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Sunday, October 16, 2016

Sunday Post October 16, 2016/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday October 17, 2016


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.

I am still working on my To Do stacks of files at work. I have two probates finishing this week and I have three litigation cases set for final hearing in November.
Hubby is doing well although he grumbles about his exercises.
We are enjoying the cooler weather. I'll be attending a Florida book conference this weekend.

I really enjoyed my reading and listening this week. I finished two ebook, one print books and one Audible. I posted three reviews and the usual memes.

I visited early in the week.
This week I highlight Greg's Book Haven. He always shares fascinating art images, videos and cover characteristic posts. Set aside some time to take a look and enjoy. (I just wish I had more time to explore all he shares!)
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:
  • Book Review: Ergon by George HS Singer; Poetry; my rating 4.25.
  • Audio Book Review: Loreena's Gift by Colleen M. Story; Inspirational, Fantasy; my rating 4.25.

Finished Reading:
1. Print (Author)


Ergon
by George HS Singer
This is thought-provoking poetry.
My review is linked above.

Click on book title for full description.



2. eBook/Kindle (NG)


The Steam Man of the Prairies
by Edward S. Ellis
This was fun and interesting early steampunk.
I received this through NetGalley.

Click on book title for full description.



3. eBook/Kindle (Author)


The Soul Summoner
by Elicia Hyder
This is very engaging story telling.
I had this as a free Kindle book from 2015 plus it was offered this summer as a free book from the Author.



4. Audible (TBR)


What Happens in London
Written by: Julia Quinn
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
This reminded me why I collected Julia Quinn books. This was in my Audible library since 2012. It is a TBR and "W" for Alphabet Soup.
Publisher's Summary
Rumors and Gossip . . . The lifeblood of London
When Olivia Bevelstoke is told that her new neighbor may have killed his fiancée, she doesn't believe it for a second, but, still, how can she help spying on him, just to be sure? So she stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, cleverly concealed by curtains, watches, and waits . . . and discovers a most intriguing man, who is definitely up to something. Sir Harry Valentine works for the boring branch of the War Office, translating documents vital to national security.
He's not a spy, but he's had all the training, and when a gorgeous blonde begins to watch him from her window, he is instantly suspicious. But just when he decides that she's nothing more than an annoyingly nosy debutante, he discovers that she might be engaged to a foreign prince, who might be plotting against England. And when Harry is roped into spying on Olivia, he discovers that he might be falling for her himself . . .
©2009 Julie Cotler Pottinger; (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers




Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (NG)


Extracted (The Lost Imperials Series Book 1)
by Sherry D. Ficklin and Tyler H. Jolley
I am 10% into this 
and liking the time travel and steampunk.
I got this through NetGalley.
Two opposing factions of time travelers vie for control of the future in this thrilling steampunk series opener dubbed "Interesting" and "Unexpected" by Kirkus Reviews.
Lex and Ember—two time travelers with no memories of their lives before being recruited into the time war—are torn between the factions. When Lex accepts a mission that lands him deep within the heart of the Telsa Institute, he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they were, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them once again.
*This special edition contains expanded content and bonus material not found in the first release.



2. Audible (TBR)


Heroes Are My Weakness
Written by: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Narrated by: Erin Bennett
I picked this one from my Audible Library to listen to for TBR and "H". Interesting beginning with a Gothic feel.
Publisher's Summary
Deepest winter.
An isolated island off the coast of Maine.
A man.
A woman.
Puppets. (Yes, puppets…)
And…
A mysterious house looming over the sea…
He's a reclusive writer whose imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill his characters with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill an audience with laughs. But she's not laughing now.
Annie Hewitt has arrived on Peregrine Island in the middle of a snowstorm and at the end of her resources. She's broke, dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Her red suitcases hold the puppets she uses to make her living: sensible Dilly, spunky Scamp, and Leo, the baddest of bad guys. Her puppets, the romantic novels she loves, and a little bit of courage are all she has left.
Annie couldn't be more ill prepared for what she finds when she reaches Moonraker Cottage or for the man who dwells in Harp House, the mysterious mansion that hovers above the cottage from a windblown cliff. When she was a teenager, he betrayed her in a way she can never forget or forgive. Now they're trapped together on a frozen island along with a lonely widow, a mute little girl, and townspeople who don't know how to mind their own business.
Is he the villain she remembers or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.
It's going to be a long, hot winter.
©2014 Susan Elizabeth Phillips (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers



3. eBook/Kindle


Quirky Essays for Quirky People: The Complete Collection
by Barbara Venkataraman
This is a title from the author 
(and will be a "Q" for Alphabet Challenge).
For the first time, all in one place, the award-winning books, "A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities," and "I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course," PLUS seven bonus essays. What a collection! If this doesn't make you smile, then you're not even trying.
"A Trip to the Hardware Store"
These humorous essays explore such quirky topics as: disastrous home repairs, ("A Trip to the Hardware Store"), an unfortunate dinner party ("Dinner is Served"), the truth about lazy people ("Lazy Bones"), the weird life of a debt collector ("Your Account is Past Due") and obsessions with gadgets ("Gadget Girl"). Other essays examine how surreal the aging process is ("Where Did the Time Go?"), why you shouldn't judge a person by their job ("Beyond Belief"), and how to complicate simple transactions ("High Finance").
"I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course"
A collection of humorous insights into important topics ranging from annoying pet people ("I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course"), to analyzing your inner child ("Irrational Fears"), to living like the Amish in the aftermath of a hurricane ("A Jolt of Electricity"). Other essays examine just how much damage can be caused by a sneeze ("It All Started with a Loud Sneeze"), why it is so complicated to buy a tube of toothpaste ("Ask Me No Questions"), how a parent's obsessive hobbies can become an inescapable vortex ("Crazy Hobbies"), and why spending the night in a sleep clinic is like being abducted by probing aliens ("Nightmare at the Sleep Clinic").
If you don't see yourself in each of these entertaining essays, then I'm not talking about you, of course.


October 2, 2016 - I have really enjoyed reading Isaiah with all of its prophesies. I remain up to date with Reading The One Year Bible again along with my husband and others from our church. I will also be listening (sometimes) to the companion commentary online.

I posted three reviews which keeps me up to date and leaves me with four for this week.

I have requested a couple of audio titles as I can always squeeze listening in!
I continue reading author titles. I am reading another to bring the list to six this week.
My NetGalley shelf was down to one but I just refilled it to seven.
I was planning/hoping to get to TBRs for November when I will participate in Sci Fi Month but then I just picked up these new NG sci fi titles so TBRs will be squeezed in between.


We continue to add upcoming releases at eTreasure's NetGalley page.
We'll be working on another fiction title to go up this week.



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 still have new review requests to consider.
I had a happy day picking titles at NetGalley. :-)
I purchased one Kindle book.
I did resist the second Audible Sci Fi sale but this week I'll be picking up my two September credit selections.
I picked up the usual healthy number of free kindle titles -- Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles
I selected six Sci Fi titles from NetGalley. Guess I'll be reading several during November Sci Fi month!

The Wrong Unit: A Novel
by Rob Dircks
"It’s a science fiction tale of technology gone haywire, unlikely heroes, and the nature of humanity. (Woah. That last part sounds deep. Don’t worry, it’s not.)"


(I really like this cover.)
by Stephanie R. Sorensen
"Revolutionary young samurai with dirigibles take on Commodore Perry and his Black Ships in this alternate history steampunk technofantasy set in 1850s samurai-era Japan."

The Invisible City
by Brian K. Lowe
"Tracking German soldiers through the muddy trenches of France, Captain Charles Clee stumbles onto something amazing--a secret archeological expedition from the far future."
by Rhett C. Bruno
"A hard-charging opener to a promising, if bloody, space-opera series." —KIRKUS
The Reader
by MK Harkins
This one is actually listed as paranormal - and clean & wholesome.
"Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island."

by Sean Danker
"In the follow-up to Admiral, the intergalactic war has ended and hostilities between the Evagardian Empire and the Commonwealth are officially over, but the admiral is far from safe. . . ."


Won
NONE

Purchased
I purchased one $.99 Kindle - I couldn't resist.


To the Stars and Back: 5 Book Science Fiction Bundle
C.F. Barnes
"To the Stars and Back is a collection of books that range from Space Opera to Near-Future post-apocalypse and many stops in between."



Free

I only added 43 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.

10 comments:

  1. I enjoyed What Happens in London a year or so ago. Always a fun historical that she writes. I hope you enjoy Heroes are my Weakness - it was certainly a step outside her usual, yet I liked it, although I think readers were divided over it.

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  2. The Julia Quinn book and the Quirky one both caught my eye. Enjoy them all.

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  3. I enjoyed What Happens in London. Cute book.

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  4. My husband grumbles about exercise too. Have fun at the book conference.

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  5. Summer's Child by Diane Chamberlain.
    Have a super week everyone.

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  6. I adore Julia Quinn's writing! I hope you have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

    Colletta

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  7. Wrong Unit sounds interesting. Happy reading, and I'm so glad you liked Ergon

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  8. I've seen Extracted around and hope it's a good one! It's not quite on my TBR but I'll be checking out reviews.

    Di @ Book Reviews by Di

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  9. Hi Martha,

    Given your hectic professional life, I am amazed at the amount of reading and blogging that you manage to get through in the space of a week - I'm in awe!

    I hope that you enjoy your Florida book conference, although I am a little envious. We travelled to Florida from the UK every December for over 25 years, however, due to a drastic change in our circumstances, this trip hasn't been possible for the last 4 years and we both still miss it terribly.

    Oh Yes - Books! The Julia Quinn would have to be my choice as well, although I obviously hope that you enjoy them all :)

    Yvonne

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  10. I think that anyone who doesn't grumble about exercising is a bit crazy (but I'm very couch potatoish). Glad to hear your husband is doing so much better.

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Your comments are always appreciated!