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Saturday, April 21, 2012

Sharing Beyond Books #45 Comment Giveaway April 21, 2012

Welcome to SBB! Ohhh - another short/long week! LOL. 
Thank you to all those who commented last week.
It seemed like many had memories from age 4 or so. There were some marvelous childhood memories. Several recall their first tricycle. I'm glad that LindaK got over the traumatic fear of dogs.

(Oops - Sorry  - I didn't change the second question at the bottom so a few answered the prior week's question.) I did expect to see Dr. Seuss and I wasn't surprised by Dick and Jane (from the older crowd) and Sesame Street (from the younger crowd) as choices. I remember The Little Engine That Could and although I have often heard of Heidi, I never read it. I love that Sarah had her own library at age 6. Way to go!
~~~~

The Winner from SBB #44 comments is: #9 Faith Hope CherryTea. There are still 8 'love' books to pick from and 2 Christmas choices. Faith Hope CherryTea  please let me know if you want a GC (if you are international) or choose a book from the remaining Love Books List for Giveaway, remaining Christmas Giveaway Books, OR pick from the ARC box and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #45 Questions

Q1. This week Louisa asks: Have you considered writing a book? And have you? Stories to tell??
A:  I have not thought seriously about writing a book. However, I have a folder of story plotlines, some dialogue, and one dictated outline. I sometimes think I would like to share these with an author who could complete the stories. :-).
My notes look a lot like these!
Image found at Cynsations

Q2. My question this week, to go along with Q1.  Have you ever kept a diary or a journal??
A:  I don't really recall if I had a diary as a young girl although I would have liked the idea of one of those little books with a key.  I did have a journal of sorts in late high school and college. I wrote something, usually a poem or prose, everyday for several years. I have the last note book, the earlier ones were all destroyed in by water damage to a trunk in storage. :-(

I like the looks of this journal,
which is actually an iphone ap

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. I thank everyone for submitting questions but some of you others might want to get in a question or two as we have a few people submitting most of the questions so far.  Either way - it works for me. :-)  The question list is being replenished!  Thanks for sending in questions!
Your turn to share:

1. This week Louisa asks: Have you considered writing a book? And have you? Stories to tell??

 
2. My question is: Have you ever kept a diary or a journal??
 
SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the remaining  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books - there are still about 10 books available to choose from. Also I have added the Review and ARC Box now.

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, April 27, 2012 at 10 PM central.

Lots of Winners! How to Ravish a Rake, Promis Me, Love to Water My Soul and D.E.A.R.

CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS!!
Giveaways Ended April 20
Three Winners:
sienny, Maria D and Johanna


One winner for each) Open Worldwide
First: Choice of print or ebook of Promise Me

Margaret
Second: ebook of The MacGregor's Daughter
Eli

Giveaway Love to Water My Soul; Open Worldwide
BTW - if you looked at the author's blog link to Bo's Blog you would find a picture of the dog captioned as a wirehaired Pointing Griffon 
mamabunny13


FIRST Win:
Lisa G
 Package #2 - Winner's choice of two print books.


SECOND Win:

Tena
Package #1 - Download PDF of Annie's Special Day Plus FIRST CHOICE of a print book.

THIRD Win:

Agnieszka
Package #3 - Remaining two print books. 


All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form to confirm the win and I'll send out the book or let the Publisher/author know.  Please reply within 72 hours! 
Thank you to all who entered.

Audible Book Review: Crusade: Destoryermen, Book 2 by Taylor Anderson

This story is full of action and character struggles!
Also available in print and ebook formats.
Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


Publisher's Summary
Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, along with the men and women of the USS Walker, have chosen sides in a war not of their making. They have allied with the Lemurians - a mammalian race whose peaceful existence is under attack from the warlike, reptilian Grik.

The Lemurians are vastly outnumbered and ignorant of warfare, and even the guns and technology of Walker cannot turn the tide of battle. Luckily, they are not alone. Reddy finally finds Mahan, the other destroyer that passed through the rift. Together, the two American ships will teach the Lemurians to fight and stand against the bloodthirsty Grik - or so they think.

For there is another vessel that does not belong on these strange seas - the massive Japanese battle cruiser Amagi, the very ship that Walker was fleeing from when the rift took them. Like Mahan, it followed them through. And now Amagi is in the hands of the Grik.

Battle stations! Listen to more in the Destroyermen series.


Review:
This is book two of the Destroyerman series. In book one, Into the Storm, Destroyermen, two American destroyers, Walker and Mahan, are limping away from a powerful Japanese war ship, the Amagi, during World War II when a Pacific storm whisks them into a parallel universe. They are separated and the first story focuses on Walker and her crew as they encounter new species: the friendly cat-like Lemurians, who are farmers and fishermen and the ugly, reptilian (dinosaur-like) Grik, who are clearly a barbaric foe. 

This second book expands on the personalities and relationships of the Americans and their Lemurian allies who they are training to fight and resist the attacks of the Grik. There are several cities and factions of the Lemurians to cope with. Young but fiercely brave Queen Moran of the Bibadans is one of the first to recognize the leadership of Captain Reddy and the need to take an aggressive stand. Unfortunately the neighboring tribe city of Arial is led by a cowardly King and a sniveling Prince who would betray a temporary alliance.  This causes civil war with the mature head of the army, Lord Rollack, joining forces with Queen Moran and the Americans to force back a Grik attack.

There are plenty of personal stories and drama to engage the reader in the characters. Sinji is a Japanese Lieutenant who has become part of the crew on Walker, as has a young Jac, who sees himself as a Destoryerman now, no longer a Lemurian sailor. The teams, American and Lemurian, have discovered that their vessels are more than just ships; they have become homes to the officers and crews. The story is rich with actions of individuals, some brave and some despicable. There is racial prejudice and discipline to deal with. There are strategy plans, vibrant battles, betrayal, dishonor and sacrifice. Well into this story it is discovered that the more powerful Japanese ship, the Amagi, has also been pulled into this alternate world. Its crazed Captain is seeking revenge against the Americans and has allied with the Grik. The Captain has no regard for innocents to the dismay of his second in command.

I am invested in the characters and am apt to hold my breath at times of betrayal and danger. If you like a story full of personal interaction, some military strategy and plenty of action I highly recommend this series.

Audio Notes: William Dufris does an excellent job keeping up the pace, presenting the characters and conveying the tension to bring the story alive. I am definitely looking forward to listening to the rest of the series!
~~~~~~~~~~~

Captain Reddy discusses the reason for war with Adar, a Lemurian leader and philosopher:
Captain Reddy:  "Why we fight - it's fight or die. You might die if you fight, but you will die if you don't."
Adar: "Looking at it like that, the war isn't an excuse; it's a blessing. A chance for survival."
CymLowell
I purchased this some months ago and listened to it from my Audible TBR shelf. 
This was my April Just for fun/from the TBR shelf book and I will add it to my Audio Challenge list.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway April 20, 2012

[** If you are new to Friday Pick Giveaway - Welcome!  Scroll down a bit (below book group #19) for instructions on how to enter.] 

Hello everyone. I hope you have had a good week. Mine has been tiring and a little tense.  So much to do and not enough time.
Wow - there were 30 entries last week.  I  think that is the most on a Friday Pick.

Thank you to all who entered April 13 Pick.  There were FOUR Automatic winners this week - YAHOO! - (those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks).
Sorry several choices were blocked by multiple requests, but one was picked on Random.org.

lag123 chose Dreams Gather for four weeks with no block (no one else choosing the book.)
sienny chose Death Angel
Natasha chose Three Weddings and a Kiss
Elizabeth chose Out of the Blue

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from April 13 Pick:

Brendajean chose An Earl to Enchant  
and
Krista chose The Trouble With Joe


All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual or sexy and I have a new supply of sweet bookmarks.

Celebrate World Book and Copyright Day
April 23, 2012


New book Group #27 April 13, 2012
Some of the books on the right end are smaller and suitable for overseas mailing. :-)
Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman
Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris (spine damage)
An Earl to Enchant by Amelia Grey (spine damage)
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
When Dreams Come True by Cathy Maxwell (slight spine wear)
A Week in Winter by Marcia Willett
Slow Heat by Erica Spindler
The Trouble with Joe by Emilie Richards
Midnight Hour by Debra Dixon
September Morning by Diana Palmer
Beneath the Surface by Annie White (slight spine wear)
The Amazing Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman
The Dream Horse by Virginia Campbell Scott
Summer's Belle by Paige Winship Dooly


New book Group #26 March 2, 2012
These are Paired sets - two per author.
Four are parts of series the others are just singles by the same author.
Winners get both books if you pick these.


Nora Roberts
     Inner Harbor (#3 Cheasapeake Bay Series) and Blue Dahlia (SC) (#1 In the Garden Trilogy -(nice trilogy!)
Dick Francis
     Smokescreen (SC) and Field of Thirteen


New Group #25 January 12, 2012

*Smaller books on the right would be okay for most international mailing.

Leopards Kill by Jim DeFelice
Category 7 by Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson
Hell's Belle by Jane Holleman
*Prime Time by Sandra Brown  
*Out of the Blue (Allegheny Hopes) by Janice A. Thompson



New Group #24 Pick Books November 25, 2011
(The only Thanksgiving title I found is a Harlequin I'd like to read someday so no Thanksgiving titles for November.)

Green Calder Grass by Janet Dailey


New Group #23 Pick Books October 14, 2011
I tried to pick some books that would be good for October -
Halloween or dark minded.

Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Emily's Good Nightmare by Cosmic Debris Cosmic
Death Angel by Linda Howard


New Group #22 Pick Books September 2, 2011


Singles:
Tender Triumph by Judith McNaught

New Group #21 of Pick Books July 29, 2011
There are eight mysteries and I have asterisked nine books that are smaller and would be good for oversea choices if so desired.


* I. O. U by Pickard, Nancy (spine creased)
Stand by Me Anthology with Dallas Schulze, Roberta Leigh and Linda Randall Wisdom (spine creased)

May, 2011 New Group of Pick books
Group #20

Singles
Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins - Audio Cassettes


3/25/11 I did get to set up a new group of books:
Group #19
Singles
Primary Colors - audio tapes
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 Pair:

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. 

I started Friday Pick in November 27, 2009 and in two years I  posted 26 groups of 16 books to find new homes! (March 2012)

I have periodically update the lists - deleting those won. 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 341 books have found new homes! YAY. I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed.

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 too. :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 with the next Pick post.
Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks.

WINNERS PLEASE CHECK THE WIN POST ON FRIDAYS AND fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me at mesreads@gmail.com. [I will confirm receipt of the addresses- well I realize I haven't always done this. But if you filled out the form and don't get the book within two weeks nudge me with an email please!] 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
Moonfire by Judith Redman Robbins
Saving Faith by David Baldacci (Audio Book)

12/3/10 Book Set:
#16
Best Of Enemies by Taylor Smith
Sleight of Hand by Robin Hathaway
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

List #15---
List #14
Gospel Truths by J.G. Sandom

Here is set #13 of Used books!
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

Group #11
Cat's Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown
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
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross

Pick #3
One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon

Pick #4
Talking God by Tony Kellerman
Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Sixth Sense
The Shadow by Shelley Munro (PA)

Pick #5
See Jane Lead by Lois P. Frankel
The Daddy Spell by Patti Ann Cole
Misfortune by Nancy Geary
Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes

Pick #6
Elusive Love by Catherine Lanigan

Pick #7
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape
Princess Charming by Jane Heller (slightly creased)

Pick #8
(sc) = slightly creased on binding otherwise all in good shape
The Jury by Steve Martini - Audio Tapes
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson - Audio Tapes

Pick #9
Three Weddings and a Kiss - Anthology
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murray
Guardian by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Time to Hunt by Stephen Hunter - Audio Tapes

Pick #10
The Third Twin by Ken Follett (spine creased)
Dreams Gather by Kathryn Collins (sc)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Audio Book Review: Tar The Wandering by Helen Sea

This is a beautifully haunting story and sound.  I highly recommend this for a different and lovely listen.
Tar The Wandering
Author: Helen Sea
Audio Length: 53 min
Release Date: 9/21/2011
Narrator: Julia Franklin
Format: Unabridged  

  • Publisher: Books Are Loud
  • Audible.com Release Date: September 21, 2011
Genre: Paranormal
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0





This is a beautiful and subtly written story told in the best traditions of an Old Norse tale. It is poetic and delicate and at the same time suspenseful and dramatic. There are dangers and discoveries, adventure and sadness as Tar follows her quest. Will the forces of good keep her safe from her enemies as she follows her destiny? Helen Sea has written the original music that flavours her sensuous storytelling in this wonderful and engaging story that will appeal to a teenage audience and listeners of all ages.

Reviews:
This short audio is delightful.  The Gift-Giver has gifted Tar with the skill and responsibility of collecting tears and comforting those who mourn. She must run far and fast to fulfill her calling. Tar’s feathered friend, Favnea, the Treasure Seeker, shows her a large crystalline tear.  At first she brushes it aside but then she realizes she must discover where the tear came from.  She travels far and faces danger. When she confirms the source of the tear, once again she sets off to learn the truth and the reason. As she struggles on her journey Tar does some soul searching and meets more than she expects. 

I wish I knew for certain but the specially created music background may be a wooden flute. It sounds like native music and it is beautiful and haunting.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When Tar can not see Ulver, the Wolf, says to Tar:
Audiobook Jukebox“Look harder. You do not see because you look with the wrong eyes. I am here. Adjust your seeing.”

I appreciate receiving this audiobook to review from Books Are Loud through AudioJukebox.
This story will be added to my ARC, New Author and Audio Challenge lists.

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