Martha's Bookshelf *** Friday Pick Giveaway May 27, 2011

Who can believe this is the last Friday in May?!! Is everyone out of school yet?
Thank you to all who entered May 20. There are no Automatic winners this week (those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks). One person came close but unfortunately someone else asked for that book - sort of like a block in Tic-Tac-Toe.

CONGRATULATIONS

to Winners from May 20 Pick:

LiederMadchen - gets ??? 
She forgot to list a book so she'll have to email me the choice and her address. :-)

RabidFox - gets Off Season

All winners please email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - either sweet and sensual or sexy +plus. 

What do you think? Will kids jump for joy in a library as much as 

jumping for joy that they are out of school for the summer??

New Group of Pick books

Group #20

Pairs:

Debbie Macomber 

Between Friends

Thursdays at Eight

Luanne Rice

Firefly Beach

Cloud Nine

Singles

Iced (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 3)by Carol Higgins Clark

A Price for Everything (Rosamunde Pilcher's Book Shelf) by Mary Sheepshank

Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins - Audio Cassettes

S is for Silence (Kinsey Millhone Mystery) by Sue Grafton

Poirot Investigates - Volume 1 Agatha Christie - Audio Cassettes

Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy

Hope Everlastin' by Mickee Madden

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

The Hope Chest: Yesterday's Magic\Today's Secrets\Tomorrow's Promise (Signature Select) Anthology

Susan, Kearney, Julie Kenner and Jacquie D'Alessandro

Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsey

Resistance: A Novel by Anita Shreve

Vanity by Jane Feather

3/25/11  I did get to set up a new group of books:
Group #19

Pair - James Patterson

1st to Die (The Women's Murder Club)1st to Die (The Women's Murder Club)

Kiss the Girls (2nd Alex Cross Novel)

Singles

And Then Came You: Sam's Story

Second Chance: A NovelSecond Chance: A Novel

Disguised Blessing

The Italian (Mira Historical Romance)

Rhapsody: A Love Story

A Sight for Sore Eyes 

The Waterfall

Primary Colors - audio tapes

A Little Magic

See No Evil (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense #39) (black stripe on cover)

Note of Peril (black strip on cover)

2/19/11 Book Group #18- Pairs!
Not all of these are two from a series but several are.  Each pick gets two books.

Patricia Cornwell:
Cruel and Unusual
At Risk (Win Garano)
John Grisham
Bleachers
The Last Juror
Jack Higgins
Touch the Devil (1983 Signet Edition)
Thunder Point (Sean Dillon)
Fern Michaels 
Final Justice: Sisterhood Series #5
The Jury: Sisterhood Series #4 (Revenge of the Sisterhood)

I have finally updated the intro and Entry paragraphs here:

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books!  And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

So far I have posted 19 groups of 16 books to find new homes!

I am continuing to include the full list updated with chosen books crossed off until I get around to deleting the crossed off books.  You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!  I am happy to say that so far about 179 books have found new homes! YAY. I have to update my print out to check the correct number sent out.

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.
I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to far away places runs between $5.00 and $6.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00.  If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy. :o)

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.   
CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY  NIGHTS AT 10:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up past midnight to do the winner post!
I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings before the next Pick post. 
WINNERS PLEASE CHECK THE WIN POST ON FRIDAYS AND E-MAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS at mesreads@gmail.com.  I will confirm receipt of the addresses.  If I have the winners e-mail I will send a reminder in a week or so.... 

Thanks for helping these books find new homes!!

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

1/14/11 New List 
#17

Scavenger by David Morrell
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger
Moonfire by Judith Redman Robbins
Four to Score (Stephanie Plum, No. 4) by Janet Evanovich
Turbulent Sea (Drake Sisters, Book 6) by Christine Feehan
Saving Faith by David Baldacci

12/3/10  Book Set:
#16

Best Of Enemies by Taylor Smith
Cold As Ice by Anne Stuart
Veils of Silk by Mary Jo Putney
Sleight of Hand by Robin Hathaway
Blueberry Hill by Marcia Evanick (small tear on cover)
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Uneasy Alliance (Famous Firsts) Jayne Ann Krentz (slightly worn)

List #15

Double Exposure (Brio Girls) by Kathy Wierenga

Wicked Widow  by Amanda Quick

Imitation in Death by J. D. Robb

The Texas CEO's Secret (Silhouette Special Edition) by Nicole Foster

Silver Falls by Anne Stuart

Deadly Gamble by Linda Lael Miller

List #14

The Cobra Event by Richard Preston

Blood And Glory (Soldiers Of War) (Soldiers of War, Book 1) by Larson Reed

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

The Color of Law: A Novel by Mark Gimenez
Depraved Indifference by Joseph Teller
Lines of Defense by Barry Siegel
Must the Maiden Die (Seneca Falls Historical Myster) by Miriam Grace Monfredo
Gospel Truths by J.G. Sandom
The Summons by John Grisham - Audio CDs

Here is set #13 of Used books!

Anansi Boys by Neil Gairman
The Hellion by LaVyrle Spencer
Pearl Beyond Price by Claire Delacroix

This is a group of books I have had for several years but not gotten to read.  Since it doesn't look like I will get to read them for another year (or more!) I am passing them on. Although as I type them part of me still says "But you may want to read that some day!"  Yes, yes; along with the other 700 books I am housing! Must Let goooooo.....
Group #12
The Ripple Effect by Lynn Erickson
First King of Shannara (Shannara Trilogy, Prequel)  by Terry Brooks
Seal Team One by Dick Couch
Motion to Suppress by Perri O'Saughnessy
Presumption of Death by Perri O'Saughnessy
Pandemic by Daniel Kalla
Lethal Practice by Peter Clement
The Undertaker's Widow by Phillip M. Margolin
The Burning Man by Phillip M. Margollin
Double Jeopardy by William Bernhardt
The Genesis Code: A Thriller by John Case

Group #11
Cat's Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown
Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods - CD Audio
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester
Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher
Looking Back by Belva Plain
The Ring on Her Finger by Elizabeth Bevarly

List #1 Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo

Pick #2
Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann
The Crush by Sandra Brown
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross

Pick #3
One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon
Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank

Pick #4
Talking God by Tony Kellerman
Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Sixth Sense
The Shadow by Shelley Munro (PA)
The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman
Swear by the Moon by Shirley Busbee
Montana Bride by Barbara Clark (A)

Pick #5
See Jane Lead by Lois P. Frankel
Jake's Return by Liana Laverentz (A)
The Jester by James Patterson - Audio Tapes
The Daddy Spell by Patti Ann Cole
Misfortune by Nancy Geary
False Prophet by Faye Kellerman
Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes
A Kiss of Fate by Mary Jo Putney (SC)

Pick #6
Tin Man by Dale Brown
The Marshall Takes a Bride by Renee Ryan *PA*
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith
Elusive Love by Catherine Lanigan
Mistletoe and Mischief by Patricia Wynn

Pick #7
In Her Defense by Stephen Horn - Audio Tape
A Perfect Gentleman by Barbara Metzger (slightly creased)
Scarred by William Heffernan (spine creased)
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape
The Path to Her Heart by Linda Ford (Personally Autographed)
X-Men 2
Hunted by William W. Johnstone (spine frayed at top)
Princess Charming by Jane Heller (slightly creased)

Pick #8
(sc) = slightly creased on binding otherwise all in good shape
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
The Jury by Steve Martini - Audio Tapes
Stormy Weather by Carl Haasen - Audio Tapes
Midnight Come Again by Dana Stabenow (sc)
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland - Audio Tapes (box creased but tapes good)
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson - Audio Tapes
Vertical Run by Joseph R. Garber (sc)

Pick #9
Spyder Web by Tom Grace - Audio Tapes
Three Weddings and a Kiss - Anthology
Final Appeal by Lisa Scottoline (spine creased)
The Lost World by Michael Crichton - Audio Tapes
Evil Whispers by Owl Goingback
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murray
Runaway Heart by Stephen J. Cannell
Guardian by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Time to Hunt by Stephen Hunter - Audio Tapes

Pick #10
The Third Twin by Ken Follett (spine creased)
Double Blind by Ken Goodard
Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman - Audio Tapes
The Trouble with Mary by Millie Criswell
Dreams Gather by Kathryn Collins (sc)

Book Review: Poirot Investigates Vol 1 by Agatha ChristieCassette

This is a two cassette audio book I recently picked up and added to the Friday Pick list. I do try to listen to the audios to make sure they work before I list them, which I had forgotten to do on these last two. But I wanted to listen to this for fun anyway and I am glad I did.

Poirot Investigates - Volume 1 by Agatha Christie.

Genre: Mystery
My Rating: 4.5

Review: If you love mysteries you can’t go wrong with Agatha Christie.
This was a very enjoyable audio consisting of four short mysteries told by Hastings, a good friend of Hercule Poirot, the sharp Belgian detective.
The stories are:
The Kidnapped Prime Minister - After a failed assassination attempt the Prime Minister is kidnapped. Poirot is called in with a 24 hour deadline to find the Prime Minister to get him to important peace talks.
The Case of the Missing Will - Poirot is engaged by an heir to locate a Will that was hidden purposefully by the lady’s uncle. The niece shows she is more clever than her deceased uncle because she hires Poirot to find the hidden will.
The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman - Poirot is visiting when an associate turns up murdered at his dinner table. Did he eat something that didn’t agree with him?
The Adventure of the Western Star - Poirot’s services are sought to protect two rare diamonds. Hastings thinks Poirot has failed when the diamonds are stolen until Poirot explains the caper.

The clues are there. Can you pit your brain cells against Poirot and solve the cases before he does? The narrator did the accents so well that you could hear the touch of arrogance in Poirot’s voice making this fun listening. I was rather surprised when I realized that these stories were originally copyrighted from 1923 - 1925. Only goes to show - a good story is timeless!

Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop - 5/25 to 5/31

Are you ready to make a Splash???
Welcome to The Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop being hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Page Turners. Thank you ladies for hosting! Yikes 313 Blogs! Hope you swim fast. I am number 123.

As many of you know I have a penchant for wanting to tie my giveaway to the theme. So I looked up some books with the words "Splash", "Summer" and "Water".  There are plenty of "splash", "summer" and "water" choices for children!

Here are some books that caught my eye as possible book suggestions:

The Big SplashThe Big Splash by Kit Marlowe (Kindle Romance Novella) $3.50
The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo (Grade 6-8) $6.95
Angel Wing Splash Pattern by Richard Van Camp (stories about Aboriginal people) $13.46



That Summer by Sara Dessen (YA) $8.99
Summer House: A Novel by Nancy Thayer (relationships) $10.20
Summer Shift: A Novel by Lynn Kiele Bonasia (relationships) $10.20



Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen -fiction $7.99
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher (gr 7-10 futuristic) Hardcover $10.29
The Water Is Wide: A Memoir by Pat Conroy $9.58

Now here is my giveaway:

(Okay - the first two books don't have "splash", "summer" or "water" in the title but they are definitely summer reads right?
I have available to choose from:
#1.  The Island: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand in Audio CD ($26.58 value) (my review copy)
#2.  The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand ($9.47 value) (review copy but like new because I listened to it on Audible)
#3.  Daily Splashes of Joy: 365 Gems to Sparkle Your Day (Johnson, Barbara) (daily devotional $10.39 value) (newly purchased)



I will mail any of these books anywhere, if chosen, provided the postage cost does not exceed $10.00.
#4. ALTERNATE CHOICE:  $12.00 Gift Card to Amazon or book choice(s) valued up to $12.00 from Book Depository.

FILL IN THIS FORM

Here are my links for follows: GFC, Twitter, Facebook, Networked Blogs, and email subscription is located in the left sidebar beneath my profile. 

Then get swimming along to the other hops!  Have a swimmingly good time!

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: SEALed Forever by Mary Margret Daughtridge

This is a definite "grabs you" enjoyable read!

SEALed Forever by Mary Margret Daughtridge

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402246196
• ISBN-13: 978-1402246197
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches 

     Genre: Contemporary Romance
     My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0

Product Description

He's got a living, breathing dilemma...

In the midst of running an undercover CIA mission, Navy SEAL Lt. Garth Vale finds an abandoned baby, and his superiors sure don't want to know about it. The only person who can help him is the beautiful new doctor in town, but she's got another surprise for him...

She's got a solution...at a price...

Dr. Bronwyn Whitescarver has left the frantic pace of big city ER medicine for a small town medical practice. Her bags aren't even unpacked yet when gorgeous, intense Garth Vale shows up on her doorstep in the middle of the night with a sick baby...

But his story somehow doesn't add up, and Bronwyn isn't quite sure who she's saving-the baby, or the man...

Review: Now here is a book that wrapped me in from beginning to end!
The book opens with a near death and out of body experience for SEAL officer, Garth Vale. As he is recuperating he is relegated to a very out of the way, low intensity job maintaining a small airstrip near a small southern town. He is put in a difficult situation when he finds an abandoned baby on an airplane.

Bronwyn has decided to leave the rat race of a city hospital ER practice to set up an “at home” practice in a small town.  She is determined to set down deep roots even if the house she has been loaned is a little creaky scarey.  Bronwyn is tripping over her moving boxes on a dark stormy night when rugged Garth shows up at her front door with a baby. He needs her help but isn’t able to give her all the facts considering his confidentiality status. Bronwyn is quick to help the child medically but it takes some convincing for her not to report the neglect.

I was caught by the strength and integrity in both the hero and heroine. I was also captured by the fact that Garth quickly determines that Bronwyn is the woman for him. She may not meet his “list” of qualities for a naval officer’s wife but he is sure he can woe her and find a way to make her willing to follow him to new base assignments.

Garth’s friends help to open Bronwyn’s eyes to see the possibilities of paranormal events and her friend JJ (from SEALed With a Ring) encourages her to recognize her gifts as a healer, not just a doctor. Garth is willing to accept her too, unexplained intuitions and all, and that means a lot. Still, she can’t commit her heart and life to a man who will always be going off and putting himself at risk.

I’m not quite sure what made this book so captivating but each time I picked it up I had read half an hour before I knew it and I was reluctant to put it down. Even my daughter picked it up and after reading one page said, “I want to read this one.”  The pacing is fast in short chapters, which I like. I also enjoy the SEAL or Art of War quotes at the beginning of each chapter. The story is not an action piece but rather character driven. The plot, though likeable, might be considered a bit weak as the dilemma is solved almost too easily in the end. Even so, the southern charm, the SEAL experience and the doctor expertise all blended well with a lovely, sensual romance. I highly recommend this for a quick, enjoyable read.

xxx

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the book to read and review.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE ARC:

1. Visit the Author's Website and tell me something you like there.
Please leave your e-mail!

2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For two extra entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Four total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open US and Canada only.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on June 10, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.