Book Journey

Freebie Friday: Jordan’s Crossing by Randall Arthur

Published on June 19, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

This is my first Friday giveaway. I have a new extra copy of this book Jordan’s Crossing, and as I start this post… I keep thinking…. pick a different book, pick a different book. Why? Randall Arthur’s writing was one I had discovered several years ago. He has three books out – I read all three one after another and have missed him ever since. Randall has an amazing way of taking a great christian fiction mystery, roping you in and not letting go to the very end. Well written and a great message – he is an author that keeps it extrememly real. I was a bit afraid that if anything happened to my treasured copy… what would I do without a spare??? (Is that a bookaholic comment or what?)

Jordan’s Crossing:

When pastor Jordan Rau accepted a position with a European missions agency, his decision was based on money, not on an opportunity to serve God. However, shortly after his family’s arrival in Germany, Jordan’s priorities dramatically change – his young son, Chase, has been murdered. Abandoning his faith in God, Jordan becomes obsessed with finding Chase’s killers and delivering justice. He sets out on a course of action that will destroy not only the murderers, but his own family as well – and only a miracle can stop him.

This contest will run from today until next Friday afternoon, June 26. Here is how to enter:

1. Leave a comment here for one entry

2. Follow me on Twitter for 2 bonus entries (link is on the right side bar) I am new to the Twitter family and need some pals).

3. Earn a bonus entry when you comment by sharing the title of the best book you have read so far in 2009 and why.

Remember, please US entries only. No PO boxes. I will email the winner next Friday and you will have through Monday to get back to me with your mailing address. I will post the winners here.

Even if you have never read christian fiction before I highly recommend the genre. There are a lot of great books out there!

Thanks and good luck to all… let the games begin!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!! USING RANDOM.ORG THE WINNING NUMBER BELINGED TO….. (DRUM ROLL…)

SHARON WALLING!!!!!!!

Congratulations Sharon!!!! I am emailing you now… please respond within 48 hours with your address so I may ship you this book! 🙂

From Pain to Peace by Pat Bluth

Published on June 18, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

At 5 pm tonight in Nisswa I am going to see a presentation on this book, From Pain to Peace by Pat Bluth.

Anger will eat away at your soul. It can turn to deep depression and can be emotionally debilitating. Bitterness and unforgiveness are emotional suicides that inflict constant pain and steal joy. When you reach this depth of despair—when life seems like it will never be good again—how do you go on? How do you overcome a rage that burns like a volcano?

Pat Bluth was that volcano. After the death of her teenage daughter by a drunk driver, Pat Bluth wanted revenge when he was let off with a mere slap on the wrist. From Pain to Peace is her compelling story, tracing her journey from rage to forgiveness and healing.

From Pain to Peace is for everyone who has known pain or experienced loss. It will be welcomed by anyone who is looking for an example to follow, a proven path to find spiritual healing. It is a story of tragedy, but it is also a story of great joy. Pat discovered a joy and an intimacy with God she never knew possible. She came to experience his love and peace beyond measure.

“God is good. All the time.” Believe this? Read From Pain to Peace and see how true this statement really is!

PAT BLUTH holds a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling and is a certified Chemical Dependency Counselor. She has served as a Christian family therapist, facilitated hospice grief groups, and is a frequent speaker for Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, and other groups. Pat helped start her local MADD chapter. Her message of hope and healing has been an inspiration to thousands. She lives in Brainerd, Minnesota, with her husband, Gary.

I went to school with her daughter Tammy, and I was there as well, after the football game, at Hasse’s, where the accident happened.

I am thankful I can make time to hear Pat tonight speak on her book and hear her story.Review of this book will be up soon.

Book Giveaway! Leave a comment to register for The Night Gardener

Published on June 15, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)37 Comments

WINNERS OF THIS GIVEAWAY!!!

Using Random.org…. the winners of the 5 books are:

Brett Adventures in Intentional Children’s Ministry

Susanne

Vicki Reading At The Beach

Susan Scraps Of Life

Amy

You have been emailed and I have asked that you email back your address by Monday July 6. Thanks and congratulations to our lucky winners!

The Night Gardener by George Palecanos: Pelecanos (Drama City) delivers a dignified, character-driven epic that succeeds as both literary novel and page-turner. In 1985, the body of a 14-year-old girl turns up in a Washington, D.C., park, the latest in a series of murders by a killer the media dub “The Night Gardener.” T.C. Cook, the aging detective on the case, works with a quiet, almost monomaniacal, focus. Also involved are two young uniformed cops, Gus Ramone, who’s diligent, conscientious and unimpressed by heroics, and Dan “Doc” Holiday, an adrenaline junkie who’s decidedly less straight.

Fast forward 20 years. Detective Ramone, now married with kids of his own, investigates the murder of one of his teenage son’s friends. The homicide closely resembles the earlier unsolved Night Gardener murders. Holiday, now an alcoholic chauffeur and bodyguard, follows the case on his own and tracks down Cook, long retired but still obsessed with the original murders. While the three work together toward a suspenseful ending, Pelecanos emphasizes the fallacy of “solving” a murder and explores the ripple effects of violent crime on society.

Five copies of this book are being offered in this contest thanks to Valerie Russi and Hachette House Book Group.

**To sign up to win:

1. Leave a comment for one chance to win

2. For a second chance to win, make a comment on another of my book reviews.

3. For a third entry, follow we on Twitter (Twitter link to the right)

Winners will be announced June 30th. You will have 48 hours from the time I email you to respond with your address. Those who do not respond will have another name drawn instead. Winners must be in the USA and Hachette Book Group can not mail to po boxes.

Good luck everyone! This is an incredible read you don’t want to miss out on!

Audio Giveaway! Cementary Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Published on June 10, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Thanks to Anna and Hachette Book Group, I am able to offer three copies of this audio book, Cemetery Dance.

Pendergast-the world’s most enigmatic FBI Special Agent-returns to New York Cityto investigate a murderous cult. William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museumof Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment onManhattan’s Upper West Side. Eyewitnesses claim, and the security camera confirms, that the assailant was their strange, sinister neighbor-a man who, by all reports, was already dead and buried weeks earlier. While Captain Laura Hayward leads the official investigation, Pendergast and Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta undertake their own private-and decidedly unorthodox-quest for the truth. Their serpentine journey takes them to an enclave of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive, reclusive cult of Obeah and vodou which no outsiders have ever survived.

To enter this contest you need to:

1 entry to win: leave a comment here on this blog with your name and email to be reached at.

2 entries to win: tell me who your favorite author is and why

3 entries to win: post a link to this contest (on your own blog, facebook, twitter…) and tell me where you have linked

4 entries : if you post a comment on another of my reviews

Winners will be emailed on June 15th. You will 48 hours to respond with address for the book to be sent to. If you have not responded in that time, another winner will be drawn. USA addresses only. Thank you and good luck!

We have our winners!!!! Congratulations to Sandy (Mrs. Mommy), Jason, and Wendy Wallach! I have sent you all emails to send me your addresses so the books can be shipped to you! 😉

Audio Book Giveaways!!! The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

Published on June 10, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Thanks to Anna with Hatchette Book Group – I have 3 copies of The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (audio book) to give away.

Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career.

He focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder. But as he delves into the story, Jack realizes that Winslow’s so-called confession is bogus. The kid might actually be innocent.

Jack is soon running with his biggest story since The Poet made his career years ago. He is tracking a killer who operates completely below police radar–and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. Including Jack’s.

“Narrator Peter Giles delivers the crisp and compelling copy with a deadpan tone and a pace that advances like Patton through Italy. Scenes involving the stalking of McEvoy and Walling raise hairs at the back of the listener’s neck. Great characters and a satisfying ending cement Connelly’s place as one of the best crime novelists working today.”- AudioFile (Starred Review)

To enter this contest you need to:

1 entry to win: leave a comment here on this blog with your name and email to be reached at.

2 entries to win: tell me who your favorite author is and why

3 entries to win: post a link to this contest (on your own blog, facebook, twitter…) and tell me where you have linked

4 entries if you post a comment on another of my reviews

Announcing our winners! Congratulations to BevE, Stephanie, and Brenda!!! Please email your shipping information so your audio books can be sent your way!

The Link
By Colin Tudge
For more than a century, scientists have raced to unravel the human family tree and have grappled with its complications. Now, with an astonishing new discovery, everything we thought we knew about primate origins could change. Lying inside a high-security vault, deep within the heart of one of the world’s leading natural history museums, is the scientific find of a lifetime – a perfectly fossilized early primate, older than the previously most famous primate fossil, Lucy, by forty-four million years.A secret until now, the fossil – “Ida” to the researchers who have painstakingly verified her provenance – is the most complete primate fossil ever found. Forty-seven million years old, Ida rewrites what we’ve assumed about the earliest primate origins. Her completeness is unparalleled – so much of what we understand about evolution comes from partial fossils and even single bones, but Ida’s fossilization offers much more than that, from a haunting “skin shadow” to her stomach contents. And, remarkably, knowledge of her discovery and existence almost never saw the light of day.With exclusive access to the first scientists to study her, the award-winning science writer Colin Tudge tells the history of Ida and her place in the world. A magnificent, cutting-edge scientific detective story followed her discovery, and The Link offers a wide-ranging investigation into Ida and our earliest origins. At the same time, it opens a stunningly evocative window into our past and changes what we know about primate evolution and, ultimately, our own.AVAILABLE IN AUDIO AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ONLY

The Vixen Diaries
By Karrine Steffans
This titillating expose, read by the author who has seen it all, chronicles the personal and professional adventures of this tabloid-laden socialite, dispelling some rumors, while confirming others. Diaries unveils the heavily shrouded Hollywood backrooms and its coveted secrets. Offering her ardent fans answers to burning questions and presenting lessons learned, this audiobook will surely not disappoint.Karrine Steffans continues to dish out juicy gossip and the much sought after details of her star studded lifestyle and the celebrity men that helped her get where she needed to be.Karrine draws you in to get an up-close and personal look at the Hollywood life of fast money, drugs, and sex; all the things that make for a great movie. She discusses her interactions with people after the release of Confessions of a Video Vixen and how she copes with it all.

Dragon House by John Shors

Published on June 9, 2009August 4, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

I just received in the mail the new John Shors book, Dragon House, to review before the September 2009 release date. Having worked with street kids in Honduras, I am excited to see what John has to offer in this read.

Dragon House tells the tale of Iris and Noah—two Americans who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children. In the slums of a city that has known little but war for generations, Iris and Noah befriend children who dream of nothing more than of going to school, having a home, and being loved. Learning from the poorest of the poor, the most silent of the unheard, Iris and Noah find themselves reborn. Resounding with powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, Dragon House brings together East and West, war and peace, and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

Every once in a while a book comes along that is written so well that the words wrap around you a nd carry you through page by page. This is such a book.

Dragon House is a fiction book themed around Vietnam street children. Having worked with street kids in Honduras since 2004, I was amazed to see the likeness between these two areas of the world. John Shors captures the street children’ life in his words, words that at times hit so close to home that I could see and smell what he was describing. I was able to get a real sense of Vietnam and feel the hope that comes with a place that works towards a world without children living on the street.

Well written, a real page turner. I will definitely be looking for more books from this author. Dragon House will be available to purchase in September of 2009:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

**Here is a link to more information about Dragon House and the homeless children John is trying to support. Please check it out, this is an amazing thing that he is doing. Click here

Book Blogs

Published on June 6, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

Ok…. so I just have to share whats been happening in my world. Earlier this week I stumbled onto a link that took me to a site called Book Blogs. “DANGER – Will Robinson!” Finding this site was like a kid with a sweet tooth stumbling into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

This is a book lovers – no, book bloggers dream! There are book reviews, book discussions, book giveaways (and lots of them), authors offering their books to be read before release and all in groups by genre so you can pick through what interests you and avoid what does not.

Within a few days I have linked into conversations with authors, have a couple sending me their book for reading and reviewing before date release, and entered contests to win books of interest. In return – I review the book on my blog.

Reading some of these other book blogs will really improve how I review a book in the future. There is even a discussion on how to do a good review without giving away too much of the book yet coming through strong.

I started a group tonight for Minnesota Book Bloggers to connect and share what they are reading off of the Book Blog site. I am hopeful that over the next few months here my reviews will become a real source for people to research a book they may want to read. I am very excited to see how these different books and authors will expand my reading.

I wonder how much sleep I really do need a night….

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by merrill markoe

Published on June 4, 2009January 14, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

This is our June book club read. I just got the book in my hand today and have to admit that I am skeptical going in. I hate to say that because I try to keep an open mind on our book choices – and I really am hoping that the book proves me wrong….

Stay tuned…

Twice-divorced Dawn is the product of a fantastically dysfunctional family (Dawn’s sister, Halley, is an overly enthusiastic life coach, her mother is a struggling entrepreneur and her former smalltime rockabilly musician father invests “a lot of time into perfecting… authentic fifties outfits”); her dog, Chuck, begins talking to her after dud radio-DJ boyfriend Paxton dumps her. Though other dogs can also suddenly communicate with Dawn (including Johnny Depp, a friend’s dog), Chuck remains the leading pooch as he plies his master with sage advice and astute observations—”He seemed humpy,” Chuck opines about one suitor; “Who doesn’t like puppies? That’s psychotic,” he muses about Paxton—as she negotiates the standard fare of chick lit (losing her job, getting mixed up with wacky beaus, aiding her friends through their respective crises, finding a place to live). Until, that is, Chuck runs away, forcing Dawn to realize her true love may not be a biped. Off-beat enough to stand out of the pack.

The book gave me a “Janet Evanovich” feel almost from the start. The quirky too involved family members rang a little too “Stephanie Plumisk” for me and while I am well aware of the great following the Plum series has drawn… I am not one of the fans.

I do have to admit that this book while in parts offensive (Halley dating Scott Peterson hit me as tasteless and insensitive)… there were other times I caught myself laughing out loud with some of the humor.

Overall the book was a skimmer. I did not find any likable characters – not even the dogs. The only person I think I liked was Collin. The ending tied up a few wildly loose ends but the overall point of the book was missed, at least by me. I can’t rate this beyond a 2.5.

June 14 (update from our Bookies book club review): Our book club met last week to review this read. It is always fun to see if it just me when I find a book “incredible!” or “disappointing!” In this case, while for the most part we all agreed that this book was not in the running for our Bookies read of the year, the group found it a slightly below average read.

A couple of the girls rated it extremely low… agreeing that character development was not strong, the book had no real plot… to a few of the girls finding it just a humorous fun read that you don’t take too seriously just enjoy.

It’s Here! The Sun is Here!

Published on June 2, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

FINALLY! It is that time of year again…. the weather is turning nice… the draw to be outside during these beautiful days is overpowering. This is the start of the season that the TV is turned on very little, and even sitting in the house playing on the computer is hard to do when the outdoors is calling.

For me – this is a huge reading time. I love nothing more than to sit on my back deck in the sun and read. And – as always, my “to be read” list is taller than me. Here’s a sample of what I plan to be reading over the next few months:

The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis: The true story of thirteen women who took a risk on an expensive diamond necklace and, in the process, changed not only themselves but a community.

The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan : In 1967, Bashir Al-Khayri, a Palestinian twenty-five-year-old, journeyed to Israel, with the goal of seeing the beloved old stone house, with the lemon tree behind it, that he and his family had fled nineteen years earlier. To his surprise, when he found the house he was greeted by Dalia Ashkenazi Landau, a nineteen-year-old Israeli college student, whose family fled Europe for Israel following the Holocaust. On the stoop of their shared home, Dalia and Bashir began a rare friendship, forged in the aftermath of war and tested over the next thirty-five years in ways that neither could imagine on that summer day in 1967. Based on extensive research, and springing from his enormously resonant documentary that aired on NPR’s Fresh Air in 1998, Sandy Tolan brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict down to its most human level, suggesting that even amid the bleakest political realities there exist stories of hope and reconciliation.

Clutter Free Christianity: It’s time to cut through the clutter and get to the heart of what it means to please God. In this liberating look at the core principles of faith, Dr. Robert Jeffress reveals the truth about what God wants from you-and what he wants to do for you-as he points you toward a revitalized faith centered on becoming more like Jesus Christ. You’ll learn how to partner with God in the process of spiritual transformation as you choose to follow Christ in forgiveness, obedience, trust, contentment, service, and prayer.

The Power of a Praying Wife: Today’s challenges and pressures can make a fulfilling marriage seem like an impossible dream. Yet God delights in doing the impossible if only we would ask!

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince (re-reading for the July release of the movie)

Rebecca: With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house’s current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim’s first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.

Between the Tides by Patti Callahan Henry

Published on June 2, 2009July 16, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Until age 12, Catherine “Cappy” Leary lives, grows and plays with the neighboring Loughlin family in the South Carolina lowcountry town of Seaboro. After the accidental death of the Loughlins’ youngest son, a tragedy for which Catherine blames herself, her father moves the family across the state. Fast forward to Catherine’s 30th birthday, when she reluctantly returns to Seaboro for the first time in 18 years to scatter her father’s ashes. As she reconnects, she uncovers new information about her father’s ties to the area that help her release her guilt and learn to love freely. Henry’s warm, smoothly paced novel explores well-traveled themes of reconciliation and rebirth with fresh energy.

I think I found this one at a garage sale. I found the book not a very good read. The flashbacks were way too frequent and with every current happening it seemed the author had to take us back to the 12 year old Cappy to relive it… there were times in the book I had to pause to get a grip on if the author was talking current time or the past. A lot of the time the clues to this were if the conversation included Cappy’s dad who was not dead, so then I knew we were once again flashing back. Due to this continuous “where are we now” flashes, I found it hard to really get into the characters or the story. I did not find the characters to be well defined and could not get a real picture of who Cappy (Cathryn) was as a person or even what she looked like. The best description I recall is that she was attractive – color of hair, length, eyes, etc…. I have no idea.

You may be wondering why I bothered to finish the book and i wish I had a really inteligent answer here – but I don’t. I just kept plugging along – perhaps to see if Cappy was strong enough to stay away from her obviously wrong for her boyfriend…. maybe to see who she wound up with – or maybe to find out the mystery behind Sam…. for what ever reason it was, I need not have bothered… none of the answers were fulfilling to my imagination.

C-