Bookies Thoughts: That Night by Chevy Stevens

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)15 Comments

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For September, our group the Bookies read and discussed That Night by Chevy Stevens.  I had read this one and reviewed it in June.  For myself, I was already a fan of Chevy Stevens books, but I was excited to see the bookies try her.

Brief synopsis:  Toni, a senior at her school becomes a victim to bullying even at the hands of her younger sister.  Her parents, especially her mother believe that Toni is the trouble maker while her sister Nicki gets away with everything.  When Nicki is found dead, Toni is blamed in having killed her and is tried as an adult and sent to prison.  Years later, on probation she is out and back in her home town where nobody wants her there, but she has to figure out what really happened that night.

 

That Night, actually surprised me of how well it lent itself to great discussion.  While at first glance I would not have called this a great book club discussion book, after last night I believe I need to change my response to that.

That Night covers such topics as the criminal justice service, wrongful convictions, dirty cops, bullying, murder, family dynamics, and relationships.  Our group actually had a deep conversation around these topics.  Including today’s school system, how the rights have gone from the teachers tot he students and how their is no control unless the parents give permission – and usually they do not.

Why would book clubs enjoy this read:  Chevy Stevens is well worth putting on your book club or reading groups radar.  Her book Still Missing blew me away years ago and I still refer to it.  I can easily see her books becoming movies.  Book Clubs can find much to discuss within these pages as I mentioned above.

We did do a little food with our review… nothing themed – I could not get my head wrapped around this one for a good idea…. and there is not much food in the book itself:

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Morning Meanderings… This Is Where I Leave You – with giveaway!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)66 Comments

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Good morning!  Thursday already!  Can you believe it?  It seems like this week flew by.  Yesterday was a great catch up day.  The cold weather kept me inside although my lawn could use a mow, and there are a couple of things I could have done in town… but staying in a warm house – yes the heat is on and has been for the last two days (GAH!), is not such a bad deal.

I wanted to chat today a bit about a movie I am kind of excited for and still need to read the book.  It is called This is Where I Leave You by Johnathan Tropper and you may have seen other bloggers chatting away about it – I am just coming in late to the party.  I am so excited about how many books are becoming movies!

So here is the synopsis of the book (and movie):  When their father passes away, four grown siblings, bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotionally affecting ways amid the chaos, humor, heartache and redemption that only families can provide—driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest, and often best, selves.

Doesn’t this look good? I want to read it.  I want to see it!  It stars This Is Where I Leave You stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard and Jane Fonda.

this is where i leave you, giveaway, book journey

Releases to theaters on September 19th.

 

 So… I mentioned a giveaway – one lucky commenter will receive:

 

One (1) winner from Book Journey will win a prize pack including:

$25 Visa gift card to see the film in theaters & copy of the book (movie tie-in cover)

I will pick a winner on Tuesday – and announce it in the morning 😉

Have you read this book?  Do you plan to see the movie?

 

Visit all TIWILY websites – #TIWILY

 

 

This morning I started listening to Mr. Pemumbra’s 24-hour Book Store by Robin Sloan.  It is great on audio!  So much fun!

Provence, 1970 by Luke Barr

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

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In the winter or 1970, the South Of France found itself with six culinary figures who more or less coincidentally all found themselves at the same place at the same time.  Julie Child, James Beard, and MFK Fisher were among this group.  Together this group talked, and cooked, and drank and ate – discussing taste, and recipes, and the future of food.

Cook books were being written… history was being made, and this book made from photographs and journal entries of MFK Fisher compile what happened… one season…. in 1970.

 

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I have been looking forward to this book ever since I learned it was about food and chefs and a gathering that by all rights made history!  What an exciting time!  This gathering was one that changed food as we think about it.

Author Luke Barr, nephew to MFK Fisher, puts together a setting from the journals and notes MFK had written of this time and recreates a time that foodies of today would have bought tickets to see, me among them.

John Rubinstein narrates this audio very well.

While I did enjoy listening to this historical event, I did not love it as much as I thought it would.  I found some points to drag longer than necessary.  I have this in paperback as well, I may try it again someday in that format and perhaps I can sink more into the storyline then.

Adding this to Weekend Cooking:

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  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 9 hours and 7 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Random House Audio
  • Audible.com Release Date: October 22, 2013

 

Morning Meanderings…. I Got The Funk

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

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Good morning.

You know when you stare at a word long enough you start to think it is spelled wrong?  That is what happened to me this morning with “meandering”.  When trying to update the meme pic (is it a meme?  I don’t even know… probably not… just a something I do.)

Anyhoo…

Meandering.

Look at it.  Say it.  Do it enough.. you question yourself.  Or, more to the point, I do.  Meandering.  Soon the word has lost all meaning….

Moving on…

I feel a little funky today.  I woke up with a headache that makes me feel pukey.  I am tired for no reason today.  I went to the gym and went through the motions but was not into it.  Now home, I am thinking i will keep it a low impact day.  You know… research on-line, a little reading, a little writing.  Making chicken soup for dinner.

I am listening to a Joan Rivers audio.  I thought it would be appropriate to listen to something the woman had written as I really did not follow her career, not am I am a big fan of the award shows.  I was curious as to what made her who she was…. for the record – this audio book is not telling me that.  It is not about her life to star-dome…nope.  It is in diary format and she bashes people, is totally inappropriate, racist, and while occasionally funny… it’s mostly harsh.  Should make for an interesting review…

 

Looking For People To Join In The Banned!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

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The air is starting to hold a chill and the leaves are starting their last hurrah… and yes, Banned Book Week is approaching fast.  For the fourth year in a row I will be hosting one of my favorite reading events – Banned Book Week.

So Sheila, what exactly do you mean by banned books?

Thank you for asking!  Banned Books are books that have been challenged to be removed from a location – ie… Library, school, book stores, etc… because someone believes that the book is unsuitable for many reasons:  language, subject material, graphic, sexual, suggestive, you name it – someone will try to ban or challenge it.

 

What is the difference between a challenge or banning?

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.  Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.  Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.

 

What sort of books are we talking about here Sheila?

You would be shocked.  I was!  We are talking (and this is just to name a few…)

Charlotte’s Web (talking animals int he work of Satan!)

Lord Of The Rings (Satanic!)

The Harry Potter Books (Witchcraft!)

Huckleberry Finn (language!)

Tom and Huck (boys behaving badly!)

To Kill A Mockingbird (Use of the “N” word)

Fahrenheit 451 (for _get this- burning of books and banning people from reading)

Hunger Games (kids killing kids)

Little Red Riding Hood (the cover appears that “Red” just might have wine in that basket for Grandma)

 

It would actually be funny if it were not true.  The list goes on and on including most of our classics.  Here is a more extensive list of some of the top banned books through the years.

Why do I get involved?

There are some amazing reads on this list.  For the past 4 years I have dedicated Banned Book Week to only read banned books and because of that I have read some great classics, re-read some childhood favorites, and explored new books to me as well.

Do not get me wrong – being pro-banned books does not mean that I want to read every banned book.  For instance, I have no interest whatsoever to read 50 Shades Of Gray.  However, I do not have the right to say that because I choose not to read it that no one can.  That is the difference.

 

Join Me!

As in the past years, I am looking for awesome people like you to join me during September 21 – 27 to either:  share a favorite banned book post, read and review a banned book, write a post about why banning is wrong or a personal experience with a banned book in your area, etc…  Sign up below and I will connect with you on the day that you are willing to post.  Banned Book Awareness is a great way to explore amazing reads and remind us that we have the freedom to read what we choose.

 

There are lists of Banned Books everywhere and I have yet to find an amazing all inclusive one, but here are a few areas to look for a list so your Banned Book Reading Week:

List Of Books Banned By Governments

Frequently Challenged Classics

Good Reads Banned Books

Most Surprising Banned Books

Highlighted Banned Books

Top 100 of 2005

Banned Books That Shaped America

 

I hope you will join me!  I will have a banned book post up every day and off the top of my head I believe I will be reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin, In Cold Blood (our book club read for October), and I have always wanted to read Lord Of The Flies.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)25 Comments

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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! 😉

Scraping in pretty late here… it was a BUSY week and a BUSIER weekend and I did not have the energy last night to put this post up.  This past week I have been helping prep for a craft show with my friend who makes honey. In the middle of the week out town had a major storm hit that left us without power from 7 am – 2 pm and a whole lot of yard clean up with downed trees for many people.  It was long hours of prep time for the Craft Show and then on Saturday (Show time!) we were up at 4 am and left for the show at 5 am and returned home at 7 pm.  Sunday I was up again at 4 am and picked up my friend Amy for a bike ride in the cities.  It was a lot of fun, we were home at 4 pm and after fumbling through something to call “supper” I was too tired out to do much else.

With all that said – here is what I did post last week:

 

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich

I LOVE My Library

Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

STORMS – pictures of what hit our town of September 4th, 2014

 

Yes all my book reviews this week were audio, the only time I have had to be in book mode is in the car or at home cooking or cleaning – I have hardly picked up a book at all this past week.

What I do plan for this week, a week that should be more under control is:

 

For My Ears:

 

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Everyone thinks Emmy Dockery is crazy. Obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, Emmy has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher. Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire. Not even Emmy’s ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison “Books” Bookman, will believe her that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected. That is, until Emmy finds a piece of evidence he can’t afford to ignore. More murders are reported by the day–and they’re all inexplicable. No motives, no murder weapons, no suspects. Could one person really be responsible for these unthinkable crimes?

 

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The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

For My Eyes:

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When Molly Wizenberg married Brandon Pettit, he was a trained composer with a handful of offbeat interests: espresso machines, wooden boats, violin-building, and ice cream–making. So when Brandon decided to open a pizza restaurant, Molly was supportive—not because she wanted him to do it, but because the idea was so far-fetched that she didn’t think he would. Before she knew it, he’d signed a lease on a space. The restaurant, Delancey, was going to be a reality, and all of Molly’s assumptions about her marriage were about to change.

Together they built Delancey: gutting and renovating the space on a cobbled-together budget, developing a menu, hiring staff, and passing inspections. Delancey became a success, and Molly tried to convince herself that she was happy in their new life until—in the heat and pressure of the restaurant kitchen—she realized that she hadn’t been honest with herself or Brandon.

With evocative photos by Molly and twenty new recipes for the kind of simple, delicious food that chefs eat at home, Delancey is a moving and honest account of two young people learning to give in and let go in order to grow together.

 

That is my plan – what is yours?  Add your It’s Monday What Are You Reading post link below where it says click here.  I would love to pop over and see what you are up to!

 

 

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Morning Meanderings… STORMS

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)49 Comments

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Good morning.  EARLY morning here…. 4:12 am to be exact.  I am helping my friends today at the Little Falls Craft Fair.  Should be a crazy time – it is one of the biggest if nt the biggest craft fair in Minnesota.  I was there all day yesterday helping set up – from 8 am – 9:30 last night.  Yes… I am tired, but I love this stuff.  I have never been part of working the fair before and they expect that 100,000 people will come through between today and tomorrow.  We are meeting up at 5 am to go and get ready.

 

A couple of days ago I mentioned e were having some extreme rain here.  I don’t know why but I just thought that is was a windy rainy storm.  When all was said and done I had a few branches in the yard but that was about it.  However, when I drove through town I seen it was a different story.

Roads were closed due to trees down.  Up town on one of the main streets the light pole was down.  Heading out-of-town, a billboard was tipped over and so on…  Turns out – it was 70 mile per hour straight line winds and Brainerd was a direct hit.

Today’s pictures are not my own, but pictures that my friends took around the area of the damage.  For today’s Saturday Snapshot I thought I would show you that storm of September 4th:

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To my knowledge no one was hurt.  After the storm, the sun came out and the clean up began.  The local schools did not have electricity or running toilets for about 6 hours.  Local companies hauled in outdoor portable toilets.  I heard yesterday that local restaurants and fast food places are not selling coffee at this time as the water due tot he storm has been tested to have bacteria in.  We are in a “you must boil water before you drink it” for the next week warning, but we are on well water so we are ok.

 

Anyhoo – got to go.  Check out the other Saturday Snapshots here. 🙂

 

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

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When teacher Mia Dennett goes to a bar to meet her boyfriend and he doesn’t show, she winds up meeting an engaging stranger who she goes home with.  Having had a few drinks, leaving the bar with the easy on the eyes Colin Thatcher seems like just the thing.

Now…48 hours later Mia Dennett is officially a missing person.

Colin was initially hired to take Mia and deliver her to his employers, receive his pay off and be out of the picture…but Colin instead decided to take Mia with him and hide her in a cabin way up in Northern Minnesota around the Grand Marais area.

Detective Gabe Hoffman is on the case working with Mia’s very distraught mother Eve; but even they could not foresee the toll this would take on their lives.

 

 

 

I was interested when I heard this debut novel was being compared to the likes of Gone Girl, a book that blew me away.  I usually proceed with caution when I hear such high praises on a book as I have burned too many times by the tag line “The next Harry Potter!”  For the record… nothing has ever come close to Harry Potter. 

And so I ventured into The Good Girl.  The Good Girl was interesting enough.  It held my attention but did not have the shock value and adrenaline rush of Gone Girl.  I think that is the opportunity when comparing books – it sets you up for something that may or may not be there.

The Good Girl does have a lot to offer but in the end fell a little flat for me.  About half way through I had an idea of things to come and I was pretty much right.  Perhaps a bit predictable, but still a worthy read as long as you are not looking for anything power packed that will leave you going WOW!

I listened to this one on audio and the variety of narrators ( Lindy Nettleton (Narrator), Johnny Heller (Narrator), Tom Taylorson (Narrator), Andi Arndt (Narrator) ) did a really good job, seamless in fact – I could not tell when they switched to another.

I would be interested in hearing others thoughts on this one 🙂

 

 

  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 10 hours and 38 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Audible.com Release Date: July 29, 2014

 

 

 

Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

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Did you know that one-third of your day is on auto pilot?  And I don’t mean when we are sleeping.  I mean when we are working, working out, cleaning, eating… and yes – driving.  Jeremy Dean explains why habits are so hard to break, but not impossible.  This book is how to take charge of our brain and make it stick, resulting in a happier, healthier, more creative and productive you.

 

 

Honestly…. I have been listening to this audio off and on for so long now I do not even recall why I first wanted to listen to it.  I believe it was because I find the human psyche to be fascinating.  What makes us tick?  Why do some think it is ok to do the things they do (thus my interest in true crime), and why do some of us work so hard to do good and others really do not care…

Habits, I guess are one of the things that interest me.  Why is my routine to get up around 6 am each morning 7 days a week, grab my coffee and merge with my lap top for at least an hour?  Why do I not instead put on some pounding music, and hit the downstairs treadmill right away for 30 minutes as I wish I would do?  Why do I constantly notice what time it is in the morning and say “Oh crap!” And run to get ready for my day?

And I know this isn’t just me…. we all have our routines/habits and some are good – kudos to you that do get up and take a morning walk consistently or hit the gym… you are my heroes and I strive to be you!  But maybe some of us have trouble rolling out of bed by 9?

While the book gives good advice on how to break a habit and the research is well laid out and even fascinating, I did not come out the other side feeling I had learned anything I did not already know or if I did not know, once I heard it thought it was common sense.  While interesting, probably not a book I need to listen to again.

And yeah…. I still get up at 6 am and drink my coffee and putz on my laptop and ignore my treadmill. 

GAH.  😉