In My Mailbox

Published on March 28, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)40 Comments

Welcome to another Sunday and another wonderful In My Mailbox hosted by Kristi at Story Siren. Here is what came in my house either by mail, or library, or I purchased. If it is book related and entered my home – it is listed here. 🙂

For Review

On a summer afternoon, Melba Burns witnesses a nightmare collision. The unknown bicyclist dies in her arms, ending Melba’s desire for success at any cost. She settles into her boxy old farmhouse trying to find a simpler peace. But Melba’s stunning new roommate JoLee Garry only magnetizes messes and trouble-she brings a series of unexpected guests who transform Melba’s fruitful solo life into something different, darker, and better.

The Revolutionary Paul Revere starts at a gallop and never slows down. Follow Revere’s adventure-filled life from childhood through the French and Indian War; from the prerevolutionary economic disasters through the incendiary tax fights and riots; from military occupation of Boston through Revere’s part in the Boston Massacre trial; from his role in the Boston Tea Party through his early service as express rider for the Massachusetts patriots; from the tragic death of his first wife through the whimsical pursuit of a new love; from his role as waterfront spy through his famous midnight ride; from his participation in the worst American naval disaster before Pearl Harbor through his eventual vindication.

A photo of her sons. A doormat from Target. Twenty-three tubs of fabric. Somehow it comforts Lauren to list the things she lost when a wildfire engulfed the Santa Barbara avocado ranch she shared with her husband, Tom. He, too, didn’t survive the devastating fire. His last act was to save her grandmother’s lace from the flames-an heirloom she has never been able to take scissors to, that she was saving for someday.

As she negotiates her way through grief, mourning both the tangible and intangible, Lauren wonders about her long marriage. Was it worth all the work, the self-denial? Did she stay with Tom just to avoid loneliness? Should she have been more like her mother, Eileen-thrice- married and, even now in her elderly years, cavalier about men and, it seems, even about her daughter’s emotions?

Now, it’s up to Lauren to understand what she could still gain even when it seems that everything is lost.

Featuring a seven year-old mastermind who tries really hard not to blame her imaginary friend for getting her into heaps of delicious trouble, Lauren Barnholdt’s new series is both hilarious and heart-warming. Watch out Ramona, Judy, and the rest, Hailey Twitch is coming soon!

Purchased

Twelve-year-old Henry York wakes up one night to find bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall above his bed and one of them is slowly turning . . .Henry scrapes the plaster off the wall and discovers cupboards of all different sizes and shapes. Through one he can hear the sound of falling rain. Through another he sees a glowing room–with a man pacing back and forth! Henry soon understands that these are not just cupboards, but portals to other worlds.

* Purchased from The Rabbit Room (LOVE the Rabbit Room!)

My friend Cindy gave me a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. OOH! What will it be! Is it Hex Hall? Or the new Harlan Coben? The new Jodi Piccoult House Rules? Oh the ideas are endless…

I never made it to the library but have a book waiting for me so I should be stopping in this week.

And that’s my mailbox. How about you? Anything exciting and bookish come into your home this week?

Girlfriends (From Campfires to Crows Feet) by monica sheehan

Published on March 27, 2010March 27, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

Who returns your calls faster than a speeding bullet? Who will leap to your side in a single bound? Your mother…your dog…your hairdresser? No! It’s your girlfriend! Artist Monica Sheehan knows this and created Girlfriends: From Campfires To Crow’s Feet as the perfect tribute to the women in every female’s life. Through this collection of pithy anecdotes and too-funny illustrations, Sheehan reminds women young and old that: Girlfriend’s share their M&M’s, magazine’s and Xanax; Girlfriends know the best things in life are “flea.”; Girlfriends lie to your mother for you.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

This was such a fun read! I bought this book to share with those friends in my life that fall into this category. These are the friends I can call up at 2 am to cry if I need to, stay up at all night eating junk food and watching chick flicks, they go on ridiculously long bike rides with me, go to haunted hay rides, dress up in formal wear and go to mansions for sleep overs….. and – AND when I say I want to go to New York in May to go to the book expo but hate driving in the cities to get to the airport….. they look at me without skipping a beat and say, “we’ll drive you.”

This book reminded me of those friendships and is one I hope to share around a campfire this year and read out loud as we laugh and remember those times – all the while creating new memories.

I highly recommend this read to share with the girlfriend (s) in your life!

I bought this book at bookcloseouts.com

Morning Meanderings…

Published on March 27, 2010July 4, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)35 Comments

Home Show Edition: Day Two

This morning Coffee Cup and I are actually having Tea. Why? I ran out of coffee filters yesterday and keep forgetting to pick them up. I know, who does that right? I mean coffee filters come in a bag of 200…. this is like a twice a year purchase at best. Yet again, I hauled my tired self to the coffee pot to realize that I have yet to remember this important part of the coffee-making process.

Day one of the home show seemed a bit slow to me. I have yet to compare my last years first day concession sales to this years. Today should hopefully be busier….it is still a bit cool here in Minnesota (39 degrees) so people should be coming to the show. When the weather is too nice,people are in there yards and my sales are not as good.

Before I fly out the door I wanted to ask you if you have heard of the Weekend Cooking meme that BethFish Reads puts on each weekend. It is a cool idea where you can link up your posts today on cooking themes even books with cooking titles, movies, gadgets, etc…. go and check this fun meme out today. I wish I had time to participate. 🙂

Have a super day – I have a fun review coming up in a few hours on the theme of friendships 🙂

Morning Meandering

Published on March 26, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

I am working the home show for the Mid Minnesota Builders Association. I run the concession stand which raises money for scholarships.

Home show edition…. day one.

This is what my morning was like today: We are at the home show in the civic center and I am starting the coffee and setting up the concessions. A girl (we will call her “Girl” for this post) I work with every year at the show is helping me with this set up.

Girl: Ok…. where is it?

Me (brewing the BIG pots of coffee): Where is what?

Girl: Where is the book or two you have every year?

Me: I don’t know what you are talking about. I am in 100% Home Show mode.

Girl (spinning around looking about the area): No…. It has to be here.

Me: I seriously think you must be on something. Help me get the price lists up.

Girl: Is it in your purse?

Me: I am concerned for your well being. I am book free.

Girl: Impossible. It is here. I know. You have one every year and every chance you get you are up in the kitchen with your nose in a book.

Me: You are thinking of someone else. That girl that helped last year, she was a reader. You may be thinking of her. Yeah. I bet it was her. What was her name… Laura, Lori…. something like that.

Girl (gleefully has her hand in my purse and pulls out the evidence): Aha! I knew it! You ARE reading this weekend! You can’t fool me!

Me (so busted…) : What are you, CSI?

I will be smelling like a grilled brat in no time.

What are your plans for the weekend? 😀

The Power Of Half by Kevin Salwen and Hannah Salwen

Published on March 25, 2010March 25, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

It all started when 14-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe. “You know, Dad,” she said, pointing, “If that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.”

This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah’s urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. “What, are you crazy? No way!” Then it was a challenge. “We are TOTALLY doing this.” Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens’ journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more.

Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ

This is a story that makes you think of all the excess we have around us. The Salwen’s made a decision to work together to downsize their home and their lives and in doing so – they gave much to others.

You may read this book and about the Salwen’s life and think, “well, they had a lot to begin with. A great home, vehicles, not really wanting for anything….” I will admit as I started this story that is what I was thinking… yet as I read on I came to realize that what this book is really about is not so much about the Salwen family – as is it about the changes we can make in our own lives big or small that can help others. The Salwens story is an example of what one family can do.

I love how this was not a one persons vision – but an effort that not only brought great joy to those with less, but also brought the Salwen’s closer as a family. While there are some parts of this books that felt a little to “look what I did”, I felt overall the book gives a good message of how we can all make changes.

This book was an inspiration and in light of reading this I plan to offer a challenge starting April 1 where I encourage each of us to think about something we can give up (or cut back on) for a month and instead put that money that we would be spending (on that cup of coffee, ice cream, movie nights, out to dinners…) and put it away to be given to a cause dear to your heart at the end of April.

More details to come.

For every book sold $1 will be donated to Rebuilding Together, serving American’s low-income home-owners. In addition, the Salwen family is investing in the Hunger Project.

I received my review copy from FSB Associates

This book reminded me a little of a book I read quite a while ago and RAVED about. It was called the Kingdom Assignment and it will be part of what I am planning for April 1.

Morning Meanderings….

Published on March 25, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

It is Thursday and I have a hankering to do a little of Word Verification Balderdash which is featured every Thursday over at Ryan from Wordsmithonia’s blog. I have stopped participating in many memes mainly because it creates so many posts and I do not wish for my subscribers to groan at the sheer weight of their in box when I pop up yet again with something else to say. 😉

So….

I am going to place my words within this post so as not to create another post… and i simply have to play because some word verification is truly, too good to pass up: (these are actual word verifications that I have had when commenting over the past week):

sucktart: I imagine this is what the Red Queen from Alice In Wonderland would say when she is extremely angry. (I also imagine her large bulbous head would be quite crimson at the time this word is uttered).

Raxes: “What’s that Scooby? Oh yeah…. you are right… it is that time again”.

You want to see the master word verification balderdash player – go check out Ryan at Wordsmithonia blog words… he cracks me up weekly.

Feddie Girl by Nona David

Published on March 24, 2010March 24, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Carlotta Ikedi (A.k.a Feddie Girl) has never liked school. Not in California. Not in Oklahoma. When her exasperated parents ship her off to boarding school–in West Africa–Carlotta faces a life, culture, and existence unlike anything she’s ever known.

School rules and regulations, rising bell, lights-out, manual labor, inspections, dining time, prefects, punishments, mean bunkmates, and visiting days–it’s all here. But author Nona David takes Carlotta’s story a step further when her adventure’s lead to unfortunate incidents that threaten to drive her American family into the clutches of infidelity and organized crime.

Boarding school doesn’t get any better than this…

For those who have experienced the boarding school life, the adventures of Feddie Girl will bring those memories crashing back… For anyone else, get ready to see the world as Feddie Girl.

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

I am hearing wonderful things about this book which has sat on my TBR shelf way too long. With time commitments pressing in on me I called in a little help from a friend of mine to assist in reviewing a few books. Camryn is the daughter of my good friend Heidi, and Camryn, like her mother – loves to read.

Camryn, at ten years old, excels in her class in reading and writing. She truly has a way with words and I am hoping one of these days she will let me help her get started with a little blogging world of her own. 🙂 So, I would like to now welcome Camryn, and her wonderful raving review of Feddie Girl.

I personally enjoyed Feddie Girl by Nona David. This book was full of twists, turns, and unexpected moments!

The story is about a teenager going to a private all-girls school in Nigeria. She meets new people and discovers that this boarding school is quite strict, including chores and a lot of homework.

As the story continues, she learns that life is not a fairy tale and it takes work to keep it going steady. When something totally horrible happens, she is determined to make the person that caused it suffer.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys suspense and stories of hardships that make people see things in a new way.

Nona David currently lives with her husband in Cincinatti, Ohio. She has a passions for foreign cultures and zeal to visit new places, learn new languages, and experience new things. Her background, friends, and experiences in Nigeria, West AFrica is the major influence of her debut novel, Feddie Girl.

Nona loves to read and believes every reading experience should be fun and exciting. Her target audience is mainly females between the ages of 13-55; and anyone who simply enjoys reading quality fiction.

With FEDDIE GIRL, Nona wants to offer readers a different kind of reading experience by introducing them to foreign adventures and cultures. FEDDIE GIRL offers a unique and toe-curling story that is exciting, witty, adventurous, and humor-filled. FEDDIE GIRL is a sizzle, a keep-sake, an info pack, and a memory nudge that will transport readers into the foreign cultures of Nigeria and keep them turning the pages and yearning for more.

SOLD OUT!!! And The Feddie Gist Continues…

For those of you who couldn’t grab copies before it sold out, you may still be able to get the emergency copies kept on reserve by the Publisher for situations such as these. (Price $19.99; Only at the publisher’s website. Not available anywhere else! https://bernardbooks.com)

Personally, I think the book sounds fantastic! Thank you to Camryn for taking the time to read and love this book!

UPDATE: The wonderful bloggers at My Book Buds have a copy of this book available to the first person who emails them (within the US) with their address. Email is: info(at)mybookbuds.com

This book was offered for review by Bernard Books

Morning Meanderings….

Published on March 24, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

Happy Wednesday! This morning I am meeting our new office person in the office to get her started and then off to do my job at the church.

As I sit here drinking in my coffee this morning and trying to think of what is new and exciting over here – I was reminded that I really haven’t talked about the April 10th Readathon. That’s right, mark your calendars, grab your books, shut off your phones, and lock your doors!

I have experienced the last two readathons and really found them to be fun. If you have time stop over at the Dewey’s readathon site and nose around. You will see last falls challenges and get a good taste of what happens during the 24 hours.

Is it all reading? No- there are Mini Challenges throughout the day.

Whats a Mini Challenges? It is a small task that you pop over to a designated blog and perform if you want to.

The mini challenges could be a book trivia game, or name that cover, or tasking you to write a post on a book that really meant a lot to you and why, etc…

You choose the ones you wish to do, pass on those you do not. Every challenge has a winner! Woo hoo! Last year I won the new (at the time) Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

Currently we are looking for challenge hosts. Stop over to the Dewey’s Readathon and see what we are looking for. If you have an idea, be sure to fill out the form.

Ok I am off to do what I do! Have a super great day! I would love to hear if yo have participated in a readathon before or are planning to do this one. If so – do you have any books in mind for the event?

Updated: 9:51 PM CDT on March 23, 2010

49° | 25°

36° | 23°

49° | 34°

45° | 29°

Sunday

45° | 25°

Here’s my weather in Brainerd, MN

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs w/ Giveaway!

Published on March 23, 2010May 2, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)60 Comments

A mother who cannot face her future.
A daughter who cannot escape her past.

Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she turns to the auld ways, desperate to conceal a generations-old scandal that taints her family’s name.

Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips. Elisabeth cannot–must

His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.

One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown. not–discover the truth, or all will be ruined.

There is nothing like the feeling of reading a book that makes you feel like you dropped into the pages to explore the world it proved for yourself. That is the best way I can describe the feeling of this book.

I do enjoy historical fiction and this read and this one hit home with me. I found that Liz Curtis Higgs has taken a page out of Francine Rivers book and wrote in the likes on Naomi and Ruth out of the Bible, making the story come to light in new ways. The Scottish setting was interesting, yet some of the language distracted me from the read.

While many characters are not appealing to me because it is too many story lines to keep track of, I appreciated that the book mainly focuses on two of the characters, Elizabeth and Marjory. While the book was a little long, I did enjoy it and was glad to welcome back author Liz Curtis Higgs to my reading room.

LIZ CURTIS HIGGS is the author of twenty-seven books with three million copies in print, including: her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, Christy Award-winner Whence Came a Prince, and Grace in Thine Eyes, a Christy Award finalist; My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, an armchair travel guide to Galloway; and her contemporary novels, Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist, and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist. Visit the author’s extensive website at www.lizcurtishiggs.com

AND – there is a giveaway! To enter this giveaway leave a comment here telling me what book by Liz Curtis Higgs would you be interested in reading (besides this one) or what other book have you read by her.

For additional entries:

Be a subscriber of this blog and let me know in a separate comment here for 2 extra entries (subscribe in upper right sidebar)

Tweet or blog about this giveaway and let me know in a separate comment for another entry

Giveaway will end on April 6 – USA and Canada only please

My review copy came from Waterbrook Multnomah

Morning Meanderings…

Published on March 23, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Ok…. this is what my mornings are really like….

LOL… If you seen my Saturday post you would have read that I picked up the Flip Video Recorder. Now you poor readers are subject to not only my sad attempts at video blog (VLOG) but also my odd sense of humor….

Today I am at work all afternoon and then tonight is “tantalizing Tuesday”. My hubby and I decided to give different days themes and Tuesdays are his one day a week that he gets to choose whats for dinner. I always pick the meals. This is kind of fun except me chose Tatar tot hot dish…. ok, that’s not hard….. when he added a spinach salad with a raspberry glaze and chocolate mousse with banana slices for dessert.

Good grief….LOL

He says he has been thinking about it for two days so I guess that is cool and he works hard so I am going to create this. Just wait until bike ride Saturday which means we bike ride for as long as I choose 🙂