First Book Of The Year – Book Journey

First Book Of The Year 2026!!!!

Published on January 1, 2026January 1, 2026 by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

Happy New Year! It’s snowing here in Central Minnesota. I’m at my kitchen table with my COFFEE looking out the glass sliding door to the deck.
This morning, I have spent time putting together this annual post. Thank you, friends, fellow book lovers, and Authors who sent me what book you are starting the New Year with. It’s so fun to see the variety – both new and old titles… hopefully some will get added to your TBR pile (mountain).
Be sure to watch for the authors – Thank you to PJ Tracy, Cary Griffith, William Kent Krueger, Jill Hannah Anderson, Allen Eskens, Randy Sue Meyers, Lorna Landvik, Kao Kalia Yang, Barbara Claypole White, Heather Gudenkauf, Joshilyn Jackson, Adriana Trigiana, Julie Schumacher, Laurie Frankel, Nadia Hashimi, Erin Soderberg Downing, and Jenna Blum. So fun to see you in the mix and what you are reading 😀
If I missed anyone, please let me know.. pictures come to me by text, email, Facebook, PMs…. I can easily miss someone, so please resend, and I will get you added.

And with no further babbling from me – here are this year’s wide variety of First Books (titles linked below for easy access.

The Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjalian

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Secrets You Can’t Keep by Debra Webb

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 2 picked this!

The Secret Library by Hanna Reeves

The Bravest Battle by Dan Kurzman

The Water Keeper by Charles Martin

State of Retribution by Marie Force

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

We Did OK, Kid by Anthony Hopkins

The First Witch Of Boston by Andrea Catalano

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

Cougar Claw by Cary Griffith

Mercy by Sara Cate

Framed In Death by JD Robb

Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z Danielewski

The Miracle Among Us by Marci Siegel

The Deepest Cut by PJ Tracy

Nightshade by Michael Connelly

Daughters Of The Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi 2 picked this!

Women of Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart

Heartbreak Hollow by Frank Weber

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser

This is Happiness by Niall Williams

A Gambling Man by David Baldacci

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben

The Onion Came First by Elinor Wilder

This American Woman by Zarna Garg

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

The Home For Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

Heart The Lover by Lily King

What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Good Intentions by Marisa Walz

We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda

Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Wisdom Corner by David Heska and Wanbli Weiden

The Book of Kin by Jennifer Eli Bowen

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin

Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

Death of The Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Ghosts of Fourth Street by Laurie Hertzel

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Let Them by Mel Robbins

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton

You Are Here by Karin Lin-Greenberg

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

That’s A Great Question, I’d Love To Tell You by Elyse Myers

The Book Of Daniel by EL Doctorow

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden

Something To Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Flashlight by Susan Choi

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree

Life: A Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

The Moonshiner’s Daughter by Donna Everhart

The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad

Note about my pick: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. As usual, I was back and forth on my choice… for a while there I felt certain I was going to go with a re-read (#comfort read) and then I recently was reunited with a book that I thought was a standalone and found out there are more and that this would be a great time to dig back in ( more about this later), there was also one I am intrigued by that a friend is also reading and I could not decide if it was for me now- or better to read once we travel to Florida when I can be all in when I have nothing but time over that three days of travel… – and then finally, Theo Of Golden caught my attention. This book was already in my peripheral vision as a “I need to read this,” and a recent post by a friend sharing her experience with this book sealed the deal.

If you missed this year’s participation deadline, feel free to send it today. I almost always have a few trickling in on New Years and I am happy to update to include your First Read.

Happy Happy New Year to you all! May 2026 bring JOY and Peace.

Love,
Sheila

First Book Update and What’s Up 2022!

Published on January 3, 2022January 3, 2022 by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Happy 2022 ya all! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend and are ready to roll into this new year with good thoughts, intentions, and of course – good reads.

I updated the First Book post this morning to add in the pics that came in yesterday. Check it out – the list is a good one and I picked up a few new reads for myself as well.

In my pic, I have my Bookish Secret Santa gift that I am so excited about! This is Author Wendy Webb’s latest book, The Keepers of Metsan Valo. I love Wendy. She is a Minnesota Author and I have hung out with her several times (a couple of those times at Wine and Words!). Wendy writes fantastic Gothic Suspense books and I believe I have read everything she has written.

This book, along with a few others I will be chatting with you about over the next few days, will be going with me to Florida later this week when I get a little sun time for 10 glorious days. I love that our vacation is so early this year – for one… 2021 was a HARD work year with many weeks working 70 to 80+- hours a week as an Event Coordinator and I can really use the reset. Secondly, starting a new year with time to actually read always inspires me to get back into the routine of blogging here and sharing all the things – which I miss doing, however, time does not always allow.
Perhaps… this is the year.

Is this time of year a good time for you to read? Is there a season where you tend to read more?

Check out Wendy Webb here!

~ Sheila

First Book 2018 Updated

Published on January 2, 2018January 2, 2018 by Sheila (Book Journey)8 Comments

Good morning! Happy January 2nd. It has been fun to watch my E-mailbox fill with these pictures and stories about to be/being enjoyed. Each title inspires me and as some of you noted on yesterday’s post – with as many entries as we have, there is not one duplicate. I love that in so many ways. The diversity in our choices.

This morning, my friend Mary sent in her book choice of Gone Girl with a message that her son asked her to read it so they can discuss it. This opened up a flood of memories for me. On our last trip to Happy Potter world in 2014, Justin and I went to the movie. I had already seen the movie, and I had already read the book prior to that, and wanted to EXPERIENCE (see what I did there?) this with him.

He loved it. We left the theater in an Orlando mall and we immediately walked over to the malls book store where he purchased the book. We talked about it for weeks afterwards. Differences between the book and the movie, plot… I cherish those conversations.

AND that is just one of the many delights of a good book. Not only experiencing it for yourself… but sharing it. I love the book you hand to a friend and say, “Call me… as soon as you are done. We need to talk about this.” ♥

Here is the UPDATED post of the 2018 books. 93 of you in all submitted your First Book. Thank you. This is always so much fun to do and kick starts my year in books, and in blogging, off right. I am bringing over much of the info from yesterday’s post (the places and the book links) to this post so you can click away and perhaps find your second book here.

(The top 2 sets are the newly added pics)

Here are the areas where these books were sent in from: Alabama, Arkansas, Australia, Bermuda, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jamaica, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Scotland, Singapore, Switzerland, Tennessee, Texas, UK, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin and Wyoming

First Books:

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

The Hearts Invisible Furries by John Boyne

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The Sandcastle by Iris Murdock

Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs

A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev

The Wake Up by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Ginger Snapped by Gail Oust

Wonder by RJ Palacio

The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White

Copy Cat by Alex Lake

Jack Reacher The Midnight Line by Lee Child

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Little French Bistro by Nina George

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Bear Town by Fredrich Backman

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Tremontaine by Ellen Kushner

The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIivanney

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter

Degrees of Love by Lisa Slabach

Killers Of The Flower Moon by David Grann

The Leavers by Lisa Ko

My Antonia by Willa Cather

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin

Freya by Matthew Lawrence

The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu

The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

American War by Omar El Akkad

Palo Duro by Max Knight

American Indians American Presidents

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

The Reminders by Val Emmich

The African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe

Year One by Nora Roberts

Reset Reset Reset by Ellen Pao

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Crown of Stars by Sophie Jaff

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

Jacqueline Willoughby by Schuyler Randall

The World To Come by Dara Horn

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Those who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

White Bodies by Jane Robins

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi

Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

Origin by Dan Brown

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

The Listener by Robert McCammom

What If God Wrote Your To Do List by Jay Payleitner

The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

In the Moment by Karen Kingsbury

A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman

The Perfect Girl by Gilly MacMillan

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Hunger by Roxanne Gay

The Man In The Black Suit by Sylvia Reynard

Glittering Images by Susan Howatch

Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights by Catherine Matthew

I Am A Truck by Michelle Winters

Sitting Murder by AJ Wright

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Lighthouse Road by Peter Geye

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

Weave A Circle Round by Kari Maaren

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

River City Secrets Stories from Richmond by Lana Krumwiede

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Morning Meanderings… The Day Of The Eve

Published on December 31, 2017 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Good morning. *Yawns stretches* How are we doing this New Years Eve Day?

I am sitting here with LAPTOP and COFFEE looking out at a very chilly day (22 below is the current Minnesota temp) and thinking of all the little things I want to accomplish today.

I have some laundry in the works, and a website I am building for an upcoming event, and pictures to go and take for an article, and what to make for dinner… and I am of course thinking about The First Book Of The Year… not only the post (which I love love love) but also… what my book will be.

My book will possibly be at least partially completed on audio since I leave early to get to a 10K run in the AM in St Paul and listening to audio makes that 2+ hour drive way more enjoyable… but alas… which book? (The first book is almost as hard to pick as the word of the year lol)

If you are considering participating in First Book or if you are reading this thinking what the heck is First Book? Here is a link to that post. It is not to late to send in a pic to me of you and the book to add to the collage of readers going into 2018.

I am also looking at Goodreads. I love that challenge, I am just trying to think what I can realistically do. There was a time I could read over 100 books a year. Now with all the things I have added in my life, I do not think that is a reachable goal. I want to partake for sure, and I don’t want to drop the ball on it like I did in 2017.

So thats me.

The First Book post will go up early due to my run. If you miss getting your pic in on time, do not worry – I almost always have some that come in after the posting and I add them to a post on January 2nd.

In the mean time… enjoy this day as we close out 2017 and all it has held… and look forward to 2018 and what this New Year will bring.

Morning Meanderings…. Seriously – Where You Been?

Published on November 18, 2017 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Huh.

So sad to turn to this site today and see how long it has sat waiting for me.

Am I reading? Yes

Am I doing? Yes

So what’s my damage? Why could I not get up like I used to… grab my COFFEE and write something funny(IMO) or amazing or ridiculous or hard or coming soon or….

Meh. I don’t really know.

I wont bore you with the details ( well.. any more than I already have)…. lets just rip the band-aid off and start again.

Hi.

I’m Sheila. I love to read and write and talk about both. I love to do community and I love to create and dream and do. I love to bike and run and I want to love kick boxing. 😉 I love to be outside the box because A. I don’t believe the box has ever been big enough. B. The box is so overdone I want to puke C. Life is too precious to contain yourself to such perimeters. D. All of the above

(yes… it is D)

That said… here is what I have been reading as of late…

The Girl With Seven Names is our Books Burgers and Brews selection for Monday November 20th. This will be our first non fiction title we have read with this group and it should be interesting. It is also the first selection we have had that I was unable to find any discussion questions on line (EEP) meaning I need to create the discussion…

The Bookies Book Club recently finished The Kind Worth Killing…. and ooh. I will be reviewing this one at some point here soon…. Peter Swanson (IMO) knocked this one out of the park. LOVED so much about this…

And finally … what am I doing on audio?

Yeah…. don’t be judgy…. every once in a while I like to listen to a true crime. It’s been a while and this one is crazy. Its one of those which I am seriously baffled why it took the police so long to catch him. Trust I will have much MUCHNESS to say about this one…

Anyway – that’s my meanderings. Stay tuned for a book review coming your way shortly.

Oh and yes…. I will again be hosting One Word here and I will again be hosting The First Book Of The Year here. Stay tuned….. it is coming 😉

WHAT are you reading?

Cruising Into The NEW Year

Published on December 20, 2016January 2, 2017 by Sheila (Book Journey)

This is a sticky post up to the New Year. Please do not miss the two events I host every year….

First Book Of the Year

One Word (your word for the year!)

All new posts will be under this one.

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The First Book Of The Year 2017

Published on December 11, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)42 Comments

Yes. YES! We are totally doing this again. This is the fourth year that I am thrilled to host the First Book Of The Year. As always, I hope you will join in this fun event. I absolutely LOVE seeing the pictures from all over the world of all of you with your first books.

So what is First Book of the year?

The First Book is a book that maybe you have been wanting to read for a while but have not had time for, a coveted book, an old favorite re-read – whatever you want. The point is that this is the book that will kick off the year for you. What will it be?

Our posts of what we are reading will go live on January 1st. You do not need to be done with the book on January 1st, just reading it on January 1st and yes, you can start on the 31st and be reading into the New Year. I would like to link up all your posts here on the 1st as well so others can visit you and cheer you on! If you are interested, please fill out the short form below.

Here are the pictures sent in from last years First Book:

Here is all you need to sign up and to know what to do. Please help me to spread the word…. lets fill January 1st with the great First Books!

Good to be back all…. good to be back.

Morning Meanderings: We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Program

Published on December 11, 2016December 11, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

I do exist.

I have no excuses. I just went about life and didn’t make it here. I needed time to find me again… it is still a work in progress but I feel as though I may be getting there.

AND – I have been DOING. Which…. is actually a great word.

I am going to quickly update you as I have TONS to catch up on with reviews and crazy things that have been happening (in good ways)…

Most importantly at this moment – YES to those of you who have asked if I am doing First Book again. YES! I love first book and this will be my 4th year doing it and I absolutely want to own this one again. I will have the sign up ready today – I hope you will join.

Did I mention I LOVE First Book?

Next – YES I am totally doing ONE WORD again as well. This will be the 5th year I have hosted the One Word and as you know from last years post, I LOVE this as well. I am still thinking about my word…… posting soon on this. Yes I promise 🙂

As for everything else…. I have been running, dressing up, biking, hanging with friends, getting out of the house, working with non profits, working with a fun online project, creating websites, walking in the snow, going back to the YMCA, lifting weights, saying YES more… and remembering that I am doing this life for two now… and I can not let Justin down. (Yes there are sample pictures….)

I miss all of you. I just have not been taking the time to be here and I need to do that. Minnesota is cold…. damp… and it s a good time to get acquainted with this blog again and all of you.

Thanks for waiting for me. ♥

Sheila

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Saturday Snapshot….Books Around The World

Published on January 2, 2016January 2, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments

January 2…. how are we doing so far into this New Year? I have been fairly busy with 2 small after Christmas gatherings with friends, a movie with my hubby, and yesterday – working on the First Book Of The Year tradition. Let me just say out loud.. wow. I am so glad I continued First Book this year for many reasons, yet the response was still so overwhelmingly positive that it made me so proud to be a part of this amazing community.

For today’s Saturday snapshot I am going to post all the pictures that came in from readers around the world sharing their first books into this new year. Even if you looked at yesterday’s post, more than likely you did not see all the pictures as more kept coming in throughout the day and evening. SO AWESOME. But first I have to show you what Kathryn at Book Date did… she went a step further with her first book and blew me away.

Right? Holy smokes! When I seen her post yesterday I could not believe it! Look at little First Book Of The Year become a video! Another couple of pictures I need to honorably mention for creativity when sending in their picture. No, no one had to be creative, but I was amazed to see the fun efforts:

PicMonkey Collage 9

Ahhhhh! lol

And so with no further delay…. here are the First Books Of 2016. If you look at my original post from yesterday in the comments people shared where they were reading from and it was exciting to see the readers all over the world. Seriously…. wow.

PicMonkey Collage 1

PicMonkey Collage 2

PicMonkey Collage 3

PicMonkey Collage 4

PicMonkey Collage 9

Thank you so much to everyone who participated. This was a far larger response than 2014’s and it meant a lot to me to see you all join in as spotty as my attendance has been here over the past 8 1/2 months. Thank you friends and fellow book lovers. It is hard for me to explain this, but your participation in this made this entry into New Years a little easier.

Thank you.

I am adding this to Saturday Snapshot because…. it is awesome.

The First Books Of 2016

Published on January 1, 2016January 2, 2016 by Sheila (Book Journey)151 Comments

Here it is. January 1 2016. Thank you to everyone who sent in a picture of the first book they will be reading in this New Year. This is my third year hosting this event and I love seeing all the pictures and books come in from around the world! Thank you to the fellow bloggers, readers of Book Journey, my book club, and friends who sent in pictures. Here are your reads of the New Year:

PicMonkey Collage 6

PicMonkey Collage 8

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Look at all of you!!!! If traditions hold, a few of you will still send pictures in today and that is ok. Send them to my email: journeythroughbooks@gmail.com and I will either update here or add another block in tomorrows post.

For myself, you will find me in the 5th block down, second row. Yes that is me holding a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – but not just an any copy. This is my son Justin’s book, off his book shelf. This is the copy he grew up with and loved so much that his Harry Potter books followed him to college and to his apartment after. My son and I both love all things Harry Potter and after his accident in April I have been unable to watch any of the movies or look at any of the books that we loved so much together. In fact, last Christmas he bought me the whole set with the new covers. Today I am reading this book, the one he so lovingly took care of all of these years. ♥ I think it is a great book to start off my new year and honor him.

The link below is where you can link your own posts about your first book choice and why. Be sure to link back here as well so others can see all of us around the world reading in 2016. A question I really need to add to the form next year is where everyone is from… I know for sure Australia is represented and Hawaii.