Sharing Beyond Books #67 Comment Giveaway September 22, 2012

Welcome to another SBB!

Hello again on Saturday Night.  I am still under the weather with this horrible sinus cold. I almost didn't get up to finish this post. As soon as it is posted I am back off to bed so goodnight all!

Thank you to all who shared last week.

I was surprised that only one other commenter belongs to an in person book club and two belong to online book clubs. I appreciated the comments and  the book recommendations. I have to agree that the book choices would depend a lot on the group of readers. I am tempted to try some of the recommendations too. :-)

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #65 comments is: #5 Jane 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). Jane 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 #67 Questions

Q1. Abby asks: What's on your bedside table, besides book(s)??  

A: In addition to the print book that I am reading, on my bedside table I have a tray that holds my glass of water, a nail file and my glasses at night. Behind the tray is a box of tissues.  I also lay on my bedside table my Kindle and my mp3 depending on which I am listening to -- sometimes both. In the top drawer at the ready reach is a small notebook and a pen so I can take notes.

Now here is an interesting Bedside Table idea

 Image found at Treehugger

Q2. Does your family understand your love of reading??

A:  Sad to say my DH is not a reader so he does not really appreciate all of my reading. Fortunately he tolerates it. My daughter likes to read when she has time but she is busy with young children.  She and I will listen in the car if we travel together. I am glad to say my older brother has become more of an active reader since he got his Kindle so we share recommendations.

Image found at LOL Zombie

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. Abby asks: What's on your bedside table, besides book(s)??

2. Does your family understand your love of reading??

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 28, 2012 at 10 PM central.

Book Review: Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

This is a charming, old fashion tale of characters in an English village.

Miss Buncle's Book
by D.E. Stevenson

• File Size: 923 KB
• Print Length: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (September 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007ZI00BO

Genre: Novel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: September 1, 2012

Who Knew One Book Could Cause So Much Chaos?

Barbara Bunde 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.

To her surprise, the novel is a smash. It's a good thing she wrote under a pseudonym, because the folks of Silverstream are in an uproar. But what really turns Miss Bunde's world around is this: what happens to the characters in her book starts happening to their real-life counterparts. Does life really imitate art?

A beloved author who has sold more than seven million books, D. E. Stevenson is at her best with Miss Buncle's Book, crafting a highly original and charming tale about what happens when people see themselves through someone else's eyes.

"Love it, love it, love it"

"There are no vampires, no faeries, no weird creatures, just a sweet story about real people living in a world I've always dreamed of."—Reader Review

Review:

Miss Buncle is a unremarkable young woman who lives in a quiet little English village.  Times are hard and her small dividends have dwindled so that she doesn’t have enough to cover bills. The only choices she thinks she has are to raise hens or write and sell a book.  She doesn’t know anything about chickens so she writes what she knows – she writes about the people in her village.

The first part of the book describes the day to day life of the village named Copperfield instead of its real name, Silverstream. She portrays the neighbors fairly accurately with foibles and quirks although she does give them different names that play on their true names.  The second half of the book she becomes creative and allows for fantasy to devise a future for several characters.  Miss Buncle submits the book as John Smith and is happily surprised when a publisher agrees to publish it. He doesn’t know if the book is simple or satiric but he found it engaging.

Miss Buncle is thrilled to get an advance and is cheered until her neighbors start to read the book. Some find it charming and laughable but certain ladies in the community become upset by their honest, but not always kind, portrayal.  They gather the neighbors together to try to figure out who the author is so they can chase him down and ‘horse whip’ him.  While she decides whether to reveal that she is the author, Miss Buncle watches as her neighbors begin to do things depicted in the book.

I’m not quite certain what year this is set in -- there are cars and phones -- but the book was originally published in 1936. So it is apparently a cozy, slower village time.  It isn’t a fast read but it is sweet and engaging and I loved some of the phrasing (see quotes below). It is enjoyable to follow the gentle Doctor and his wife, the new Vicar and the women who pursue him; it is fun to watch the cranky, snobbish women who don’t want to recognize who they really are and it is particularly lovely to watch Miss Buncle’s own transformation.

If you like a cozy warm caricature of life, try this sweet, easy story!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are examples of the laid back, charming phrases I liked:

“Lawks!” she exclaimed suddenly, looking up at the clock. “Look at the time, and the drawing room to be done yet—I’m behind , like a cow’s tail.”  Location 53.

“Dorcas, I could never give up writing now,” she said, incredulously (nor could she, the vice had got her firmly in its grip, as well ask a morphinomaniac to give up drugs). “You don’t know how exciting it is, Dorcas. It just sweeps you along and you’ve no idea of the time--” Location 2057.

 I received this through NetGalley to review for Sourcebooks.

I will add this to my New Author Challenge List.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 21, 2012

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

Happy Friday and Happy Fall!  I hope everyone has had a good week. I am still 'groggy' with fever and cold. I'm looking forward to the weekend as I hope to get more sleep to knock out this bug.

Thank you to all who entered the September 14 Pick. There were THREE automatic winner this week. YAY! :-) (those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks).  Four books were blocked again this week but two were won on the Random pick!
Carol M chose Hell's Belles
Anita chose The Third Twin
and
bn100 chose The Ring on Her Finger

CONGRATULATIONS

to Random.org picked Winners from September 14 Pick:

mamabunny13 chose Tall, Dark and Cajun
and

Mona chose Shadow Fires

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. 

This is Downtown Books in Ketchikan, Alaska

New Book Group #31 August 31, 2012
I pulled some more books from several of my boxes.

In the Presence of Enemies by William J. Coughlin
Shattered by Dick Francis
Shadow Fires by Dean Koontz
Hard News by Jeffrey Deavers
Palindrome by Stuart Woods (spine creases)
Afterimage by Jay Brandon
Tall, Dark and Cajun by Sandra Hill
Hot Streak by Susan Johnson
When Lightning Strikes Twice by Barbara Boswell
Ice Blue by Anne Stuart
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
Thunder Creek by Jill Gregory
His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
The Body They May Kill by Stallsmith
Beautiful Dreamer by Elizabeth Lowell
Summer Light by Luanne Rice

New Book Group #30 July 27, 2012
This time I pulled some books from one of my older boxes.
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing

Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottline

The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)

Threads of Destiny by Arnette Lamb

A Dangerous Devotion by Barbara Kyle

Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts (some spine wear)

An Independent Woman by Candace Camp

Wolf Mountain Moon by Terry C. Johnston

Wild Escapade by Lisa Bingham

Dancing on Snowflakes by Jane Bonander

Virtue by Jane Feather

Don't Bargain with The Devil by Sabrina Jeffries

Mistress by Amanda Quick - Audio Cassettes

*Long Time Coming by Sandra Brown

*The Contrary Corinthian by Emily Hendrickson (spine wear)

*There Was a Little Boy by Claire Rainwater Jacobs

*On Thin Ice by Linda Hall

New Book Group #29 June 29, 2012
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing

 

Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, An Anthology

The Promise by Kasey Michaels

Winning Ways by Barbara Boswell

Tomorrow's Promise by Sandra Brown

Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard

Death's Door by Meryl Sawyer

Life Support by Tess Gerristen Audio Cassettes

Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich

Exit to Eden by Anne Rice

While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark

Gifts from the Heart by Jillian Hart

*Simon Said by Sarah R. Shaber

*One is the Lonliest Number - Tom Clancey's Net Force

*Edwin of the Iron Shoes by Marcia Mueller

*Covert Pursuit by Terri Reed

*Close to Home by Carolyne Aarsen

New Book Group #28 May 18, 2012
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books suitable for international

Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts

Game Over by Fern Michaels

Forever Victoria by Dorothy Garlock

Sleeping Alone by Barbara Bretton

Gentle From the Night Meagan McKinney (spine creased)

In Too Deep by Tina Wainscott

Wildflower by Jill Marie Landis

*Love and Other Four Letter Words by Caroline Mackler

*The Carousel by Rosamund Pilcher

*Shades of Grace by Barbara Delinsky (audio tapes)

The Heart of Justice by William L. Coughlin

Cross Country by James Patterson

New book Group #27 April 13, 2012
Some of the books on the right end are smaller and suitable for overseas mailing. :-)

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris (spine damage)

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Midnight Hour by Debra Dixon

September Morning by Diana Palmer

Beneath the Surface by Annie White (slight spine wear)

*The Dream Horse by Virginia Campbell Scott

*Summer's Belle by Paige Winship Dooly

New book Group #26 March 2, 2012--- (All gone)
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.


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

*Shadow Rider: Apache Sundown by Jory Sherman

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


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

New Group #22 Pick Books September 2, 2011


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

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!---(All gone).

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 412 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

12/3/10 Book Set:

#16

Sleight of Hand by Robin Hathaway

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

List #15---(All gone)

List #14---(All gone)

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---(All gone)

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---(All gone)

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

Misfortune by Nancy Geary

Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes

Pick #6---(All gone)

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

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)

Book Review: A Man of Honor by Loree Lough

This is a wonderful read of strong, warm characters.
A Man of Honor: First Responders Book #3
by Loree Lough

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (August 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426714629
• ISBN-13: 978-1426714627

Genre: Christian Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

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.

Review:
Oh, wow -- I had to finish the final 70 pages last night and there was much joy and sorrow packed into those last pages.

Dusty Parker is a strong, wonderful character. His looks may be deceiving as one might not be prepared for a pastor, teen guardian when they look at a pony-tailed, tattooed, Harley riding ex-marine. Dusty had hard losses and hard times in his past but he turned his life around when he turned control over to God. He still faces demons of self doubt and blame when he thinks that he has failed any of the young boys he houses. But after he meets Grace she tries to make him see that he is honorable because he gives all and does all he can for these young lives.

Grace is a beautiful and rather fearless school teacher. She and Dusty meet on a search and rescue (SAR) when one of Grace’s young students goes missing after prom night. Neither is looking for a mate but God has other plans when he brings them together.

Dusty runs 'Last Chance,' a home for troubled boys. With the help of assistant Pastor, Mitch, they are raising eleven young boys between twelve and sixteen. The Last Chance is facing a threat from a nearby gang who wants to incorporate the young boys into it’s ranks.

Grace manages her 10 acre family ‘ranch’, Angel’s Acres by herself. Perhaps she can house the boys for the summer which will teach the boys new skills while keeping them away from the gang lures and threats. Quickly a family develops and soon surprises are added.

The two primary characters are wonderfully strong and giving. Grace has a heart of pure gold and she is able to see through Dusty’s rough edges to the honorable man beneath. The additional characters of boys and friends add conflict as well as a lot of humor and joy. The story is character driven with warmth and strength. Although this is the third book in a series it works fine as a stand alone.

The writing in the story flows very smoothly. I was pulled in with the first pages and never lost interest. The final fifth of the book has anticipated conflict and totally unexpected consequences.  Not everything ends as you might expect or desire.  The story was never preachy yet I enjoyed the strong faith that flowed through the characters. I recommend this for a fine reading experience and I look forward to reading more stories by Ms. Lough.
Caution: Have tissues handy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace's view of Dusty:  

He’d taught her the meaning of real kindness and compassion–rare and beautiful gifts possessed by only a handful of humans. She was fortunate to have them, and blessed to have learned them through Dusty’s unwavering example. Page 225.

Thank you to the author for providing this fine book through Pump up Your Book Blog Tour.

This story is set in Baltimore, MD for my Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also add it to my New Author list.

Learn more about the book and the author, including stops with Giveaways by visiting the Blog Tour Page.
You can visit Loree online at www.LoreeLough.com.

Book Excerpt:

Dusty stifled a  yawn and deployed the Harley’s kickstand. Grumbling under his breath, he stowed his helmet, and, after squeezing rain from his ponytail, pulled up the rain-soaked hood of his sweatshirt.
A fat raindrop oozed from a leaf and landed on the tip of his nose, then slid to the blacktopped footpath, where it gleamed like a new dime.  Up ahead, the red and blue strobes of emergency vehicles sliced through the gray mist, and the whoop of sirens silenced the usual chirp of tree frogs and crickets. If that didn’t lend gritty balance to the postcard-pretty scene, Dusty didn’t know what did.
Melissa Logan, age sixteen, hadn’t been home since the night of her prom. Last seen a few miles west of the her high school, her disappearance had sparked an intensive dusk-to-dawn manhunt that left everyone scratching their heads. And this morning, when a jogger’s German shepherd started acting spooky, the dominos began to fall…starting with its owner’s 9-1-1 call and ending with another search, here at Gunpowder State Park.
“It’s been nearly a week since she went missing,” Jones warned, “so prepare yourselves.”
Meaning, dead or alive, Melissa Logan wouldn’t look very pretty, even in her fancy prom gown.

* * * * *

Audio Book Review: Night Rounds by Helene Tursten

This is a detailed Scandinavian crime mystery with the portrayal of a strong female inspector.

Night Rounds: A Detective Inspector Irene Huss Investigation
by Helene Tursten
Suzanne Toren (Narrator)

Audio CD
Publisher: AudioGO; Unabridged edition (June 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609989724
ISBN-13: 978-1609989729

Genre: Mystery, Scandinavian Crime
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2012 | Series: Inspector Irene Huss

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. The only witness claims to have seen Nurse Tekla doing her rounds, but Nurse Tekla died sixty years ago. Detective Inspector Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit has the challenge of disentangling wandering ghosts and complex human relationships to get to the bottom of this intriguing case.

A cult hit in its first three installments, the Irene Huss series is available once again for English-language fans.

Review:
This is a crisply written, dramatic mystery rather than a fast paced, exciting thriller.  I say dramatic as the author describes, with clean detail, the characters, settings and events. The mystery begins, carries and closes out the book but the clues, suspects and her colleagues are woven through the day to day investigation and the day to day living activities of Inspector Irene Huss. These activities including her husband and children aids personal depth to character of the Inspector and make her a real and more likeable character.

Although the investigators do not say so right away, it seems fairly clear that the murderer must have dressed up to appear like the hospital ghost, Nurse Tekla. The witness of the “ghost” as the murderer lends additional mystery as Inspector Huss has to unravel the intertwining connections between the 60 year old ghost, the current murder victim, the missing nurse and those remaining persons of interest who might have motive and opportunity. 

I wouldn’t say that the story moves along quickly as there is a good bit of detail in the telling of the daily progress. I enjoyed the detail and didn’t feel that the story was bogged down or dragging. It just is a different, methodical presentation which may be connected to the Scandinavian investigative process. I liked how the clues add up until the perpetrator is exposed. Apparently this is part of a series but it was easy to follow as a stand alone.

The narrator's reading is suited well to the methodical pacing.   Susanne Toren narration is precise, giving  just a bit of accent as fits the different characters.  I would enjoy listening to this narrator again and reading or listening to more mysteries by Ms. Tursten.

Thank you to AudioGo who provided this title for review through Audiobook Jukebox.