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62.6 °F
Haze
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| Humidity: | 89% |
| Wind: | Calm |
| Visibility: | 4.0 miles |
| Dew Point: | 59 °F |
| Precipitation: | 40% Chance of Rain |
| Pressure: | 30.10 in |
| UV: | 0 |
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It feels like fall here in Central Minnesota this morning. Last night was so warm I was popping 
windows open just to sleep but this morning the air has turned crisp and I woke up chilled, running around closing those same windows.
Ahhhh…. Minnesota.
I let the dogs out and the chill came in from the deck. Yesterday started a drastic drop of the acorns. We have a large oak tree built into our deck. We actually built the deck around the tree as I love trees and could not see sacrificing it just because we wanted a bigger deck. All day yesterday I could hear the acorns thumping as they bounced off the wood and this morning the deck is covered. Al tells me that is a sign of a cold winter. Oh man… I hope not.
Fall means things should (I hope) slow down a bit. The evenings will be cooler and while I haven’t had much time for hanging outside this year anyway, I will be drawn to my cozy reading chair more often… visions of the Challenges that I need to work on – Random reading, Jane Austen, Harry Potter…. dance in my head.
I guess I am saying that this morning I meandered…. to my deck.
Later today I am posting my 100th book review. 100! Watch for that because if you know me – moments like this do not go by uncelebrated… oh yeah – there will be a giveaway!
Coffee cup and I are always up for a good read. Recently I was visiting several of my blogging friends and was stopped short at My Book Buddies when I seen this book that is on my wish list. Rooftops of Tehran appeals to me. I love the cover. the title makes me envision starry nights and people seeking the roof tops for a variety of reasons…
Don’t take my word for it – stop over to My Book Buddies and see this book for yourself. This is one I really can not wait to have a change to read.
I am out of town until late on Sunday… I am “Sheila unplugged” for the weekend at our cabin, however this leaves a great opportunity for reading time! 🙂 I will catch up with responding to comments upon my return!
I am up. Check.
Coffee Cup in hand. Check.
I am doing a bit of catching up this morning on some recent visitors to One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. Thank you to all of you who have stopped by – I love company! I have had quite a few new visitors lately and that is so exciting so I want to be sure that I visit each of them as well.
This morning, actually just moments ago, I went on to the author Laura Binghams’ Alvor site as I had just finished her book up a little over a day ago (see review here) and wanted to see what was new for her. I was surprised and touched that she had a post up about my review.
What Laura wrote… well, it made me tear up. She wrote such nice things about me and the review. I tend to forget that authors are sending their book out in to the world, much like we would send a child to school for the first time. Hoping they are liked, they make friends, and that they are as wonderful to others as we the parents know they are. Laura, you need not worry. 🙂
I hope you can take a minute today to stop by Laura Bingham’s Alvor site. And I hope that when you see this book in the stores you will consider it, if not for yourself… for that niece or nephew, daughter or son, or friend (of any age) who loves fantasy. They will thank you for it.
I don’t think I have done a morning meandering all week. I miss it! I like my posts that are just me… 
early morning, usually just out of bed and only capable of stumbling blurring eyed to the coffee pot, saying “Hello hot stuff” to my coffee cup… and making my way to the laptop that awaits for me at the kitchen table.
It’s like Sheila… unplugged.
Todays meandering is yet another confession…. yesterday afternoon I was hopping around the blogesphere and I landed at another wonderful new blog to me and noticed that I was a blog she linked to on her sidebar. So here is the confession… I love it when I find blogs that link to One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. I think I am still new enough where that is exciting to think that someone actually likes what I am writing enough to link to me… I am not sure if I will ever grow out of that. I truly find that exciting. Its like making the deans list…. its like a free scoop of ice cream along side of great pie… it’s like… well, its very Sally Field”esk”.
Anyway – there it is.
Fellow book bloggers, do you feel this way too? If you do – does it eventually become no big deal after you have blogged long term? (I cant imagine that as I think I will always get giddy….. )
Later this afternoon I have a triple book tour to post with giveaway…I will be posting through the weekend as well as I have much going on over here and a few book reviews I need to complete AND Freebie Friday will end later today too! Dont miss it! )
This morning Coffee Cup and I are still working on waking up. I have a couple commitments today but for the most 
part I am hoping just to relax at home before I have to take off for two days of training in Grand Marais Monday morning.
As I checked my emails and comments last night I found that I had received a few awards and I am honored by the great blogs who selected me.
The Super Comments Award is for those who you can always count on for a comment. This cute award came from two sources…. the Super Comments Awardwas given to me by Alexia at Alexia’s Books and Such (she has such a wonderful blog – I love to pop in many times a week!) and I also received this from Ryan at Wordsmithonia (I love Ryans blog as well, he is fun to read and always has something going on).
Then over at My Own Little Corner of The World, I received the Lemonade Award.You can always count on this blog to have a new giveaway or review up and it is always fun to read!
The Lemonade Award is a feel good award that shows great attitude or gratitude. Here are the rules for accepting this award:
I am so thankful for these awards. I will pass them on later today. I have a couple errands to run this morning and then back home to prep for my days away. I encourage you to check out the wonderful blogs who selected me for these awards, you will be glad you did! 🙂
I leave you now with a few pics of the 50 mile bike tour I did with my cousin Jarrod yesterday and his friend and mine, Brian. Beautiful weather!
Coffee Cup and I have come together this morning for the first time in days. Tuesday night and Wednesday night I had stay overs for our quarterly week of staying with the homeless for IHN. Thursday morning I left my overnight and drove right to the Library where I stood in line for the Fall Book Sale. (I will post my finds later!) Then I drove home and followed my 19 year old to Mankato to College with two vehicles loaded with all of his stuff. I returned home last night around 9:30 pm.
I am wiped out and tomorrow I am leaving for Bemidji to ride bike 50 miles with my cousin for the Tour De Pines.
ANYWAY… that’s whats happening in my life. Here is whats happening in my book world:
I was nominated in the BBAW categories of:
Wow. I am honored to be nominated and want to say thank you to whoever nominated me. I have some work to do yet this afternoon to choose my 5 posts to email on for these categories. Anyway… wow again… 🙂
I have had the pleasure of interviewing a family of book bloggers, The Lateiner Gang Book Review Spot. I hope to get that post up yet tonight or before I leave in the morning. I have had a lot of fun emailing back and forth and learning about them. I cant wait to share their story with you!
I have an audio book to review (Any Minute by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford) that I listened to yesterday during my travels and a blog tour for Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London to do this afternoon after I return home.
I have giveaway winners to post and blog awards to pass on!
As you can see, things have not been dull here at the DeChantal home! I am excited for things to slow down again so I can get back into visiting all of you and not feeling like I am constantly behind.
Have a great day and stop back often as I have much to post! 🙂
Last night I stayed overnight for our quarterly IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network) serving. This is 
where for one week a quarter, our church houses the homeless while they are working in this great program to help them find housing and jobs to get back on their feet.
Two of us always stay together and last night my roomy was Julie who just happened to have a Brainerd paper… and that is where my meandering is going this morning….
Yesterdays Brainerd paper (front page!) featured an area book lover, Barb Best,who through goodreads.com has been communicating with author Barbara Boyer and received Barbara’s book, Courage of Fear. Barb Best was so excited to get the book, she messaged on line, “Got the book today! The heck with making dinner! I’M READING!”
and so… here is the story… (as printed in the Brainerd Daily Dispatch, Tuesday August 18, 2009 by Jodie Tweed Staff Writer)
Barb Best has always loved books.
But two weeks ago the book she was reading – actually, its author – loved her right back.
Best developed her love of reading while spending her summers as a young girl at her family cabin in East Gull Lake.
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When there was nothing to do and no one to play with, Best would lose herself in a good book – Nancy Drew books were her favorite.
Best and her husband, Steven, have lived in East Gull Lake for the past six years and she’s remained enthusiastic about reading; last weekend alone she read three books and often reads at least three books a week. She maintains a large book collection and she and her co-workers in the plan records department at Ascensus pass around their favorite reads.
Since January, she has participated in a Web site, http://www.goodreads.com, where book lovers may read and write book recommendations, win free books and participate in discussions about books. Her co-workers in her department do, too. Best writes reviews of the books she’s read and she has won about 10 books so far from the site, often given away by the publishers or authors. She said she is honest in her reviews; if she doesn’t like a book, she’ll say it.
Two weeks ago, Best won an autographed copy of “Courage of Fear” by California author Barbara Boyer. Best was thrilled and sent the author a note, telling Boyer, also a goodreads.com member, she looks forward to reading it. The two developed an online rapport.
When Best did receive the book in the mail she logged onto the site to share the news with Boyer. She wrote: “Got it today! The heck with making dinner – I’m READING! Thanks for the book!!!!!” Best then quickly logged off to start reading her new book.
Boyer happened to be online at the same time and told her that they had to have lunch sometime and hoped Best enjoys the book. She also mentioned that Best should order pizza.
Meanwhile, Best did decide to order pizza for her family from nearby Varani’s Pizza and Subs so she could continue reading.
Boyer thought about it, then decided it would be fun to surprise Best by buying pizza for her family. She had Best’s address because she sent her the book. She called a Brainerd pizza place, explaining that she wanted to buy a fan of hers a pizza but unfortunately, the restaurant did not deliver to Best’s East Gull Lake address. However, the pizza employee told Boyer that he knew of the only place that did: Varani’s.
Boyer, who wrote about the experience on her blog, http://beboyer.com/blog/, said when she told the Varani’s employee the story and where she’d like the pizza delivered, the employee was shocked. The Bests had just phoned in their pizza order and it was in the oven. Boyer then paid for the pizza by credit card, added some pop to the order and had Varani’s put a note from her on the box.
After her husband answered the door and picked up the already paid-for pizza, he immediately found his wife and asked, “Who is Barbara Boyer?”
Best was sitting and reading Boyer’s book. Her immediate reaction was, “How am I going to explain this to my husband?”
In her note, Boyer told Best, “It’s always so nice to interact with folks who have such an enthusiasm like the one you have. Enjoy your read.”
Best was floored.
“It was really fun. It was such a neat thing for her to do,” Best said with a smile. She later went online to thank Boyer for dinner. They’ve e-mailed each other a few times now. “I’m sure we’ll keep in touch.”
And yes, Best liked the book. Pizza or no pizza, she highly recommends “Courage of Fear.”
“Everybody should read it,” Best said enthusiastically.
I love this story and I hope to run into Barb Best out there in the blogesphere as I do not know her blog, or if she blogs, but I would like to! If anyone knows her please connect her this way! 🙂
This morning I am in a hotel room in Rochester, MN. I am with two of my great friends, Heidi and Sara, and Heidi’s daughter Camryn. We are on our way to Oronoco Gold Rush Days. It is fun to browse the antiques and vendors, we will take in some sun (90 degrees – oh yeah!) and food that will cause me to have to up the work out routine this upcoming week.
Heidi and Sara did the Oronoco Gold Rush last year – I am the rookie. The book I am carrying with me today is: Dama’s Drama’s and Ana Ruiz which I am set for a blog tour with this Monday.
While doing a bit of research so I could be all hip and current like my friends… I found that there is a bloggers party today at 3 pm! If I can find this spot I may check it out… they are apparently antique and treasure hunter bloggers… but in the fine print there appears to be a book signing so that may be interesting. I’ll keep you informed!
This morning I was over at Vicki’s this morning reading her blog Reading At The Beach (a soothing blog that sometimes I just like to leave her page open so I can pretend I am at the beach – LOL). She is starting a new meme today that really makes you take a look at your bookshelf and well, I will let Vicki explain it:
I’ve decided to start a book meme called A-Z Wednesday
I hope you will join me and share what’s on your bookshelf.
Here’s how it will work:
Each Wednesday I’ll post the meme with that weeks letter (A-Z).
Grab the A-Z Wednesday button on my sidebar to add to your post, to link back here.
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with that weeks letter.
Post
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and post your link in the comments
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.
(We all love comments, don’t we?)
Who knows? You may find your next “favorite” book.
So this morning I was going to go to my bookshelves and choose a book when I realized the book sitting right beside me works!
Erin and her twin brother, Bain, never expected to find that the cabin in the woods near their home is actually a secret entrance to a magical world. Surrounded by pegasi, dragons, and fairies, they discover new powers within themselves and a secret they have unknowingly been preparing for: they are training to become elves. Now they are faced with the decision to stay in this dream world or return home to the life they knew. A spellbinding tale of fantasy and fairy tale, Älvor draws you into an enchanting world of all things magical.
I have not read this yet but it is so close to the top and I am so excited! This gives off a mystical vibe that I am so looking forward to seeing what is underneath this delicious cover!
Pop on over to Reading At The Beach and check out her new meme A to Z. For those of you looking for a fun way to add a little something to your blog, this is a fairly easy one and as Vicki says, you may just find your next favorite book.” ; )
On a much lighter note… please notice my new sidebar link (upper left) on praying for Benny. I dont want to go into details here however if you want to know more click on the picture of Benny.
Book Journey 