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Friday, May 4, 2012

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway May 4, 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, Hello! I hope everyone had a Happy May Day and a good week! This has been a good week starting with a great weekend.  I  was frustrated by corrective work - Buyer and Seller changes to documents back and forth.  Work was productive even though I didn't get to complete certain tasks which I hope to work on tomorrow.  Next week will be strange as I will be away Wednesday through Sunday for some work related training.  I'll try to get a new group photo for next week if I can get it early before I go out of town.

Thank you to all who entered April 27 Pick.  There were THREE 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).
There were several books blocked by multiple requests, but two were picked by Random.org.
Maria picked the Patricia Cornwell Pair
Carol N Wong picked The Amazing Mrs. Polifax
Krystal picked The Daddy Spell

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from April 27 Pick:

Paranormal and Romantic Suspence chose Slow Heat  
and
Cheryl C chose When Dreams Come True

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.
There are some good new books for MAY.
Do you have any you plan to pick up? 
I want to get Insurgent and Deadlocked - Sookie Stackhouse #12
Any others?
Image found at USA Today


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.


Mallory's Oracle (Kathleen Mallory Novels) by Carol O'Connell
* 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 351 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)
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Thursday, May 3, 2012

Audio Book Review: The Withering of Willoughby and the Professor

This is a very strange audio with lots of craziness. It is compiled from weekly broadcast episodes.
by Joe Bevilacqua  
  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 8 hours and 8 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Waterlogg Productions
  • Audible.com Release Date: June 13, 2011
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0055T6XMK
Genre:  Fantasy Comedy, Sci Fi
My Rating:  3.75 of 5.0  (4.25 for performance; 3.0 for story)


As heard on Sirius XM Radio and NPR stations!

This is epic science-fiction fantasy comedy, in the Monty Python/Terry Gilliam vein, about a boy and his professor who travel willy-nilly across time and space in a failed attempt to ''cure the world of all its ills''. Produced, directed, and voiced by Joe Bevilacqua, with David Garland and Margaret Juntwait, written by Joe Bevilacqua and Robert J. Cirasa, theme music by David Garland, musical numbers written by Joe Bevilacqua, performed by the Paul Salomone Trio with Paul on piano, Ed Fuqua on bass, and Jim Mason on drums.


Review:
The Professor is trying to rid the world of ills with the help of his eager, young assistant, Willoughby. The efforts begin trying to transport a box of roaches away from civilization but they end up transporting themselves along with the box to foreign sands.  Then, through mishaps at the lab, they begin bouncing backward and forward in time and space meeting some strange characters along the way.  

The author wrote the musicals pieces and they really are quite fun; I liked them alot. The sound effects for the most part are wonderful. Unfortunately the story sometimes gets lost and overwhelmed by the sound but I’m not sure that isn’t intentional. There were several episodes that seem to be unrelated or at least very off track.  Then again... I hadn’t thought about this being a comedy in the vein of Monty Python which should have given me a clue that things might go far afield.  The story eventually rolls back onto the theme but still doesn’t have a clear resolution for me, although the Professor does seem to realize that he may make things worse by interfering with nature. There is some toilet humor, another “ala Monty Python” trait. Also parts of the story and some of the effects may be scary for young children so I suggest parental listening before sharing.

** Added comments: In emailing with the author I learned that there will be more episodes so that is why there was not a clear ending. I also learned that Joe is the SOLE voice (except for the addition of a female in the 16th episode.) That he does all of these voices himself is really extra remarkable.

I would give this a 4.25 for audio performance but I have to give it a 3.0 for the story.  However, if you are a person who really likes “wacky” as well as fun audio, this would be a good pick.  The author was kind enough to send along some other audios, including Sherlock Holmes and Abbott and Costello. I am looking forward to listening to those and will share comments on them when I do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Audiobook JukeboxEnjoy JoeBev productions at The Comedy-O-Rama which airs every Saturday From Noon to 2pm (ET) / 9am to 11am (PT) - Tune in Live for Free, Exclusively on http://www.CultRadioAGoGo.com/

Thank you to Joe Bevilacqua and AudioJukebox for providing this Audio fun.
I will include this on my ARC, New Authors and Audio Challenges.
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Book Review: Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan

This is a wonderfully full, swashbuckling action adventure of good individuals fighting corrupt government. Think of Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings adventures. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book as it is really two books in one volume.
by Michael J. Sullivan

  • Paperback: 816 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (December 14, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316187704
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316187701
Also available in Kindle and other ebook formats.
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: December 14, 2011
Series: Riyria Revelations (Book 2)
Royce and Hadrian have been called upon to aid the struggling kingdom of Melengar as it alone stands in defiance against the newly formed empire. As war approaches a desperate gamble behind enemy lines is their only chance at forming an alliance with the Nationalists to the south.

But Royce has plans of his own and uses this opportunity to discover if an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns in his own bid for power. To find the truth, Royce must unravel Hadrian's hidden past. What he discovers will lead them to the end of the known world on a journey rife with treachery and intrigue.

And so continues the second tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.

BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS
Theft of Swords (The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha)
Rise of Empire (Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm)
Heir of Novron (Wintertide & Percepliquis)


Review:
This volume picks up a half a year after the ending of Theft of Swords.  The Imperialist empire, controlled by corrupt church leaders, is trying to train the young farmer’s daughter, Thrace, who has been made Empress Modina.  The sad girl is living like a beggar prisoner, shut away inside herself as if in a trance, refusing to eat or recognize anyone around her.  By unexpected fate a scullery maid, Amilia, is assigned as the new Imperial Secretary and she is slowly able to make progress with Modina. Modina shrewdly uses those around her to hide the fact that she has become aware of her circumstances and isn’t happy being an Imperial pawn.  She has the power to bring down all of the evil Regent Saulder’s plans if she isn't discovered.

Royce and Hadrian, the thieves and heroes from volume one, have become official employees of the king of Melengar, one of the last kingdoms to stand against the Imperial Empire.  The King’s sister, Arista, joins forces with Royce and Hadrian to find the true heir in the effort to defeat the Imperial foes. There are betrayals of supposed friends and eventually the team is divided. Royce and Hadrian infiltrate a ship to discover secrets of their enemy, Merrick Marius, another spy/thief who has sold his services to the Empire. The daring duo pose as sailors gaining friends and enemies. A handful of sailors escape an attack from aliens who are more frightening than pirates.  They manage to get to land and there they face more perils including fighting their way out in an arena battle against larger, faster, carnivorous monsters.

Along their adventures they discover a plot to bring down the kingdom in the south with whom they were hoping to form an alliance. They are unable to convince the leaders of the threat so they try to sneak in to prevent part of the attack. Instead they walk into a trap and once again discover betrayal, treachery, unexpected foes and unexpected friends.

Meanwhile, Arista has shown herself as a much stronger person than merely a pampered princess. She infiltrates the Imperial strong hold as a maid. She is able to meet up with Modina who helps her on her quest. Arista’s magical powers are growing but they may easily get her arrested and executed as a witch.

I loved the non-stop adventure and intrigue. I like the friendships developed among the characters as they travel and plan together. Mr. Sullivan has woven a thoroughly engaging adventure. I sense the despair, fear, and small joys of the characters and I am cheering on the heroes!  This book does recap what happened in Volume One but I think you will miss a lot if you don’t read the first books. I am totally engrossed in the story and am anxious to read the next volume of two books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Royce tries to understand Hadrian's discontented struggles wanting to be more than a mercenary.
Royce defined right and wrong by the moment. Right was what was best for him--wrong was everything else. He stole, lied, and even killed when necessary. This was his craft and he was good at it. Location 351
The Imperialists try to justify their lies in hiding and imprisoning the true heir as "the protectorate of the faith..."
"We don't want to wallow in superstition like ignorant peasants. ... The truth is a powerful thing....The truth must be kept safe, reserved only for those capable of handling it." Location 4249-4252.
Thank you to Orbit division of Hachette for allowing me to review this through NetGalley.
I will be adding this to my ARC Challenge list.
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Book Blitz and KINDLE Giveaway! Unconquered by J.D. Davis

In 1935 and early 1936, three cousins were born into tight-knit families in Ferriday, Louisiana. Rare piano talent, strong parental relationships, the Pentecostal church, family struggle, and a variety of musical influences worked together to produce men who changed twentieth-century music and culture. The individual stories of these three cousins illustrate their varied paths from small-town America to a world stage. Woven together, the collective story becomes even more compelling and amazing.

UNCONQUERED is a story so unlikely that it would not be believable if written as fiction. It tells of rock ‘n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and country music star Mickey Gilley. These very different men, raised in the same time and place, with similar talents, were fated for entirely different destinies even as their lives would always be profoundly intertwined. Born into poverty, each man, in his own way, would become an iconic figure blessed with the ability to thrill and inspire.

The story's touchstones of music, perseverance, and faith could wield such force only in the American South. There, in the Louisiana lowlands’ Concordia Parish, their story began in the midst of the Great Depression.  

About J.D.Davis
J.D. Davis was raised in Quitman, Texas, a quiet community in the northeast part of the state. Having grown up in a small town in the rural South—similar in many ways to the cousins’ hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana—with many similar influences as the cousins, he has meaningful insight into these three men.

Davis attended the University of Texas on a full academic scholarship, received a B.A. with highest honors in economics, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He later received a master’s degree from SMU.

As a successful businessman, Davis achieved the highest credentials as an actuary and became a principal in a large firm while still in his twenties. He currently manages an employee benefits consulting practice that covers the southern region of the United States, with offices in four cities.

Davis remembers his father watching Jimmy Swaggart on television and being intrigued by the evangelist's magnificent piano talent. As a teenager, Davis became a huge fan of Jerry Lee Lewis. He first attended one of Lewis’s live performances as a college student and was awe-struck to see this man put on a breathtaking performance. Davis grew up listening to country music of the seventies and eighties, when Mickey Gilley was consistently producing number one country hits. He became fascinated by the ways these three very different cousins achieved and dealt with eventual success and has been a dedicated fan for years.

Davis has worked with a talented team of many. His editors included Elizabeth Kaye, an award winning journalist who has often written about southern music and southern preachers. As a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, she interviewed Sam Phillips and gathered firsthand experience of Jerry Lee Lewis when covering sessions at which he played with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison. As a contributing editor to John Kennedy’s George magazine, Kaye wrote extensively about Billy Graham and his son Franklin, traveled on several missionary trips with Franklin, and worked with ABC’s 20/20 to produce and write a major Billy Graham profile.
You can visit his website at http://www.unconqueredthebook.com.
Visit his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UnconqueredTheBook
Visit his Twitter page at https://twitter.com/Unconqueredbook



~~~ WIN A FREE KINDLE! ~ ~ ~
J.D. Davis will be giving away a FREE KINDLE!  Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to win!  This giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canada citizens.  Deadline is June 1 and announced on June 2.  If you are the winner, contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife (at) gmail.com or Tracee Gleichner at tgleichner (at) gmail.com.  You have 48 hours to reply.  If we do not hear from you in 48 hours, another winner will be selected.  Thanks and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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BookBlast Feature with Giveaway! Elemental by Emily White

A New Feature and a title of interest!  I am participating in a new promo program called BookBlast hosted by I Am A Reader, Not a Writer.  Through this program books will be featured with info and great giveaways. I will pick titles that I think my blog readers would find interesting and which I can squeeze into my schedule (i.e. have open days and input time to promote).  I encourage you to learn about these interesting offerings and participate in really nice giveaways too!

BOOKBLAST FEATURED TITLE

ELEMENTAL
by Emily White
Genre:  Sci Fi, Space Opera

Book Description
Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.

But she wants to.

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner on an interstellar starship. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed? 

 PRAISE FOR ELEMENTAL

"Emily White's debut novel is a bestseller waiting to happen...I immediately fell in love with Ella." Author Michelle Pickett

"Who would have thought that mixing faeries and space opera would turn out to be so awesome? ... If you’re a sci-fi fan, you really can’t miss this debut!" birth of a new witch, book blogger

"Emily has done a fantastic job describing the worlds and this book has lots of action in it...keep your eye out for the book! Happy Reading! Go on a wonderful adventure to a new world where things are not always as they seem!" Tee loves Kyle Jacobson, goodreads review

"I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like Elemental. My hat is off to Ms. White, and anyone else who can take a novel set squarely in the sci-fi genre, throw in fairies and a few obscure King Arthur references, and make it all work." Keshia Swaim at The Book Addict

"I'm calling it right now. Elemental is the beginning of the next big YA series...I can safely say that I could give a copy of Elemental to my guy friends without fear of getting punched in the nose." Author Daniel Cohen

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About the Author:

Emily White lives in NY, wedged between two of the Great Lakes and a few feet of snow and ice. She's spent most of her life running away from the cold, and even spent a year in Iraq, but now contents herself with writing her characters into warm, exotic places in faraway galaxies. When not tapping away at her computer keys, she can be found reading, reading, and reading some more. And when she's not doing that, she's usually playing video games with her husband, peek-a-boo with her kids, or walking through her garden, wondering why the bugs insist on eating all her vegetables.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR $100 Gift Code to Amazon!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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