Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… What I Learned Already This Morning

Published on March 18, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Good morning!

I am a gmail girl at heart. I love it and use it for all of my accounts. I love that it connects with Google Docs so you can create a working auto updated spreadsheet that several people can work on.

A few weeks ago I subscribed to the Hungry Girl newsletter to come in my email every weekday. If you are unfamiliar with Hungry Girl it is worth checking out. It is about trying to eat right and not feeling hungry doing so. They have recipes, tips, etc… most importantly (to me) is they know we are human and we get HUNGRY, so these are not skimpy meal ideas – however they are skimpy calorie ideas. I have learned I can take their recipes and make them even better, but that…

is another story for another day.

I found that my daily email would fall into my “Promotions” tab of my gmail. (Gmail now comes with three tabs – Primary (friends, connections), Social (all my book journey stuff, groups I have signed up with) and Promotions (stuff sent to me like Redbox info, Shelf Awareness…). Truth is, there is so much junk mail in the promotions tab I rarely look at it.

This morning I thought there has to be a way to move the emails I want to read out of promotions and into Primary (which is the emails I always read first). Looking at it on gmail I could not figure it out, there was no easy “move to primary button. For the record there should be. 🙂 SO I did what any modern woman does these days…

I Googled it.

Sure enough… you simply grab the email with your cursor and move it to the box you want it to be in. Then it asks you if you want all such emails from this site to come to your primary box.

Uhhhh

YES.

SO there it is. Maybe you already knew that – I did not. Now I am going to dig my Shelf Awareness out of there too as I have not read forever.

All is well in my world Wednesday morning.

How about you – any life lessons to share today?

WHEN by Victoria Laurie

Published on March 17, 2015March 15, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

Maddie Fynn has had a unique gift since before she could read and write. She could see a series of numbers above the foreheads of each person she met, seen on TV, or in a photograph. Unfortunately, she did not understand exactly what the numbers meant until the day her father’s accident. Then Maddie knew, the numbers were the dates that people would die.

Left with the devastating guilt that she did not figure out the numbers until it was too late and not knowing if she could have changed anything anyway, Maddie begins to earn money by offering readings to those who wished to know their death dates.

When a young boy goes missing on the date that Maddie knew he would die, the police bring in Maddie to possibly help solve what seems to be turning into a series of missing young people. Although skeptical with what Maddie can truly offer, the police find her to be right on with the numbers, not realizing that Maddie’s involvement is making her a person of interest to someone who is very dangerous.

WHEN is a YA read that takes the paranormal trend to a new level (at least new to me). The knowing of the death dates is a burden I for one would not want to carry. While I enjoyed the writing and story development I just could not suspend reality far enough to fully love this one. There were too many outrageous things overlooked in this book that made it too much for me.

In all honesty, this could very well be a win for a younger person, an excellent MG to YA for someone more willing to accept this one. And in all honesty, I could just be too old for this story.

And yeah… it hurt to say that. 😉

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 9 hours and 15 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Audible.com Release Date: January 13, 2015

Morning Meanderings… Connecting In My Non Fiction World

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

Good morning. Tuesday is here and I am all about my day already. COFFEE CUP is in hand and I have my to do list fully loaded to start checking off whatever I can get done before this afternoons hair cut and then a Library Board Meeting with the Policy Committee to update Emergency Plans. Good stuff. Good stuff.

Last week I was noticing how one of our fairly new local businesses had a very minimal website. Their About Us page was blank, and in their case, that is probably the most important page. I mentioned it to a lady I was working with and she asked me if I had a business card and she would give it to them if they wanted someone to build content into their website.

*crickets*

(in other words… silence)

I have played with the idea of a business card for my Freelance work the past few months yet every time I start one I do not like the style, and if it bores me… well, I am not going to do it. Now, recently sparked with energy about this possibility of website content writing for a business I know intrigued me. Let’s just say I got to work.

I spent the start of the weekend creating the business card which is now complete and will soon be in my hands. I almost can not wait to start handing them out. It’s kind of like putting on my big girl pants and saying out loud, “Yeah. I am doing this.”

Front side

Sheila DeChantal, Freelancer, Minnesota — Back Side

I am kind of excited about it.

Of course for those of you who really know me… I didn’t stop there. I started building my own website… which, just so you know… feels weird. Promoting “me” is not a natural step for me and I am still tweaking the site even though it took up most of my weekend spare time and I am still working on it.

Yesterday, I went to work on my LinkedIn profile, updating, connecting with others… my goodness this connecting thing is a lot of work, however I do get that if you want to get the word out, you have to be KNOWN.

*gulp*

Connecting… connecting… connecting.

I think I am going to like this new world.

How We Got To Now by Steven Johnson

Published on March 16, 2015March 15, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Steven Johnson explores six innovations over the centuries that made the world what it is today. Interesting exploration from our fascination with selfies, how we created time, from genius, to mistakes. The six big topics are:

1. Glass

2. Cold

3. Sound

4. Clean

5. Time

6. Light

Although I admittedly do not have scientific mind and by no means could be considered “techy”, I am still fascinated by the creative minds that brought us to today. It is no secret that I am fully engaged with the start up of Facebook and have watched the movie an embarrassingly amount of times. I have not only read about, listened to books on Steve Jobs, I have watched his movie as well… again fascinated how these great minds see something bigger in what we are doing and change the world forever with their nudges in the right direction. Truly, they could not have had any idea how far their ideas would go.

How We Got To Now is another of those fascinating books that show how what happened then ties to now in ways that we could not even imagine. The first making of glass which led to mirrors which led to seeing ourselves for the first time to the first artists that became fascinated with self portraits. Another chapter that really blew me away was the one on time. It is hard to think about a world without time as we are all about time and where we need to be and when. I tried to imagine a time, without time…

Christopher Columbus: Okay men, we are now ready that we shall sail to the new world world!

Men: And how shall we know when to go of wise one?

Christopher Columbus: Uhhh….. we shall know… when we know. Be off with you until then!

Ok that was all me, I can not quote Christopher, it was just the image that came to mind.

This book is one I listened to on audio and it is a short listen at 6 hours and 11 minutes but a fascinating one for those of us who enjoy knowing where things came from and how they affect us today.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 11 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Audible.com Release Date: September 30, 2014

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on March 15, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

Hello! Welcome to It’s Monday What Are You Reading? The meme that we use to share what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week. It’s a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read list. 😀 You never know where that next great read may come from!

Wow did that week burn by or what? Even the weekend felt short and we are having great weather here in Central Minnesota so I don’t like that! 😀 I had such a wild week I don’t think I posted a whole lot but here is what I did:

Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag

Descent by Tim Johnston – w/ book club questions

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Cover Crack – What Book Covers Are You Jonesing Over? (the covers you CRAVE!)

That’s it for my posts however I have 5 reviews yet to write so the reading is there…. I just have not had the time to write reviews.

For this week I am planning….

For My Ears

Fascinomas – fascinating medical mysteries. A paralyzed teen recovers overnight. A woman complains her breast implants speak. A man and his dog become gravely ill at the exact same time. These strange, real-life cases and many more can be found in author and physician Clifton K. Meador’s newest collection, Fascinomas. Combining the word fascinating with the term for a tumor or growth, fascinoma is medical slang for an unusually interesting medical case. These are the extraordinary stories medical professionals recall forever and pass from one colleague to another in hospital lounges and hallways. Every medical professional has at least one fascinoma to tell, and in this collection of bizarre-but-true stories, Meador retells some of the most memorable. In the vein of Berton Roueche, the famed medical writer for The New Yorker, the author of True Medical Detective Stories is back with an all-new book of complex cases, where medical professionals must often race against the clock to find clues in the most unusual places. Fascinomas is an entertaining and informative collection for physicians, nurses, medical students, and those who simply can’t get enough of bizarre clinical cases. Written from the point of view of an experienced doctor, the stories are crafted in an engaging style that can be enjoyed by medical professionals and laypeople alike. More than just interesting tales, however, these real-life mysteries serve as great examples of the need for doctors to listen closely to and ask the right questions of their patients, even in the computer age, when so much information is at their fingertips. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and you never know where a crucial piece of evidence will be found by one of the detectives of the medical world.

Autumn has finally arrived in the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, heralded by a strange old man appearing with a beat-up suitcase. He has stories to tell, stories that could change the lives of the Waverley women forever. But the Waverleys have enough trouble on their hands. Quiet Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies, but it’s nothing like she thought it would be, and it’s slowly taking over her life. Claire’s wild sister Sydney, still trying to leave her past behind, is about to combust with her desire for another new beginning. And Sydney’s fifteen-year-old daughter Bay has given her heart away to the wrong boy and can’t get it back.

For My Eyes

Colom had the perfect childhood, the much-loved only child of a church pastor. Yet he wakes screaming from dreams in which his sister is drowning and he can’t save her.

Fiona turns to her husband, desperate to help their son. But David will not acknowledge that help is needed—and certainly not help from beyond the church.

Then they find the suicide pledge.

Fiona, in panic, takes Colom and flees… but when will she acknowledge that the unnamed demons Colom faces might be of her and David’s own creation?

This beautifully written and searching novel by poet Gerard Kelly explores the toxicity of secrets, the nature of healing, and the ever-present power of rain.

That’s the plan… how about you? What did you read this last week and plan to read this week? Add your Its Monday What Are You Reading link below where it says click here:

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For those who read mainly children and middle grade books please add your link here as well:

Cover CRACK… What Book Covers Are You Jonesing Over?

Published on March 15, 2015March 15, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)35 Comments

jonesing

to have a strong need, desire, or craving for something.

There are certain book covers that for whatever reason draw my attention. Seriously. I can be browsing books and particular covers can stop me in my tracks and cause me to pick up the book and read the synopsis.

Sound familiar?

It should. Even though we are told to never judge a book by its cover, I have to believe that most of us, when put in a room of books to browse, it is the cover that is the next logical step to wondering if a book is a good fit for you.

That being said…

for me the cover crack that catches my eye is at this time: Houses and Food. I know. I know. Lets break this down.

Houses.

Covers with an old home on them, a mansion, a street filled with homes, even buildings (barns, sheds, maybe a hardware store). I think what draws me in are the possibilities. What is happening in that place or what will happen? Who lives there? What secrets do they have?

Here are a few samples of endearing book covers. (*Note – these are not necessarily books I have read, but these are book covers I am drawn to)

house book covers, jonesing over covers, cover crack, Book Journey

(actually in this house category is one of my all time favorite books)

Food.

I love reading about food and I am not just talking about cook books. I mean fictional fun stories and memoirs of traditional cooking, starting a restaurant, creating culture, famous chefs…. I love it all.

Your up. What covers do you find call to you?

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Published on March 15, 2015March 15, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Many years ago I read Fitzpatrick’s engaging trilogy starting with Hush Hush and enjoyed it so much. I was so excited to give this one a try and see if these new characters could live up to the wonderful books she had written previously. They did. ~Sheila

Britt Pheiffer has been training for her upcoming winter backpacking trip to the Tenton Range with her best friend Korbie where they will be staying at Korbie’s family cabin. When Korbie’s college brother, and Britt’s ex boyfriend Calvin decided he is going to join them by meeting them at the cabin, Britt is not sure if she is excited or annoyed.

While the girls on their way to the cabin a blizzard makes the roads impossible to drive on and they seek shelter at a cabin they find in the woods. They gratefully accept the hospitality of the two young men, Sean and Mason, occupying the cabin soaking up the warmth after a chilling walk. Yet soon the girls realize all is not as it seems. The two men are fugitives for murder, on the run from the law, and Britt and Korbie have just become their hostages.

The men decide that Britt who has more outdoor skills that Korbie will guide them off the mountain. While Sean is dark and angry with a quick temper, Mason tries to keep him calm and protect Britt when he can. Is Mason an ally? Can a cold blooded killer be an ally?

Britt’s only hope is that Calvin discovers her abandoned car and comes looking for her and Korbie. And hopefully he will make it before it is too late.

Becca Fitzpatrick does it again with characters that are three dimensional and a story line that keeps you guessing.

I enjoyed listening to Black Ice on audio, Jenna Lamia (narrator for The Secret Life Of Bees, The Help, Looking For Me, Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt) has just the youthful voice for this book, as well as the diversity to handle the male voices of the book as well without sounding like a girl trying to be a guy. Impressive as always!

Black Ice was a wonderful listen and a good story line that is at once scary and also a little bit of a YA romance, a mix that works well here. I enjoyed experiencing this author again.

Audio CD
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (October 7, 2014)

Morning Meanderings… Books, Book Releases, and 11,000 Leprechauns

Published on March 15, 2015March 15, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

And that my friends, is how a week gets away from you.

It was a great week last week that I balanced with work, and coffee dates, appointments, and reading. Oh yeah… I have been reading, as of this mornings list I am 6 reviews behind and that does now happen with me…

until it does.

Freelancing is fun, but it is very easy to find yourself working 7 days a week if you are not careful. I am trying to create work free weekends,but that will not start today. 🙂 That is ok though, because I did take most of Friday off for an overdue meet up with a friend, and then Saturday I ran the 7K in Minneapolis for the annual Get Lucky ST Patty’s Day run; the largest run of the year – 11,000 of us green people doing the 7K in one area, and 20,000 people doing the 21K (the lucky 7 7 7 run) in another part of the cities. I will save most of the pictures for later, but here are a couple samples:

Getting ready to run at the starting gate – that’s a lot of little green people!

Me, pre-run, being Irish helps me fit the part!

And…. books came to my house this week! Lovely lovely lovely books:

Praying Through The Gospels by Sarah Lindbergh (3 copies, 2 for a giveaway!)

The Cake House by Latifah Salom

Control by Lydia Kang

Catalyst by Lydia Kang

LEGACY by Ellery A Kane

Stranger by Harlan Coben

And….

Releasing this coming Friday:

Keep an eye on this one, we are going to have some fun with this title with an author interview that will amaze you later this week and this will be a book to start talking about now.

This morning I made a to-do list to get a feel of where I am at for this week, while I hope to make a nice dent in this list today, it is really something I will be working on throughout this week. This afternoon, book time…. and I know just the book.

Morning Meanderings… Going Green and Debating Tights!

Published on March 13, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

Good morning! It is FRIDAY!!!! I am crazy excited about that for really no reason at all except that I should have some reading time this afternoon and of course shopping to get my green on.

Literally.

Tomorrow morning I am off to St Paul for The Get Lucky Annual 7k run. I like this run, and it is my first Ortho run of the year. The Ortho runs are nice as you usually get some serious bling, like a nice hooded sweatshirt. Excited about that! 😀

As the weather seems like it will be a little nicer than the last three years that I have completed this run, I am thinking I may change-up my green this year. After a coffee date this morning I am going to go and see what I can find for my “green wear”. I have some things from previous year but hope to shake it up a little bit this year.

Above – pics from last years run.

Off to coffee…. have a wonderful start to your day everyone!

Morning Meanderings… It’s ALIVE!!!! Creating Flat Bookie

Published on March 12, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

You know how sometimes it is just DANGEROUS to put a group of witty readers int he same room? They can really feed off each other and you never know what is going to happen.

I think it went down like this…

On Tuesday we had book club here at my house. We were discussing those of our group who are out exploring the world on this spring break week. Someone mentioned they should have taken a “Flat Stanley” with them which somehow led to…

Flat Bookie.

A bookish relative to Flat Stanley who would travel when the Bookies travel so the Bookies can take pics with him when they are in bookish situations… such as…

book stores

author events

and of course, just reading a good book wherever they are

I love ideas like this.

Yesterday afternoon I went about creating the Flat Bookie. Something simple we can cut out and laminate and send off on adventures…. bookish of course.

For the record, I did not wear a bra on my head while doing this (for you 80’s people, that is a Weird Science movie reference)

It was fun and I presented to the group the result:

Behold!!!! The Flat Bookie!!!!

Ok. LOL. I am done. 🙂 Guess who will be traveling with me to the Book Expo this May?

In case you do not know what I am talking about when I mention Flat Stanley – here is a link. I once had one I took to Honduras with me for a friends daughters project.