It's Monday! What are you Reading March 7, 2011?

This meme starts at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books!

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 a good reading week, with extra reading because I've been in bed with a cold bug.   I finished reading four completely different review books. I posted four reviews, three with Giveaways; an author guest post; the Enquiring meme post and my Sunday post.

I did visit at least 10 blogs over the week. I still want to do more.
These were last week's posts plus Winner posts not listed.

•  It's Monday What are You Reading? February 28, 2011.

•  Mailbox Monday February 21, 2011.

• Help Me Pick March 2011 Next Read.

• Book Review and ARC Copy Giveaway: 13, rue Thérèse: A Novel by Elena Mauli Shapiro;  Fiction; my rating 4.5. Ends 3/18.

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick; Historical Fiction; my rating 4.75. Ends 3/18.

• Digging for Gold: Guest Post by Elizabeth Chadwick.

• Book Review and ARC Copy Giveaway: My Love, My Enemy by Jan Cox Speas;  Historical Romance; my rating 3.5. Ends 3/18.

•  Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway March 4, 2011. Ends 3/10.

• Audio Book Review: The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham; Nonfiction; my rating 4.25.

• Enquiring Minds Meme Week #27 with Comment Giveaway. Ends 3/11.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement March 6, 2011.

Finished Reading:

Print:

My Love, My Enemy by Jan Speas.

Review and ARC Giveaway linked above.

 Beautiful descriptions 
but a bit slower read.

Print and Kindle:

House Divided by Raul Ramos Y Sanchez
Hachette Fiction  

I will post the review and ARC
Giveaway on Tuesday 3/8.  

This was a very fast and intense read.

Print:

Taste Me
by Tamara Hogan
Sourcebooks

I plan to post the review and
ARC Giveaway on

Thursday 3/10.

This is a sexy rocker read.

Hot, sexy urban fantasy romance by a new author with talent to burn...
He Wants Her So Badly He Can Taste It...
Ever since their tempestuous fling years ago, incubus Lukas Sebastiani has known that siren Scarlett Fontaine was meant to be his. But when you're a sex demon with an insatiable desire, relationships are way more than complicated...
Her Siren Songs Bring Men to Their Knees...
Rock star Scarlett Fontaine desperately needs a break after a grueling tour. But with murder and mayhem surrounding her band, and the one man she never thought to see again put to the task of protecting her, life is going to be anything but peaceful...
Every encounter between them creates more turmoil-and heat-until Scarlett pushes Lukas to the boiling point, and unleashes forces that go way beyond anything she can hope to control...

Kindle:

Late Harvest by Suzanne Barrett

This was lovely and I will post this review this week also.

Product Description
Kurt von Daniken wants only one thing from Glenna Ryan: The key to making Eiswein - Ice Wine. Five years ago, while working at his family's California winery, she'd begun developing the method to simulate wine made from grapes gathered after a freeze. Now, when the winery desperately needs it, the only person who might be able to duplicate Glenna's process, Kurt's tyrannical Uncle Otto, lies paralyzed by a stroke and near death. Glenna wants only one thing from the von Danikens: To be left in peace to raise her son, Robbie, who suffers from a birth defect and needs an expensive surgery to repair it. When Kurt suddenly appears at her home, demanding she return to Cresthaven and complete the process, Glenna knows the money she'll earn by doing so will provide Robbie the treatment he needs. She also knows she'll risk having her heart broken, again, by Kurt, the only man she's ever loved. But, what if he discovers the real reason she left Cresthaven?

Line Edits/Releases:

Love From the Ashes by Patricia Andres didn't get up because of my being off the internet most of this week.

Currently reading:

Print: 
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey - Hachette Fiction 

I am a third of the way into this.

The emotions in this and the history are very interesting. Review and ARC giveaway soon.

Product Description:
From Patricia Falvey, the acclaimed author of The Yellow House, comes The Linen Queen, a moving tale of love and loyalty set in Northern Ireland during the Second World War.

Winning the Linen Queen beauty competition—and its prize money—at first seems the answer to Sheila McGee’s prayers, giving her the means to escape her small mill town. Unfortunately, before she could set her plans in motion, the Belfast blitz makes it impossible for her to get the travel papers she needs. Another opportunity opens up, however, when the Americans—and Captain Joel Solomon—arrive, but even as Sheila fights to hold on to her dream, the war marches ever closer, threatening to engulf her and her friends in the flames of hatred and destruction.

Print and Kindle: 

Pale Demon: Library Edition (The Hollows) by Kim Harrison

I really enjoy this series. Very intense.

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches' conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after - forever after.
But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, anda pixy in one car, going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.
For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight, freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Audio:
Maeve Binchy Value Collection: 
The Copper Beach, Circle of Friends, The Glass Lake.  
I am just finishing the first story. Enjoyable shorts.

Audible: I am listening to is The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. He is a wonderful reader. I am at Leviticus 4.

Line Edits: Working to finalize and format Soylent Red by Jamieson Wolf. Also doing final edits on Desperate Measures by Cindy Comer.

Review books Scheduled for March:

March 9:  Interview with Author R Pelke

March 15: Living With Angels (God Wars) by Rob Tobin - Bewitching Book Tours with Author Guest Post and ebook Giveaway

March 17: Welcome to Last Chance - Hachette Review and Giveaway

March 22: Rogue Oracle by Alayna Williams- Bewitching Book Tours

March 23: The Chosen King by Helen Hollick- Sourcebooks reviw with Author Interview

Unscheduled for March:

Highland Heat by Mary Wine- Sourcebooks
The Healing Code: 6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Your Health, Success, or Relationship Issue by Alexander Loyd - Grand Central Station (Hachette)

Merely Magic by Patricia Rice- Sourcebooks

Legacy by Jeanette Baker- Sourcebooks

Sunday Words of Encouragement March 6, 2011

I am feeling marginally better but I did not attend church this morning so I would not pass the yucky germs I have. Several weeks ago we had a wonderful evening sermon that I made notes on.
The sermon was entitled: A Study on Faith - A Testing of Attitude.
It was an excellent sermon and the two important verses to start with are Eccl 7:14 and James 1:2.

Eccl 7:14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 

We go through adversity for different reasons.
1.  To get our attention;
2.  To remind us He loves us;
3.  To conquer our pride;
4.  To reveal our weaknesses;
5.  To show His faitfulness;
6.  To prepare us to comfort others; or
7.  To reveal His glory in us.

One important thing Not to do is blame others.  No matter where we come from, we are each responsible for our own choices and actions in our lives. We can choose our own ways or choose to be obedient and submissive. We also choose our attitude - whether joy in all things, blessings or trials, or bitterness at what we do not have.

Verses for today::

Haggai 1:5-7 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁵ Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

 ⁷ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

I pray that daily I can surrender my will to His Will.

Enquiring Minds - Meme Week 27 PLUS Comment Giveaway + Winner

Thanks for sharing last week about perfumes, pillows and fantasy characters.  I'm not sure why many of us choose Beauty/Belle but maybe we are all soft, kind romantics at heart.

The Winner from Enquiring Minds Week #26 is: #4 Birgit.  Birgit please pick a book from the Love Books List for Giveaway and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks if desired. Or let me know what credit you want or book you want from Book Depository if international.

This meme is hosted by Dollycas Thoughts for Thursdays - which are hard for me to make.  The goal is to get to know our fellow bloggers and visitors better. Each week Dolly asks some questions for us to answer and then link up. I am late doing the post but I am trying to to participate as I would like to learn more about blogger and follower friends.

WEEK 27 QUESTIONS

1. How many cookbooks do you own?

I do not own any. My DH has only a couple but he uses the Internet extensively. We had a very large collection of cookbooks before we moved in 2005. DH told me to get rid of them because he didn't want to carry the box of books. I took them to Goodwill.  But now every once in a awhile he will say to me "Why did you get rid of all my cookbooks?"

The Joy of Cooking we bought to replace the one I had from my mother years ago. Sunny Side Up is from the Junior League in Fort Lauderdale so that predates the move. The black ringed booklet is From Our Heart, recipes from Heartbeat Women's ministries at our church.  It includes one or two from my DH. :-)

2. What is the most used electrical appliance in your kitchen?

Definitely the microwave! Actually ours is a microwave convection oven so DH uses it for cooking. I make lots of hot tea.  A very close second would be our coffee pot or the Kurig.

 





3. How many nights per week do you have take-out, delivery or fast food?

We used to have take-out at least once a night - Pizza or Chinese; sometimes Tacos.  But since DH has been diagnosed with the diabetes we have been good to eat at home... mostly vegetables.

Your turn to share - How many cookbooks do you have? what is your most used electric appliance? or how many nights a week do you do take out?  

I did not find too many March or Irish books but I have a few.  I will add them later this week. Meanwhile Enquire Comment Winners can choose a selection from  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books. 
Rules: a) Must be a follower; b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the three questions above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made by Friday, March 11 at 10PM central. 

Book Review: Audiobook The Innocent Man by John Girsham

A narration of a true life travesty.
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham.

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739340484
• ISBN-13: 978-0739340486

Genre: Nonfiction
My Rating:  4.25

John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction, an exploration of small town justice gone terribly awry, is his most extraordinary legal thriller yet.

In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the State of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A’s, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory.

Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits—drinking, drugs, and women. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept twenty hours a day on her sofa.

In 1982, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder.

With no physical evidence, the prosecution’s case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row.

If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.

Review:  When I began listening to this in the car I did not realize it was non fiction and I couldn’t understand why the narration was like a documentary. Then I realized midway in the first disc that it is a documentary.  I was completely engaged from that point.

This audio book tells the story of Ron Williamson and another man, an acquaintance more than a friend, who are wrongfully accused and with planted and circumstantial they are convicted of a brutal rape and murder. The book description above summarizes the gist of the story.  The documentary report pulls together, from the beginning days of the crime to the arrest, the facts that resulted in this travesty and the slow research and assistance that finally exposed the corruption and resulted in the release of the two men eleven years later.

If you like to follow a trail of evidence and can stomach the injustice this is an excellent audio. Just be forewarned that it is not presented as a novel but as a documentary.
You might want to check out the interview with the author explaining why he presented this non fiction piece.

xxx

I will be holding this book for future giveaway audio choices.

Winners of Friday Pick February 25, 2011

CONGRATULATIONS

to the WINNERS of 

Friday Pick February 25, 2011

Kulsuma gets a Gift Card
Please confirm PayPal or card.
and
Victoria needs to pick her book choice between Evil Whispers or  Dark Fall.

Please email me with your choice and address.

Thank you to all the entrants.