Pondering Moment – Book Journey

Remember Your First Time?

Published on July 2, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)50 Comments

I was recently reading a review on a book that I have ♥ LOVED ♥ and I was actually envious of the reader. I wanted to be them, opening that treasured book, innocently going in to the pages having no idea….

you are about to change forever.

Do you remember your first time? What was “that book” for you? The one that gripped you and hung on tight, and kept you up at night, trying to sleep but not being able to because you couldn’t wait to have that book in your hands again… almost not wanting to share the characters with anyone as you become this jealous reader type version of who you used to be…

Ok… maybe it’s not that bad. 😉

The question is – what book do you wish you could go back and read again like it was the first time?

Vampires, Werewolves, Seamonsters…. and me

Published on June 17, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)60 Comments

Remember when vampires were scary?

Dracula wasn’t a teenage brooding heart-throb who looked good in designer jeans. No. He was creepy looking. Dark and spooky. Pretty sure he probably smelled like something dead too. Because he was.

I will admit (and have here on this blog) to enjoying the Twilight series… not because it was the most brilliant thing I have ever read, but because I do like books that take you out of the box and Stephanie Meyer did that. She made vampires…. not so scary. The Twilight books are not horror… they are a love story.

And look at all the series and books out now that fall under this theme, and are being devoured (no pun intended) by readers of all ages. We have seen the market saturated with spin offs and books about teen age vampires, the occasional sea monster, and hot looking werewolves. This ain’t no era of teen wolf. 😉

And while these books really don’t draw me, I am open to trying new reads, and am willing to try the occasional tale of good vs. evil with a vampire/werewolf hero.

Where I do have trouble crossing that line is when these paranormal creatures creep and crawl their way into the classics.

I wonder, does Jane turn over in her grave? Is it right to take a story that we studied both book and author in our school days… and shake it up and reformat with a pinch of paranormal? Will the youth of this age and the next read the original classics, or skip right past Austen for Seth Grahame-Smith.

“Jane who?”

I shudder to think….

My two cents….

I just can’t sink my teeth into the vampires mixed in our classics. Not even a full moon can make me howl in favor of the werewolves hanging out with the Darcey’s and I seem to be unable to get my sea legs for Sea Monsters in any form of literature.

I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂

(and you can howl if you want to!)

Pondering Moment…. Create Your Own Book and Title

Published on April 29, 2010April 29, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)6 Comments

Recently for my giveaway of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Killer (I know, I know…. don’t even get me started…) I had asked participants to create a new book title for an existing book but change it up like the books we are seeing all over now: Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters, Slime and Punishment, Mr Darcy Vampyre….

** For the record, I have not read any of these and if there is an original book IE. like Sense and Sensibility, I will not read any of these books if I have not read the original first. In many cases, not even then…. (sorry – side rant)

Anyway – the responses on this giveaway are so fun – so original and brilliant that I wanted to open that discussion up here. I would like to see a new title to an existing well-known book, that includes werewolves, vampires, zombies, seamonsters…. and a little synopsis of what the book would be about.

Here is my example:

Alice in Zombieland. Alice one day is out walking through the cemetery, a short cut to her friend Kate’s home, when she falls into an open grave.

For anyone who has participated in this through the Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Killer giveaway, feel free to use your same answer if you would like.

I just love to see what everybody comes up with.

That’s all you need to do to participate – I will choose one participant using random.org on May 6th to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card that I will email to the winner. Have fun!

What Was That Book That Totally Pulled You In?

Published on April 12, 2010April 12, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments

I have had a book craving lately. Yes, I know I am surrounded by books and yes. I have read some fantastic high rating books in my opinion as of late….

but…

Here is what I am craving. I am craving that book that pulls you deep within its pages. The one that you one those first few pages and get a good sense of the scene being set and then….

Suddenly you are pulled fully into the book and you don’t stop to eat and barely stop for a bathroom break, as you read deeper and deeper into the pages – becoming almost one with the book, and the characters. You are there in an almost 3D like way as they knock on doors, get in fights, share their secrets, fight for the cause, when they fall in love,… and when they fall apart. And then…. sometimes…. in the really good ones…. we cry when they cry.

My question I am pondering this evening is what book am I describing here for you? What book pulled you in like this and held you to that final page and you wished (WISHED!) that you could keep turning imaginary pages beyond “the end” so you could know more, be with the book more….

For me…. I found that in all the later books of the Harry Potter series… probably book 3 and on. I found this is Hunger Games.

I would like to know where you found it…. and what that felt like for you.

What’s In A Name?

Published on March 5, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)45 Comments

Ok….. I need your advice.

When I started book blogging I really didnt even know that was what I was doing. I had started recording my book thought on line in a blog format – pretty much as record keeping for me. People finding my writing was not only rare but a little spooky. My blog traffic in those early days was maybe 2 or 3 a week.

It wasn’t until June of 2009 that I received a comment on my blog that I clicked on to see where they came from which led me down the proverbial rabbit trail to a book blog and to another and to another….. and I found my “people”. The rest is history…

When I started blogging, or at the time, I would call it book journalism, I wasn’t thinking about blog traffic, marketing, promotions, connecting with others,….. so I really did not put a lot of thought into the name of this “journal”:

One Persons Journey Through A World Of Books

(holy mouthful batman!)

Now as I am preparing to go to BEA this year, and have been thinking of ways to better promote what I do here…. the name has come to grate on me. It is sooooooo Loooooonnnnggggg. However what I need to know is if it worth it to shorten it up or will I just create confusion?

My Twitter name is Bookjourney so I have tossed that around. Journey Through Books is my email. I really don’t want to lose the name recognition if and when I do decide to change. I just want something easier to say and easier to remember as I go forward. My blog is growing and I want it to not only be memorable but also as user-friendly as possible.

Are you picking up what I am putting down? 🙂

I am interested in your thoughts.

Is it a bad idea to change your blog name?

If its not bad, any thoughts on what it should be?

How to go about it? (I am guessing just keep it simple…)

Advice and tips are welcome as I ponder on this ……

Judging A Book By It’s….. Title or Author

Published on March 3, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)48 Comments

We have hashed our way through conversations of judging a book by its cover. Been there… done that… still happening…

BUT – today my question is what about the title or cover. Have you ever passed on a book because of its title? Or because of the author? OR… have you picked up a book because of the title or author?

I have two examples of skipping (or almost skipping) books because of titles. One I talked about a week ago when I linked on to Home Girl’s Blog and her subject on book confessions. The book I talked about there was Leave It To Cleavage by Wendy Wax. If it were not for my book club it would have been a no to me on both accounts. No to the title…. and the authors name just added to my resounding no. Well – I did read the book for book club and found it to be a light, clean, chick lit read that did make me laugh.

Judgement #2 was Good In Bed By Jennifer Weiner. This one I did not read…. because of the title. The book club did read it and said it was a wonderful book and had a good story to it about an overweight woman struggling with body image.

As for judging a book by its author, Lori in my book club would not read Nora Roberts. Thought she was a terrible author and had no interest in her books. I told Lori she had to read the The Three Sisters Trilogy by Nora…. at least book one, Dance Upon The Air. She begrudgingly did – and loved all three of the books in this series.

So how about you? Have you judged a book by its title or author?

Where’s My Head At?

Published on January 30, 2010 by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

I was off and visiting blogs today and commenting here and there because you know I like to chat it up with fellow bloggers…. and then this happens. I leave a comment where I become a faceless snowman shaped icon. Talk about awkward. Whats up with that?

It is rare…. I pretty much have a face wherever I travel (I make it a point not to leave home without it).

So really – that is the question. Anyone know why that happens?

Pondering Moment: How Do You Read So Many Books?

Published on December 20, 2009December 20, 2009 by Sheila (Book Journey)71 Comments

Not sure if this will become an occasional meme or not but there are a few questions that I get asked time and time again and this is one of them.

How Do I Read So Many Books?

Well, I am not a speed reader. If anything I am a thorough reader. By that I mean if I am reading along and suddenly something happens in the book that makes me go, “Wait a minute… I thought….” I will actually back track through the book to make sure I am fully understanding.

The only way I can read what I do is that I feel I have an unusual life. What do I mean? Well, there are many things that take the place of reading time for others that I don’t have – such as:

We had our kids young. Most of my friends still have kids at home. We do not. Our boys are 19 and 22. The 19 year old goes to college 3 hours away and the 22 year old is in the Navy.

My work schedule is flexible. We own our own business and I help out with payroll and invoices, but I can do that anytime, at midnight if I want to. Other than that, we have office personal to handle the day to day stuff. I work at our church office as the Office Manager 3 days a week from 9 – 2, Tues, Wed, Thurs. I have long weekends.

My husband – works a lot! He loves it! He is out of the house by 5 am and back home usually around 6 – 8 pm. He eats dinner, watches a little tv and is usually in bed by 9 pm.

All of these things factor into my reading time. I prefer to read over watch tv so from the time Al goes to bed, until I do (about 1 am) I usually read. If its a really good book… I have stayed up later! 🙂 I sometimes have a little reading time in the afternoon after work. Weekends, if Al is working, I am usually reading once I have house work done. If we travel to our cabin, he drives, I read for the 3 1/2 hour road trip…. if I drive, we listen to audio books.

There is an audio going in my vehicle at almost all times. I prefer the story to music. Sometimes, like the one I am listening to now, is getting so good – I will have to bring it in the house and listen to it while I prepare dinner. Wherever I go, I have a book. There is always a book in my car and/or in my purse. Trains, long stop lights, waiting at appointments…. I am never bored. When I work out on the tread mill or elliptical, I am reading.

I don’t read every day – but almost. It is my absolute favorite pastime. With winter here – I do not have the bike events like I do Spring thru Fall so I have even more time.