Sunday Post August 30, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday August 31, 2020

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)?

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 had another busy week.  My two large commercial closings got pushed to this week but one is fully ready and will close with the help of Zoom oversight. The other is waiting for final approvals.

This week I decided to share some simple flower pictures I took
when the colors caught my eye.

We did get rain from Hurricane Marco earlier in the week. Our community feels for Cameron and surrounding communities in Louisiana for the destruction by Hurricane Laura.
This morning we had a surprise storm. I had just finished filling the bird feeders when fierce wind and rain struck.

I have been enjoying reading/listening. I finished three audiobooks. I posted three reviews and my usual memes.

I visited 15 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to Because Reading is Better Than Real Life. Michelle and Berl share "chat books, blogging and family". Michelle hosts challeges and also has a design site Limabean Design.

Don't forget- Audible is offering free children's titles during these days at home.
Audiobooks.com is also offering free listens for children.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post August 23, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday August 24, 2020.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Catalyst Downward Cycle by J K Franks; Genre: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Dodge & Twist by Tony Lee; Genre: Literature & Fiction, Classics; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway August 28, 2020. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/3/2020.

• Author2020- Book Review: The Lane Betrayal (Time Box Book 1) by John A. Heldt; Genre: Historical Fiction, Time Travel Romance; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement August 30, 2020.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Woof
Written By: Spencer Quinn
Narrated By: James Frangione
Duration: 7 h 5 min
I have been looking at this series for a while.
This is a fun listen.
Source: 10/29/2019 Audiobooks.com 2 for 1 Deal.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (A2020)

Rocky River Bridge
A Grower's War Prequel
By: D. J. Molles
Narrated by: Christian Rummel
Series: A Grower's War, Book 0.5
Length: 29 mins
Release date: 02-07-17
Plus Catalog free titles were a great surprise from Audible this week.
I wanted a quick listen so I downloaded this to listen right away.
Source: Free Plus Catalog from Audible.
Publisher's Summary
Two young boys set off for the Rocky River Bridge through their war-torn North Carolina hometown, both with something to prove - an adventure that will quickly teach them the realities of the raging world around them, in this prequel to DJ Molles' newest novel: The Purge of District 89.
©2017 D. J. Molles (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

3. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Prominence
By: A.C. Hadfield
Narrated by: Marc Vietor
Series: Blackstar Command, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
Release date: 10-09-18
This was my Space Sci Fi for the week. :-)
Source: 4/2/19 Audible Daily Deal $2.95
Publisher's Summary
They tried to destroy our planets. Our way of life. They tried to send us into extinction. But we, the Coalition, fought them and won. That was a decade ago. We had assumed they were beaten for good.
We were wrong.
They’re known as the Host: a cabal of aliens seeking to dominate our sector of space. And they’re back - with help from a powerful new enemy.
Against their wrath, we must stand. We’re outnumbered and unprepared. If we lose, we lose everything.
But there is hope. An ancient race of long-dead but technologically advanced aliens called the Navigators have a ship called the Blackstar that could potentially turn the tide. That is if I, Kai Locke, a humble ship racer, can find it and learn how to harness its power in time.
If I fail, the Coalition will fall, and the Host will consign us to a distant memory. I refuse to let that happen. I will fight to my last breath for the Coalition’s survival.
For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, Battlestar, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
©2017 A.C. Hadfield & Colin F. Barnes (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Currently Reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (NG2019)

Honor in an Age of Metal and Men
by Anthony W. Eichenlaub
This is engaging although
a little slower reading on my phone.
Source: 2019 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Agent 355
By: Marie Benedict
Narrated by: Emily Rankin
Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
Release date: 07-02-20
I am enjoying this historical short.
Source: July 2020 Free Audible Original.
About This Audible Original
From Marie Benedict, best-selling author of The Only Woman in the Room and Lady Clementine, comes a captivating work of historical fiction about a young female spy who may have changed the course of American History.
The tide is turning against the colonists in the Revolutionary War, and 18-year-old Elizabeth Morris cannot sit by idly. Quietly disdainful of her Tory parents, who drag her along to society events and welcome a British soldier into their home during their occupation of New York City, Elizabeth decides to take matters into her own hands. She realizes that, as a young woman, no one around her believes that she can comprehend the profound implications of being a nation at war - she is, effectively, invisible. And she can use this invisibility to her advantage. Her unique access to British society leads her to a role with General George Washington's own network of spies: the Culper Ring.
Based on true events, Agent 355 combines adventure, romance, and espionage to bring to life this little-known story of a hero who risked her life to fight for freedom against all odds.
©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

3. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Machine World
Undying Mercenaries, Book 4
By: B. V. Larson
Narrated by: Mark Boyett
Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
Release date: 05-12-15
I am ready to continue this military sci fi series.
Source: 5/12/19 Audible April Credits.
Publisher's Summary
The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell burners, Earth joined a vast empire that spanned the Milky Way. Our only worthwhile trade goods are our infamous mercenary legions, elite troops we sell to the highest alien bidder.
In the fourth book of the series, James McGill is up for promotion. Not everyone is happy about that, and McGill must prove he's worth his stripes. Deployed to a strange, alien planet outside the boundaries of the Galactic Empire, he's caught up in warfare and political intrigue. Earth expands, the Cephalopod Kingdom launches ships to stop us, and a grand conspiracy emerges among the upper ranks of the Hegemony military.
In Machine World McGill faces an entirely new kind of alien life, Galactic prosecution, and thousands of relentless squid troopers. He lives and dies in the falling ashes of the empire, a man of unique honor at the dawn of humanity's resurgence.
Machine World is a military science fiction novel by best-selling author B. V. Larson. (To find the first book in the series, search for Steel World by B. V. Larson.)
©2015 B. V. Larson (P)2015 Audible Inc.

I hope to get to another NetGalley title by the end of the week.

I'm keeping track of my Alphabet here as I finish the books. These are the letters that remain:
NETGALLEY:  H  M  U X  Y and Z
AUDIO:             X  and  Z

August 30, 2020 - I remain caught up on daily reading. I need to be in the word every day. I am again enjoying the devotions and readings with the One Year Bible plan through You Version App. I considered changing but this is the reading group that is closest to my husband's reading so we can sometimes discuss the same passages.
I still haven't picked a new study yet.

I completed three books and posted three reviews, remaining up to date.
My NetGalley shelf is now at 7, three current and the four titles from 2012-13 which I still hope to read this year.
I have added no new author review titles this week. I still have one carry over author ebook left. I have two audiobooks from authors. I feel good getting caught up on these books.
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

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 (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
One new review book this week from NetGalley.
I still have to check the email requests I have been receiving. {Sigh.}
I purchased three Chirp titles for $11.97. I added the August Free download from ChristianAudio.
Then I had a spree for free Audible Plus titles - 10 titles!
I found a free children's book and it led me to 31 more free Kindle titles this week.
(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

Received from Publisher and NetGalley.
I always enjoy the Andy Carpenter Series and I have been hoping to get one of the Christmas stories!
Silent Bite: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel Book 22)
by David Rosenfelt

Won

NONE

Purchased

8/30/2020 Chirp Purchases - Maybe I should try not to check into this site!
$4.99 I've had my eyes on this one for a long time.
The Gone World
by Tom Sweterlitsch




$2.99 This looks like one I will like.
Unforgettable
by Eric James Stone



$3.99 I like a good fairy tale retelling and I like this author.
The Golden Braid
by Melanie Dickerson

Free

I picked up the free ChristianAudio book for August:
God Is Able
Author Priscilla Shirer
Narrator Lisa Renee Pitts


I was notified of Plus Catalog Free Selections. It felt like Christmas or my Birthday downloading these free books, some prequels and some full length. Thank you Audible. Being a faithful subscriber for 19 years sure has paid off! There are more but I decided this was enough for one sitting!
8/29/2020
Rocky River Bridge: A Grower's War Prequel
By: D. J. Molles
Narrated by: Christian Rummel
Series: A Grower's War, Book 0.5
Length: 29 mins

The Gun: The End Time Saga Origin Short Story
By: Daniel Greene
Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
Series: The End Time Saga
Length: 1 hr and 33 mins


Firefly: Big Damn Hero: Firefly, Book 1
By: James Lovegrove
Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
Series: Firefly, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Monster Hunt NYC
The Monster Hunt NYC, Book 1
By: Harmon Cooper
Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott
Series: Monster Hunt NYC, Book 1
Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Hell Divers II: Ghosts
The Hell Divers Series, Book 2
By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Series: The Hell Divers Series, Book 2
Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Out of the Silent Planet
Ransom Trilogy, Book 1
By: C.S. Lewis
Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
Series: Ransom Trilogy, Book 1
Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins

Murder on the Orient Elite
A Tale of the Grimnoir Chronicles
By: Larry Correia
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
Series: Grimnoir Chronicles
Length: 1 hr and 14 mins

Tokyo Raider
A Tale of the Grimnoir Chronicles
By: Larry Correia
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
Series: Grimnoir Chronicles
Length: 1 hr and 8 mins

Dragon Planet
By: Dan Wells
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller, Steve Rimpici, full cast
Series: The Zero Chronicles, Book 2
Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins


Detroit Christmas
A Grimnoir Chronicles Audio Drama
By: Larry Correia
Narrated by: full cast
Series: Grimnoir Chronicles
Length: 1 hr and 12 mins

32 FREE KINDLE children books including:
Pomodoro Penguin Makes a Friend

My grandkids love Penguins.



Henrietta Hen In Trouble Again

They like hens and so do I.



Free titles often found at Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.