Morning Meanderings Returns (maybe)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

So…. for anyone who has followed this site for a gazillion years – Morning Meanderings might just spark a memory.
A little history (grab your coffee)…
I started this blog in 2009. I wrote book reviews – I chatted bookish conversations – and met a lot of book lovers by doing this. This dusty little blog not only made me lifelong connections, but it also brought me closer to my Local Library, to the Book Expo in New York every year between 2009 and 2014 – and then once more in 2016. I made connections to publishing houses. Publishers, and of course, amazing authors and numerous fellow book reviewers that I know well online and some I have also met in person.

However, I feel this site really took off when I created something called Morning Meanderings. Does anyone remember this? I called it me, unplugged. I talked books – of course! But I also talked about life… and if I remember correctly, that is when conversations here really popped and my readership grew. If you go through the history here on Book Journey – or use the search bar and type in Morning Meanderings – you can see the fun Meandering conversations and, of course, the not-so-fun ones that took place in spring 2015, after Justin’s accident.

It has been 10 years, and this is the first year that I have consistently been posting reviews and talking about books again. It feels good to bring that piece of me back – and lately I have been thinking about the Meanderings as well.

That all said, let’s try this.

The picture above is my deck on this overcast Sunday morning in Central Minnesota. Phillipa Gregory’s upcoming book, The Boleyn Traitor, is absolutely fantastic, and in a season where I do waaaaaaaay more audio than sitting down to read a book, refreshing. I had the pleasure of a quiet evening last night, where I had dinner on the deck while enjoying this book.
The book on top – The Feminine Mystique, is on deck for after I finish TBT. This book was mentioned in our recent book club read, The Bookclub for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick, so of course…. I had to check it out. By the way, Marie’s book – also fantastic. Our book club discussion is still coming up on the second Tuesday in August, so stay tuned for more on that… I have some ideas 😀

In other news, this is the first year in a long time that I have attempted a bit of a garden. It’s a deck garden – because I know me…. if this were out in the yard, I would not get to it (my husband and son would agree here)- but… I am on the deck this time of year every single day that the sun is shining 😉
I’ve learned a bit…
1) I don’t need this many tomato plants 😀
2) Cucumbers have male and female flowers – if the female flowers are not pollinated, the baby cucumber withers and dies. You can pollinate the female flowers yourself with a paintbrush. I learned this too late this year ( I have two semi-sort of cucumbers) – but I am locked and loaded with wisdom for next year.
3) My deck can get windy – ties to the deck so my potted creations do not tip over is a must.

4) It’s therapeutic. Something is amazing about watching things grow and change day to day.

So – that’s me today. Hopefully I continue to check in… and someday…. someday… I may go back myself and read those early Morning Meanderings…. admittedly, I am a bit scared of them as I know they hold a “Me” of before... and she … she does not exist anymore.

This is the After Me. I am definitely broken, but also put back together like a mosaic. For sure, more in tune with the precious gift of life. And absolutely keeping myself busy because that is… my drug of choice.
Enjoy your Sunday. Do something fun and real and make time for Joy.
Looking forward to connecting again.
~Sheila

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

Looking forward to a week at the lake, long-time friends Julia, David, and Erika are eager to catch up and spend time together just like old times. Their Vermont lake homes are right next to each other.
This summer is a little different.

Julia and Erika knew that David was planning a remodel of his home, but they were not expecting this. The monstrosity he has built not only looks out of place next to his friends’ homes – it is so big that to see their once cherished lake views, they have to look through their windows – and through his.

But that’s not all that’s new with David this summer. He also brings along his new young nanny, Izzy, to watch his kids, as well as his new girlfriend, Fiona. Looks like it is not going to be like old times…

After a heated argument between David and Fiona, Fiona disappears. JUlia and Erika are beginning to wonder how well they really know their friend David, and Izzy – well, Izzy feels that things are right on track for her own agenda…

So…. full disclosure – I don’t know what I was thinking I was about to read – but this wasn’t it. It felt like the book started out one way – and then shifted into something else. As the book went on, it felt like it was trying too hard. Too many things to keep track of, too many directions – and drawn out.
A book I feel had great potential to be something, but in the end, I am not sure what that something was. It felt like it was trying too hard to follow in the footsteps of some of the great psychological thrillers, and in the end, I just wanted to know what happened, which also became distorted.
It’s a busy time of year for me, and I listened to this on audio. My brain may be too full of other things to fully appreciate this book – AND I have enjoyed this author before (although I just checked… no reviews) – so it could be a little bit me as well –
Would love to hear your thoughts. Have you read it?

The Idaho Four – An American Tragedy by James Patterson and Vicky Ward

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

A captivating and bizarre murder case. ~Sheila

Saturday, November 13th, 2022, Moscow Idaho. Four College students, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen, return to their off-campus house around 2:00 am after an evening out. All lived in that house with two other roommates, except for Ethan, who was dating Xana and had come to stay the night. After a DoorDash order at 4 am, all were in their rooms.

Around this same time, a masked man entered the home through a sliding glass door. While both Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were also in the home at the time in their respective rooms, and both heard some noises, they also had been out drinking and didn’t think much of it. It wasn;t until the next morning, when their friends were not up yet that the 4 bodies were discovered.

The ability to trst the world around me had been taken away. What he did shattered me in places I didn;t know could break. I was barely 19 when he did this.
~ Dylan Mortenson survivig roommate – July 2025 at the hearing and sentencing of Bryan Kohberger

Recently looking for my next read (listen), I came across this title. With the trial scheduled for this month, and admittedly, not remembering much about the case, I chose this book.

Diving into the bigger picture, learning more about the student victims and who they were is an important part of this story. While some may say the back story is not needed as this is such a public case – I respectfully disagree. There are as we all know – many terrible things happening in our world, while many/most of us tuned into this tragedy in 2022, not all including myself, have kept up with all the goings on surrounding the case, including the upcoming trial – which happened to take place while I was listening to this book on audio.

The telling of the back story, the students, and information on who Bryan Kohberger is and was at the time of the crime, is well done and gives you a foundation of the back story as the book moves into the investigation that leads to Kohberger’s arrest.

Now, of course, knowing what happened just a few days ago – I have great empathy for the families that have lived with this the past few years and will live with this the rest of their lives. Knowing first hand the loss of a child, I can imagine the relief of the trial – and perhaps at least a sense of some sort of closure – although not knowing the why… would certainly be something that would personally haunt me.

Overall, a well-written account of the murders, and worthy of your time for those who would like to know more about the beginning. I also just learned that there is a documentary, One Night in Idaho: The College Murders” exclusively available on Prime Video.
Fox News Families Confront Bryan

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Patterson? Of course!
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: Audio – mostly in car and home

The Book Club For Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

So so many things that I love in this book! ~ Sheila

It’s the early 1960’s and housewives Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb live in the same neighborhood in Virginia. Looking for ways to have a little time to bond away from children and husbands, the three decide to start a book club, starting with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Enter a new neighbor, Charlotte Gustofson, coming from Manhattan. To the other ladies, she seems sophisticated and worldly – she smokes, she drinks, she is outspoken… and when invited to the Book Club, she agreed, as long as they would read and discuss the newly released, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.

And so it begins… with the assistance of the selected controversial title, and with the help of some of the beverages mixed by Charlotte ( IE, Truth Serum), the ladies, during their time together, find they can relax, put down their guard, and open up. It becomes a relief to share about the struggles of being a woman not recognized as independent of their husbands, as well as the dreams they had of doing more, being more.

As the women bond, it’s hard to tell if it is the book that inspires them or if it is the friendship that strengthens their resolve to choose their destiny.

One of the first things I mention when asked about what I like in books is strong female characters and women’s friendships. To my delight, The Book Club For Troublesome Women was packed with both (if they know it or not!) From the opening pages, I was all in…

It still fascinates me to think it was really not all that long ago when it was believed that a woman’s place was in the home, that her husband’s voice was the one that mattered, that dreaming to be someone, have passions, dreams, goals… was not for our gender. You got married, you had children, you kept up on the home.
Personally, I don’t know how I would have survived being put in that tight box of stipulations.

This was quite literally unputdownable. I enjoyed this book so much, and as it is our book club read for August, I am so excited to discuss this book wth our amazing group!
I also need to mention the food mentioned – I love food in books and I like taking the food as well as drinks to be a part of the book discussion… fitting the theme when possible 🙂 (Fair warning to the Book Club… I am picturing 60s-style attire)
PS… I bought the book The Feminine Mystique as well

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: I do not believe so
Read Author Again: I would love to!
Where Read: Audio – gardening/mowing – road trip to Walker
Discussion worthy: Oh yes! There are so many great topics – the rights of women in the 1960s, how our own mothers or grandmothers navigated them, the rights of women, and the importance of making time for friends…

UPDATE:

8/12/25 – Bookies Book Club has a lovely evening by the lake reviewing this book. We made the “Truth Serum” – AKA Vodka Stinger from the book (brought by no other than our worldly Charlotte). The drink is two parts vodka and one part white crème de menthe. The pic below is the Bookies all trying this drink together (for most of us I think this was a “yucky” although I can see why it was called truth serum. ;P

I have to say this is one of the top discussions in a long time – not only was there so much to unpack in this book, but the Book Club Questions ( as found on Marie Bostwick’s website) were some of the most thought-provoking, discussion-worthy questions! If you read this book for a group discussion, absolutely use the questions linked here. Our discussion was longer than usual, but in good ways, the questions provoked meaningful discussion, and even learning some new things about our members whom I have known for years.
Last night was also the Bookies’ 24th Anniversary…. we could not have selected a more wonderful read for the occasion.

Tom Lake by Anne Patchett

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

The stories of our past… that stay alive in our hearts. ~Sheila

In the Summer of 2020, Lara and Joe Nelson brought their three adult daughters to the family Orchard to be together during Quarantine. For Lara and Joe, it’s an incredibly rare opportunity to bring the girls home for an extended period of time. For the girls, Emily, Massie, and Nell, it’s a chance to get to know their parents beyond the roles of “mom and dad”.

While harvesting cherries, the girls prod their mom to open up about her college days and her acting career – more specifically, her time and her romance with the famous Peter Duke, who, years after that time on Tom Lake with Lara, went on to be an Oscar Winner.

While Lara lets her story unfold, she knows what she will tell her eager daughters – and what is hers to keep… but oh…. the memories.

To be honest, I was looking for my next good listen. I have spent too much time lately poring over previews of audio and, for one reason or another, finding it hard to find the snippets engaging… be it the start of the book moving too slowly, the narrator not grabbing me, whatever… I was browsing online lists of great listens and found Tom Lake among the highly recommended.- Narrated by Meryl Streep, I had to listen.

Tom Lake was a nice listen that really fits any season. Lara is our storyteller and the book narrator. When her girls are eager for the story of her connection to Peter Duke, Lara gives them so much more, knowing from the start what she will share and what she will not.

The narration flows between the present time of the family together and Lara sharing her college days, dreams of acting, and of course, leading into her meeting and getting to know Duke. It was a smooth read, a nice listen, obviously different (welcomingly so) from the twisty psychological thrillers I find myself often drawn to, as grab-and-go” reads this time of year.

Streep is the perfect narrator for this book, and makes it easy to picture this family on their orchard together during COVID, sharing stories…I have always said – not everything about COVID was bad… in some ways it brought us back to what is important.

I’m no stranger to Anne Patchett’s books, yet sadly, when I did a search through Book Journey, I found no reviews other than a Read-A -Long of Bel Canto in 2012 (and looks like I was the one who put it together!); however, I see no review of the book. That may call for a do-over.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: I hope to dig into more of her titles
Where Read: Audio – home and traveling locally
Discussion worthy: Yes – I think this book would make for a nice group discussion. Topics centering around COVID and how we spent our time and what you woudl consider good things that came out of it (IE – a renewed closeness to family, a time to slow down, learning a new hobby or engaging in one you had not had time for, sharing your past with your children- Yay or Nay

The Perfect Getaway by Kiersten Modglin

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments
“Keep your enemies closer….A creepy, delicious vacation thriller” ~ Sheila

When the invite for an all-expense-paid 7-day vacation to a pre-opening of an upscale resort on a tropical island arrives in the mail, they are sceptical… endless time share talks? 4 point fine print of 10,000 easy monthly payments of only $99?

For Brad and Laura, between the full-time jobs and their two young daughters, a getaway is tempting but feels impossible.

For Nick and Megan, engaged to be married, this would be like an early start to a honeymoon. While Megan is hesitant and feels something isn’t right, Nick is all in for the idea.

For Natasha and Jaren, they are at the beginning of the end. With a son about to turn 18, they have decided that once he graduates, they are going to call it. Once madly in love, the years have taken a toll on the couple, but a week on a tropical island? Maybe…

For Andy and Emily, this is a no-brainer. Andy, after a long line of relationships, feels Emily may be the one. Emily, a travel blogger, is the one who filled out the application for a chance to win this trip to the island and won it not only for Andy and herself, but their friends as well.

Once the other couples understand Emily’s role in their invite, they start to feel excited about the possibilities of a fun getaway with their friends, and one by one, they each find a way to make it happen.

Yet, that first day on the island, of drinks and sun…. they discover their cell phones will not work… and by morning…

One of them will be dead.

So here we are, the second week of July, and summer is here, and this is a big audio season for me as I do yard work. I am also admittedly struggling with finding audio that I want to listen to and spend too much time prusing through titles and preview listens trying to find not only a good storyline but good narration – audio book listeners, you know what I mean… if the narrator does not fit you will struggle getting into the book.

Sadly, I have been interested in several titles lately that the narration immediately turned me off, and don’t even get me started on some recent titles with multiple narrators that made the preview sound more like a play or production than a book…. might be just be… but come on 🙂

Ok – that was a long lead-in.

For The Perfect Getaway, I enjoyed the narration as well as the storyline…told from different perspectives, you get to know each couple and the baggage (or lack thereof in one case) they bring to the island. I enjoyed hearing their back stories and found this to be a nice way to introduce us to the many characters.
While I enjoyed the story and the creepy undertone, it felt a little rushed. Once they get to the island, everything seems to happen so quickly, and it could have been a little more paced – a chance to really get to see the changes in the characters as things come to be.
Twisty ending that surprised me – but again, we could have had more story.

Rated: 2.9 out of 5
Read Author Before: I don’t think so
Read Author Again: probably
Where Read: Audio – this one was quick – one hour car trip and an afternoon of yard work



The Tenant by Freida McFadden

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Frieda – redeemed. Really really good. ~Sheila

Blake is at the top of his game and trending toward a promotion that is pretty much a done deal. When he is suddenly fired for something he knows nothing about, he and his fiancée Krista find themselves having to make hard decisions to keep up on their bills, specifically the brownstone they live in and love.

Enter Whitney – a girl down on her luck and in need of a place to stay. Both Blake and Krista take a liking to her right away, and after having interviewed many truth-be-told frightful people interested in renting their upstairs space bedroom, Whitney is a breath of fresh air and her rent will release the tension of the bills until Blake gets on his feet again.

Yet – something is not right… Things start happening in the home that seem off… strange smells, rotting food found in strange places, all things that Blake seems to notice – but Krista writes off as Blake being overly controlling of their space.

But something IS wrong. As tensions and accusations mount, the strain is on all three of them.. but who is the cause behind everything? And is it much more than a sloppy tenant?
Probably.

Oh yes! I know in recent reviews I have given Frieda McFadden a bit of a hard time – pointing out far fetched plots, repeat of things within the books that fill like word filler, and even giving her a break for a while (which you can see did not stick as good audio is hard to find and I was s drawn in….)
I have to say – yowza. No page-filling repeat of words, no weak plot – all scary and wild McFadden on her game in this one. I loved it. So so much. This is the McFadden I enjoy… great story line, interesting characters, and you just never know with her.
She caught me completely off guard in this one is good ways.
Read it – you are welcome.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: Yes I have read so sos many
Where Read: Audio – mostly cooking – I flew through this one… Page Turner!!!!


You Deserve To Know by Aggie Blum Thompson

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“Yikes… choose your friends and neighbors wisely! This book is just good fun.” Sheila

It’s wonderful when your closest friends are also in your neighborhood. For Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa, it is convenient to have coffee dates, neighborhood walks, play dates, and someone close to chat with – be it neighborhood gossip, or a close, confidential conversation about the ups and downs of marriage.
But the morning that Gwen’s husband is found murdered, and Aimee’s husband shortly thereafter turns up missing, cracks and underlying tension as well as a little finger-pointing come into play. As the three women navigate trying to be supportive of one another, with their own safe lives crumbling… the truth comes out in ways no one could have suspected.


This started out with the essence of Big Little Lies… which honestly I loved. Right away, the book takes hold with the first scandalous happening of Gwen’s husband being murdered (not a spoiler – its literally in the book description)… from there, with back stories of the three couples, and of course – what we always see on the surface, no matter how close of friends you are – is usually not the entire picture.

Actually, while at moments certainly far fetched – it was an enjoyable read to unravel this tangled web of a book and a delicious twist at the end which was certainly a – “Wait – what???” for me. Well-developed characters, I felt like I knew them, and while I would love to have a cup of coffee at their house… should probably pour my own. 😉

Grab a cocktail… set the theme… read the book. Good fun.

Rated: 3.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would – this was kind of fun
Where Read: Audio – gardening/mowing/cooking

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Things I really liked… and a few things I didn’t. ~Sheila

Alicia Cross has dreamed about becoming a writer. When she believes she finds a contact for none other than the unreachable Margaret Ives, tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century, she can not believe her luck. Alicia definitely thinks the stars have aligned when she is not only correct about finding Margaret, but Margaret has invited her to Crescent Island to talk about Alicia writing her biography.

Yet, as Alicia knows all too well, nothing is that easy. While it is true that Alicia has been given access to Margaret, she is not the only one.

Enter Pulitzer-Prize winner Hayden Anderson, who has also been invited to the island – ALSO to be interviewed by Margaret to potentially write her story – and in the words of Margaret, may the best person win the right to do so.

With an iron-clad NDA, Margaret meets with both writers separately to tell her story, but the real story genre – mystery, historical, tragedy, or romance… may depend on the writer…. and if Alicia and Hayden steer clear of the obvious attraction to each other.

Ok – first *sigh*. I am not a fan of romance… well, let’s say fluffy romance. While this at times borders on a little too much eye fluttering and stammering for my taste, I am pleased to say there is more likable parts to this book.

I did like the back story and the camaraderie between Hayden and Alicia as they find themselves in situations that pull them together, even when they are trying to stay in their own lane. This, and Margaret’s telling of her story, was fun ( a reminder of something else I have read in the past few years – cover has a woman in a green dress… that I can not recall the title of) – but not in a bad way.

My biggest peeve, and sorry if this is a spoiler- the sex. Not a prude – but I also do not need to have the full play by play in my fiction (or perhaps it seemed more detailed in audio). Every time.. yeah, there is more than one occurrence… it pulled me out of the story. Obviously, my opinion, but I feel there are ways to get the picture without the full PICTURE.
Overall, mostly enjoyed. Would love others’ thoughts on this one.

Rated: 2.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes – Funny Story
Read Author Again: Probably she has some fun titles and Im a little surprized I have not read more of her books
Where Read: Audio – gardening/mowing/commuting

Until The End Of The World by Sarah Lyons Fleming

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

“COVID, before there was COVID with a mix of a teen like version of Walking Dead… ” ~Sheila

As if life weren’t hard enough in your twenties, a virus that turns people into zombies is probably the last thing Cassie needs. Is it a coincidence that the day she decides it’s time to get her life together is the same day that the world as we know it ends?
Escaping Brooklyn in hopes of reaching her survivalist parents’ cabin with an assortment of friends and frenemies just adds to the stress of the situation; however, hearing Aiden’s voice on Safe Zone Radio, the guy she let get away – gives Cassie a glimmer of hope that somehow – they can all get through this together.

If they don’t kill each other first.

So…

My book club does something cool every June. We all choose a book to bring to the book club that we have read on our own, but loved, and would love to share that experience with someone else. We wrap them up, and each of us randomly picks our read for July. It’s fun and an opportunity to read someone else’s favorite – it’s also hard in a 24-year-old Book Club to find a book that we haven’t read together (easy to forget) or that someone else hasn’t already discovered. What I love about this – as we each reveal the book we have selected – I found a few of them to look interesting that others selected – and so…. here I am reading, Until The End Of The World.

I will be reading my pick as well… but a good-ol- zombie story, seemed to be the thing to listen to while mowing the lawn and gardening…. the fact that Julie Whelan is the narrator is also a plus (#fanfavorite)

So…
I’m not typically a zombie reader. I have read a few end-of-the-world books that were good and zombie-free, and I wish I could remember some of the titles now – one of them was One Second After, and it was about an electromagnetic pulse attack on the US that shut down all electricity, phones, anything electronic… I don’t believe I ever reviewed it, but looking it up no,w I see there is a second book, so you know… maybe I will read it again 🙂

Anyhoo – I digress…

Until the End Of The World was interesting… honestly a bit too much teenage like angst between the survivalists, I get that you’re under a TON of STRESS in an unpredictable situation – but the annoying pouty ex-boyfriend and the sister that is a snot to Cassie who honesty is the only one with a plan at the time…. GAH.
I was actually surprised when I looked up how old this group was as I felt they were fresh out of High School, to see that it is determined that they are mid to late twenties….
(Maybe Im too old for that crap lol)

I did enjoy the book enough to finish, and honestly, as things are starting to move in a different direction, but the time you get to the end, I may pick up the second book one of these days to see what happens next. There are four books in this series, and a friend of mine has read and enjoyed them all.

Overall – average read, the start of the book seemed long and not a lot going on other than the occasional Zombie – it really started to pick up in the second half.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: no
Read Author Again: I may continue with the second book
Where Read: Audio – gardening/mowing – tis the season