Sunday Post December 31, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 1, 2024 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We finished the last week with a lot of work! I had plans to spend Wednesday at the tag office transfering mobile home titles. That didn't happen as we got clear to close a transaction that had waited three months. Then I had three closings scheduled for Thursday. Both staff were in on Wednesday but one broke her arm at home Thursday morning. I had planned to be closed on Friday but ending up spending that day at the tag office. Still, I felt good when the week was over!

I did start the week out well with video chat with the Illinois family and then in person brunch with the Panama City crew.

It wasn't fancy but it was family.

These were the pastries and the casserole before it was cooked.

The table was festive.

 I continue to pray for the Advent messages:  Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

We did have some rain on Christmas but not bad. We are supposed to have rain again a few days this week. I was cold most of last week even thought it warms to high 50s during the days.

I've finished seven audios plus my Bible reading. I am doing short reviews for most of these on Goodreads. 

I visited only 10 blogs last week. I hope to start Shout Outs soon.

Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

• Sunday Post December 24, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday December 25, 2023.

• MBS November 2023 Reading List Wrap Up.

• MBS - 2023 Audiobook Challenge Year-End Status.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement December 31, 2023: Give, Pray, Fast!

Finished Reading:
I continued working on the Audibles that expired 12/31. I have been doing the reviews at Goodreads so there will be links to those.
1. Kindle App on Smartphone (eB2023)

The Battle of Atlanta: A Captivating Guide to a Battle of the Atlanta Campaign That Changed the Course of the American Civil War
By Captivating History
My Rating 4.0. I enjoyed this and reviewed it at Goodreads.
Source: Offered and Downloaded through BookSprout.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible on Smartphone (A2023).

Raven's Peace
By: Glynn Stewart
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
Series: Peacekeepers of Sol, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
My Rating 3.75. It started well but I didn't get pulled in afterall. Reviewed at Goodreads.
Source: February 2023 Audible Plus Catalog, expiring 12/31.
Click on book title for full description.

3.  Audible on Smartphone (A2023).

Fortress Britain, Arisen, Book 1
By: Michael Stephen Stephen Fuchs, Glynn James
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Series: Arisen, Book 1
Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
I had read a prequel in this series and enjoyed this one.
My Rating 4.0. Reviewed at Goodreads.
Source: December 2023 Audible Plus; expired 12/31.
Publisher's summary
A world fallen under a plague of seven billion walking dead. A tiny island nation the last refuge of the living. One team of the world's most elite special operators. The dead, these heroes, humanity's last hope, all have...Arisen.
When the Zombie Apocalypse came, one country had shut down its borders in response to a major terrorist attack. Now Fortress Britain is the last bastion of the living with 50 million beleaguered survivors facing down a world of 7 billion animated corpses. And when civilization fell, one international team of supremely elite special operators was being assembled for a nearly impossible mission, deployed out of the SAS barracks at Hereford. Supremely trained and armed, always the most skilled, resolved, and unstoppable amongst us, now the commandos of Alpha team are humanity's last best hope for survival. Searching through the detritus of fallen Europe, scavenging pharmaceutical labs for clues to a vaccine that might bring humanity back from the brink, now they are tasked with one last desperate operation. They must cross the Atlantic aboard the world's only remaining supercarrier, insert by air into the very middle of a dead continent, and then fight their way on foot through a city of 3 million ravening dead guys. But these Zulus will not be like any zombies they have ever fought before....
©2013 Michael Stephen Fuchs, Glynn James (P)2014 Podium Publishing.

4. Audible on Smartphone (A2023).

Shackled
An Aldoran Chronicles Prequel
By: Michael Wisehart
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
Series: The Aldoran Chronicles, Book 0.5
Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
“Dragons and Mythical Creatures” pulled me in.
I did like this.
My Rating 4.25. Reviewed at Goodreads.
Source: April 2023 Audible Plus Catalog. Expired 12/31.
Publisher's summary
Ferrin is no ordinary blacksmith.
He is born with magic in a world where it’s not only feared, but outlawed. Struggling to keep food on the table, Ferrin decides to use his gift to aid in his work. That decision brings the Black Watch to his doorstep.
Caged alongside a helpless band of half-starved wielders, Ferrin formulates a strategy to escape. Armed with nothing more than his sarcastic wit and a determination to never give in, he attempts the impossible.
©2020 Michael Wisehart (P)2020 Podium Publishing

5. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Level Up or Die!
Underworld, Book 1
By: Apollos Thorne
Narrated by: Graham Halstead
Series: Underworld, Book 1
Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
I like LitRPG stories now and then. This one was interesting but a bit heavy on the stats.
My Rating 4.0. Reviewed at Goodreads. 
Source: February 2022 Audible Plus Catalog. Expired 12/31.
Publisher's summary
Elorion has just finished a VR gaming session to find a monster waiting for him. With 19 other students who have also been kidnapped, he is now subject to the whims of a thousand year old succubus, and he must survive deep under the Earth in the lost realm of the Underworld.
Gifted with the ability to use magic and advance in power, he is given an ultimatum: Level up or die!
©2017 Apollos Thorne (P)2018 Podium Publishing

6. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Robots and Roommates: Star Kingdom, Book 0
Series: Star Kingdom Series, Book 0
By: Lindsay Buroker
Narrated by: Fred Berman
Length: 34 mins
I liked these characters and want to try the series.
My Rating 4.25. Reviewed at Goodreads.
Source: June 2022 Audible Plus Catalog. Expired 12/31.
Publisher's summary
Long before Casmir Dabrowski and Kim Sato leave their world for the epic adventures of the Star Kingdom series, long before they outwit terrorists and mercenaries and do battle on a galactic scale, long before they become best friends and roommates...they have to meet for the first time. This is that story.
©2019 Lindsay Buroker (P)2021 Podium Audio

7.  Audible on Smartphone (A2023).

I.C.O.N.
Wardens of Issalia, Book 0
By: Jeffrey L. Kohanek
Narrated by: Tim Campbell
Length: 1 hr and 8 mins
I liked this mini fantasy story.
My Rating 4.25. Reviewed at Goodreads.
Source: April 2023 Audible Plus Catalog. Expired 12/31.
Publisher's summary
A thief, a poisoned blade, and a monster on the loose.
Life as king is never easy. Subterfuge, assassinations, and Chaos magic take center stage as the rise of a new threat forces the King of Kantaria to take drastic action.
Discover the origin behind I.C.O.N. and learn more about the conflict to come in the Wardens of Issalia Saga.
©2021 Jeffrey L. Kohanek (P)2021 Podium Audio

Currently Reading:

1. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Armageddon
Expeditionary Force, Book 8
By: Craig Alanson
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
This is a series I like and I decided to start towards my 2024 Alphabet Challenge.
Source: 11/16/22 October Audible Credit.
Publisher's summary
After the Renegade mission by the crew of the starship Flying Dutchman, the UN Expeditionary Force thought Earth was safe for hundreds of years, at least.
After there was trouble on the home front and the president had to authorize a nuclear strike on an American city, UNEF decided they did need the Merry Band of Pirates again.
So, the Flying Dutchman is sent out on a simple recon mission. But for the pirates, nothing is ever simple, and their mission will become Armageddon.
©2019 Craig Alanson (P)2019 Podium Audio

2. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

The Josiah Manifesto
By: Jonathan Cahn
Narrated by: Lawrence Richardson
Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
I always enjoy this author and this is my pick for FIRST READ of 2024.
Source: 9/17/2023 August Audible Credit.
Click on link to see full description.

There will be more but I haven't decided on which ones next. 

December 31, 2023 - I finished the daily readings of BibleProject plan: The Full Story - "From the beginning to the Amen". Now I am deciding which new plan for 2024. Review at Goodreads.

I finished seven books, plus the Bible, all of which I reviewed at Goodreads.  

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I have two new audios as well as an older audio on my shelf I should listen to (next year).
I still have the two old NetGalley ebook titles.

Other Sources: I have a dozen or so books that I received from Facebook links and newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests. plus many titles through InstaFreebie over the past few years.

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: Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, me, and Emma at Words and Peace. Emma is retiring so we are looking for another person willing to assist.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

One new review titles from NetGalley.
I picked my December Audiobooks.com VIP plus Two for One Credit Holiday Romances.
I also picke my Two December Audible credits to make them TBR.
I still have 25 35 (or more) Audible Plus titles picked up over the past several weeks. I will list them another day.

Three new Kindle titles this week - 1 purchased, two free.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

December 27, 2023 NetGalley. This looks like a good Sci Fi.

The Altered Moon 2: The Tyrant of Unity
By James McGettigan, Jingjing Huntley (Photographer), Fabiana Granado, Kyle Davis, Jason Frank, Serena Lucatero, Jacqui Corn-Uys (Editor), Anthony McGettigan (Editor), Judy McGettigan (Editor)
(I have started reading this.)

Won

NONE

Purchased

12/31/2023 Year end two December Audible Credits
This looks like a series I would enjoy.

Torrent Witches Cozy Mysteries Complete Box Set: Books 1-10
By: Tess Lake
Narrated by: Natalie Duke
Length: 65 hrs and 31 mins



I have listened to book one and wanted to continue this series.

Drop Trooper Books 1-4
A Military Sci-Fi Box Set
By: Rick Partlow
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
Length: 33 hrs and 12 mins


12/31/2023 Audible Purchase $1.73. I saw this on the Kindle Free Reads gift and purchased the Audible since I chose a different gift book.

Resting Scrooge Face
A Short Story
By: Meghan Quinn
Narrated by: Carly Robins, Aaron Shedlock
Length: 1 hr and 42 mins


12/30/2023 This was a Kindle December First Read. I thought I was getting it for free but I think my prime account has expired as it was through my Husband’s credit card and I have not renewed it. Purchase for $1.99.

Scorpio (Frontlines: Evolution Book 1)
Marko Kloos





12/30/2023 Purchased the Audible version to go with the free Kindle $1.99.

Androne
By Dwain Worrell
Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
Series: Androne, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins


 12/30/2023 Audible Daily Deal purchase $1.99.

The Killing Room
By Robert Swartwood
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Series: Killing Room, Book 1
Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins


  12/27/2023 Audiobooks.com Two for One Credit Holiday Romances.

Under the Texas Mistletoe: A Trio of Christmas Historical Romance Novellas
By Karen Witemeyer
Narrated by Barbara Mcculloh
Duration: 11 hours 32 minutes

Holiday Homecoming Secrets
By: Lynette Eason
Narrated By: Rachel Dulude
Duration: 5 hours 57 minutes

Free

12/27/2023 Audiobooks.com December VIP

Vanishing Hour
By Laura Griffin
Narrated by: Julia Atwood
Duration: 9 hours 17 minutes



12/30/2023 Kindle free gift with First Reads (purchased Audible).

Androne
By Dwain Worrell





12/30/2023 Free Kindle notice through Bruce Beckham author newsletter. Available through 1/3/23.

The Adventures of Pearl and Dean: When city girl meets country boy
By Lee Thatcher





More Audibles to be listed later. 

Two new free titles added to Kindle library.  Free titles might be found at Bookbub, Book Adrenaline, Ereader News Today, Inspired Reads, or Kindle ebooks.