What are you Reading Monday? March 1, 2010

This meme has been moved to

One Person's Journey Through A World of Books!

Thanks Shelia for carrying this forward from J. Kaye.

Writing one review a night hasn't worked yet either!
Only got two reviews written this week when I had much better intentions! 
Lets see what I can manage this week!

[Note re codes: YGR is You Gotta Read Reviews. MBS is this blog - Martha's BookShelf!]

Finished:

PB:  This PI story definitely has some good twists and it is obviously open for sequels.Reviewing for Author Marketing Experts - Review to be posted here at MBS.

Kindle2:  The White Rainbow, Book 6 of the Wounded Warriors Series by Karen Wiesner. Inspirational Women's Fiction. Jessie Nelson has been telling herself she doesn't deserve or believe in second chances, especially when it comes to love...until her "white rainbow" appears in a corporate pirate who conquers her, heart and soul. Reviewing for the author and YGR.

This is truly an engaging and wonderful book!

Kindle2:  Lilly's Garden by Kimberlee R. Mendoza.  White Rose miniature Eater story. Lovely - too short! Reviewing for YGR.

Yesterday's Promise by Delia Latham. Inspirational from White Rose Publishing. "A whirlwind romance amidst the natural splendor of Yosemite National Park....A spur-of-the-moment wedding....new husband gone with the mountain wind.
This was excellent!   Reviewing for YGR.

Audio CD: --------------

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Currently reading:

PB:  SEALed With a Ring by Mary Margaret Daughtridge.
She’s got it all…except the one thing she needs most  Smart, successful businesswoman JJ Caruthers has a year to land a husband or lose the empire she’s worked so hard to build. With time running out, romance is not an option, and a military husband who is always on the road begins to look like the perfect solution…
He’s a wounded hero with an agenda of his own  Even with the scars of battle, Navy SEAL medic Davy Graziano is gorgeous enough to land any woman he wants, and he’s never wanted to be tied down. Now Davy has ulterior motives for accepting JJ’s outrageous proposal of marriage, but he only has so long to figure out what JJ doesn’t want him to know…

Book supplied by Sourcebooks for review here at MBS.
Just over half way through this very charming and fun story!

Kindle2:  Girl Gone Nova by Pauline Baird Jones. This is a Sci-Fi, romance sequel to The Key that I read just a week or so ago.

Doc--Delilah Oliver Clementyne’s—orders are simple: do the impossible and do it fast. A genius/bad ass, she does the impossible on a regular basis. But this time the impossible is complicated by an imminent war between the Earth expedition to the Garradian Galaxy and the Gadi, an encounter with some wife-hunting aliens, and not one but two bands of time travelers.

She could handle all that, but her biggest challenge—and the reason the impossible might be not possible this time—is that she’s fallen in love.

Wrong time, wrong man, wrong everything. So why does it feel so right?

Review and interview with Author Giveaway to be posted here at MBS soon!One word description:  WOW!  65% complete.
It has been hard to put SEALed and Girl Gone Nova down! That is why I am mid way on both! :)

Audio CD:  Absolute Power by David Baldacci.  This was Baldacci's first book back in 1996 - Political thriller.  Reviewing for Hachette - to be posted here at MBS. 

I still have a couple of discs to go.  I am glad I only remembered the vague premise from the movie.  The characters and plot have been very engaging!

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Coming up this week:

I'm not listing any upcoming books as I am going to concentrate on writing reviews!

Sunday Words of Encouragment February 28, 2010

We had a guest pastor this morning and his sermon was quite interesting.  He asked "What in the world is the Church for?"  "If Jesus attended a service today would He say :'Yes, that is what I envisioned?'"
The pastor said we are to be beautiful, like the Bride of Christ. He defined evangelism as "expressing [through my daily life] what I have in Christ and [when given the opportunity] explaining how I came to possess it.]  We need to be imitators of the love and grace of Christ in life, fellowship, worship and service.  We need to 'wear the coat of the Lord' so others see Him and not our pitiful, weak and sometimes ugly selves.  Gives a lot to think about.

Thought this might be an interesting Video to go with that message.

Verse for today:
James 1:22 New American Standard
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

I prayed especially this morning for grandparents everywhere. Also I prayed that I might "wear His coat well."

Thank You Giveaway for 256 Followers!

It is time to thank my wonderful followers again!!
As of this post there are 256 followers! THANK YOU!
This Giveaway is for YOU.

If you have been around my blog for a while you know that I hold a Follower Thank You Giveaway for every 50 followers! A blog is not much fun if there are no followers or commenters!

This giveaway is ONLY for the 256 people who are following when this Giveaway posts!

This Giveaway is for a $25.00 gift certificate, online or gift card, of the winner's choice so it can be accessible to international followers too!

Since everyone included in this is already a follower you only need to make One entry! Leave your e-mail so I can contact you if you win!

The contest will remain open until Friday March 19, 2010 at midnight central time, with the winner to be announced on Saturday morning!

Thanks again to each and every one of you for your support!! 


I hope new people will join but you will have to wait for the next Follower giveaway to enter please! I have noted a couple of people have said they are following but I have not been able to confirm them through the Google Friend Connect on the sidebar. If you click on the Follow button it will either say you are already following or it will ask you to follow...so if you are not sure... check again.  Or you can look at your own profile and make sure Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf is there.  If not, please follow, but again you will have to wait till the next followers' giveaway to participate. 

Three Winners of Who Owns the World by Kevin Cahill with Rob McMahon!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE THREE WINNERS OF

WHO OWNS THE WORLD

Edmontonjb

Birdson

Wendi P

I will e-mail the winners the Hachette form to fill in.

Martha's Bookshelf *** Friday Pick Giveaway February 26, 2010

PLEASE NOTE UPDATED RULES IN RED BELOW!

I am going to continue to include the full list updated with chosen books crossed off.  You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see each post and the book pictures if you want!

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books!  And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by the Friday Pick Giveaways.

I have posted ten Friday Pick posts with 16 books each.  I will strike out the books as they are chosen. Some of the books may be chosen by winners in the SaSR weekly drawings. So it will be first pick to the one who claims it.  SaSR winners are announced Friday mornings (or afternoon if I get busy!) and it usually takes that person a bit of time to get back to me. That means the Friday Pick winner who is drawn Thursday night will usually get the choice named in their comment as I will have time to remove it from the file list before announcing the winner at SaSR.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists (less whichever books might be picked by the comment or SaSR winners each week).  PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM SETTING A NEW CUT OFF TIME AS THURSDAY  NIGHTS AT 10:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up past midnight to do the winner post!
I will randomly pick two winners to announce the next Friday.
ALSO, TO SAVE ME EXTRA WORK, I WILL ASK THE WINNERS TO CHECK THE WIN POST ON FRIDAYS AND E-MAIL ME THEIR ADDRESSES at mesreads@gmail.com.  I will confirm receipt of the addresses.  If I have the winners e-mail I will send a reminder over the weekend but I won't be so rushed on Fridays!  So I still recommend that you leave your e-mail especially if you are new and I don't have a way to find it!

Thanks for helping these books find a new home!!

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

List 1
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Married at Midnight (Anthology) Kathleen Woodiwiss, Jo Beverley, Tanya Anne Crosby & Samantha James
A Jockey's Life by Dick Francis
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo
Net Force - One is the Lonliest Number by Tom Clancy
Everlasting by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peritti
A Time to Kill by John Girsham
Unlaced by Kristina Cook
Love in Bloom by Shelia Roberts
Tamed by a Laird by Amanda Scott
Jerusalem Vigil by Bodie & Brock Thoene
Whispers and Lies by Joy Fielding
Never Seduce a Scoundrel by Sabrina Jeffries
Almost Single by Advaita Kala

Pick#2
Love Me Forever by Johanna Lindsey
It Had to be you (the Gossip Girl prequel) by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann
Lord of a Thousand Nights by Madeline Hunter
On the Run by Iris Johansen
The Crush by Sandra Brown
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross
Abandon by Carla Neggers
Shadows in the Heart - A Jewels of the Quill Halloween Anthology *PA*
Bait by Karen Robards
The Lighthouse by Mary Schramski
Listen to the Silence by Marcia Muller
Kissing Midnight by Emma Holly
The Lightkeeper by Susan Wiggs (I loved this historical romance and it got me to reading all of Susan Wiggs!)
It's Always Something by Gilda Radner - Gilda's poignant battle with cancer.
11th Hour by Bradley Warshauer

Pick #3
Put Your Dreams First - Handle your [entertainment] business HY[E]B by Thembisa Mshaka
Delivered by Christmas Anthology - Linda Howard, Joan Hohl andSandra Steffen
The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
Until Prove Guilty by J.A. Jance
One Night with a Prince by Sabrina Jeffries
Maverick Wild by Stacey Kane
Red Fire by Dierdre Knight
Cloud Nine by LuAnn Rice
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon
Under the Mistletoe by Mary Balogh
The Bartered Bride by Mary Jo Putney
Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank
Payback by R.I. Kaiser
The Angels of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Dream in Color - How the Sanchez Sisters are Making History in Congress

Pick #4
Honeymoon by James Patterson
Talking God by Tony Kellerman
Twelve Acres by Barbara Delinsky
Black Ice by Anne Stuart
Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford
CORRECTION:  This was not The Last of The Mohicans based on the Novel by James Fenimore Cooper - although I do have that;  The book in the group is The Sixth Sense (a book my son left me when he went off to the service).
A Cowboys Redemption by Jeanie Watt (PA)
Three Weeks in Paris by Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Tripwire by Lee Child
The Shadow by Shelley Munro (PA)
Children of the Wild by Orson Scott Card
Until Death Do Us Part by Christine Mcquire
Warning Signs by Stephen White
The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman
Swear by the Moon by Shirley Busbee
Montana Bride by Barbara Clark (A)

Pick #5

See Jane Lead by Lois P. Frankel
Jake's Return by Liana Laverentz (A)
The Jester by James Patterson - Audio Tapes
Firestorm by Nevada Barr
Manhunt by Janet Evanovich - Audio CDs
Bloodlines by Dinah McCall (slightly creased "SC")
The Darkroom by Minette Walters
Wish You Well by David Baldacci - Audio Tapes
The Daddy Spell by Patti Ann Cole
Ice Hunt by James Rollins
Surrender a Dream by Jill Barnett
Irresistible by Mary Balogh
Misfortune by Nancy Geary
False Prophet by Faye Kellerman
Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes
A Kiss of Fate by Mary Jo Putney (SC)

Pick #6

Best Kept Secrets by Sandra Brown - Audio CDs
Demon Rum by Sandra Brown
Tin Man by Dale Brown
Song of the Beast by Carol Berg
The Marshall Takes a Bride by Renee Ryan *PA*
The Torment of Others by Val McDermid
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith
The Edge of Town by Dorothy Garlock
The Hostage Bride by Jane Feather
Gypsy Lover by Edith Layton
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
The Elusive Flame by Kathleen Woodwiss
The House of Women by Alison G. Taylor
The Healer by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Elusive Love by Catherine Lanigan
Mistletoe and Mischief by Patricia Wynn

Pick #7
Desperate Duchess by Eloisa James
In Her Defense by Stepehn Horn - Audio Tape
A Perfect Gentleman by Barbara Metzger (slightly creased)
Scarred by William Heffernan (spine creased)
When A Stranger Loves Me by Julianne Maclean (Autographed)
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape
The Path to Her Heart by Linda Ford (Personally Autographed)
Deception Point by Dan Brown
Barbarians of Malka by Justus Roux
X-Men 2
Hunted by William W. Johnstone (spine frayed at top)
Wedded in a Whirlwind by Liz Fielding (Autographed)
Man of My Dreams by Johanna Lindsey (spine frayed a bit at bottom)
Kisscut by Karen Slaughter - Audio Tape
Princess Charming by Jane Heller (slightly creased)
The Janson Directive by Robert Ludlum 

Pick #8
(sc) = slightly creased on binding otherwise all in good shape

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
The Jury by Steve Martini - Audio Tapes
Dream Chaser by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Stormy Weather by Carl Haasen - Audio Tapes
The Vision by Heather Graham (sc))
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Fool Me Once by Fern Michaels
Midnight Come Again by Dana Stabenow (sc)
Speak No Evil by Allison Brennan (sc)
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland - Audio Tapes (box creased but tapes good)
Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian (sc)
Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen (sc)
The Nosy Neighbor by Fern Michaels
Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson - Audio Tapes
Vertical Run by Joseph R. Garber (sc)

Pick #9
Spyder Web by Tom Grace - Audio Tapes
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Three Weddings and a Kiss - Anthology
The Rogue and the Rival by Maya Rodale (Personally Autographed)
Final Appeal by Lisa Scottoline (spine creased)
The Lost World by Michael Crichton - Audio Tapes
Evil Whispers by Owl Goingback
Her Highness My Wife by Victoria Alexander
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murrray
Darkfall by Stephen Laws
Runaway Heart by Stephen J. Cannell
Guardian by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Grace in Autumn by Lori Copeland and Angela Hunt
The Lottery Winner by Mary Higgins Clark
Time to Hunt by Stephen Hunter - Audio Tapes
Vanity by Jane Feather

Pick #10
Night by Elie Wiesel
Cruel & Unusual by Patricia Cornwell (slightly creased -sc)
The Third Twin by Ken Follett (spine creased)
Double Blind by Ken Goodard
Fool's Paradise by Tori Phillips
Deep Black by Stephen Coonts
The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodwiss (spine creased)
A Stranger in The House by Gloria Murphy
The Hunter by Gennita Low (sc)
Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman - Audio Tapes
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
The Trouble with Mary by Millie Criswell
Dreams Gather by Kathryn Collins (sc)
Shades of Twilight by Linda Howard
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Aristocrat by Catherine Coulter (I have most of her books and this is a duplicate!)

Winners of Comment Tuesday!

Thank you everyone who commented on the Review of A Holiday in Bologna and on the Tuesday Romance post. I enjoyed reading places you find romantic too! Your guesses were so much fun! 
Only one had the right guess though and that was:

She correctly guessed that my DH's favorite romantic place was "in bed"! So Cheryl gets her choice of a book from the book list!  Please e-mail me with your choice and address. mesreads@gmail.com

The winner of the comment drawing is:

JAD - Please e-mail me with your choice and address too. mesreads@gmail.com

Winners of Friday Pick 2/19/2010

CONGRATULATIONS TO FRIDAY PICK WINNERS 

FOR 2/19/10

Well CouponMom was destined to win...I thought the count was 14 at first and entered 1-14 and it came up as 14. Then I realized one was not an entry. So I put in 1-13 and wondered how I felt about changing one of the winners... Don't you know it came up 13!! So CouponMom gets Kisscut! Please e-mail me with your address and I will send your book along with some goodies.

Razlover has consistently picked Speak No Evil! Persistence pays off! Please e-mail me with your info!

A Note to all winners of books that I mail out - I will include some bookmarks with your books. When you e-mail me please let me know if you prefer no erotica author/book bookmarks or are okay with any kind of bookmark.