Book Journey

No Land’s Man: A Perilous Journey through Romance, Islam, and Brunch by Aasif Mandi

Published on November 10, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Aasif Mandvi and his family moved to America mainly because his father was fascinated with an incredible United States tradition…

BRUNCH!

You may know his from his work on The Daily Show, or in movies such as Die Hard With a Vengeance, Analyxe This, and Spider Man 2…even a Domino’s Pizza commercial.

Aasif narrates this incredibly funny audio from his early years of dancing to Michael Jackson to his first kiss; to later when he screws up Brook Shields party to receiving tv and movie rolls beyond “here, wear this turban,” and “”get on this flying carpet.” Aasif shares his lifes ups and downs of being an Indo-Muslim-British-American actor.

This audio was a lot of fun to listen to. I always enjoy actors and tv personalities that narrate their own audio books. It only seems right that they should be telling their story. Aasif narrates with a high energy and fast talking manner that you think he is hopped up on coffee (or perhaps that brownie he mentions along the way…).

Honesty, I did not know much about Aasif going into the read, but after listening to this book I have a whole new appreciation for the talent of this man who never stopped doing what he loved and made his way to who he is today.

Highly enjoyable! Fans of Aasif are not going to want to miss out on this up close and personal look of his life.

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 4 hours and 23 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Audible Studios
Audible.com Release Date: November 4, 2014

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on November 9, 2014November 10, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)48 Comments

Hey there! Welcome to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading!

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. Fair warning… this meme tends to add to your reading list! 😉

Well hello from Florida again! This time I am working – long hours, in the heat with the bees. Life… is never dull. Where I am staying the internet is a solid maybe so I post when I can, but if you notice my absence I am either exhausted or can not get on line. 🙂

Here is what I did post this week:

Accidents Of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers

Movie Review – Nightcrawler

The Dark Road To Mercy by Wiley Cash

The Vineyard by Michael Hurley

Yes Please by Amy Poehler (have been waiting for this one!)

AND don’t forget the HP readalong just started – its not to late to get in on the fun – posts, prizes, badges… check it out – tell your friends! 54 are signed up now!

Reading and audio have slowed down since Tuesday. With my long hours I am too tired to read. I listen to audio when I am in the hotel room. Here is what I am working on this week (I will still be working in Florida all week):

For My Ears:

“My father moved our family to the United States because of a word. It was a word whose meaning fascinated him. It was a singularly American word, a fat word, a word that could only be spoken with decadent pride. That word was . . . Brunch! ‘The beauty of America,’ he would say, ‘is they have so much food, that between breakfast and lunch they have to stop and eat again.'”
—from “International House of Patel”

If you’re an Indo-Muslim-British-American actor who has spent more time in bars than mosques over the past few decades, turns out it’s a little tough to explain who you are or where you are from. In No Land’s Man Aasif Mandvi explores this and other conundrums through stories about his family, ambition, desire, and culture, stories that range from dealing with his brunch-obsessed father, to being a high-school-age Michael Jackson impersonator, to joining a Bible study group in order to seduce a nice Christian girl, to improbably becoming America’s favorite Muslim/Indian/Arab/Brown/Doctor correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

This is a book filled with passion, discovery, and humor. Mandvi hilariously and poignantly describes a journey that will resonate with anyone who has had to navigate his or her way in the murky space between lands. Or anyone who really loves brunch.

FOR RENT: Top two floors of beautifully renovated brownstone, 1300 sq. ft., 2BR 2BA, eat-in kitchen, one block to parks and playgrounds. No broker’s fee.

Susan and Alex Wendt have found their dream apartment. Sure, the landlady is a little eccentric. And the elderly handyman drops some cryptic remarks about the basement. But the rent is so low, it’s too good to pass up. Big mistake.

Susan soon discovers that her new home is crawling with bedbugs… or is it? She awakens every morning with fresh bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter Emma has a single welt. An exterminator searches the property and turns up nothing. The landlady insists her building is clean. Susan fears she’s going mad – until a more sinister explanation presents itself: she may literally be confronting the bedbug problem from Hell.

*In hindsight, Bedbugs may not be the best choice while staying in a hotel room 😉

For My Eyes:

Most of us view work and play as mutually exclusive opposites, but now you can blend them together in your new route to joy-filled success. The 75 techniques in this book will guide you to be more playful and productive as you move through three vital phases of the manifestation process: dreaming (Hop), experimenting (Skip), and taking action (Jump). Discover your Play Personality and learn how to use it to create more experiences in which work feels like play, and struggle gives way to momentum, ease, and joy.

That’s the plan anyway. What are you reading? Add your link to your own It’s MOnday What Are You Reading below where it says click here:

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Looking forward to what you are reading!

Morning Meanderings… Shoddy Internet

Published on November 9, 2014November 9, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

Good morning! Live from Florida day 6 on my Bee Keeping trip. Splitting hives has been interesting. I planned on writing a whole post about it yesterday but the internet is so spotty here and I could not get my pics to load. I will try to post the whole process next Saturday.

In the meantime I can give you one picture:

Yeah that’s me. Behind me are some of the hives we are working on. I have to run – work starts in 4 minutes and I am still sitting in IHOP. Have a super Sunday!!!

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Published on November 8, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

I have had this one on pre-order for weeks! ~Sheila

Amy Poehler. You probably know her from Saturday Night Live or Parks and Recreation. She has also been in movies: Blades Of Glory, Mean Girls, Deuce Bigalow, and Baby Mama just to name a few. She is funny… from her days of growing up in a safe area outside of Boston to breaking into improv, this is Amy…and this is her story.

I listened to Yes Please on audio as I always try to do when it comes to biography’s being narrated by authors. I love to put the voice behind the story. Amy is an excellent narrator, she narrates like she talks and you feel like she is in the room with you and you are having coffee and talking about… well, Amy.

I enjoyed getting to know Amy a bit more. The chapters regarding improv, Parks and Rec making it or breaking it, 80’s references – were some of my favorites. There was much to this listen that I enjoyed. There was also some I did not enjoy… the other chapters by people such as her parents was awkward. The chapter on how she was born was sweet… but made the book feel topsy-turvy – some funny… some sweet… I don’t know how to describe it. I enjoyed it, but it was not all I had hoped it would be…

and maybe that is on me. 🙂

If you enjoy Amy Poehler I think this is worth a read (I hear there are great pics in the book!) or listen. I would love to hear other opinions on this one.

The Vineyard by Michael Hurley

Published on November 7, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Holy cover LOVE!!!!!

Dorey Delano, Charlotte Harris, and Turner Graham used to be roommates in College at Smith ten years ago. Dorey is struggling with the possible undertaking of the family inheritance and legacy. She invites her two college friends to join her at the seaside resort on Martha’s Vineyard for catching up with each other and rekindling their once strong friendship. Dorey has no idea what baggage and agendas come with this invite; Dorey as well has her own things going on. Each girl is carrying a weight from their current worlds. When a strange man comes into the scene, known only as “the fisherman”, he has an agenda… and it is going to change the girls in ways they would never imagine.

The Vineyard is filled with so much I enjoy in a good book! Great character development, strong females, a little agenda, a little mystery… even crime. The Vineyard’s synopsis was fully loaded with a great storyline for each of the three women even without the addition of the fisherman, but tossing him in the mix added another layer of “ooh…. what is going to happen now?”

I really enjoyed The Vineyard. This is a book that has something for everyone. Way to go author Michael Hurley in writing such an engaging read! Take the time to pick up a copy of this gem! I hope we will be hearing more from this author.

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Ragbagger Press (November 25, 2014)
Language: English

I read this book for a TLC Book Tour. Thank you TLC for the trip to the Vineyard!

The Dark Road To Mercy by Wiley Cash

Published on November 6, 2014November 6, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Twelve year old Easter and her sister 6-year-old Ruby have lived a lifetime in their short years. After their mom received full custody, having the once ball player Wade sign away his parental rights. Wade, admittedly has made poor choices in his life, drifting from one quick money maker to the next. When their mother dies suddenly, Easter and Ruby are put in foster care. Wade decided his wants his girls back and will do anything to make that happen – including taking them against their will – and against the laws.

Brady Weller,ex-cop with his own history of mistakes is the girls court appointed guardian, and he has decided that these girls will not fall through the cracks in the system. Using his past skills, Brady goes after Wade; but more importantly – he after the safe return of the girls.

Wiley Cash is one smooth writer. He has a way of telling a story that brings you right there. I enjoyed this read of a man desperate to be with his children, but still making the same mistakes he always has. You have to give Wade credit, I believe his heart was trying to be in the right place.

The book is fairly short, but satisfying. I enjoyed the multiple narrators of the story and how they all fit into the bigger picture.

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (September 23, 2014)

Morning Meanderings… Tales From The IHOP

Published on November 6, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)14 Comments

Good morning! Currently living out of a hotel room in Wildwood Florida helping my friend with the bees! It is early – EARLY. I got up at 4:30 am after hitting the snooze 3 times from my 4 am setting. We are meeting up at 5:30 to get started as the sun comes up but I need a little “wake up” time so I am at the IHOP attached to our hotel.

IHOP at 4:30 am is very pleasant. The music is 50’s style. The coffee is hot. My English muffin with a little strawberry jelly makes me happy. It is me and one trucker in here. I own the IHOP at 4:30 am. Throughout my time here we will probably become very close.

Today we will be splitting bee hives. We have been here since Monday running around getting everything lined up. Tim (Amanda’s husband) arrived yesterday with the semi of our boxes and pallets and everything we need to get going. By the time we prepped everything it was 5 pm so we called it a day to get back before the sun went down. We will work sun up to sun down today – breaking for lunch. I am taking audio with me in case I feel like popping in the ear buds and getting into a book while I plug away.

I should have some pictures up tomorrow.

Have a super awesome day. In Harry Potter updates I made a prize page yesterday morning. Lots of fun things being given away for this readalong. Check it out. I finished book 1 last night as I drifted to sleep. Never gets old…

Movie Review: Nightcrawler

Published on November 5, 2014November 5, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

My synopsis: Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhall) is desperate for a job. In a “rainman” style he becomes a bit overly obsessed with whatever he is pursuing. ON his way home one evening he witnesses a car accident. When he pulls over he is fascinated by the van that pulls up and takes footage of the accident. When Lou inquires about what they do with the footage, the driver says that they sell it to the highest bidder.

Lou starts researching how to take great pictures, and as he has no conscience, he has no problem going a step further that the average crime photographers, stepping in a little closer and getting the shots that bring in the money. He starts a working relationship with a news station manager, Nina Romina (Rene Russo). When she tells Lou that they pay for the shots described as “girl running down street screaming with throat cut”, Lou does his best to bring in the darkest video.

My thoughts: Smoking good creepy movie! Most frightening and fascinating is the fact that most of what these paparazzi type camera persons do is legal as long as they do not get in the way of the police and rescue crews. Of course in the movie, Lou does go too far… WAY too far. His obsession that leads to the perfect shots, as well as his obsessive interest in Rene Russo’s character, drives him to do the unthinkable…

or is it?

High action, major car crash scenes, a few gory close-ups…. adventure movie enthusiasts should find this movie both disturbing and good – and like a car crash…. hard to look away. I personally would probably not pursue seeing it again, however I would rent it for my husband as he has not seen it yet and I think he would enjoy it as I did.

Morning Meanderings… Thousands Of Miles for this Traveler

Published on November 5, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Good morning from Wildwood Florida! Yesterday was a record travel day… I was up at 2 am, met my friend at 3 am and we drove 2 1/2 hours to the Minneapolis airport. We landed in Florida by 11:30 am, were on the road (after a long car rental situation), and drove 2 hours to pick up the equipment we will need for the job while we are here. Then we drove 2 1/2 hours to where we will be staying (here). We unpacked our car, then went to Walmart for supplies for the time we are here – food for our lunch and dinner mainly as we will be working sun up to sun down for quite a few days here.

So what am I doing?

I am working with my friend with the bees she has brought to Florida for the winter. They need to be split (that sounds harsh but it it not) to make more hives for their future trip in February to California. Really the whole thing is fascinating! I have not split hives before but I will learn today. We are starting a little later today as we are waiting for my friends husband to arrive, he is driving semi here and he has items we need on the truck including all my bee-gear.

I am currently in an IHOP having coffee and planning out my blog posts for the day as well as hopefully (internet willing), updating the Harry Potter Re-Read individual participants page. I am almost finished with my re-read of book one which has been my plane read. I have much to say about our first book! It is not too late to join in… there will be lots of fun things happening the next 5 months as we go through this game changing series. 🙂

I am reading – listening to audio and prepping my book club reading so I can participate in next Tuesdays conversation even though I will not be there 😦 (HATE missing book club!

I will be popping in as I can and keeping up and there is a review coming up yet today on the movie Nightcrawler! (Have you seen it? OOH it is another twisted tale!)

Accidents Of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers

Published on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

Maddy and Ben live a typical young family type life. Maddy, a Social Worker, and Ben, an Attorney, juggle between hurrying out the door in the morning to their perspective clients, caring for their three children, their marriage, and their home. This kind of lifestyle is hard on any family, but toss in Ben’s quick temper, his way of cutting down with words, throwing things, and pounding on counters; to his wife and children…

it can make things unbearable.

When a horrible accident happens due to Ben’s flared up temper and not paying attention; Maddy is the one seriously hurt. Trying to blame others is Ben’s go to defense and while Maddy is battling for her life, Ben is trying to cover his tracks…

Wow. Knowing that author Randy Susan Meyers worked with domestic violence crimes before she became an author; I felt as though I had an idea that I knew where this book would take me. I was right… and I was wrong.

Accidents Of Marriage dived deep inside the family dynamics of Maddy and Ben and their children Gracie, Caleb, and the oldest 14-year-old Emma. The story in engaging. What they deal with is what any young family can be seen doing, its hard to make ends meet and grow a family, and when you add a short fused adult to the mix… things can happen. While Maddy tries to make sure things are just right so as not to set Ben off, the whole family is on edge. Emma, struggles the hardest with her father and after the accident, she becomes defiant.

As this family tries to become whole again, hard truths need to surface. And hard truths do not always mean happy endings.

I listened to this book on audio. Narrator Susan Bennett should win an award for her narrating skills in this one. I do not want to give anything away but there are some hard parts to this book and Susan pulled them off flawlessly. A well-rounded narrator, if you are an audio person I would say definitely go audio on this one so you may experience this incredible narration.

I am impressed with the book and highly encourage anyone looking for a powerful read to not hesitate by choosing this one.