MBS Saturday Comment Giveaway (Replacing Enquiring Minds)

Thank you to everyone who commented at Enquiring Minds #40.  Most of us include family as one of the things that make us happy. Also many included books as a second or third happy thing.  Quite a number of us would seek peace or no wars and again almost all of us would donate money to charity if we had a billion. Couldn't we do some lovely things???! :-)

The Winner from Enquiring Minds Week #40 is: #4 Mary. Mary please pick a  book from the Love Books List for Giveaway or remaining Christmas Giveaway Books and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks by completing the WINNER FORM.

Now --- Let's talk about how we will proceed with this comment feature! We will continue to ask questions to get to know each other better. Some questions will be about books and some about our lives.
Here are some suggested names for the feature:
1. Sharing Beyond Reviews (SBR)
2. Talking Beyond Reviews (TBR - not to be confused with To Be Read!)
3. Sharing Beyond Books (SBB)
4. Talking Beyond Books (TBB)
5. Our Lives with Books! (OLWB)
6. Our World and Let's Read (OWL Reads- okay I like the initials even if the title isn't so hot.)
7. Let's Talk Books (LTB - I think this is in use already.)

So let me know what title you like or might suggest Question #1 below.

Then we get to look at pictures for the feature.
Here are some I really like.
A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

Do you like any of these particularly? Or do you have an image to send me that you really like? Question #2 this week.

Also I think any of you might have good questions you'd like to ask so you may input suggestions in this Question Suggested Form. At the beginning of each month I will draw from the suggestions I used the month before and that person will get a book choice or GC.

So that is two questions to answer today and I am adding one additional book Question.

Your turn to share: 

#1. What name do you like or would you suggest for this Comment Feature?

#2. What image do you like: A-F or include a link to a suggested image or email me one? 

#3.  How much time do you spend reading each day?

I read and listen at various times a day. I would say it averages 100 pages or an hour and 15 minutes a day in reading and an hour and 30 minutes total listening.

Enquire Comment Winners can choose a selection from  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books.  I will add a new summer list soon.

Rules: a) Must be a follower; b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the questions posed.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.

In addition to the usual Winner choices listed above this post's comment winner will get to choose from The Arc Giveaway List too.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made by Friday, June 17 at 10PM central. 

Winners of SEALed, Morning for Flamingos tape, Black Cherry Blues PLUS Replacements

Firs let me deal with replacement Winners:

Congratulations

to Replacement Winner of

Going Cowboy Crazy (A Deep in the Heart of Texas novel) 

Make Mine a Bad Boy (A Deep in the Heart of Texas novel)

Kati R -Confirmed
replaced Marlene who had already won this book.

to TWO REPLACEMENT Winners of

The Guardian (Return of the Highlanders) 

by Margaret Mallory

Lady Vamp and Judy H had already won this book.

I went through FOUR more replacements to get winners.

New winners are: Mary - Confirmed

Shannon - not yet confirmed
Victoria  - Confirmed

Thank you to all those who entered the following Giveaways and

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE WINNERS

 SEALed Forever 

by Mary Daughtridge

Morning of Flamingos Audio Cassette

by James Lee Burke

Black Cherry Blues print book

by James Lee Burke

Patricia, Judy and MJC - 
Please complete this WINNERS FORM!

New and Restated Giveaway Protocols for Martha's Bookshelf (MBS)

Martha's Bookshelf (MBS) Giveaways- New Protocols

As you, my 'bloggy' friends and followers, know I love doing Giveaways. I'd like to confirm some old and some new procedures.
A.  Friday Pick winners are now listed with the new Friday Pick Post each Friday morning.

B.  Enquiring Mind or its replacement comment post on Saturdays will contain the past week's winner each week.


C.  I will be posting all other winners on Saturdays - I can't guarantee if morning or evening but I will try to make it sometime on Saturday.

D.  Everyone will know when to look for the winner posts, and since they are, and will remain, linked at the top of my blog (or on sidebar if my blog format changes).  Accordingly, ALL WINNERS will need to email me with their info; this includes Hachette winners. Winners will have 120 hours (five days) to respond and accept or I will draw a new winner. This will save me time so appreciate your understanding.

E.  If I indicate that a giveaway is International ONLY - then I ask US and Canadian participants please DO NOT Enter for that GC or giveaway.  This applies to the Friday Pick as well. Part of the goal on Friday Pick is to send books to new homes. I am even willing to send smaller books overseas when the postage is feasible.  Since postage isn't always feasible then I offer/award the international winners the GC. The GC is not to be claimed by US or Canadian participants although I reserve the right to award it then too if the book is large and the postage would exceed $5.00.  That will not happen for US as I can use the flat rate $4.75.  It will occasionally occur for Canada and then I decide if I want to spend $6.00=/- on postage or send a GC.

F.  I have included a Winner's Acceptance Form in this post and I plan to link it to winner posts for convenience.  I will use your address ONLY for use of sending books or passing onto the publishers or authors to mail the books you win. I have also prepared an Already Won Form so you can reply easily to let me know if you have won the book elsewhere. Or you can email me.
Hopefully this procedure will make things easy enough for you and save a few steps for me.

I will give 30 days for this to settle in so I will email people if need be over the next month.
Thank you one and all for participating at my blog and for your support.

Audio Book Review: Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins

The history and story in this short audio is entertaining.

Luciano’s Luck by Jack Higgins

The version that I have is a Book of the Road two cassette book. I did not find the right image and my camera isn't handy so this is the picture for the Audio CD with the rest of the information being for the cassette book.

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Book Of The Road (November 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931969166
• ISBN-13: 978-0931969164

Genre: Military Thriller
 My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Description from Fantastic Fiction
From the bestselling author of The Eagle Has Landed comes a heart-stopping, gripping tale set in the dark, violent storm of World War II. In 1943, a British intelligence operative, two American Rangers, an extraordinary woman, and an American Mafia overlord parachute into Nazi-occupied Sicily to convince the Sicilian Mafian king to back invading American forces.

Review: A fast, interesting listen.

General Eisenhower is willing to take advantage of any means to make the Allied invasion in Sicily a success.  The Allied leaders want to gain the intervention of the Sicilian Mafia Godfather, Don Antonio Luca, to give the word to the Sicilian people to support the American and Allied efforts.  To accomplish this British Professor/intelligence officer, Harry Carter, is sent to a New York prison to seek the help of Gangster, Mafia leader, Charles “Lucky” Luciano.  Carter pulls Luciano from prison to meet with President Roosevelt who implies that Luciano’s parole would go favorably if he helps his country in this matter.

Luciano isn’t inclined to believe the Don will be helpful but they pick up the Don’s estranged  Granddaughter, Maria, a Nun and a nurse, to help gain access and for an extra voice for convincing him. Carter, Luciano and Maria are teamed up with two American Rangers, one of whom clearly hates Luciano. They parachute into a small village in Sicily to join with resistance leaders who have to hide them from Nazi troops as they wait to meet with the Don.

I thought the characters were well developed for the roles in the story. This story contains elements of intrigue, danger, arrogance, brutality, loneliness, a touch of romance, stubbornness,  forgiveness, sacrifice and ‘luck.’ I was surprised to learn this bit of history where the American President engages the services of the Mafia. I enjoyed the few meetings described between Carter and General Eisenhower and tried to jot down what may have been quotes but I did not find them so they may be part of the fiction. That is one draw back of audio books that you cannot mark a spot to check it later, especially  when you are driving.

This particular audio book was a production for Book of the Road and was made with a male and a female reader. The male did a good job with the different accents, British, American, German, Russian, Italian.  The woman however sounded rather the same for the two important Italian female characters.

You don’t have to like war stories to enjoy this story. It involves a lot of personalities and some war strategy, good and bad, that makes it interesting. One thing that was clear in the story is that the actions of one person can have a great impact on how events play out.
This audiobook is on pick list #20 available on my Friday Pick Giveaways.

BlogTour: Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden June 13-24

 Join me next week, Wednesday June 15 for my Review and Hachette Giveaway of

Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden

www.JamiAlden.com

Facebook Page

@jamialden

BlogTalkRadio Interview

Image Cover

Author Image and Profile

From the desk of Jami Alden

Five Fun Facts

Excerpt

Openbook Widget

Goodreads

Forever Facebook

Jami Alden is the Holt Medallion nominated author sexy romantic suspense.   She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her socially well adjusted alpha male husband, her sons, and a German Shepherd who patiently listens to dialog and helps her work out plot points.

“Jami Alden always takes you on a wild ride!”
—Catherine Coulter, New York Times bestselling author “Gripping, hot, and emotionally charged. Alden always delivers!”
—Shannon McKenna, New York Times bestselling author

Blog Tour Participants
Mon June 13    secretsofamadhatter.blogspot.com    Review
Mon June 13    http://maryinhb.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com    Feature, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://booksbyamotherstouch.blogspot.com/    Review, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://www.thebookgirl.net    Review, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://bodicerippernovels.wordpress.com    Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com    Feature, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com    Review, Feature, Giveaway
Mon June 13    http://simplystacie.net    Giveaway
Tues June 14    http://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com    Review, Feature, Giveaway
Tues June 14    http://thebooktree.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Tues June 14    http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com    Feature, Giveaway
Tues June 14    http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway, Q&A
Wed June 15    www.rexrobotreviews.com    Giveaway
Wed June 15
http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/    Review, Feature, Giveaway
Wed June 15    http://saveyspender.com    Review, Giveaway
Thu June 16    www.mgpblog.com    Feature, Giveaway
Thu June 16    http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Thu June 16    http://takingtimeformommy.com    Review, Giveaway
Thu June 16    http://sosaloha.blogspot.com/    Review, Feature, Giveaway
Fri June 17    my-book-views.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Fri June 17    http://thefictionenthusiast.blogspot.com    Feature, Giveaway
Fri June 17    www.cherylsbooknook.blospot.com    Review, Giveaway
Sat June 18    http://j-rabbits-corner.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Sat June 18    http://www.sarahsblogoffun.com    Review, Giveaway
Sun June 19    http://cuzinlogic.wordpress.com    Review, Giveaway
Mon June 20    http://shamelessromancereviews.blogspot.com    Review
Tues June 21    mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com    Review, Feature, Giveaway,Q&A
Wed June 22    http://ashleysbookshelf.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Wed June 22    http://brokenteepee.com    Giveaway
Wed June 22    www.becksbookpicks.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Wed June 22    http://hangingwithbells.blogspot.com    Feature, Giveaway
Thu June 23    http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/    Review, Feature, Giveaway
Thu June 23    http://www.thewritetomakealiving.com    Review, Giveaway
Thu June 23    http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/    Review, Giveaway
Fri June 24    http://bookslikebreathing.blogspot.com    Review
Fri June 24    Lushbookreviewss.blogspot.con    Review, Giveaway
Fri June 24    http://bodicerippernovels.wordpress.com    Review
Fri June 24    www.tarmyblogspot.blogspot.com    Review, Q&A
Fri June 24    vallynsreview.blogspot.com    Review
Fri June 24    http://romancebooksanonymous.blogspot.com    Review, Giveaway
Fri June 24    http://nikkibrandyberry.wordpress.com/    Review, Giveaway
Fri June 24    www.ohiogirltalks.blogspot.com    Review