Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… The Ice Cream Song And Other Oddities

Published on March 8, 2015March 8, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

Good morning! Happy Sunday to you all. Day lights savings time is here and as I look at my laptop and my cell phone I am wondering if that is the correct time or if I need to add an hour and I am all weirded out as from the comfort of my recliner I can not see a clock and to comfy to get up and check.

Yesterday afternoon I was downstairs on the treadmill listening to Pandora 80’s cardio because yes that is the way I roll, errr…. tread. I Will Survive came up by Gloria Gaynor. I don’t know what got into me but suddenly I was belting out to the tune but changing the words.

I Will Survive, The Ice Cream Song

At first, I was afraid, I was petrified.
Kept thinkin’ I could never live
Without you by my side,
But then I spent so many nights
Thinkin’ how you did me wrong.
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along.

And so you’re back from my freezer space.
I just walked in to find you here
With all that chocolate and caramel in place.
I should’ve changed that stupid lock,
I should’ve made you leave your key,
If I had known, for just one second,
You’d be back to tempt me.

Well, now go! Get out the door!
Just turn around now,
‘Cause you’re not welcome anymore!
Weren’t you the one
Who tried to hurt me with your fat?
Did you think I like crumble?
Did you think I’d lay down and eat?

Oh no, not I! I will survive!
Oh, as long as I know how to move,
I know I’ll stay alive!

I’ve got everyday to move
And I’ve got the time to groove
and I’ll survive
I will survive (hey-hey)

It took all the strength I had
not to grab a spoon
kept trying hard to avoid
the pieces of chocolate moons
and I spent oh so many nights
just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
But now I hold my head up high
and you see me
somebody new
I’m not that chained up little person
still in love with you
and so you felt like dropping in
and just expect me to be hungry
and now I’m saving all my calories
for something that’s good for me!

Go on now go! Get out the door!
just turn around now
’cause you’re not welcome anymore
weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with your fat?
Did you think I like crumbles?
Did you think I’d lay down and eat?
Oh no, not I
I will survive
Oh as long as I know how to move
I know I will stay alive
I’ve got all my life to move
And I’ve got the time to groove
and I’ll survive
I will survive

I just ruined that song for you forever. You’re welcome. 😉

Bookish in the house:

Last One Home by Debbie Macomber (audio book)

The Year My Mother Came Back by Alice Eve Cohen

The Traveling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones

The Daughter by Jane Shemilt

Reluctantly Charmed by Ellie O’Neil

Anything Could Happen by Will Walton

Silent Alarm by Jennifer Banash

Cold Betrayal by JA Jance

It should be a good bookish week, I finished up our book club read last night for our meeting this Tuesday and hope to get to a few more this week as well.

Morning Meanderings… Pics Of The Plunge or… ICE ICE Baby

Published on March 7, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)43 Comments

Kind of hard to believe from the comfort of my cozy home this morning that a week ago I was loading up the car with a prom dress, bubble toe tennis shoes, a black make up marker, and wearing a friend of mines dog tags to go to Anoka Minnesota to throw myself in the lake.

😯

Crazy Minnesotans… we will do anything for entertainment in the winter. 🙂

SO for this Saturday Snapshot, I give you the Polar Plunge pics that I have. There are more to come from the professional camera peeps of the event however those are not posted yet.

Polar Plunge Anoka MInnesota, Book Journey — This is what we walk through to get to the water. We come in through the back where that dark blue is. This is the lull before the storm 🙂

Sheila DeChantal, Book Journey — I had offered those who sponsored me to be able to choose what I wore. I had to wear something from Australia (the white t shirt I am wearing), something from Harry Potter (the scar on my forehead), my friends dog tags for his birthday, and a prom dress. Check, check, check, CHECK.

This is me and my cousins wife Rhonda (I call her cousin-in-law)…. the dude is a photo bomber and the look on my face is because I suddenly felt someone over my shoulder and he surprised me.

Sheila Book Journey Polar Plunge — Showing that I am wearing the dog tags

Book JOurney, Polar Plunge, ANoka MInnesota — We are “Plungeriffic”

Sheila DeChantal, Book JOurney, Polar Plunge — This is my “I guess I am really doing this” face.

and the pictures you are waiting for….

Polar Plunge, Anoka Minnesota, Sheila DeChantal, Book Journey — Yup… for a moment I walked on water. And yes, I plugged my nose… this one was deeper than the one I did three years ago.

Polar Plunge, Book Journey, SHeila Dechantal, Anoka Minnesota — Me… still in the water. If you are wondering what that feeling is when you jump into a Minnesota lake in March it is mainly “how fast can I get out!”

It was for a good cause, our area alone had 1,000 plungers raising a total of $208,000. Other areas:

South Metro: 985 Plungers raised more than $232,000
Alexandria: 435 Plungers raised more than $93,100

Today there is a plunge in my home town of Brainerd Minnesota. Oddly, I have completed two now but I have never jumped in Brainerd. Hmmm…. maybe next year 😀

You may recall in January I picked my word for this year to be Emerge. I purchased the above necklace for myself on my birthday to remind myself of my word. I think so far… I am living it. 🙂

Today is a day of reading, web design, working out, and just chilling around the house. I rented Mockingjay for my hubby and I to watch tonight. Laying low and loving it!

New Uses For Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick

Published on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Lila Alders grew up in a nice home in a wonderful small town and was pretty much the town sweetheart. Moving away and taking on a job as a tv personality was right in the plans and so was marrying the guy who provided Lila with the money she was accustomed to as well as a knock out ring to match. Lila was living the life you see in fairy tales.

Of course….

fairy tales are fiction.

When her marriage falls apart and her job right along with it, Lila picks up what is left of her dignity and bank account and heads back to the comfort of her home town and her mother who still lives in the gorgeous home she grew up in. Yet Lila finds that her mother is in no better shape than she is. Having ignored the warnings of financial advisers, Daphne has continued to live beyond her means since the passing of her husband and Lila’s father. Lila is shocked to find that the money is gone, and it looks like her childhood home must be sold to take her mom out of the dept that she is in.

Perhaps looking up an old boyfriend and trying to rekindle what they once had will help bring a little of the sparkle back to Lila… but time marches on, for everyone.

In a word: Delightful. In another word: Fun. I absolutely enjoyed New Uses For Old Boyfriends. Lila is a great protagonist. She may have grown up used to having things handed to her but she is not afraid of hard work to set things right. And the way she goes about things had me cheering for her and laughing at the same time. It is hard for me to put into words how much I liked this book.

You may think the synopsis sounds familiar, it is true there are many books out there surrounding the “going back home” theme and honestly a lot of them are pretty predictable. I am happy to say this is not a cookie cutter version of the others like it. Beth Kendrick changes things up in New Uses For Old Boyfriends and there are surprises along the way. In the end, I wanted to do what Lila did and in a fictional world I would move to a sweet little seaside town like Black Dog Bay, join my friends at the Winery in the evenings, and build myself a little business. A girl can always dream. 🙂

I found this book refreshing and fun.

*Quick note – this book is a second in a series called Black Dog Bay however do not let that discourage you. I honestly did not know it was a second until after I finished the book and was writing this review. I looked up the information on the first book, Cure For The Common Break Up, and while it has some of the same characters, it is a different story centered around the town. You do not need to read this first book to get the second. In fact, I think I have Cure For The Common Break Up on the shelves and I am going to bump that one up to read soon. I would love to take a trip back to Black Dog Bay.

Series: Black Dog Bay Novel (Book 2)
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: NAL (February 3, 2015)

Morning Meanderings… Out Of Control

Published on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Good morning! For a while there I wasn’t sure if I would get this post up or not, but by doing things out-of-order this morning actually led to this post title so you know… all good things and all that. 🙂

I woke up a little later than usual, I usually pop awake by 6:45 – 7ish every morning but today I got up at 8. I have been knocking out deadlines all week and started a new project yesterday that I think left me feeling a little exhausted. I am also a combination night owl (go to bed around 11-midnight) and an early bird.

Eep! I like the morning qualities and half of the evening!

Anyhoo (sooooo easy to get off subject!), my plan was to write this post, answer emails, look at job proposals, hit my downstairs gym, clean up, and head up town by 11 am where I would complete all my tasks, be home by 1 and finish a book I am enjoying and later work on the Friends website.

In actuality it has gone something like this…

Up and started looking at emails. Responded to those I needed to and then went on to my book email (this is where it all went south)… my book email is where I communicate with authors and publishers and bloggers. I have neglected this email for a couple of weeks now as I just have not had time to go through the requests. For some reason this morning I was in the mood. I not only responded to all the emails, even letting them know if the book was not a fit for me, I also wrote the questions for an author I am interviewing later this month, and looked up author websites, wondered if I should sign up for Edelweiss and then wondered if perhaps I already was signed up with Edelweiss …. and

well you know how it can be…. I got stuck in a bookish time warp.

The one funny that came out of this was I agreed to read a new YA book coming out (a sequel) and the publisher said that if I would like they would send the first book “Control” along with so I could read both books. I agreed to both. The publisher than responded that the books would come in separate packages as their office was currently out of CONTROL. I found that to be funny and responded to the email,

“I had to laugh when you said your office was out of CONTROL!”

Ahhh good Friday morning humor. SO now, this post is done and I am behind on my plan for today but that is ok. It is Friday! Glorious Friday and maybe I will hit the gym a little later than I had planned, but it will happen. 🙂

Have an awesome start to your weekend! My weekend will mainly be catch up on all the projects I have going so going into next week will feel a little smoother. 🙂

Twisted Fate by Norah Olson

Published on March 5, 2015March 5, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

The Tate sisters could not be more different. Allyson is all about fashion and appearance and Sydney likes punk rock music, skate boarding and hanging out with her friends.

When a new mysterious boy moves in next door, both girls take notice. Graham is cute and quiet and takes his camera wherever he goes, always documenting people and life. Allyson is instantly intrigued but Sydney feels something is off about Graham and worries about her sister. Graham in turn, takes interest in both girls.

When the unthinkable happens, it is Graham and his camera who may be able to save the day, but at what cost to everyone involved?

This book had great potential. The synopsis was good, however the first part was a lot about Sydney and her pot smoking friends which I did not find to fit into the main story line at all. About mid way through the book the narration changes to the adults and it started to get interesting and that lasted through the end of the book which then felt hurried and not satisfactory.

Ugh.

Ok, to explain what I just wrote, Twisted Fate is told from multiple narratives. Both Ally and Sydney narrate, as well as Graham, and his parents. There is a lot going on in the book and I think that might just by the problem. The book lays out in too many directions and nothing felt finished to me. Where it starts out with Sydney and the pot smoking (which nothing ever comes of this although she is supposedly wicked smart and going to be class valedictorian) and suddenly shoots to Graham and the story changes to something else. It felt choppy.

I think the makings of a good read was there, it just did not execute right. Oh, and on another note.. the overuse of any descriptions or words in a book always gets me going. In this book, “skinny jeans” were mentioned often and on the audio I started repeating it every time they talked about it I would say out loud “Skinny jeans!.” It could have been a drinking game. 😉

I don’t mean for this to be a harsh review. Clearly it wasn’t a great read for me, yet as I did mention, the Graham story line is very interesting. Perhaps if the story could have focused a little more on that and flushed it out, it had real potential.

Narrated by Emma Galvin (Narrator), Tara Sands (Narrator), Michael Crouch (Narrator), Rachel F. Hirsch (Narrator), Dan Bittner (Narrator), Peter Ganim (Narrator), Tavia Gilbert (Narrator), Ellen Archer (Narrator), Jason Culp (Narrator) . It was a great cast of narrators, surprisingly many for a fairly short audiobook.

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (January 20, 2015)
Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 5 hours and 43 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Harper Audio
Audible.com Release Date: January 20, 2015

Morning Meanderings… We Are Talking Alligators.

Published on March 5, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Thursday! I think my feeling word for today is:

content.

Don’t get me wrong… my days are crazy busy and every time I sit down to the computer I have a post it next to me to write down things as I think of them…

but I think it suits me.

I like checking things off the list and thinking of new things to go on the list and I can tell you, freelancing is not dull. Just recently I wrote 6 articles on Social Media for a website, 60 Dump Style recipes for a book, 25 articles for a magazine, created a new non profit website and today I scheduled an interview for the alligator story for a summer magazine release.

Alligators!

I am excited about this one, it will be about a woman who has assisted in alligator rescue in South Carolina. Bucket list item? Hmmmmmm….

Today I am “touring” a new building for our spring book sale. We need a bigger space. It is going to be a good amount of work to get the books over there, but I think it will have a good outcome.

Meatless All Day by Taunton Press

Published on March 4, 2015March 4, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

Listing 45 Power Ingredients, Meatless All Day is the right cook book for the ages. With more and more people going vegetarian, and many eating at least one or two vegetarian meals a week, it is good to have go to recipes that are not only meatless but tasty!

I find as I get older (did I just say that?) I enjoy having meatless meals a few times a week. Perhaps as my palate has refined (HA!) I enjoy the textures and tastes more of pasta’s loaded with vegetables, big meaty mushrooms, egg dishes…

In Meatless All Day I found many mouth-watering dishes I am anxious to try. The book is laid out nicely with pictures and recipes with ingredients I can easily obtain. As I read this book while I was on vacation I can not wait to experiment with some of these mouth-watering recipes!

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Taunton Press (March 4, 2014)

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Published on March 3, 2015March 3, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Edgy. ~Sheila

Misfit Theodore Finch just wants to die. Death is a fascination for him and he occupies much of his time thinking about how to do it.

Popular Violet Markey lives with a deep grief in the loss of her sister. While she has much to live for; graduation, a slew of collages that want her, and supportive parents, she sometimes has trouble just taking her next breath.

When Theodore goes to the Bell Tower of the school thinking this may be the moment, he is surprised to find Violet also on the bell tower with similar plans. Suddenly Theodore makes the decision to save her, although really… who saves whom?

When the unlikely pair are assigned a project together to discover the “natural wonders” of their home state, they find a rare friendship while working together. Both Violet and Theodore have something to learn from the other, yet is it enough to save them from the demons that haunt them?

I adored listening to this book. There were magical elements to it that made me think of other books either intentionally, or brilliantly not. The Bell Tower of the school made me think of the Bell Jar of Sylvia Plath (another person who could not escape her own demons). The play of words between the witty Finch and the book smart Violet felt like whispers of John Green and The Fault In Our Stars.

I do not mean to compare this to other books as this is a unique setting all of its own. Both Theodore and Violet narrate this book so you have a first hand perspective of what they are thinking and feeling. While this is a YA read, it deals with very real topics of depression and mental illness, yet never feels heavy.

As author Jennifer Niven titled the book, “All The Bright Places,” this hold true right to the last page. Take this journey. It will not be smooth, it will not be painless, but it will be worth it.

Narrators Kirby Heyborne and Ariadne Meyers do a wonderful job with this audio. I found both of their voices to be spot on.

Fun Fact: All The Bright Places will be a movie! Elle Fanning will play the lead role of Violet. Release date has not been set but watch for it!

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 11 hours and 4 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Listening Library
Audible.com Release Date: January 6, 2015

Morning Meanderings… And Now For Something Completely Different. Not.

Published on March 3, 2015 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Tuesday and this week is already off and running. I spent most of yesterday at the library in meetings and setting up the new window display. The sun was shining, it was warm out, and it was time to take down the display of red background paper that looked a little “Christmasy”.

And then this morning I woke up to this:

Yes winter is back in Central Minnesota and it is still coming down. There is a good three inches on the ground now.

Poo.

To think that the library display window I put up over Christmas had scarves and gloves in it and the weather did not call for scarves and gloves… now the window has spring flowers in it and a springy backdrop and…

it snowed. 😯

I must have some sort of seasonal disorder.

Looking at the upside of this, I am cancelling my 1:00 pm today and instead after a coffee date with a friend I think I will read (yes read!) this afternoon. All of my time lately has been spent on projects and websites and I just want a day of hot tea and a good book.

Really, is that too much for a girl to ask for?

Enjoy your day!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on March 1, 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!

A fairly good week here but a busy one outside of reading. I listened to audio when I could but did not finish a book this week. (The book I reviewed this week I read last month) Here is what I did post:

Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon (another awesome read!)

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain (oh yeah she has done it again!)

Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly (creepy good!!!!)

Last Time We Said Good Bye by Cynthia Hand ( so good!)

Book CRACK: What Draws You To The Books You Choose

This was actually an awesome week for reading as every review I posted this week was excellent. That rarely happens, in fact a few weeks ago I read several books in a row that were kind of “meh”. I started to think I was snooty and too judgey! Glad to see that pattern is broke! 🙂

So here is what I am putting in my head this week:

For My Ears

The moment a mysterious boy moves in next door to Sydney and Allyson Tate, both of their lives begin to change in ways that neither of them can ignore.

When Allyson meets Graham Copeland, she instantly feels like he’s a kindred spirit – shy and awkward like her, someone who has trouble making friends. It’s almost impossible to resist having a crush on him.

As usual, Sydney sees things differently than her sister. In her mind, Graham’s odd personality and secretive past scream psychopath, not sweetheart. Her gut is telling her to stay away from him and to protect a love-struck Allyson from her own naïveté. But despite her instincts, Sydney is surprised to realize that a part of her is drawn to Graham, too. And the more Sydney gets to know him, the more she realizes just how right – and wrong – she is about everything.

Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until she was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer. A year has passed since she defeated her attacker, but Dana is still physically, emotionally, and psychologically scarred by her ordeal, with aftereffects including PTSD and memory loss. In an attempt to put herself back together after surviving the unthinkable, Dana returns to her hometown. But it doesn’t provide the comfort she expects: She struggles to recognize family and childhood friends and begins experiencing dark flashbacks – but she’s not sure if they’re truly memories or side effects of her brain injury.

Dana decides to use her investigative skills to piece together her past and learns of the event that made her become a reporter in the first place: the disappearance of her best friend Casey Grant, the summer after high school graduation. Looking at her past and the unsolved mystery through the dark filter of PTSD, old friends seem to be suspects, authority figures part of a cover-up. Dana begins to question everything she knows. What is real? What is imagined? Are we defined by what happens to us? And is the truth really something too terrible to be believed?

I am not putting any books down because I know what I need to finish. I need to get my book mojo back this week 🙂

In the meantime, what are you reading? What did you finish last week? Share your Its Monday What Are You Reading where it says click here:

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