Tag: Morning Meanderings

Morning Meanderings… Books in and Banned Book Week is ON!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)49 Comments

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Good morning – happy Sunday… all of that 🙂  It has been a wonderful weekend away at our cabin with my friend Wendy – watching movies, exploring the area… waiting for the roofer dude.  Now home and prepping for this amazing week (the fall book sale is at the Library!) and I had books and audio come in this week:

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You can see there are two books there with the word Christmas in them as well as a book called Winter Falls.  Eep!  I am so not ready for cold and snow!  🙂

 

 

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I am super giddy excited about today because it is the official kick off to Banned Books Week which you know I LOVE and take a huge part in every year. I will have guest posts going on here, linking up other Banned Book Week posts each day, writing about banned books and banned book reviews as well as the occasional giveaway.  YOU will not want to miss out on a post – this is going to be FUN.

AND It is not too late for you to check out about this fun week and join in!

Each year during this week I only read banned books. So much fun and I read such great books – classics, and more.  I think this week is so important to be educated on what constitutes a banned/challenged book that I have also decided to make it a tab at the top of Book Journey so you can read all my banned book reviews through the years!  I think you may be surprised by what books are considered banned.  In fact, this morning you can read about a personal banned book experience that happened right here in my home town this year over at the amazing Krystal’s Books Are My Thing.  She as well will be having a lot of fun things happening for banned books week so please stop over and see what she is doing as well.

It drives me absolutely batty that I can not find an all-inclusive banned books list that I can link too, but here is one and perhaps one of these days I will start my own banned books list as I run across them.

 

I hope you plan to read a banned book this week (at least one!) in honor of banned books week!  They are not hard to find and they do not have to be long (Charlotte’s Web, Little Red Riding Hood, The Giving Tree, Winnie The Pooh, Harriet The Spy, Alice In Wonderland, Where The Wild Things Are, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, The Wizard Of Oz…)

All comments this week will go on banned books posts (including this one) will go into a drawing at the end of the week for you choice of:

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Or

 

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$10.00 towards a Banned book of your choice.

 

So what are you waiting for?  Jump in and join the banned! 

 

 

Morning Meanderings… Library Friends Networking

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

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Good morning!  Happy Tuesday!  Yesterday morning I made apple butter with our apples from our trees and my home this morning still smells like cinnamon and apples….

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Yesterday afternoon I went to a workshop in Roseville Minnesota to network with other Friends Of The Library.  It was pretty fun and they used our Friends group in Brainerd for many examples – website description of what friends of the library do, our Wine and Words event, summer brown bag author events…  it was cool to know that we were on the right track in many ways.

I enjoyed listening to the other things that friends are doing in other areas – 5k walks and runs, bowling for books, and my personal favorite (wish I would have thought of it!) The Great Gatsby Gala that they had planned to make $20,000 and they raised $47,000!  Holy smokes!!!!  Granted it was in the bigger Minnesota cities so more people and more money… but still…. WOW.  I hope to attend this one next year so I can see what they are doing up close.

I think the saddest thing at this workshop was the Itaska Friends group.  Their library is open one day a week; Wednesdays from noon to 4 pm.  That is heart breaking, yet this group raises money and awareness for their library through book sales, and being in the Fourth Of July parade.

One emphasis they put out there was being POSITIVE.  I could not agree more.  Having negative people on your teams sucks the life and energy out of the team…. in any circumstance.  You need to stay positive and work to make events fun!

Anyhoo… it was a good time, it was fun meeting others in Minnesota in Friends groups.  I did not arrive back home until 11 pm last night, but was able to listen to audio for my 2+ hour drive each way so that made it awesome 🙂

 

Does Your Library Have A Friends Group?  Are you a part of it?  What does your group do?

Morning Meanderings… The Gone Girl Debate Continues

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)25 Comments

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Sunday already!  I have been mowing my lawn yesterday and picking apples today… listening to Liane Moriarty’s Three Wishes on audio.  It feels like fall here in Minnesota… walking the dogs this morning it is a nippy 43 degrees.  Brisk!

Books that came in the mail this week:

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The Counterfeit Lady by Kate Parker (a win!)

 

Driving Lessons by Zoe Fishman

 

The Scrivener’s Tale by Fiona McIntosh

 

The Case Against The Supreme Court by Erwin Chemerinsky

 

Yup.. no audio.  Is that weird?  LOL… pretty sure there will be some this week 🙂

 

As for the Gone Girl topic… did you read the book?  Are you planning on seeing the movie?  In July of 2012 I read the book and it moved me to write a spoiler page for it so I could talk more about my thoughts on it.  Since the rumors of the movie began, that Spoiler Page post receives hundreds of hits a day and people still are giving there opinions on the book, the ending, etc…  I love seeing a book fuel that much discussion. 🙂  In fact that page is probably the first time in recent days, that I had to tell a commenter to clean up their act – and I think that is the first time I have even done that on any post I have written.  The controversy continues….

I for one, am curious about the movie as I usually am when books I have read become movies.  I may not always love the movie version, but I like the contrast and seeing what vision they come up with.. good, bad, or ugly.  🙂

 

Share with me your thoughts on Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn!  Would love to talk Gone Girl!

 

 

Saturday Snapshot: My Summer Report by Sheila

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

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Good morning.  Saturday is here and it looks like it is going to be a nice one.  Which is good as the two big projects from yesterday – the picking of the apples and the mowing of the lawn did not happen.  And I have since found out that we have a wedding to attend this afternoon….

Life – never dull.

I was looking at old posts and I saw that last year at the end of summer I posted pics for Saturday Snapshot of what I did with my summer.  I do not even recall doing that….lol.  I thought today for Saturday Snapshot I would do that again.  It has been an odd summer full of huge life changes both scary and exciting and I think a walk through what was fun will do me good:

 

DeChantal, Justin, Book JOurney
Our youngest son graduated from College.

 

Adriana Trigiani, Stephanie Evanovich, Dorthy Benton Frank, Book Expo 2014, Harper Collins
At The Book Expo in New York and had a chance to hang out with Dorthy Benton Frank, Adriana Trigiani, and Stephanie Evanovich. Bliss!!!

 

Bookies Book Club, Sheila DeChantal
A few of the Bookies Book Club dress up for our annual Queen Event

 

Bucks Busy Bees, SHeila DeChantak, Book JOurney
Helping out in the bee hives.

 

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Summer reading!

 

ST Joseph, Minnesota, Tour Of Saints, Sheila DeChantal, Amy Price
Tour Of Saints 50 mile bike ride in ST Joseph Minnesota

 

Gooseberry Falls, Sheila DeChantal
Gooseberry Falls, Cabin trip with my cousin Cheryl

 

Muckfest, Wisconscin, Sheila DeChantal, Book Journey
Wisconsin Mud Run for MS – Me, Amy, Jody, Jenny

 

AMy Price, Sheila DeChantal, Bookjourney, Muckfest
Ready for the Muckfest in Wisconsin!

 

Book JOurney, Sheila DeChantal
The giant rabbit in my yard.

 

Barbara Claypole White, Randy Susan Meyers, Lorna Landvik, Catherine McKenzie, and Benjamin Percy, Wine and Words, Brainerd Minnesota, Sheila DeChantal
Hanging with Wine and Words authors – Barbara Claypole White, Randy Susan Meyers, Lorna Landvik, Catherine McKenzie, and Benjamin Percy

 

Wine and Words Brainerd Minnesota
Part of the 210 in attendance at Wine and Words 2014

 

ST Paul Classic, 2014, Amy Price, Sheila DeChantal, Book JOurney
St Paul Classic Bike Ride – Amy and I

 

Bucks Busy Bees, Book JOurney, SHeila DeChantal
Learning to extract honey

 

Those are the highlights… bike rides and mud runs, playing with the bees, author events, sunny days… friends. 🙂  Stop over at Saturday Snapshot to see what others are taking pictures of this week 🙂

Morning Meandering…. Giveaway and My First (and second!) Bee Sting

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

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Good morning.  Friday!  SWEET!!!!  Except my head is full of….

I should clean my kitchen, clean out the fridge, make apple butter with the apples on the trees, take a bike ride, change out the window for banned books week at the library, make a few phone calls, laundry, pick up supplies to make apple butter… look for my moms supplies, mow my lawn…..

Anyhoo… for now, I am chatting with you.  And having coffee.  And listening to a book. I have most of the weekend for all of the above.

 

First up today – the giveaway.  I posted yesterday about the book (and the movie!) This Is Where I Leave You.  I thought I posted too late to be a part of the awesome giveaway going on but found out this morning that I am not too late…. so please comment on that post to be included in the giveaway.  I will choose a random winner on Tuesday morning to win this package:

Giveaway Details:

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)

 

OOH!  But remember – comment on that post. to be entered, not this one.

 

Ok next up the bee sting.  I have been helping my friend Amanda off and on through the past few years with her bee business.  I have been around more lately as she has a lot going on planning to move the bees to Florida for the winter.  I have prided myself on the fact that I had never been stung… in fact I often thought it was due to my sesame oil skin softener which as a bonus seems to repel bugs like flies, mosquito’s, etc…

In fact….

and this is a bit embarrassing…

We were in the truck driving away from a bee yard and I was talking about how the days I knew I would be in the bee yards I would even put the softener on my neck… at that moment I was stung in the throat.  Yes – right front and center of my neck and it HURT!

Then… at the next stop, somehow one got into my bee suit and stung me in the eye brow area of my left eye.  Seriously….. OW!

Works like botox... look at the little lines above my right eye... but my stung one is all smooth....
Works like Botox… look at the little lines above my right eye… but my stung one is all smooth….

An then…I was done being nice to the bees for the day.  I am generally a pretty level person who loves to live in the “Can’t we all just get along?” world.  Until… we can’t all live in the get along world because someone or something stings me twice and then…

yeah….

no longer yesterday was I that person that said “Don’t kill it!  Roll down your window and let it out!”  Nope.  I think I smashed 5 bees yesterday for being in the truck and a potential threat to me.  I am not proud… but like in any war…

there are casualties.

Ok… I am off to work on that above list.  I think what sounds most interesting right now is picking out books for the banned book week display.  Always a good time.  Oh and don’t forget if you want to participate this year in the fun of Banned Book Week (September 21-27) please sign up!  There will be prizes!!!

 

 

 

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!

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…

 

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. 🙂

 

Morning Meanderings… I LOVE My Library

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

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Good morning.  We are in the middle of a storm here in Central Minnesota.  I mean… seriously.

 

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I took the above picture from my back deck and was plastered with rain from the high winds.  Weather has been so weird here.  I put a better video on Facebook.

 

Anyhoo… this post was not meant to be about the weather.  We have better things to talk about than that 🙂

What I wanted to chat about it Libraries.  Felicia at Geeky Bloggers Book Blog has been running these great library posts for September as it is National Library Card Month.  As soon as I seen what she was doing I knew I wanted to be involved but of course my life stuff got in the way and here we are on September 4th and finally getting with it. 🙂

You know I love our local Library.  If they would let me stay on the roof and raise money for a cause …. but they will not let me do that and yes, I asked…. but trust me…

there are other things I can do. 😉

I am so passionate about Libraries and what they offer.  My goal is to spread the word that today’s Library goes beyond the books… our library does sooooo much more.  We:

  • Rent movies and audio books
  • have computer classes
  • Author events
  • Adult and children book clubs
  • Reading programs
  • weekly reading time in the childrens area
  • a Teen hangout area
  • IPADs to use in the library
  • computers to use
  • conference rooms large and small that you can use for meetings and events
  • contests
  • historic information (Scandinavian week is coming soon!)
  • Assistance in how to use your e readers to the fullest
  • order in special request books
  • able to check out books from a number of connected libraries that will send the book to our library for you
  • Book In The Bag program – 10 copies of the same book to be checked out together for reading groups.
  • Book sales
  • and more to come 🙂

I know there is more, but that is what I have off the top of my head.  The Library staff works hard to stay educated and current on what the needs of our community are.  It is absolutely an honor to be a part of it.

I will be talking more about my library this month but for now… power looks like it is back on and I need to prepare for my day.  My questions I leave you with are:

 

Do you have a local library?

Do you visit it and if so how often?

Does your family members have library cards?

Do you know what your library offers besides book check out?

Do you think your community would be missing something important (Or is missing something important) if your library was no longer there?

 

I am thinking of an idea to get more power behind this discussion but for now… I have to go and there it is.  🙂