroine did she voice?
A) Wendy in “Peter Pan”
B) Cinderella in “Cinderella”
C) The village girl in “The Jungle Book”
D) Perdita in “101 Dalmatians”

2) Which of these characters from the film does not appear in Lewis Carroll’s book?
A) Alice’s Sister
B) The Doorknob
C) The Dodo
D) The Walrus

3) Where does Alice get lost on her journey through Wonderland?
A) The Looking-Glass Hall
B) The Red Queen’s Garden
C) The Mushroom Forest
D) The Tulgey Wood

4) In which category was “Alice” nominated for an Academy Award®?
A) Best Picture
B) Best Song
C) Best Director
D) Best Score

5) What kind of race does Alice join in?
A) A caucus race
B) A human race
C) An unbirthday race
D) A croquet race

I will post the answers tomorrow.  In the mean time, have you read any of the books about Alice – either the original Alice In Wonderland or any of the popular ones now – or have you seen the new movie?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

FBI Special agent Brad Raines is facing his toughest case yet. A Denver serial killer has killed four beautiful young women, leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene, and he’s picking up his pace. Unable to crack the case, Raines appeals for help from a most unusual source: residents of the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric institution for mentally ill individuals whose are extraordinarily gifted.

It’s there that he meets Paradise, a young woman who witnessed her father murder her family and barely escaped his hand. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Paradise may also have an extrasensory gift: the ability to experience the final moments of a person’s life when she touches the dead body.

In a desperate attempt to find the killer, Raines enlists Paradise’s help. In an effort to win her trust, he befriends this strange young woman and begins to see in her qualities that most ‘sane people’ sorely lack. Gradually, he starts to question whether sanity resides outside the hospital walls…or inside.

As the Bride Collector picks up the pace-and volume-of his gruesome crucifixions, the case becomes even more personal to Raines when his friend and colleague, a beautiful young forensic psychologist, becomes the Bride Collector’s next target.

The FBI believes that the killer plans to murder seven women. Can Paradise help before it’s too late?


I have read Ted Decker’s books for years and then it seems like the last few years while I have been a faithful “purchaser” they have remained on my shelves unread.  Why, you may ask?  Well, I have no profound reason other than lack of time, commitment to other books, and that think called life that sometimes gets in the way….  😉

SO….. I was thrilled to be a part of this tour for Ted’s new book, The Bride Collector.  My hope was this book would  remind me of all the things I appreciate about Ted’s writing and cause other Decker books to come flying off my book shelves in rapid formation.

On to the verdict….

The Bride Collector starts with me, starring in the role of “Reader”, going down a path of information gathering.  We begin with collecting  background info on the who, the what, and the where’s, in the book.  Don’t despair!  This is good detective work!  Besides, you want to enjoy this beginning pace of the book…. because…… much like a rollercoaster slowly… click… clacking… it’s… way… to… the…  top….

It doesn’t stay that way for long and suddenly you are rushing downward, hands in the air (and quite possibly screaming) as you plunge into the pages of this storyline…. page by page, flying through the mind of a serial killer who is taking the lives of beautiful women believing it is his calling to find the Bride of God.  A bridal veil is all that is left on the crime scenes leaving a very frustrated FBI as they work hard to put a stop to the madness.

Special Agent Brad Raines, is doing everything he can to track down this killer and put a stop to the terror.  He even goes as far as to seek help from the mental patients in a home that Brad feels may have at one time been associated with this man they call the Bride Collector.


“But wait, Sheila…. Isn’t this book a Christian Fiction read?  It seems so dark….”

It is a Christian Fiction read and that actually makes it all the more intriguing to me.  I have always had an enjoyment for  the mystery/suspense genre and Ted Dekker is known for this style.  While their is murder in the book, it is not gory or graphic.  Ted does have a message in every book and  how he gets to that message is amazing in itself.

The Bride Collector had plenty of the twists and turns along the way that I enjoy in his books.  Having read and enjoyed this one,  I am now looking at his other works that are waiting patiently on my shelf….

Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.

Dekker was born to missionaries who lived among the head hunter tribes of Indonesia. Because his parents’ work often included extended periods of time away from their children, Dekker describes his early life in a culture to which he was a stranger as both fascinating and lonely. It is this unique upbringing that forced him to rely on his own imagination to create a world in which he belonged.

Early in his career he wrote a number of spiritual thrillers and his novels were lumped in with ‘Christian Fiction’ a surprisingly large category. His later novels are a mix of mainstream novels such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan’s Daughters, and Fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore faith. Best known among these is his Circle Series: Green, Black, Red, White and The Paradise Books: Showdown, Saint, and Sinner.

I received my review copy from Hachette Book Group


Morning Meanderings…

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Good morning! You ever have one of those days that just seems to click everything together correctly?


Yeah…. me neither…..


Ok just kidding, when I finally did motivate myself yesterday things did go pretty well. All my returns for the weekend home show were accepted very graciously (I had to return 25 pounds of brats, 43 pounds of hotdogs and 87 packages of hot dog buns). I never dreamed they would take it all back but the fact is the home show traffic was down this year considerably. We had pretty decent weather over the weekend and I am sure that contributed to it.

Anyway – from there I went to the library, back home, and then had some afternoon time to relax and read The Fiddler’s Gun which I am enjoying.

I finally put my bike on the back of my Durango so I can get air in the tires and hope fully go for a ride this afternoon after work. That appeals to me immensely – I am less than a month out now from the first big ride of the year.

We ordered pizza last night and that was the last of eating like that for a while as now I need to go into training mode.

Ok – but bookish topics are a plenty. First of all do not forget the Readathon on April 10th. Reading baby! And now all the links are up so know you can be a participant and sign up today, you can also be a Cheerleader, and we still need Mini Challenge Hosts (which is part of my team so I would love it if you would consider having one!)

Also, I see Natasha has posted the New York Times best Sellers List which I always enjoy going through and seeing what I have read and what I havent.

Also…. while hanging around the water cooler on Twitter this morning I heard that it is Dreadlock Girls Birthday.  Pop over to her blog and wish her a happy one.  🙂

So that’s my morning meandering.  I have a full day that I added to by sleeping later than I should have this morning and missing my morning workout.  Now I need to fit that in somewhere later today.

Whats your Tuesday like?

Women In Leadership Month

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

I was recently given the opportunity to read and reaview Dawn McCoys book, Leadership Building Blocks.  I am a person who loves to always be sharpening skills and learning new ways to improve on what I am doing.  I really enjoyed Dawn’s book and took notes on parts of the book that I have been applying to my work environment as well as to teams I have the pleasure of working with.

Thank you Dawn for a book now sits in my office along with other books on leadership and skills I hold with great value.

Celebrate Women in Leadership Series
 with Dawn McCoy

During the month of March 2010, Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks will highlight great women in leadership during Women’s History Month.

Sheila: Thank you for allowing me to be a guest blogger today at Book Journey. Today, in the Celebrate Women in Leadership series, I want to highlight Anne Frank.

Annelies Marie better known as “Anne” Frank is one the most renowned Jewish victims of the Holocaust. She is not remembered for her death but more for the exceptional quality of her writing in her diary, The Diary of Anne Frank that has become one of the world’s most widely read books.

She was born in Frankfurt, Germany and lived most of her life near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. She gained international fame posthumously following the publication of her diary which documents her experiences hiding during the World Ward II German occupation of the Netherlands. In later years, her diary would be translated into fifty-five languages and would sell more than twenty million copies.

Anne and her family were trapped in Amsterdam due to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands around 1940. As persecutions of the Jewish population increased in July 1942, her family went into hiding in the hidden rooms of her father Otto Frank‘s office building. After two years, the group was betrayed and transported to concentration camps. Seven months after her arrest, Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

What I most admire about Anne Frank and her writings is that she was simultaneously candid and courageous. Not only did she provide us with the context of historical events but also an understanding of Europe during the Nazi occupation and subsequent Holocaust that impacted thousands.

Here are some of Frank’s most poignant excerpts:

On life: “Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year old school girl. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I feel like writing.”

On self-fulfillment: Happiness….that’s something you can’t achieve by taking the easy way out. Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy.”

On legacy: “I shall not remain insignificant I shall work in the world for mankind. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living, even after my death.”

On balance: “Beauty remains, even in misfortune. If you just look for it, you discover more and more happiness and regain your balance.”

TOUR GIVEAWAY: Blog visitors who leave comments  OR radio callers with questions for Dawn are eligible to win an autographed copy of Leadership Building Block and a copy of the Effective Community Engagement CD.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dawn McCoy is author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success. As one of the youngest elected African-American elected to the Sacramento City Unified School Board, McCoy shares seven leadership fundamentals in her book. Inspiring readers to be top in their field, Dawn shares her insights based upon twenty years serving as a nonprofit and government executive.

A motivational speaker, coach, and founder of Flourish Leadership Group, a leadership development and communications firm, Dawn is dedicated to transforming ordinary people into extraordinary leaders. In recent years, she has worked with organizations to develop their vision and create phenomenal results. Dawn has worked with hundreds of individuals to help them capture their spirit of leadership and truly become the effective leaders they were meant to be.

Visit Dawn online at FlourishLeadership.com.

Read an excerpt online and visit the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/LeadershipBuildingBlocks.