It's Monday! What Are You Reading? October 3, 2011

This meme starts at Book Journey!

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'm home after a lovely cruise! Last week I finished four books.   I posted three reviews, one author Q&A post and one Giveaway.  As usual, I posted the regular Friday Pick Giveaway; Saturday Sharing Beyond Books, and Sunday posts.

Again I didn't get to visit last week so I hope I can do some this week. These were last week's posts plus Winner posts not listed.

•  It's Monday What are You Reading? September 26, 2011.

• Book Review: A Christmas Gift by Diane Craver. Inspirational; my rating 4.5.

• Book Review and Giveaway: The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft. Inspirational; my rating 5.0.  Ends 10/14.

• Q&A Interview with Adina Senft, Author of the Wounded Heart.

• Book Review: Tenderfoot by Amy Tupper. Paranormal Romance; my rating 4.5.

•  Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 30, 2011.  Open Worldwide. Ends 10/6.

•  Week One of Our Cruise - a brief recap. 

•  Sunday Words of Encouragement October 2, 2011. 

• Sharing Beyond Books #16 Comment Giveaway.  Open Worldwide. Ends 10/7.

Finished Reading:

Kindle:

Tenderfoot

by Amy Tupper

I did like this YA fantasy.
Review linked above.

Print/Kindle:

Forbidden (The Books of Mortals)
by Ted Dekker, Tosca Lee

A very engaging read!
I will post the review with Giveaway on Wednesday 10/5.  Read for Center Street (Hachette.)

Audible/Audio

TailSpin: FBI Thriller #12

• UNABRIDGED
• by Catherine Coulter
• Narrated by Joyce Bean, Paul Costanzo

This was okay - interesting plotlines - 
but not my favorite.

I will try to post a full review next week
My rating: 3.75.

Audible/Audio
Immortal by Gillian Shield.

I was able to finish this and liked the ending.

Received from AudioBook Community - SYNC YA Listening.
I will post a review next week. My rating: 4.25

ok -Line Edits/Releases:

I  will be uploading the full 
Anthology of Prom Night 
by Tuesday.

Currently reading:

Print:

A Christmas Secret

by Candace Hall

I will post the review for this on Thursday, October 6.

Reading for Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

Product Description: When Santa’s reindeer discover a lost kitten named O’Malley, they have no choice but to rescue him and bring him back to the North Pole.  Soon all the residents of the North Pole are doing their part to save O’Malley, including Broome, the head Elf, and Wilma the mouse.  Because only those who were born in the the North Pole can live there, everyone decides to keep O’Malley a secret–until O’Malley goes missing.  Will O’Malley be able to stay in the North Pole?  What will Santa think about  ‘A Christmas Secret’?

Audible/Audio 
Storm Runners
by Roland Smith

This is a 9-12 age story of characters in a Florida hurricane so it fits for me. :-).

This is another download from AudioBook Community - SYNC YA Listening. 

Author Description: Chase Masters and his father are "storm runners," racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far behind. Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would just sitting in a classroom. But when the hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in ways he never could have imagined.

eBook:

Afterlight: End of the World
by J. Corsentino

I will post the review and feature some Artwork for this on Saturday, October 9.
Part of Bewitching Book Tours.

Product Description: xcx  Time of the Faeries: Afterlight is a four-part graphic novel series that explore the origins of the Faeries, the evolution of Angels and Vampires from a common Fae ancestor, and their own unique adaptations to the modern world. It follows the alliances and tensions that develop between these three species as they struggle to protect human civilization or shape it to their will. The Afterlight follows several lines of cause and effect, revealing possible versions of the Apocalypse at the hands of all three species.

In the first book, Afterlight, End of the World, we begin at the end with the Angel Apocalypse: a dying Earth, ravaged by war, now hosts only a few scattered pockets of humanity. These last survivors are being hunted to extinction by starving Angels, their energy consumed so that the Angels might live. Below ground, a small band of shape-shifting male faeries called the Phelans struggle to protect the last collection of human life in Los Angeles and a mysterious young girl who may hold the key to their survival. Above ground, as the winged forces amass to complete their genocide, a lone Angel named Halyon struggles to understand what went wrong, and why her race now hunts the very people they were charged to protect.

Print:

Where Tomorrow Waits

by Jane Peart

We are reading this for our 
ladies' Bookclub for 
this Saturday, October 9.

 Product Description:

Penny Sayres' red hair, freckle-splashed skin, and fierce independence drew the attention of some of the region's most eligible bachelors. One by one, they've been disappointed -- because romance and marriage are the last things on Penny's mind! Since her childhood, she has sensed an unknown destiny beckoning from the horizon. When Penny's brother, Brad, invites her to join his family on their wagon train to California, Penny's dream of adventure comes true. The Oregon trail, with its promise of a distant land, sweeps her into a world of fascinating new sights and sounds. It's an exciting time for Penny and her newfound friend, Nell, who shares Penny's zest for the unknown. The trail is long, the journey often grueling, and, as happens when strangers travel together, tempers sometimes flare. Still, it looks like the train will reach its destination without event -- that is, until disaster strikes at Snake River and changes Penny's life forever. Little does Penny realize that God is about to set her on her greatest adventure yet -- one that includes a new dream and lasting love.

I am also listening to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. ; I am at Isaiah 66 and Corinthians 1.

Line Edits: Working on Dark Bride Anthology series for October.  Will be setting up print releases now that I have returned to the US.

 Scheduled Events in October:

10/4 Hachette Double Giveaway:  Home At Last Chance by Hope Ramsey and Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley
10/6 A Christmas Secret Review - Pump Up
10/8 Afterlight Review and Artwork Review
10/14-15 Attending Women of Faith Conference in Tampa for BookSneeze
10/17 The Goblin King Review with Author Q&A - Sourcebooks
10/18 The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
10/26 Mind Over Matter - Author Guest Post and Giveaway - Bewitching Book Tours

Additional Sourcebooks Review Books:
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
In Winter's Shadow by Gillian Bradshaw
Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson
Unleashed by Sara Humphreys

Additional Hachette Titles:
Kiss of Night by Debbie Viguie - Faithwords
Help! For Writers by Roy Peter Clark - Little Brown
The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen - Mulholand/Little Brown

Remaining September Author Selections:
Karen Weisner - Love Is Blind and It Don't Pay the Bills Either (Denim Blues Mysteries, Book 2) (read)

and Souls on (B)oring Street [Denim Blues Mysteries Book 3]
Anne Patrick Renegade Hearts
Nibi Soto - The Chronicles of Quant
Nathan Patrick Hardt - The Second Sonata
Caedem Marquez - The Path Home


[To be posted:
These were read and ready for reviews for Authors. I am sending out interviews for these. I hope to post them all in September.
Quest for Magic by Jean Hart Stewart - Read; review to be posted with interview.
Seeing for the First Time (What You See is What You Get) and 

To See (What You See is What You Get) by Nicole Zoltack - Both Read; setting up author interview with reviews.

Steamrolled by Pauline Baird Jone. Read; review to be posted with author interview.]

Lots of September Winners Plus Replacements

I apologize for the late winner announcements from the late August/early September giveaways. I just couldn't pick winners while on the ship internet.
I have also used Random.org to pick two replacement winners. 

So here we go - CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!
Thank you everyone for entering.

Replacement Winners:
Venetia  Review Copy:  Sarah E.

Tears of Gold ARC Copy: Krystal

The Vampire Next Door  ARC Copy: June M

The Lady of the Storm   ARC Copy: Brittany

September 30 Winners
Lonestar Secrets  My Copy: Margaret

Midnight on Julia Street  ARC Copy:  LuAnn

Kingdom of Summer  ARC Copy:  Lisa Richards

Lord and Lady Spy - Two Copies from Publisher:  May and winnie

ALL WINNERS please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form so I can mail the books out or let the Publisher know for mailing.  Please reply within 72 hours! 

Sharing Beyond Books #16 October 2, 2011

Well tonight is Sunday. I was pretty tired last night and didn't get the winner selected or a new post ready.  
I hope to put together some more books this week... maybe some Halloween or Holiday selections.
Thanks for your comments this past week.

It was great to see how many find new books at other blogs! And of course a couple mentioned The Book Depository which is a good place for fair pricing and no shipping cost! Another place I forgot to mention where I find good bargains on Christian books for my book club is the bargain book links at Christianbook.com.

We have varied places we would love to travel to see and I would like to visit all the choices too. I especially agree with Linda K and Llehn that a trip across America would be wonderful. There are great sites even if they are not as old/historical as Europe.  If the gas prices get a bit lower we might try to travel some in our Motorhome. We are also going to check into a train trip.


The Winner from SBB #15 comments is: #5 Jane. There are still 9 'love' books to pick from, 8 Christmas choices and 1 Summer title below so JANE please choose a book from the remaining Love Books List for Giveaway or remaining Christmas Giveaway Books or the summer books below and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #16 Questions

Q1. Jennifer C. asks the book question this week:  Name the worst book you ever read and why??

A:  I am thinking and thinking... (I could name a movie pretty quickly.)  Well - I can't think of any review book that I did not finish although I have read a few that I didn't like so much.

But worst book... I am going to pick an older book by a popular author. It was Texas Rich by Fern Michaels. I only read it in either 2009 or 2010 - I'd have to check my lists. Since it has a favorable rating at Amazon (4 stars for 16 reviews) some people liked it. But I am with the two 1 star reviewers. It was just too much of a yucky soap opera for my tastes and it went on and on! I didn't care much for the characters or the dialog. I am pretty sure I listened to it on Audio CD and that didn't help.  So, sorry Ms. Michaels, but this is the book I remember as my "worst" read.

Q2.  Okay - so in line with Question 1, let's do: What is the worst movie you have ever seen and why?

The one that immediately pops into my mind is Clockwork Orange.  I saw this in a movie theater in the 1970s when I was in college.  It was a story about British delinquents that was brutally violent and graphic in what I remember (vaguely thank goodness) as a perverted way.  It was just soooo unpleasant for me.

~~~~

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask.  Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form.  At the end of each month I will draw from the suggestions I used the month before and that person will get a book choice or GC. September Questions were contributed by Jennifer C, Jennifer C, Krystal and Infuse. The winner for a book choice for September is #3 Krystal who gets to pick a book from the Valentine, Christmas or Summer selections too.

Your turn to share:

1.  What is the worst Book you have ever read and why??

2.  What is the worst Movie you have ever seen and why??
 

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the remaining  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books - there are still about 17 books available plus 1 left in the Summer titles to choose from.

Secrets of a Summer Night (The Wallflowers, Book 1)
The one I have is hardcover.

One Reckless Summer: A Destiny Novel
This book is brand new, but will be gently read if I get to read it!

Under the Boardwalk: A Dazzling Collection of All-New Summertime Love Stories (Sonnet Books)
My paperback is from 1999 and
has a beach image.

The Days of Summer: A Novel

My copy is a paperback from 2006
with a different cover.

 The Summerhouse

 Hmmm - this has a bit of magic in the plot.

A Summer Affair (Calhoun Chronicles)
I love Susan Wiggs historicals!

SBB Rules: a) Must be a follower; b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the two/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, October 7 at 10PM central.

Sunday Words of Encouragement October 2, 2011

I saw some beautiful countries and sites on our trip as I do on each trip.  God's grand creation never ceases to amaze me. I hope you will enjoy this great song with some fabulous photos!

A Verse for Today.

Psalm 19:1 - 4a (NIV)

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world. 

I am thankful for safe travel and glad to be home with family.
I pray that others may see God's hand in His amazing creation every day.

Week One of Our Cruise!

We have now returned from our 18 day cruise from Copenhagen to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I was unable to load pictures with slow internet on the cruise which we had to pay for per minute.
I was able to share a few pictures in the Top Giveaway Portion of the Blog.

I thought I would prepare one or two posts with highlights and pictures from the trip. Our cruise started in Copenhagen where we arrived by plane, road the metro and spent one night. Here is a shot of downtown Copenhagen - I love the skinny red house between the big ones. In the river canal there is a passing tour boat.

We boarded the boat on Sunday and had a busy first week.
Our first stop on Monday September 12 was Oslo, Norway - The Akershus Fortress greeted us at the port:

We had bad weather the next day and had to cancel the second Norway port of Kristiansand.
Instead we continued two days through these rough waters:

The next port on Thursday September 15 was Greenock, Scotland where we picked up the metro to Glasgow.
The people were very nice to us - one man walked us all the way to find the Greenock train station.
Here are the Greenock train station (small) and the Glasgow station (huge):

There were many beautiful buildings in Glasgow.

This is one of the University near downtown - the students were protesting something!

We visited the Botanical Gardens in Glasgow. The tablet reads:

Our dreams are as bright as your lions; those golden beasts in tapestries of thought.

Friday September16th we visited Dublin, Ireland.
The guide stressed the important contributions by the Guinness family. Here is an old Guinness Stonehouse.

You may notice on the Scotland and Ireland buildings there is wonderful ornamentation!

Look at this gorgeous church in Dublin:

I had to include this picture of The Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin

Then on Saturday September 17th we visited Belfast, Ireland - the history of conflict is very sad.

There were remarkable murals on the wall that divided the communities - note the barbed wire on top.The good news is that they are now involved in talks to take down the dividing walls.

We happened upon a parade in downtown Belfast - the police were out, some even with tommy guns although we didn't get that picture.

Here is a shot of the countryside, wharf to mountains, as we were leaving Belfast. No wonder they describe Ireland as "green"!

Sunday September 19 was a sea day as we headed out to Iceland.
To Be Continued!