Mailbox Monday September 17, 2012

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
FOR SEPTEMBER: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Kristen’s at BookNAround.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) but is now hosted at Mailbox Monday and through various blog hosts.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. 

I added four (plus) nice books to my book garden. How about you?

Review Titles

I received one print review book and one pdf review titles; Also I have included a pdf I received in August but forgot to include on the Monday Mailbox post.

Print Book for October 9 Book Tour.

Tears Water the Seeds of Hope Book tour with Great Escapes with Dolly.

Pdf for October 17 Pump Up Your Book Tour 

10/17/12  The Miracle Inspector; Pump Up Your Book Tour

Pdf for October 23 Blog Tour

10/23/12  The Relunctant Bachelorette Blog Tour Hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer

Wins

I received DoubleExposure

by Susan Sleeman

which I won through giveaway at Novel Books.

Thank you Susan Sleeman and Janalyn Voigt!

No new selected books this week.

I still have some wins due in from the Coffee Anniversary Extravaganza hosted by Coffeetime and The Romance Studio.  I still need to select some more books but I haven't yet.

Purchased

None

Free 

I did download several free Kindle titles this week.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? September 17, 2012

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 spent the weekend sitting in a hotel room feeling fairly yucky with a cold or sinus infection. We drove to South Florida to share in the memorial celebration for my Dad who died on July 3. Thanks for all you gave; we miss you Dad!

I did finish four books last week and posted five book reviews so I can keep up.  There was only one review with a giveaway link.  I posted the regular Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I did get to visit a bit last week and hope I will get to a little tonight before I crash again. :-)
I truly appreciate all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts, not including a winner's post:

• It's Monday What are You Reading? September 10, 2012.

• Monday Mailbox September 10, 2012.

• Book Review, Feature with Giveaway Link: Dangerous Shift by Jill James; Paranormal Romantic Suspense; my rating 4.5.

• Audio Book Review:  Steel Whispers by Hayden Trenholm; Science Fiction; my rating 4.5.

• Book Review: Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa; Fantasy; my rating 4.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 14, 2012.  Open Worldwide.  Ends 9/13.

• Audio Book Review:  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; Adapted Classic, Dramatization; my rating 4.25.

• Book Review:  What In God's Name by Simon Rich; Comedy; my rating 4.0.

• Sharing Beyond Books #65 Comment Giveaway. Open Worldwide. Ends 9/21.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement September 16, 2012.

Finished Reading:

1. Print
 

What in God's Name: A Novel
by Simon Rich
I had mixed feelings on this. The review is linked above.

2. Audio
 

Night Rounds: A Detective Inspector Irene Huss Investigation  
by Helene Tursten (Author), 
Suzanne Toren (Narrator)
This is a detailed and interesting mystery.
I will post a review early this week.
Reviewing for AudioGo  through Audiobook Jukebox.  
Book Description Publication Date: June 5, 2012 |   
Series: Inspector Irene Huss Investigation
Irene Huss is a former Ju–Jitsu champion, a mother of twin teenage girls, the wife of a successful chef, and a Detective Inspector with the Violent Crimes Unit in Goteborg, Sweden. And now she’s back with a gripping follow–up to Detective Inspector Huss. One nurse lies dead and another vanishes after their hospital is hit by a blackout. ....

3. Audio

The Grapes of Wrath
By John Steinbeck, Frank Galati [Adapt.]
Read by Shirley Knight, Jeffrey Donovan, and a Full Cast
Published by L.A. Theatre Works
I really enjoyed the dramatization of this
classic story.  The review is linked above.
Description:
Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family.

"With a photographer’s eye for honest detail and a musician’s ear for the era’s language and dialogue, John Steinbeck’s Dustbowl epic of displacement, heartache, and hope became both a touchstone and lightning rod in American literature as soon as it was published in 1939. The novel continues to resonate and L.A. Theatre Works’s full-cast performance of Frank Galati’s Tony Award-winning stage adaptation hits all the high points. In this story of family and survival, Jeffrey Donovan provides a solid voice and foundation for the Prodigal Son figure, Tom Joad. Francis Guinan finds the wisdom and humor in the broken preacher, Jim Casey. And veteran Broadway star Shirley Knight shines as the matriarch, Ma Joad, bringing heart, soul, and tears to every line. A fine introduction to Steinbeck’s world.”

4. Kindle
 

Miss Buncle's Book  
by D.E. Stevenson
This is a fun story - very small town! I will post a review this week. Reviewing for Sourcebooks through NetGalley.   
Book Description  
Publication Date:  September 1, 2012  
Who Knew One Book Could Cause So Much Chaos?  
Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara's bank account has seen better days. Maybe she could sell a novel ... if she knew any stories. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from her fellow residents of Silverstream, the little English village she knows inside and out.
 

Line Edits/Releases: I have another release to get posted this week.

Currently reading:  

1. Audible
 

The Lost Gate: Mithermages, Book 1

• UNABRIDGED
• by Orson Scott Card
• Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Emily Janice Card
•   Series: Mithermages, Book 1

 Since we had 10 hours of driving I chose a book that my daughter and grandson might like too.
We are about half way through and 
will listen to the rest on the drive home.
This is from my Audible Library.
Publisher's Summary
Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different - and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an "outself".

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English - but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

Orson Scott Card, a New York Times best-selling author, has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards for his works of speculative fiction. He lives with his family in Greensboro, North Carolina.

©2011 Orson Scott Card (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

2. Print

A Man of Honor: First Responders Book #3
by Loree Lough
I have just started this and like it from just a few pages in. I will be posting the review 9/20 as part of Pump Up Your Book Blog Tour.
Book Description
Publication Date: August 2012 | Series: First Responders (Book 3)
On a steamy spring morning, Dusty Parker—part-time pastor, part-time search-and-rescue team member, and full-time administrator of a school for troubled boys—joins the search for a missing teenage girl. He partners with volunteer and inner-city school teacher Grace Sinclair, and what they find bonds them in ways neither could have expected.

As they begin to build their lives together, a visitor from the past causes Dusty and Grace to further open their hearts and home. But a threat is looming on their seemingly perfect lives and in one terrifying night, everything changes.

3. Print

Angels Landing (A Cavanaugh Island Novel)
by Rochelle Alers
I am 25% into this and it is reading quickly;
Reviewing for Forever/Hachette.
Book Description
Publication Date: August 28, 2012 | Series: A Cavanaugh Island Novel (Book 2)
Sometimes love can take you by surprise.

Kara Newell has a big-city life that needs a major shake-up. Her dedication as a social worker is unwavering, yet her heart tells her that there is more to life than just work. Kara gets the push she needs when she shockingly inherits a large estate on an island off the South Carolina coast. Now the charming town of Angels Landing awaits her . . . along with a secret family she never knew she had.

After surviving war, loss, and heartbreak, ex-marine Jeffrey Hamilton takes his position as sheriff of idyllic Cavanaugh Island very seriously. So he is the perfect person to watch over the beautiful, confident woman who has turned her new family's expectations upside down-and stepped into the crosshairs of angry local residents.

But soon Kara becomes more than just a job to him, and he begins to need her in ways he never expected. As Kara and Jeffrey confront the town gossips together, they'll learn to face their fears and forgive their pasts in order to find a future filled with happiness in Angels Landing.

I am again listening to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. 

[Reading and listening on my new MP3.]

Instead of studying with the Tyndall One Year Bible this year I am studying with Through the Bible in One Year by Alan B. Stringfellow. It is a Study that I used for teaching back in around 1989 so I will enjoy it again.  This week the reading is Ephesians.

Line Edits: I am working on more formatting this week.

I thought I had selected fewer titles for September but there are already 17 in the starting list which means five per week continues.   I have read 7 from the list; 8 for the month so far.

Scheduled for September:

9/20 A Man of Honor (Pump Up Your Book Blog Tours)
Week of 9/20 - date tbd Angels Landing by Rochelle Alers (Hachette)
9/25 Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster - Review and Interview (Sourcebooks)

Unscheduled for September:
NetGalley

Blades of Winter: A Novel of the Shadowstorm by G. T. Almasi
(Possibly one more)

Sourcebooks
When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen
(Possibly two others)

Hachette
Power, Faces of Evil by Debra Webb

Audiobook Jukebox:

The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman
Bones Are Forever Kathy Reichs

Authors
Risking it All by Suzanne Barrett

TBR
I plan to read at least one "Won"/TBR books and one free Kindle book.:-)
Free Kindle - read; Free Audio - read.
Won TBR: Shift by Ami Rebecca Blackwelder

[To be posted - I am setting these up for interview/feature days. These were read and ready for reviews for Authors.  
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.]

Sunday Words of Encouragement September 16, 2012

I am in south Florida to attend a memorial 'party' today to celebrate my father's life.  Frank C. Snedaker, March 30, 1924 to July 3, 2012. He lived a strong life; you could say that he lived like Frank Sinatra's popular song 'I did it my way'.  My father's motto (and a couple of boat names) was "Never Give Up!"

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. - William Penn

My Dad left a wonderful legacy of family. 

This picture below was taken at a family gathering to celebrate his 87th Birthday in 2011.

He is in the center on the sofa with most (but not all) of his children (three of four) and grandchildren (eight of twelve) with spouses and eleven (of seventeen) great grandchildren.

I like this song for a positive view of death

Verses for Today:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Thank you all for your messages of sympathy in July. I am thankful that God blessed me with wonderful parents. My Dad will be missed but he left a wonderful legacy of living!

Sharing Beyond Books #66 September 15, 2012

Welcome to another SBB!

Hello again on Saturday Night.  I am in South Florida with family as we are holding a party memorial tomorrow to celebrate my Dad's life (died July 3).  There were some other activities today but I have stayed in my hotel room as I am dragging with a sinus cold.  I hope by sleeping most of the day I will feel better tomorrow and not get wiped out by the drive home on Monday.

Thank you to all who shared last week.

We had a number of commenters who do not read sports fiction (6 plus Natasha hasn't tried any.) Llehn mentioned Quidditch but I don't think we had that in mind. LOL
For those of you who like romance and might want to check out good sports fiction romance here are the names of authors that were mentioned:  Susan Elizabeth Phillips (football), Rachel Gibson (hockey), Jaci Burton (mentioned by several - football, baseball and hockey), Deirdre Martin (hockey), Jill Shalvis and Kate Angell (baseball).  Also Abby shared Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry.  This looks like a cute read for Christmas time. :-)

Well out of 16 of us 10 agreed the baggy, saggy pants look should go away! A couple commenters agreed with the leggings as a not good look especially for heavier women and a couple picked Uggs.  I had to laugh at Jane saying the day glow shirts could go as I had just bought day glow shirts for the grandkids on the Alaska tour. They are young enuf to enjoy them. :-)  I also laughed at marybelle's comment: "Mutton dressed up as lamb, or even worse, children made up & dressed up way beyond their years."

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #65 comments is: #13 winnie There are still 6 'love' books to pick from and 1 Christmas choice (I guess I'll have to add some titles to that list soon). Winnie please choose a book (or GC if international) from the remaining Love Books List for Giveaway, remaining Christmas Giveaway Book, OR pick from the Updated ARC/Review List and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #66 Questions

Q1. Margaret asks: If you are a member of an online book club and a in person book club member is there one that you prefer??  

A: I haven't been able to be very consistent with the online book club... either I don't care for the book chosen or I don't get it into my schedule. I do enjoy my church Ladies' Book Club as we get to read an inspirational title (various fiction but always Christian) and we enjoy meeting about every six weeks to share discussion.

Image found at Tiny Prints Archive

Q2. I thought of this question to go with question 1: If you were to recommend a book for Book Club reading what book would it be??

A:  Here is a link to the books we have read at our Book Club. I have chosen the books, with member input, over the past two years or so.  In addition to picking Christian titles I generally try to get lower priced books so that most everyone can afford the book. This months reading for discussion in early October is: Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer.

Image found at ChristianBooks.com

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. Margaret asks: If you are a member of an online book club and a in person book club member is there one that you prefer??

2. If you were to recommend a book for Book Club reading what book would it be??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the remaining  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books - there are still about 7 books available to choose from. Also I have added the Updated ARC/Review List 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, September 21, 2012 at 10 PM central.

Winner of "Fall in Love with Forever" Prizepack

Congratulations to the Winner of

"FALL in Love with Forever" prizepack of upcoming fall titles!
This giveaway was given in conjunction with the Book Feature release of 

POWER, Faces of Evil, by Debra Webb

Here are the titles included in the prizepack:

THE WARRIOR by Margaret Mallory
BAREFOOT IN THE RAIN by Roxanne St. Claire
AN HEIRESS AT HEART by Jennifer Delamere
WHERE ANGELS REST by Kate Brady
TOO DANGEROUS TO DESIRE by Cara Elliott
TWO SINFUL SECRETS by Laurel McKee

Random.org picked #1

Linda Kish

Linda - Please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me at mesreads AT gmail.com to confirm the win and I will notify the publisher to send the books.  Please reply within 72 hours!
Thank you to all who entered these giveaways.