Sunday Post December 13, 2015/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 14, 2015

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This was another good week though busy at work with my staff out (medical testings) for two days. I juggled and they paid for it with a busy day Thursday when they returned.  
Reading and listening was good.  I completed two ebooks and one audio, as planned.  I posted four reviews, one with a giveaway. And I posted the usual memes.

I enjoyed visiting again early in the week. That really does increase the fun of this meme.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post December 6, 2015/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 7, 2015.

• Audible Book Review: Silent Night, Holy Night: A Colleen Coble Christmas Collection by Colleen Coble; Romance Novellas; my rating 3.75.

• Audible Book Review: Suspect by Robert Crais; Police Procedure; my rating 4.75.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway December 11, 2015. Open Worldwide. Ends 12/17/2015.

• Audible Book Review: The Genuine Particle by Stephen Punt; Comedy, Radio Broadcast; my rating 4.25.

• Book Review and Giveaway (print): The Raven Saint by MaryLu Tyndall ; Historical Romance, Christian Romance; my rating 3.5. Ends 12/20/15

• Sharing Beyond Books #231 Comment Giveaway December 12, 2015; Open Worldwide. Ends 12/19/15.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement December 13, 2015.

Finished Reading:

1. eBook/Kindle

The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection: 12 Heartwarming
Historical Romances for the Season of Love
by Mary Connealy (Author), Diana Lesire Brandmeyer (Author), Margaret Brownley (Author), & 9 more
Lots of enjoyable novellas.
I'll post my review this week.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible

Leviathan
Written by: Scott Westerfeld
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
I did enjoy this and will add the next to my wish list in Audible.
Click on book title for full description.

3. eBook/Kindle

Unclutter Your Life! How to Tame Your Mess, Calm Your Mind, Lighten your Load
by Jen Williams
This was a really quick book with great ideas!
It qualifies for "U" in my Alphabet Soup Challenge.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle

The Lord Is My Shepherd: The Psalm 23 Mysteries #1
by Debbie Viguie
2% in and we've stumbled on the body. That is a good start.
It is one of the titles for my TBR Pile Challenge.
Cindy’s church is getting ready to celebrate Easter, and Jeremiah’s Temple is preparing for Passover when Cindy literally stumbles over the body of an unknown man lying dead in the sanctuary. The church was locked, and a bloody cross necklace on the floor seems to be the only clue. The killer is likely a member of the congregation, but there are hints that similar deaths have happened in the past. Are Cindy and Jeremiah dealing with a serial killer? They have to unravel the clues before Easter Sunday arrives and more people die.
Cindy and Jeremiah come from two different worlds, even though they work right next door to each other. Cindy is a strong Christian who lives a normal but somewhat dull life, working as a church secretary. Jeremiah is a Reformed rabbi with a mysterious past full of danger and excitement. But one eventful Easter/Passover week, the two find themselves working together to solve a murder and stop a serial killer from striking again. Solving the mystery should put an end to their alliance, but the church secretary and the rabbi quickly find themselves enmeshed in another mystery. Soon the two form a friendly alliance and friendship, exploring personal history and faith and growing closer with each passing adventure. Despite their differences Cindy and Jeremiah find a lot of common ground.

2. Audible

Goon Squad, Vol. 2: Without Sin
The Goon Squad, Book 2
Written by: Jonathan L. Howard
Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir, Nicholas Guy Smith
I enjoyed Vol. 1 so I requested Vol. 2.
I received this audio from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox.
Publisher's Summary
An ongoing, episodic "prose comic" from which the pictures are summoned by the magic of words, Goon Squad is set in a version of modern-day Manchester. Its biggest divergence from the real city is that it - along with most other large urban centers - has a team of superheroes to protect it against unusual threats with which the conventional forces of law and order would have problems.
Goon Squad, Volume 2: Without Sin is composed of "A Star in Strange Ways", "Holy Fool", "Dead Man Tells Tale", "A Brief History of the Goon Squad", "Tale of Terror", and "Pomona Island", as well as an introduction read by the author.
©2014 Jonathan L. Howard (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Skyboat Media, Inc.

3. eBook/Kindle

Xenonauts: Crimson Dagger
by Lee Stephen (Author), Francois Cannels (Illustrator),
I like this author and needed an X title for the Alphabet Soup Challenge.
The year is 1958. The Soviet Union and the United States of America are entrenched in a Cold War. But for Mikhail Kirov, captain in the Soviet Fourth Army, life is relatively idle. After serving honorably in Hungary, Mikhail is stationed to the base of Zossen Wünsdorf, south of Berlin, where he lives in a government-issued house with his wife and six-year-old daughter. Gone are the days of quelling the Hungarian Revolution. The biggest challenge he faces now is teaching his little girl arithmetic. But things are about to change.
An object of unknown origin has been intercepted over the Atlantic by the Americans. Nuclear missiles are launched. The object crashes in Iceland. In a tense moment of necessity, NATO contacts the Kremlin. The Americans need help.
Crimson Dagger serves as a prequel to the video game Xenonauts, by Goldhawk Interactive, a real time strategy game set in the Cold War era. It is a story about cooperation amid extraordinary circumstances as rival superpowers are forced into camaraderie to combat a superior foe. Selected as the leader of this unlikely alliance, Mikhail must set aside he and the Americans' differences as they enter the unknown side-by-side, prompting the question: is the enemy of one's enemy truly their friend?

October 1, 2015- I am still up to date on Bible reading and greatly enjoying the readings-- It seems my eyes are open to more details and meaning. I am reading The One Year Bible again along with my husband and others from our church. I am also listening to the companion commentary online.

I posted four reviews last week which keeps me up to date. I have read my last NetGalley selection for this year. 
I have read 9 of my 12 TBR Pile books.  The last three are full novels and I am starting those now.
I have the last of my Alphabet Soup Challenge to finish: "U" (read), "X", "Y" and "Z".

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received one audio review and three NetGalley selections - to be read for 2016.
I purchased five books at Audible on sale and one eBook at Amazon.
I also received one free book from Audible and of course I added more free kindle titles to my library.

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I requested two audio titles and received one so far:

Goon Squad, Vol. 2: Without Sin
The Goon Squad, Book 2
See the full description above under Current Reading.



I was looking at NetGalley and one thing led to another and I started requesting books for 2016.
I have received three of the requests I made.

Jessica's Christmas Kiss (Choc Lit): Fabulous, fun, feel good Christmas story (Christmas Kisses Book 3)
by Alison May
This looked like a really cute second chance story.

Path of the Bullet 

by M C Jacques

“With a steadily increasing fusion of murder, intrigue and suspense, the floundering Mark McKay finds himself thrown onto a hotbed of deception, fraud, incest and even a neo-Nazi’s murderous intent.”

Chakana
by W.E. Lawrence
Chakana is a historical romance novel filled with action, adventure, suspense, and intrigue.
Set in 1940 - this sounds like a story I will enjoy.

Plus I picked up eTreasures titles which are now available at NetGalley.
Although I have read most of our titles while editing or formatting I hope to read them now and review (with disclosure). We currently have two Christmas titles and three Sci Fi books in a series that are available through December 26, 2015. During 2016 I plan to upload new releases several weeks ahead along with existing/backlist titles.
Here is the link to our page at NetGalley: eTtreasures

Won

NONE

Purchased

Well - Audible still has books on sale and I am still lining up reading choices for 2016.

Total cost for these five titles was $10.97

• 
  For Honor We Stand: Man of War, Book 2
  Written by: H. Paul Honsinger ($1.99 because I already owned the Kindle version.)
• 
  The Synchronicity War, Part 1
  Written by: Dietmar Wehr (New series for me - $1.99 because I already owned the Kindle version.)
• 
  Tech World: Undying Mercenaries, Book 3
  Written by: B.V. Larson (November Credit)
• 
  The Never Hero: The Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs, Book 1
  Written by: T. Ellery Hodges (November Credit - new series for me.)
• 
  Reunion in Death: In Death, Book 14
  Written by: J. D. Robb ($1.99 because I already owned the Kindle version.)

I purchased one book at Kindle - This is our current Ladies Book Club read which I picked up on sale in hardback at Christianbook.com. When I saw it went on sale for $1.99 at Amazon I picked up the Kindle version which reads faster for me.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball: A Novella

Donita K. Paul

Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.

Free

An Audible Gift:
The Chimes by Charles Dickens




Over the past week I added 64 free Kindle titles to my library. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.