Sunday Post December 20, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 21, 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.

We had a busy week as people try to get their closings done before year end knowing there will be days closed for holidays in the next two weeks. Heather gets vacation this year and I get to work.
I am also trying to get my legal and probate files in line before year's end. It won't happen but I can get organized for the New Year.
On the homefront, Hubby surprised me with breakfasts several times this week. So sweet.

This is a picture of frost on the back lawn before it is burned off by the sun.
This happened three mornings this week.
It isn't as pretty as the snow that northerners get but it isn't as cold either!

Christmas day will be our coldest this week at 28 to 46.

WISHING A BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

I enjoyed my reading and listening last week. I had three Christmas books: one audio, and two ebooks. I posted three reviews and my usual memes.
Countdown to finish challenges:
TBR -need to finish the 2 which are lined up this week.
I found a TBR audio title that has an X in it which I am using to finish my alphabet title.
NetGalley - Completed!

I visited 18 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to Christian Bookshelf Reviews. Melanie says: "I'm a Christian and an avid reader. I enjoy many genres, but I have to say my favorite is suspense/thriller and one of my favorite series is the Patrick Bowers Files by Steven James (intense, but so good!)." I'll have to look up that series.

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 December 13, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 14, 2020.

• NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: Survive the Fall (EMP: Return of the Wild West Book 1) by Grace Hamilton; Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

• NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: Yang Warriors by Kao Kalia Yang Genre: Children, Immigration, Refugee; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway December 18, 2020. Open Worldwide. Ending 12/24/2020.

• NG2020- #NetGalley Audio Book Review: Megge of Bury Down by Rebecca Kightlinger; Genre: Coming of Age, Historical Fantasy; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement December 20, 2020.

Finished Reading:

1. Kindle App on Phone (ebTBR)

Cold Feet: A Short Story for Christmas (Hand-Me-Downs Book 2)
by Meggan Haller
This is a bit heartwrenching.
Source: December 2016 Free Kindle download.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)

Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel
Written By: Annie England Noblin
Narrated By: Amy McFadden
Duration: 9 hours 59 minutes
This is a sweet romance story with flawed characters.
Source: November 2019 Sale at Audiobooks.com $3.99.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Kindle App on Phone (ebTBR)

Thomas & the Christmas Orange: Storybook Advent Calendar Singles
by Lewis Brech
This is a nice book that speaks of sharing small blessings.
Source: August 2011 Free Kindle download.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:

You're Next
By: Gregg Hurwitz
Narrator: Scott Brick
Duration: 14 hrs and 1 min
This isn't Christmas but I pulled it in for the "X" in the title as that is the closest I can get to finish my audio alphabet.
Source: Audible 8/31/2017 sale $4.95.
Publisher's Summary
Mike Wingate had a rough childhood  —  he was abandoned at a playground at four years old and raised in foster care. No one ever came to claim him, and he has only a few, fragmented memories of his parents. Now, as an adult, Mike is finally living the life he had always wanted  —  he’s happily married to Annabel, the woman of his dreams; they have a precocious eight-year-old daughter, Kat; and his construction company is about to finish a “green” housing development that will secure a solid future for them all. Then the unimaginable happens: Something from Mike’s own past, a past he doesn’t even remember, comes back to visit terror upon him and his family. Menacing characters show up and begin threatening Mike, and when he reports them, the police seem more interested in Mike’s murky past than in investigating or protecting his young family. Now, with Mike, his wife, and their daughter suddenly under attack from all sides, Mike must turn to Shep, a truly dangerous man  —  and Mike’s only true friend  —  from their childhood days together in foster care. Together, the two of them will do whatever it takes to protect Mike’s family against the hidden men behind the terrifying warning “You’re Next!”
©2011 Gregg Hurwitz (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

2. Kindle App on Phone (ebTBR)

Message in a Bauble (Big Honey Dog Mysteries #3)
by H.Y. Hanna
I was drawn by this cover.
Source: Free Kindle November 2014.
Christmas intrigue. Daring rescue. Serious slobber.
When Honey the Great Dane finds a hidden note inside a strange Christmas bauble, the festive season takes a sinister turn. Was the note from a trapped child? Join Honey and her canine friends as they set off on a Search & Rescue--from snowy playgrounds to eerie libraries--while they race to solve the mystery of the message in the bauble.
Kids and dog lovers will love this action-packed Christmas mystery filled with suspense and humour - not to mention candy canes, gingerbread cookies and lots of mince pies!
This short novella is part of the Big Honey Dog Mysteries - don't forget to check out the full novels in the series: Curse of the Scarab(#1) and A Secret in Time(#2)
* EACH BOOK CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE MYSTERY

I complete my TBR and Goodreads challenges with these two books above.
I am pretty sure I will pick another audio and ebook before the end of the week but I haven't decided which yet. I might even read a print Christmas book.
I have a short audiobook ready for the last week, for New Year's. Maybe I'll look for an ebook about New Years too.

I am counting my Audio Alphabet as completed (when I finish the book). I had two letters left in the NetGalley Alphabet:
NETGALLEY:   X and Z
AUDIO:  COMPLETED when I finish the audio book!     X 

December 21, 2020 - I continue enjoying reading first thing each morning, even this week while away.
I am still 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 enjoyed the ten day Advent study: 10 Days of Christmas Truths to Live All Year.

I completed three books, posted three reviews and I continue to be up to date.
I added Six NetGalley titles and still have the three remaining titles from 2012-13. I plan to have half of my NetGalley challenge as TBRs for 2021.
I have two author titles in queue which will carry over to 2021. (Plus a few that I received from newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests.)
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.
I picked up six new NetGalley titles this week and have a few more requested.

I selected my two Audible picks for November credits. I will have two more credits to pick before the end of the month.
I also bought four Audible titles on sale and had several free from Audible Plus.
One free Kindle title 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

I picked up one Audio NetGalley title and five other titles. (I still have four on request.)

The Salvage Crew
by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Narrated by Nathan Fillion
Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Chicken Talk Around the World
by Carole Lexa Schaefer

Forever Phoebe
by Chalon Linton

Too Crowded
by Lena Podesta

The Pugly Duckling
by Carla Siravo
(I absolutely could not resist this cover!)

Aftershocks
Christians Entering a New Era of Global Crisis
by Jeff Kinley

Won

NONE

Purchased

12/16/2020 November Audible Credits

Vision in Silver
A Novel of the Others
By: Anne Bishop
Narrated by: Alexandra Harris
Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
Release date: 03-03-15

Commune: Book Three
By: Joshua Gayou
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
Release date: 11-15-18


12/17/2020 Audible Sale – Four for $5.00 each.

Alexander X
Battle for Forever, Book 1
By: Edward Savio
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
Release date: 06-05-19

The Age of Embers (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller)
The Age of Embers, Book 1
By: Ryan Schow
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

The Ranch: Jack Sterlings Legacy
The Legacy Series, Book 1
By: Sean Liscom
Narrated by: Christopher Lane
Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
Release date: 01-09-20

Contact Front
Drop Trooper, Book 1
By: Rick Partlow
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
Length: 8 hrs
Release date: 04-28-20

Free

12/17/2020 Titles from Audible Plus Downloads:
Six books in An Unofficial Gamer's Adventure

When Winter Comes
By: V. A. Shannon
Narrated by: Susannah Jones

Cruel Winter
A County Cork Mystery
By: Sheila Connolly
Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Inside Jobs
Tales from a Time of Quarantine
By: Ben H. Winters
Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Kevin T. Collins, Ellen Archer

One Free Kindle this week:

Christmas of Love: A Holiday Western Romance Novel (Long Valley Romance Book 5)
Erin Wright
I saw this at An Imperfect Christian Mom through Mailbox Monday.

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