Book Journey

Morning Meanderings…. The beginning of a CrAzY Two Weeks

Published on March 7, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Monday.

And here we go.

Today we start setting up for the spring book sale. Today as in ummmm…. in about an hour. We are excited to be moving it to the local mall which has a large open space for us use for the sale so our books and our patrons will not be crowded. It is exciting but also a lot of work. 🙂 We will continue to set up through Wednesday and official sale dates are Thursday – Saturday…. Sunday we will offer a free day but “shhhhh” we are keeping that under wraps. 😉 I literally laid in bed last night and thought of signs that I need to make, how to set up our Friends Of The Library info board, the best way to move the books…..

Tomorrow is book club, here at my house. We are reading All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. As yesterday was beautiful here in Central Minnesota, 50 degrees, I switched to audio on this one so I could listen while I cleaned the garage and the back deck. More on that later this week.

Coming out of the book sale will have me running right towards the Gatsby Gala which is a week from this Friday on the 18th. That too is coming together well and I am hopeful that this weeks sale will assist in promoting the Gala. This event is an idea two years in the making and seeing it come to reality really means more than I can say here. Later today I will look at 20’s style costumes for the event.

In other news, I signed up to take part in the Armchair Audies this year and I am super excited about the audio books I will listening to. I will be judging in the Non-Fiction and in the Humor categories. Check out the website and you too can be a judge if you would like!

Is Spring coming your way? Is this a season that you read more or less? Do you turn to audio more during busy times?

Level Up. Beyond The Turning Of The Page

Published on March 5, 2016March 6, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)43 Comments

About once a year, I get on my audio soap box. If you read me here, you already know I LOVE audio books. When I discovered audio books in 2010, I was amazed that I had found a way to enjoy books beyond the turning of the page. If you are into real books or your E-Reader, what I want to share here is that this is another way to EXPERIENCE books that will (I promise) take you to the next level.

One thing we can agree on before we get started….. we all love to read. We enjoy engaging in a well written story. We can close our eyes and picture our favorite reading spot…. a cozy chair, on the porch in the sun, in the evening curled up on the couch, outside on a swing, a park bench, leaning against a tree….

I get that. I am that. Often… I love to be on the back deck in the summer with ice tea and a great read. But for me.. life does not stop so I can read a book. Lets try this visual:

So many books…. so little time right?

So let’s get started.

We just covered the WHY and WHEN you should listen to audio….

HOW To Listen To Audio.

Audio books may give you a visual of old school audio tapes….. and uhhh….. no. Fast forward to something a little more current. Hip and happening…..

Audio books come in CD format. Perfect for your car and in your home. They also can be downloaded off your computer to ITUNES or even directly to your phone (my personal favorite). With an auxiliary cord, you can easily hook your phone up to your vehicles radio and listen to it within your car.

My personal favorite is on my phone because my phone is usually everywhere I am. I picked up an external speaker at Wal-Mart (found at most stores that has electronics). This allows your phone to connect with the speaker and amplify the sound. This way I can set the speaker and phone on my kitchen counter and work my way around the area without having to carry my phone with me to hear it. External speakers range any where from $9.99 to $89.99. I paid $14.98 for mine three years ago and it still works wonderfully. No need to go fancy. 🙂

For traveling purposes, such as walking the dog, traveling on a plane or mowing the lawn, ear buds come into play. These too can be picked up at most stores that carry electronics for fairly reasonable.

WHERE To Find Great Audio Books.

Audiobooks can be purchased in CD format at most stores that carry books. You can also pick them up on line off Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc… For downloading audio to your device of choice, there are several options.

Audible.com: This is the one I use and have used for 5 years. Audible lets you choose up to two audio books a month at a greatly reduced price from what you would purchase audio in the stores. I am on the two credits per month program and pay $22.95 per month. Many audio books, especially new and popular titles go for anywhere between $25 and $50 an audio book so this is a great reduction. As a new customer, you receive your first audio book free – just go on and pick one. Another thing I love about Audible is that if you are listening to a book that you do not find to your liking, go into your account and ask to return it. No questions asked they will give you your credit back! They also have wonderful sales where you can pick titles up for $4.95 each, as well a daily special where one audio book will be $2.95. No contract, quit any time.

Downpour.com is another site much like Audible, however they do not have DRM (which honestly I knew little about until I read the linked article. I have not spent a lot of time on this site yet, but I will. Definitely one worth checking out.

WHAT To Listen To

Ahhhh….. one of my favorite topics…. what to listen to on audio? Most sites will allow you to listen to a sample of the audio book. I highly recommend you do this. Not all audio is treated alike. Narration is so important and while you can read here or on other sites about favorite narrators…. you really need to hear for yourself and choose what you like. A good narration (IMO) lets you lose yourself in the book. You don’t hear someone reading, instead you become part of the story. You don’t hear a change in character voices, instead you hear a discussion. And when you are really really lucky – you fall in love with the narration and…. you stalk the narrator. You look for books that this narrator has narrated. That’s when you know you have it bad. I have done it.

I can give you a short list here of some of my favorites…. but definitely look around and see what other reviewers are talking about in audio books. I have picked many audio books on my own, but I have picked just as many or perhaps even more on someone elses raving.

A few of my top picks

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Narrated by Wil Wheaton (soon to be a movie!)

11-22-63 by Stephen King Narrated by Craig Wasson (do not write this off because it is a King book. It is, and it isn’t!)

The Residence by Kate Anderson Brower Narrated by Karen White (This is such a great listen and so informative)

The Martian by Andy Weir Narrated by R.C. Bray (From the very first sentence I was all….. oh yeah. This is going to be fun)

YOU by Caroline Kepnes narrated by Santino Fontana (oh my word! The narration and Joe….. WOW!)

Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain Narrated by Susan Bennett

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty Narrated by Caroline Lee (Oh I fell in love with this story and this narrator! I also enjoyed Big Little lies with the same narrator! It’s like narrator crack!)

United For Libraries – Literary Landmarks

Published on March 5, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

I am part of a committee that meets to place a Literary Landmark once a year somewhere in Minnesota. Literary Landmarks are a part of ALA (American Library Association). The purpose of Literary Landmarks is to recognize an author who is from the area. The author needs to no longer be living for at least 5 years. In past years Minnesota has recognized:

Jon Hassler

Sinclair Lewis

Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy Tacy!)

Scott Fitzgerald (Gatsby!)

Our committee started meeting last fall to discuss who our next author should be. As the last couple of years had been in the Brainerd lakes area and in Ely, we felt it was time to come back toward the Twin Cities. Once we have chosen our author, we need to find a place to put the plaque. It is a beautiful large plaque and it can go indoors or outdoors; on the side of a building, in a library, in a park, a museum, wherever. We then plan a ceremony around the dedication.

After narrowing down our list, we were excited to choose Gordon Parks as our Literary Landmark for 2016.

Gordon Parks was not only an author. He was also a photographer and became the first African American to write and direct a Hollywood feature film based on his bestselling novel The Learning Tree. In 1971, his book Shaft became a hugely successful motion picture. He had a deep commitment to social justice and died in 2006.

Yesterday, I drove to St. Paul Minnesota to meet not only with our committee, but we were also lucky enough to have two of Gordon’s relatives present as well. Russell Balenger is Gordon’s nephew and Robin Hickman his grand niece. It was so exciting to meet them and see that they both are involved in social justice themselves, carrying on in Gordon’s footsteps.

gordon parks, book journey, ALA< Literary landmark — L: Russel, Robin, Joe (from our committee)

gordon parks, literary landmark, book journey minnesota — L: Barbi and Isabel from our committee

I am enjoying being a part of this group. It is wonderful to be able to recognize authors who have made a difference. I am submitting this post to Saturday Snapshots.

Morning Meanderings… A Mix of Grief and A Smile

Published on March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

I have a picture file in my computer named “Justin”. It is all the pictures that I have from friends postings on-line that I have copied and saved in my file. There are over 500 pictures.

I am Gollum.

Everything…. is my precious.

It has been a while since I have added anything to this file. While friends are still posting pictures and talking about him (thank you thank you thank you) they are mostly pictures I already have.

Until yesterday.

The Honduras Team is back in Honduras. This is a trip that Justin would have been on and he would have been so excited to return to Honduras and those kids. He had just returned last March for his 5th time going and we had a long talk on how much this trip had impacted him. He was already talking about this years trip.

Yesterday this was posted on-line:

This is the plaque that is on the building that was dedicated in Justin’s memory. It is so beautiful. He would have loved this connection to the kids.

It is 11 months today. I can hardly believe that. This picture of the plaque somehow seems like wonderful timing.

Today I drive to St Paul. I am on the Minnesota Literary Landmark committee and we are discussing this years placement over lunch. As much as I would love to stay home curled up in my own grief, going is probably the better choice. It is hard to keep going with such a large piece of your life missing, but I continue to do it because I know he would want me to. ♥

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

Published on March 3, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Joe Goldberg is no stranger to the sacrifices one has to make for love. In fact, within the past ten years, he has four bodies that he has buried to prove just how much he is willing to sacrifice. Once a book store manager, Joe thought he had met the love of his life but that turned out to be wrong.

Very wrong.

And now once again, Joe finds himself in love with someone new, someone better… and also someone who hurts him very badly. Joe makes the decision to move and start fresh, perhaps a different view will give him just what he needs to leading a much simpler life. Yet the past has a way of creeping back up and Joe has to wonder how many more bodies is he going to have to hide to keep his secrets safe?

Oh wow oh wow. You know the books that you hate to finish because you don’t want them to end? This would be one of those books. I, sickeningly enough, adore Joe. Like YOU (the first book that brings this creepy funny witty protagonist to life) I listened to Hidden Bodies on audio. Let me say this. If you enjoy audio, I absolutely insist that you listen to both of these books. If you are new to audio, this would be a great way to start. Narrator Santino Fontana literally embodies Joe. This narration is so good, you forget that you are listening to a book. I had moments where I laughed out loud, and believe me, I do not laugh our loud often.

I also absolutely need to give a hats off to author Caroline Kepnes. I am so impressed that this book is written by a female author. She has captured Joe, the essence of GUY in these books. She is an amazing writer, and I love her dry humor. I can not wait to read (or hopefully listen to!) more from her.

As you can probably tell, I find this book gush worthy. I don’t think I loved it as much as YOU, but it was pretty close. YOU is somewhat lighter if I dare say that, and while I believe YOU was more sexually graphic; the book references, the movie references, really made it wonderful. If it wrong to fall in love with a killer I don’t want to be right. If you can handle a book that is a little vulgar at times, I have to tell you this one is so worth it. If you read my reviews, you know I don’t say that lightly. While this book does have sexual content, I would say it is never over the top and never gory. I would say I think the difference is Joe. You have to experience Joe.

Hidden Bodies starts off right where YOU leaves off. While you do not have to read/listen (oh my gosh listen to this one!!!) to You before you move into Hidden Bodies, I highly recommend that you do. YOU really lets you get to know Joe in a way that is not as fully developed in Hidden Bodies. There are also many references (some really funny) that you will miss if you have not experienced YOU first.

Please look at other reviews of this book as well. There are quite a few bloggers out there that I enjoy that are gushing about these two reads as well.

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 13 hours and 3 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Audible.com Release Date: February 23, 2016

Morning Meanderings….. Top Books…. I Wonder How They Are On Audio?

Published on March 2, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Good morning. MMMMMM….. Coffee. Hang on.

Had to get a refill.

That’s better.

I seen a link on Facebook yesterday afternoon about the 20 best books we should be reading this spring. Did you see it?

There are some good looking books in this group! The post was originally made by Redbook. I have to admit however, I instantly wondered how they are on audio. 😛

It is getting to be that time of year for me. Our Spring Library Book Sale is this next week. The week after is our Great Gatsby event. We are putting together a benefit event for my son at the end of April….

life gets BUSY.

I have said it many times, but I will say it again, I probably listen to audio 4 to one over books. At least. I can listen to audio in the morning while I get ready, in my car while I travel, at home while I cook and clean, and while I work on a project like painting or picture albums. I love it and I am always looking for great audio.

Yesterday I finished listening to Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes and narrated by the oh-so-amazing-I-want-him-to-read-the-newspaper-to-me the #isitwrongtoloveakiller #Iamsoamazedbycreepyjoe #Carolinekepnesbooksrockedmyworld #cansantinofortananarratemylife…. basically I am jonesing for more great audio.

Ok you get the drift. I can not be the only person who has actually stocked narrators to find out what else they have narrated so I can listen to them again. IE. Wil Wheaton. *sigh*

Ok… I digress. What I am super interested in is knowing if any of the “Must Read This Spring” list has been listened to on audio. Is there another hot audio book I need to listen to? I need to download an audio for my phone today and I have been spoiled by what I have just listened to. Watch for my review of Hidden Bodies later today.

Off to the library and a coffee date (yes more coffee!).

Morning Meanderings…. Today’s Hot Topic…. Breast Feeding

Published on March 1, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

So….Tuesday.

I mentioned a week or so ago about the Spoiler Pages and the traffic they can drive, especially when a book becomes a movie. Current example of that is ROOM by Emma Donoghue, read and reviewed in 2010, reviewed by my book club in 2011, and then of course the SPOILER PAGE…

and it is that Spoiler Page that is drawing the attention now.

The movie, just released and is currently at our theater here in town.

What is the hot topic? In the book, (I have not seen the movie) Jack is 5 and still breast feeding. The book is told from Jack’s perspective. It is discussed in the book that when he is hungry he will say “want some” and then he will breast feed. It was something that made me double take, as well as my book club and it was admittedly, a part of our discussion. We understood the reasoning behind it in the book, they never know when and if food will be coming.

What is happening on the spoiler page for the most part is opinions on breast feeding as well as the occasional jab at me for admitting on that page that I found that part of the book a little disturbing to my mid western upbringing. 🙂 It is an interesting discussion, and really always has been. I even interviewed the author, Emma Donoghue about this topic and she said she was surprised the reaction, especially from the US. Here was what she wrote to me in 2011…

Emma: Finally, your breastfeeding question. It seems to me that Jack mentions it pretty rarely, actually: he gives far more analysis of what they have for lunch and dinner. But it’s such a touchy subject (especially, I’m finding, in the US) that it stands out. I kept it in because it seemed entirely natural that Ma would keep up that most comforting part of the mother-baby bond as long as they are living very much like a mother-and-baby (never apart, never socializing with other people) in ROOM.

Has anyone seen the movie? A friend of mine told me last night she had seen it. I asked her if it was a movie theater movie or a Red Box movie. She said Red Box. Any other thoughts on that?

Any hoo….. that’s what is happening on Book Journey today.

Things are starting to move here now. It has been a fairly quiet winter for which I am grateful. It has been nice to have time to process and grieve at my own pace. Now, in March, we have our spring book sale next week. The week after that on the 18th is the Gatsby Event. Then we will start working on Wine and Words, April will bring an Edible Book Fair, May a benefit, June Camp…..

Here we go.

Morning Meanderings…. From My Very Real and Raw Heart

Published on February 24, 2016February 24, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Yesterday I took a call.

A good friend was asking my opinion on what I would like to do as the one year anniversary approaches.

One year?

My tummy got that sick feeling – you know the one, where you are seized with fear or anxiety. How can it be getting close to one year? It’s not like I don’t know. I do. I know every single day and it amazes me how much today… is a lot like day one. I am trapped. I am at a loss for which way to turn or what I should do doing or how I possibly find a solid way to go on.

My eyes are constantly filled with tears. I have cried more than I have ever thought possible. I look around and think everything has changed.

And it is true. Everything has.

I don’t talk about it so much out loud any more because I know people have no idea what to do with someone who is still at this level of grief all of these months in. I don’t blame them…. I have to wonder what I would do for a friend if I was on the other side of this. I have some ideas, but I had to walk this side of the road to know.

I would say if you know someone going through something like this here are some things to maybe do:

Invite them to something low key to get them out of the house. By low key, I don’t mean a party, or a place with lots of talking happy people – but maybe take a walk together, go to a movie, have lunch in a quiet restaurant, take a little road trip, invite them to help you with a project OR offer to come over and help them with a project (painting a room, planting flowers, etc…) Spend a little time with them.
Call or send the occasional card. One of my big fears is that as time has stopped for me… it hasn’t for the rest of the world and I do not want my son to be forgotten. Let them know you are thinking of them. It is still appropriate and appreciated to ask how the person is doing today. 10+ months in, I still can not answer the how am I doing question but I can say how I am doing today. Knowing that people acknowledge (not ignore) that you still hurt means a lot.
Understand that if that person says no to do something with you do not take it personally. For myself, it is hard to put myself back out there. I prefer things that I can do in a few hours and then return home. I prefer the sanctuary of my home. Meet them where they are at, they will appreciate it.
If you are a praying person, please pray for them. It is indeed the power of prayer and friendship that has brought me this far.

For myself, I guard my heart. I have learned what situations will bring on waves of grief so I need to watch what I take on and what I should at this time avoid. Everyone’s situation is different. 10 months for me is nothing. I am still very raw. No one has to understand this, they don’t have to. I have to.

A sweet package came in the mail yesterday from a girl I know who lives out of state now.

The book is Through The Eyes of A Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power. In the early days and weeks I was sent quite a few grief related books. Most of them I was not ready for and I put them on a shelf to look at later. There were (and are) some steps I just find too hard to take; certain situations I know will overwhelm me with grief so I am careful how much I take on.

This book however, seems like perfect timing. I mentioned above I am in this internal struggle of grief and trying to take a positive step forward. There is something about still being on this earth and he is not that breaks me every day. It is so difficult to try to BE and DO when I still so clearly can see what we had BEEN and what we had DONE together as mother and son. It zaps my energy. A new friend told me a few months ago that I wear an incredible mask. I took offense to that thinking I am about as real as they come… yet in recent weeks I think perhaps she is right. I have to put on a mask to go and be outside of these walls. I have to smile and talk and push ahead so they do not see the underlying depth of grief. And maybe that is how people do it. Maybe as self taught as I am in this new world, I am only repeating what those who have gone on this path before me have already done. Perhaps… it is time to open up a book. This book. Thank you Wanda.

And thank you readers of Book Journey. This space is like an online home to me. I feel safe to speak here. If you came to this site, you came to visit me and for that I am forever grateful.

♥

The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Published on February 23, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

It is Thanksgiving weekend in New York and three 30 somethings are struggling with their past, their present, and their futures.

Clio March, avid bird watcher who has been mentioned in New York Magazine feels as though she may have found the one in Hotel Owner, Henry Kildare. Yet when things move in a direction Clio had not anticipated past trauma rushes forward and in a panicked moment she bolts. What does that mean?

Smith Anderson and Clio have been best friends since Freshman year at Yale. Smith is beautiful both inside and out and enjoys helping others. However with a recent break up that has left her reeling, her younger sisters upcoming wedding, and an irrational fear that Clio may have found the one in Henry- where does that leave Smith?

Tate Pennington is a blast from the Yale past. Dealing with a painful divorce, he relocates to New York to gather some distance and perspective. He recently has sold an app to Twitter for millions but as Tate is finding out, money does not provide happiness.

This Thanksgiving weekend the three learn what is means to really let go of the past, be present, and learn to be ok with a future that is never certain.

Can you fall in love with writing?

Of course you can. I just did. Reading The Ramblers was like opening a book that brought a rush of fresh air into my lungs. It is visually appealing from the cover, to the chapters, to the writing itself. I opened the book up to find a page with one of our protagonists names, a date, and quotes. I instantly fell in love with this visually and knew I was in for a treat.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

I loved this story and I enjoyed how the book is broken into sections where each protagonist takes the lead. While you do get to know each of the three protagonists, it is Clio who we spend the most time with. I found this book to be a joy to read and once into it, hard to put down. The entire book takes place over Thanksgiving weekend and I found something about that to be sort of cool – everything that is happening is not drawn out but you have that feeling of NOW.

Thoroughly enjoyable, I would recommend this book to those who love a little something out of the norm. Author Aidan Donnelley Rowley brings forth a unique ride that I would gladly buy a ticket to ride once again.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for an enjoyable weekend in New York with Clio, Smith, and Tate.

YOU by Caroline Kepnes Narrated by Santino Fontana (BEST OF 2016)

Published on February 22, 2016March 6, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

Joe Goldberg leads a fairly simple life. He manages a book store in East Village and while he is often in awe that people still choose to read a paper version of a book when they access them so easily from the comforts of their home… he gets it. Even if he is baffled by what books draw people in to the store.

When Guinevere Beck enters the book shop one day, everything for Joe changes.

You walk into the bookstore and you keep your hand on the door to make sure it doesn’t slam. You smile, embarrassed to be a nice girl, and your nails are bare and your V-neck sweater is beige and it’s impossible to know if you’re wearing a bra but I don’t think that you are. You’re so clean that you’re dirty and you murmur your first word to me – hello.

Joe knows instantly that they were meant to be together and he will stop at nothing to make sure that she will be his. Soon Joe has found his way into Beck’s life. He watches her from the street outside her apartment. He hacks his way into her phone, her texts, her emails. He learns all about her through her conversations with friends, where she goes, and what she watches on TV. He turns himself into the perfect guy for Beck knowing what she will appreciate and what she would find irritating. He is smooth and he is charismatic, and it all works; Beck finds Joe to be almost to good to be true.

And you know what they say when things are too good to be true….

How did I not know about this book before now? Seriously? How did I miss out on this? The synopsis would have had me at book store…. but there was so much more. Joe appears to be a normal guy (think Dahmer) who have over the top stalker qualities and he stops at nothing. No one… not a love interest, not a friend, will get in his way of getting what he has already decided what was rightfully his; and that is Beck.

I listened to this one on audio and I have to say that audio is the way to go. Santino Fontana is PERFECT. He makes our protagonist both witty, funny, snarky and creepy all rolled into one. Santino (may I call him Santino?) narrates in a way that you can tell he is having a good time doing it. I smiled and laughed out loud while listening. The narration is a brilliant mix and I have found another amazing narrator!

I need to describe this audio book in words I have never used to describe a book before… sexually graphic. What Joe thinks about doing to Beck, what he does do to Beck, what Beck does alone and later with Joe…. it is all here, open, and DETAILED. Often in books I complain about this finding it unnecessary and vulgar. That is not the case in this book. Occasionally I will find a book where that level of intimate detail is necessary to the story line – this would be such a book. Appropriately sexual to the story line. Do however consider yourself warned, this is definitely an adult content book.

I highly recommend this read/listen. I enjoyed this story so much that I immediately pre-ordered the sequel on audio Hidden Bodies (which releases tomorrow and oh wow – MORE SANTINO FONTANA!!!!) I am so hopeful that it is just as good and if not, well at least I will get to sink into this great narration again.

Squueeeee worthy? You bet. This one is even worthy of….

yes. You got it. The SPOILER PAGE. Oh yes.