Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… The Love Of The Written Word

Published on December 19, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

It is a CHILLY morning here in Central Minnesota. I sit with my lap top and a BIG cup of hot coffee. It is days like this where the outdoors looks painfully brittle that I am glad that I do not have to travel out in it.

I will however, do just that in an hour or so when I go just a few houses down from my own to visit my Aunt and Uncle. Needless to say, our conversation will turn towards books and I LOVE that we share this desire to read. Currently she is reading The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks which was a book I devoured when I first read it. I will have to dig around before I go and see what else I can find her.

This connection over books that my Aunt and I found this summer has really made me rethink about readers and non readers. After discovering my Aunts dormant love for books… I am wondering how many others are out there… too busy in there own lives, saying they could never sit still long enough to read a book etc etc…

But what if…

What if these self proclaimed “non readers” just don’t know where to begin? In a world filled with so many titles and authors and… well without the guidance of a reader, someone who’s opinion you trust… where would you find a book that works for you? I have also been thinking about this in terms of the library. What can we do to make people fall in live with our libraries again? To see the real value of what they provide for our community…. I think it begins with a book.

My son Justin was a reader. What was interesting, was that with his college life and work and friends… he would fall away from books. And then… he would hang out with me. I would be talking about one title or another and pretty soon he was downloading it on his Kindle, or we were driving to the local book store…. and often, he would just load up right off my shelves. I loved that. In fact now, with his book shelf in our home… I glance at these gorgeous titles and I know some of them are mine that he borrowed from me…

and I can not remove them from his shelves to return to my own.

And that…

is ok.

My point here (yes, there is one), is that I think there are readers in our midst…. and this is something I have been thinking frequently. How do we bring the readers out of the people?

Justin Dechantal, book journey — Justin’s book shelf

In other news, my post about One Word has brought in a little fun discussion. I hope you read it if you have not already. I love choosing a word each year.

AND if you are participating in First Book Of The Year (and I hope you are!) start planning your picture with your book and email it to me at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com . Everyone and anyone can participate, you do not need to have a blog. This is one of my favorite posts of the year and I love to see all the people and what they are reading around the world as we enter a New Year.

One Word….What Can A New Year Bring?

Published on December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)36 Comments

In 2013 I found a site that spoke of instead of having resolutions each year – choose a word. A life long lover of words… I LOVED this. I studied the list of words diligently trying to find the one that I wanted to represent me going into the new year and I came up with:

Embrace can have several meaning but the one I liked and wanted to follow was:

As I read that original post again this morning and this meaning that I just posted above, the tears run down my face. I could not have had any idea of what choosing this word would mean two years later… but there it is and I am thankful.

Last year, going into 2015 was a hectic time for me and I was ready for change. I did not even make a full post about my word but tossed it into a Looking Back/Looking Ahead post that also is difficult to read now. I had so much ambition… I was going to take 2015 by the horns and OWN it. My word, for 2015 was:

The meaning of this word is…

1. to rise or come forth from or as if from water or other liquid.

2. to come up or arise

3. to come into existence; develop

4. to rise, as from an inferior or unfortunate state or condition.

For me, this was my fresh start word… and by April. I thought I hated it.

When life changed for me forever, I looked at this word, which up until that point I wore on a necklace around my neck and thought “NO. This is not what I meant. I will never wear this again.”

And…

I took the word off of me.

In later April, I was given something that has a lot of meaning to me. It needed to go on a chain and as I looked through my choices of necklace chains my eyes stumbled on the chain that held my 2015 word… Emerge. The chain looked to be the right length and style. And quietly I knew…

Even in this. EVEN in this….

I must emerge.

I put the necklace back on. It has new meaning. A harder meaning. Not the energetic “Run with the bulls” attitude I came into 2015 with… but a more humbling one. I emerge. Daily. I rise… again. I put my head up, I wipe away my tears and I do this every day for my son. I emerge.

The necklace has gathered a few things this year. A couple of tags made for me by my friend Barb. The key I found when I was in Arizona, taking the trip over the dates that I would have been on with my son. The cross is from Honduras.

And so that is a L O N G introduction into the word for 2016. Here is the list but of course you can choose any word. I studied the list and looked up definitions and believe I am going with:

Definition….

Strength in the face of pain and grief

the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

moral strength to venture, persevere

I would love to have you do this with me. What is your word for 2016? How will you own it and why?

Morning Meanderings… A Little Downton Abbey Moment

Published on December 16, 2015December 16, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

I am here.

I don’t know why I don’t post as much as I used to and I really wish I did. I think about posts… and I dialogue them in my head… what I will say, what I will share…. a review, a funny moment, a hard one….

and then for whatever reason the days pass and I will think, “huh, I never did post about that.”

Really though… my whole life is like that now. I struggle to get the simplest things done. I would rather be at home than run an errand. I still avoid crowds as much as possible, and I am working hard to avoid the retail stores this season as I just do not want to see all the decorations or the hustle of people happily gathering things for their soon to be celebrations.

But this…

is not about that.

I have been a Downton Abbey fan for the past couple of years since I first discovered this addicting PBS show. Seriously if you have not watched this… you must. All previous seasons are on Netflix. In the past few months I have watched them all again…

That’s just good stuff.

A friend of mine told me that our local College Theatre was having a pre showing of the next season premiere that will not air in the United States until January 3rd. It was a free event and people were encouraged to dress the era. I was not up to dressing he part, but I was all in for going to the premiere.

The premiere was last night and it was fun to see those who did dress up. Got to love our “Stars Hollow” style community.

The premiere was wonderful. The gentleman in the above pic to the right had trivia for us. Some of the questions were:

What is the first machine you see in the first episode, first season?

What is Mrs.Hughes first name?

What is the name of the man who came to an untimely death in season one?

What has just happened in the opening scene of Downtown abbey season one episode one?

We also received some swag..

That was my evening… and it was a nice one.

In other news, First Book Of The Year is coming along nicely and I am thrilled about that. We currently have 65 signed up to participate! I think this meme, and the book I choose to read will be my way of getting through the end of this year and entering the next.

Morning Meanderings…. The Book…. It Is Not About

Published on December 11, 2015December 11, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

I drove some of you a little nuts yesterday by talking or I guess, not talking about a book and not telling you what the book I was not talking about was.

That was kind of the point.

Yesterdays post was not about the book, as I titled the post. Discussing the book – would have taken away from my point. The book discussion is what originally brings us together… but through the years so much more has come out of these monthly literary gatherings.

Today.

Today I will talk about the book.

Our book club just read All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I did not personally get a chance to read it however the discussion that came from this book definitely held my interest.

A quick synopsis:

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge. ~ as described on Amazon

The Bookies book club had a deep discussion on what life was like for Marie-Laure and what an amazing father she had. I had heard this book made for excellent book club discussion, and observing this without having read the book myself confirmed this. The questions flowed freely and everyone had thoughts on the book, even sharing person stories of relatives that they had connected to the war.

Suzanne in our groups said, “Choosing not to read this book is a crime against humanity.”

That is a pretty powerful statement.

Over all the Bookies rated this a 3.9 out of 5. For the most part they thought it was a slow start to the book and hard to get into until you get beyond page 50. Some felt it took longer than that. Once into it however, it seemed that almost everyone found the book very good.

I plan to still read this.

It’s Not Always About The Book

Published on December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

This past Tuesday we had book club. It was our annual December potluck, home made gift exchange, and donation to the library’s book in a bag program. Normally, this is one of my favorite meetings of the year as I do love the little extras we put into book club. This year however…

not so much.

The last month has been hard – and I thought I had the book we were reading on my shelf and if I do… I can not find it. The library copies were all checked out, and I personally wasn’t sure if the book was something I was going to enjoy so I did not want to buy it. All that and a lot of procrastination… I had not read the book.

I went to book club that night feeling a bit stressed out… tired, and unprepared.

And then…

The visiting, the glass of wine, catching up on conversations and lives….

and the food…

Meatballs and seafood chowder, soup, salad, dips and chips, olives, breads, bruschetta, chocolates, cake and more….

I sat back and another girl in our group led the discussion which is normally what I do. Even though I had not read the book, the discussion was engaging. It was interesting to be the observer and watch this group of girls who have come together because of a book… but really… more than that. This motley crew of women are all friends. We come together to share in each others lives, to care for one another. We have been together through sickness and celebration, great sorrow…as well as joy. As I watched this group that at one time were for the most part strangers – joke with one another, discuss this book, listen to each others opinions, and share personal stories that surfaced because of reading this book and I thought…

this is so much more than about a book.

The book… well, I will write another post and share with you about the book. When I asked at the end of the discussion if they felt this was something I should read or pass on, they said it needed to be read. In fact, my favorite comment of the night came from Susanne who said, “It is a crime against humanity to not have read this book.”

I guess I will be reading the book.

I did mention this was our gift exchange night… the rule being it must be something the giver has made. I put together a metal basket of canned goods I had made this fall – salsa, apple butter, stewed tomatoes, pasta sauce, and homemade caramels.

Here are pictures of the gifts that were given (Yoda would say “talent in group runs deep”)

Don’t forget…. 1st book of the year is just around the corner!

Dont Forget To Sign Up For First Book Of The Year!

Published on December 5, 2015January 1, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Yes it is that time of year to start thinking what you will be reading into the New Year! Click on the image to go to the sign up post. I hope you will join me.

This is a sticky post until December 30th. All new posts are below.

Morning Meanderings… 8 Months.

Published on December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

I went on a little break after Thanksgiving.

I packed up my bag, my books, my laptop, and my dog, and drove to the cabin this past Sunday afternoon through Thursday afternoon. It was a trip to get away after the hard holiday and regroup for what is next.

The first evening and through Monday my friend Belinda joined me and we talked and read and hung out wayyyyyyy to long waiting for the cable guy to show up and connect the internet but that is another story and we made the best of it. 🙂 Monday evening (once freed from the Cable Guy) we drove into Beaver Bay Minnesota and had dinner and then drove to Two Harbors Minnesota to go to Shopco (the only retail store they have). On our way back from Shopco we seen these two floaty guys and could not resist…

two harbors, book journey — Belinda dancing with a snowman

The next morning we were hit with a lot of snow so Belinda drove back into Two Harbors and had lunch at a nice place called the Vanilla Bean before she headed back to the cities to beat the weather.

Then after she left, I drove back to the cabin to spend a few days alone. I just needed a break to refresh and I knew if I was at home I would have been running around doing what I always do, worrying about what was for dinner…

and I just didn’t want to.

The snow, which I never like – was actually somewhat symbolic. It seemed, once it blanketed the ground… that it muffled everything… like it almost became more

quiet.

And that spoke to me.

I spent the next two days reading and napping, hiking with my dog, watching movies…. just being. It was good. I plan to do something similar after Christmas.

8 months have passed as of yesterday. I spend a lot of time thinking about that day, and the days before when I had been with Justin. With the heartbreak, there is a mix of thankfulness for the time we had together. I know in many ways I was lucky. My son and I were so close. I will miss and cherish that forever.

I am searching for my new normal every day. I am not sure as of yet what that will look like but I have some ideas of who I hope I am.

I am linking this post to Saturday Snapshot.

First Book Of The Year 2016

Published on December 3, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)86 Comments

Every year I get excited about what will be that first book I will be chatting about going into the new year. I make a big deal out of picking the book. It is usually a book I have wanted to read for a while and for whatever reason, I just have not been able to find the time to read it.

This is the third year I am hosting this event and this year, it is all the more important to me. It was a year ago today that I put out last years request. I would love for you to join me in this tradition of picking the book that you will be reading into the new year. It can be a coveted book that you have been waiting to read, a guilty pleasure book, a re-read of a favorite that you want to explore once again… whatever you want.

Our posts of what we are reading will go live on January 1st. You do not need to be done with the book on January 1st, just reading it on January 1st and yes, you can start on the 31st and be reading into the New Year. I would like to link up all your posts here on the 1st as well so others can visit you and cheer you on! If you are interested, please fill out the short form below.

Here are the fun collages I did with last year’s participants:

I have not had the best blog presence the past 7+ months. Please help me spread the word of this event by chatting it up on your blogs, Twitter (link under post to do this easily), Facebook, and wherever else you like to chat. 🙂 I would love for this to be another great year of reading into the New Year.

Morning Meanderings…. ESCAPE. Renew. Do It Again.

Published on November 29, 2015November 28, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Another day.

I am looking out my window this morning. If you don’t look at the ground (which I can not see from my spot at the kitchen table) it looks like fall. Blue skies. Crispy leaves still hanging on the trees. I can not see the frost on the grass from this spot and I like that. Let’s keep believing winter is not coming. SO far…. that has worked.

One thing for certain – no matter what is going on in someone’s life – whatever heartbreaks they are enduring or mountains they are struggling with …. the sun does rise every single day.

Today I am leaving for our cabin. I am taking a mini break to clear my head from the past 7 months and prepare for the next big upcoming holiday that sits ever present at the corners of my mind. I have not spent any time really alone through all of this and I feel that I need to do a little of that. Later today my friend Belinda will join me until Tuesday and possibly Farrah. I hope if it is not too cold to do a little hiking, a camp fire, hang out, watch movies… another friend may join in at some time as well. When they leave I will spend time reading, writing, and BREATHING. I am not sure how many days I will do that but plan to stay until Thursday or Friday. Maybe Saturday….

Recently when looking for audio to download I thought I wanted something non fiction. I do love a good non fiction listen. Yet when I went on Audible nothing was catching my attention in that genre. Instead… I went a different route and chose these two:

Both of these books on audio were excellent! In If You Only Knew, letting go of her ex-husband turned out to be harder than Jenny thought it would be – especially when the ex’s new wife is sweet and adorable and wants to be Jenny’s best friend. When Jenny moves into a new apartment to open her own business she finds she has her hands full with her sisters marriage problems, her mother’s constant undermining, and oh yeah… the good looking guy downstairs.

With After I Do, after a fairy tale like romance Lauren is stunned when Ryan says he needs time apart from her. She is further shocked when he says he wants a year apart and no contact to see where they are at. Burying herself in her work and family activities to keep her mind off Ryan, Lauren learns things about herself she did not know were there.

I plan on chatting about them over the next couple of days – but seriously, if you are looking for fun audio – these were great. now…. I want more like this. Great audio listening is a good way to keep my mind busy while doing other things.

That’s my Sunday. I am out – ROAD TRIP means audio. Got to like that. 😉

A Book Club, A Review, and Talking about FOOD!

Published on November 28, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Ahhh…. a post about one of my favorite subjects. Well, two really….. books and my book club “The AMAZING Bookies”… ok, they are really just called the Bookies but you know… I love them. I would take a punch for them.

A couple of weeks ago we met at a restaurant to discuss the book Delicious by Ruth Reichl. I had read and reviewed this book two years ago and LOVED it then and was so excited to have my book club choose it for our November read. Ruth Reicht used to be a food critic for the New York Times. She writes about this in the highly recommended read, Garlic and Sapphires (another one my book club read and boy did we have fin with that review!)

Delicious is Ruth Reichl’s first dab into fiction. It is about a young girl who takes a job at a magazine called Delicious. When the magazine goes under, she is kept on the payroll for an additional year to handle the guarantee hot line that Delicious offered to its readers. Yet Delicious is so much more than that…. it is about that – it is about taste, and smell, hidden rooms, secret recipes, relationships, friendships, and more.

The Bookies the night of our review. We were only missing one. We had to take a couple of pictures since I asked our waitress several times if she would take a group picture of us and – well… we did it ourselves. 🙂

We rarely go out to restaurants any more. We usually meet in homes due to the size of our group and that we do not want our discussion to be a distraction to other diners (ie… loud voices, laughter, difference of opinions, topics of discussion depending on the book….) however this restaurant had a large private room that we could close the door to. The food was well…. Delicious, which is what we were going for. I had a mushroom pasta that made me want to try to duplicate it at home:

Another sweet thing about this room that we were in is that they hang books from the ceiling. SOOOOO COOL. I thought I had taken a good picture of the ceiling but I guess I did not, however in the below pic you can see some of them hanging.

To take this discussion to the next level we all shared a recipe that was a favorite. We were suppose to make copies for everyone and share why that recipe had special meaning to each of us. I LOVED this part of our discussion. It was a common theme as we went around the room that each of the recipes had connections to family somehow – either a tradition, a wedding or a funeral…. there was something special about each related to the food. I shared my white chicken chili recipe which was one of Justin’s favorites. If he was coming into town and I asked him what he would like for dinner, this one was almost always on his list.

Over all, the Bookies game Delicious a slightly above average rating. Some of us (like me!) loved it. A few found it too spread out – several story lines between the hidden messages, underground railroad, etc… left them feeling there was too much going on, some found it predictable. No matter what we each thought, the book lead to a wonderful discussion.

What Makes Delicious A Good Book Club Choice?

There is much to discussion in Delicious. If your group enjoys food that goes with the book, this is a winner. The food described in this book is so mouth-watering (the cake discussed will be at our Bookies Christmas party this year).

Between sharing recipes, talking about how the book mirrors Ruth Reichl’s real life (yes some of the things in this book actually did happen to the author!), the underground railroad connection, your group will be able to have a lively discussion.

Discussion group questions (as found at LitLovers)

I am connecting this discussion to both Saturday Snapshot and Weekend Cooking.