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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Audio Book Review: Colony by Scott Reeves

I enjoyed this futuristic story.
Colony
by Scott Reeves
Narrated by Martin Scott 


  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 4 hours and 12 minutes
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Scott Reeves
  • Audible.com Release Date: September 28, 2012
  • ASIN: B009KFM356
Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Publisher's Summary
In the 13th century, Earth is dangerously overcrowded. To reduce the population, people are chosen by lottery and shipped off to the stars to colonize other solar systems. Shiploads of colonists are dropped off on unexplored worlds and left to their own devices.

Jorge Leever and Meesha Androva are the only survivors of one such failed attempt to colonize a distant planet. For 20 years, they've been alone, unable to communicate with Earth. Now, another cargo ship arrives and discharges a new group of would-be colonists.

Jorge and Meesha intend to guide the development of the new colony, since they've accumulated 20 years' worth of knowledge about the planet.

Bannock, a brutal, criminal slumlord back on Earth, has other plans. He intends to reestablish his crime syndicate on this fledgling colony world and eventually return to Earth as a conqueror. But Jorge and Meesha stand in his way.


Review:
Jorge and Meesha have lived on ‘New Earth’ for 20 years since their group of colonists arrived from earth. The colony survived some dangers, set up camps and housing and began a new community. Tragically all the other colonists were killed. Each year Jorge and Meesha have traveled to a certain plain in hopes there will be another ship of colonists from earth.

This is the year a ship arrives. Although Jorge and Meesha are thrilled to have other people the group includes some brutal criminals. The leader of the criminals, Bannock, plans to take over the colony and spread his control to other planets as well as returning to Earth.  Bannock brought along a female, Aria, who has special talents he intends to use.

Aria and a handful of others make friends with Jorge and Meesha. They want to help but they need to protect each other and their secrets too. Jorge and Meesha know that Bannock needs them because they know the dangers that exist on the planet and obviously know how to survive.  On the other hand, they pose a danger to Bannock’s control.

As Bannock threatens lives, Aria makes a connection that may be the only hope for the colony to survive as a healthy, good society instead of a evil, criminal syndicate. Aria ultimately takes a risk for the sake of all.

The battle between good and evil is nothing new but this story is a good adventure with interesting elements. I liked Jorge, Meesha and Aria’s brave characters. The writing was not stunning but it is comfortable story telling and I enjoyed the creative aspects of the alien land and dangerous creatures. The action kept me wrapped in the story waiting to discover what happened next.

Audio Notes: The narration was done well, blending the characters and pacing to keep the forward motion of the story. The story is short and easy to listen to. I would be glad to read more by Mr. Reeves and listen to other readings by Mr. Scott.

I received this title from the author through Audiobook Jukebox for an honest review.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Book Review and PDF Giveaway Link: Christmas Magic Anthology

This is another lovely, sweet and quick reading Christmas Anthology.
by Linda Carroll-Bradd, Terri Rochenski, Lindsay McFerrin
  • File Size: 390 KB
  • Print Length: 163 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1481191519
  • Publisher: Still Moments Publishing (December 2, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Genre: Holiday Romance Anthology
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: December 2, 2012
Wishes Come True by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Will mixing one lonely baker and the town’s prodigal son with spices and laughter make a tasty recipe for love?

Harbor Homecoming by Lindsay McFerrin
Can a gigantic dog named Bear be a matchmaker?
If it’s Christmas in romantic Bar Harbor, Maine, the answer is yes!

Beginning of Forever by Terri Rochenski
A new face in town forces Lillian Davis to choose between living in her past and what is blossoming in her heart.


Review:
I enjoyed all three of these different stories. They are quick, nicely written, sweet romances. This is a nice way to discover new authors and I would be interested to read more from all three of these.

The first title, Wishes Come True, has a light, humorous bend to it.
Tora has operated her family-owned bakery, Sugar ‘n Spice, in the small town of Dorado, Texas for ten years. The small business was started by her grandmother and passed down through her mother. Through the years they have provided lots of sweets and charity support for the community. But Tora has never been away from home, not even for college experience.  Just as she has decided she is ready to sell the business and seek adventure in a big city, the winter wind blows a sweet little girl and her handsome, widowed father, Ryan, into her shop. Ryan initiates a plan to derail the sale of the shop and show Tora she can find a better adventure close to home.

I loved these characters and the sweet, light story.  It was fun how even some of Ms. Carroll-Bradd’s descriptive feelings fit with the baking theme like this phrase: “Her insides felt as quivery as the middle of a jelly doughnut.” (Location 109.)  Individual Rating 4.5.
Author Link

*********
A big, lovable dog is the added star character, and inspiration, of the second story, Harbor Homecoming. Cat McHugh owns an antique and Celtic specialty shop in Bal Harbor, Maine. She is excited at the possibility of purchasing a home that has come up for estate sale. It is near her downtown shop and although small and older, has a nice fireplace and lots of potential.  When she goes to view the home she discovers the backyard is ruled by a giant malamute named Bear.

Liam, a renowned modern artist, has come into town to handle the estate he was surprised to inherit from a great aunt he never knew. He is set on handling matters with the care and concern he thinks his aunt would want. That includes finding an appropriate, caring home for her dog. When he meets Cat while she is looking over the yard he is intrigued. Maybe his plans to evaluate and liquidate Great Aunt Sarah’s estate will take a different direction and longer than he first expected.

This is another lovely pair of characters - bright and independent. The dog is an armful of warm welcome and a sweet addition to the easy going, direct story. I liked the Irish influences too (holiday tradition included in the story) and would like to see if Ms. McFerrin explores these themes in longer stories. Individual Rating: 4.5.

*********
The third sweet romance, Beginning Forever, is set in Newburyport in 1955-1962. It is told in first person by Lillian who is called to the hospital when her husband and ‘forever’ love, Ronnie, is injured in a car crash. He reminds her with his dying breath that T.W. made a promise but Lillian doesn’t understand. She struggles with her grief and sorrow and only manages to move forward for the sake of their infant son and with the help of her good friend, Marion.

Seven years later finds Lillian still in a cocoon of grief, mostly just going through the motions of living. Marion introduces Lillian to her new neighbor, Wayne, and interest finally sparks but along with it come feelings of guilt. Can Lillian move beyond her past and will Texas Wayne be able to make her see that she is more than a burden to him?

It may be the sorrow and grief of this story made it less enjoyable for me. Certainly loss is never as light as a new love story.   I liked the portrayal of Wayne from Ronnie’s war memories and in his friendly reactions to Lillian and her son, Steven.  I would have liked his character to have been a little more developed. Although I was not as fully charmed by this story, I particularly liked the wonderful, descriptive imagery by Ms. Rochenski.  Individual Rating 4.25.
My flower beds lay buried. The absence of sound weighed like an omen, quickening my breath. My clothing rustled, mingling with the crunch of my footsteps to drown the silence. Location 1030.
Author Links: Website / Blog / FacebookTwitter

This eBook was provided for an honest review through Author Blog Tour.
These titles are set in Texas, Maine and Massachusetts for My Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also add it to my ARC and New Author challenges.


Thank you to Terri Rochenski who is giving away a PDF copy to celebrate the release.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? December 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 finished four books and was pleased to get six reviews posted!   I also posted two giveaway Hops, an author Guest post and two additional giveaways or links. I posted the regular Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Snapshot, Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I didn't get to visit last week due to limited internet time on the ship. I hope to get around to visiting on Monday!
Thanks again to all the nice people who visit me, especially when I don't get to visit back.

These were last week's posts:
  • Book Review and Tour Giveaway: The Old Man & The Monkey by George Polley; Inspirational Romance; my rating 5.0. Ends 12/24.
  • Book Review and eBook Giveaway: In Bed with the Opposition by Stephanie Draven; Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.25. Ends 12/21
  • Audio Book Review: Karma's Law by Kristi Lamb; Mystery; my rating 4.5.
Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle



In Bed With the Opposition
by Stephanie Draven
Review and Giveaway linked above.




2. eBook/Kindle


ALL I WANT Anthology
THREE STORIES. THREE COUPLES. ONE HOLIDAY.
by Jolene Perry, Kaylee Baldwin and Rachael Anderson
Review and Author Guest Post linked above.





3. Audio MP3
 

Colony
by Scott Reeves 
Narrated by Martin Scott
I enjoyed this futuristic story.

I will post a review this week.
Reviewing for the author through Audiobook Jukebox.



4. Print (read on Kindle)


Hunk for the Holidays
by Katie Lane
This is a quick, fun read!
Reviewing for Forever div of Hachette.
I'll post the review and giveaway this week.
Book Description
Publication Date: September 25, 2012
Always putting business before pleasure, Cassie McPherson works hard for her family's construction business. That might explain why she doesn't have a date for the company Christmas party. But it doesn't quite explain why she's crazy enough to hire an escort for the event or - crazier still - why she's dying to unwrap him like a present . . .

With whiskey-colored eyes and a killer smile, James is one gorgeous hunk who really knows how to fill out a tuxedo. He charms everyone, including Cassie. And when the night ends, the party doesn't stop. As Cassie falls, literally, into his bed, James falls head over heels in love. Now he has to figure out a way to tell her the truth: he's not an escort. He's her family's fiercest business rival. But all he wants for Christmas is her . . .



Line Edits: I am still working on formats.


Currently reading:

1. eBook/Kindle
 

Christmas Magic
by Linda Carroll-Bradd, Terri Rochenski, Lindsay McFerrin
I am on the third story and really enjoying this which is set for review on December 18. Reading for Author Blog Tour.
Book Description
Publication Date: December 2, 2012
Wishes Come True by Linda Carroll-Bradd
Will mixing one lonely baker and the town’s prodigal son with spices and laughter make a tasty recipe for love?

Harbor Homecoming by Lindsay McFerrin
Can a gigantic dog named Bear be a matchmaker? If it’s Christmas in romantic Bar Harbor, Maine, the answer is yes!

Beginning of Forever by Terri Rochenski
A new face in town forces Lillian Davis to choose between living in her past and what is blossoming in her heart.



2. Audio CD
 

Agenda 21 
by Glenn Beck (Author), 
January LaVoy (Reader)
I have just started this.

Reviewing for Simon and Schuster
 through Audiobook Jukebox.
Book Description
Release Date: November 20, 2012
“I was just a baby when we were relocated and I don’t remember much. Everybody has that black hole at the beginning of their life. That time you can’t remember. Your first step. Your first taste of table food. My real memories begin in our assigned living area in Compound 14.”

Just a generation ago this place was called America. Now, after the worldwide implementation of UN-lead program called Agenda 21, it’s simply known as the “Republic.” There is no president. No congress. No Supreme Court. No freedom.

There are only the Authorities.

Citizens have two primary goals in the new Republic: to create clean energy and to create new human life.

Those who cannot do either are of no use to society.

This bleak and barren existence is all that eighteen-year-old Emmeline has ever known. She dutifully walks her energy board daily and accepts all male pairings assigned to her by the Authorities. Like most citizens, she keeps her head down and her eyes closed.

Until the day they came for her mother.

“You save what you think you’re going to lose.”

Woken up to the harsh reality of her life and her family’s future inside the Republic, Emmeline begins to search for the truth. Why are all citizens confined to ubiquitous concrete living spaces? Why are Compounds guarded by Gatekeepers who track all movements? Why are food, water and energy rationed so strictly? And, most important, why are babies taken from their mothers at birth?

As Emmeline begins to understand the true objectives of Agenda 21 she realizes that she is up against far more than she ever thought. With the Authorities closing in, and nowhere to run, Emmeline embarks on an audacious plan to save her family and expose the Republic—but is she already too late?


3. eBook/Kindle



Godspeed: a love story
Dan Chabot
Finally - I really will start this by the end of the week.
Reading for the Author to post in December.
Book Description
Publication Date: September 28, 2012
How far will a man go to atone for guilt?
When Derry and Amedee meet during her first day on the job at the Milwaukee Ledger, it is a collision of destinies. Their love affair is so intense and perfect and pure that they are certain it will be eternal. But when it ends in heartbreak, compounded by the ignominy of a disastrously mismanaged funeral service, Derry descends into an abyss of devastation and remorse and despair.

In his overpowering grief this tormented newspaperman embarks on an obsessive crusade for redemption, an astonishing twist that will leave readers tearful yet smiling in sympathetic admiration. His improbable, tender quest eventually will lead him to peace of mind, and to someone who will help him build a new life from the ashes of the past.

"Godspeed" is a bittersweet story of laughter and tears, irrepressible humor, reckless devotion, the value of true friendship, and unimaginable longing for the "forever" that can no longer be. And as the story and its astonishing twists unfold, a poignant question lingers: How can a lie be wrong if it makes so many people feel so good?



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. The reading this week is 2 John.

Line Edits: I have three books that I am completing formats on this week.



I started with 15 books set for December and have completed seven. I hope to read some extra Christmas titles too.

Scheduled for December
12/18 Review: Christmas Magic by Linda Carroll-Bradd, Lindsay McFarrin, Terri Rochenski
12/27 BookBlast: Dead Running
12/29 Blitz and Review: Perfection Unleashed (Bewitching Blog Tours)

Sourcebooks:

Hachette
Double Danger (An A-Tac Novel) by Dee Davis
Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay

Audiobook Jukebox

(expecting two more soon)

NetGalley
Uninvited by Heather Graham - I started it but need to try again.
Christmas Promises Anthology

Authors
The Blessed and the Damned (Righteous Series #4) by Michael Wallace

I'd like to read at least one "Won"/TBR book and one free Kindle book.:-)
Older Won Book:  TBD
Kindle Read - TBD

Sunday Words of Encouragement December 16, 2012

The Third Week of Advent symbolizes JOY!
I know this is a time of sorrow for the traumatic events of this past week. At all times I am grateful that I know God is in control, that children are special to Him and that He is always with us to see us through the worst troubles.

Advent - Third Week:
Preparing our Hearts and asking for Grace
We prepare this week by feeling the joy.  We move through this week feeling a part of the waiting world that rejoices because our longing has prepared us to believe the reign of God is close at hand. And so we consciously ask:

Prepare our hearts
and remove the sadness
that hinders us from feeling
the joy and hope
which his presence
will bestow.


(from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/thirdweek.html)

This is a different version of Joy to the World
with some interesting images!
Verses for Today:
Luke 2:8-12
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christa the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

I pray for the pain and comfort of those who lost loved ones this past week, particularly through the tragedy in Connecticut. I pray that they may find peace through God's comforting gifts. 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Sharing Beyond Books #78 Comment Giveaway 12/15/12

Hello and Welcome to another SBB!

Thanks for understanding why I didn't post last week. I hadn't had a chance to get the post ready ahead and the cruise internet is slow and costs per minute. I basically have to prepare the posts off line and then load up to save time.
Is everyone getting ready for the holidays by now?
Thank you to all who shared two weeks ago.

Surprisingly the larger group of commenters DOES re-read, some regularly and some only sometimes or just a special book or two. Others might re-read if they didn't have such big TBRs.

Also surprising to me - Many of you still send Christmas cards. Nine send out cards and several of us send e-cards and/or family cards. When are kids were young we did the family letter routine but we haven't for years now although that is a great way to keep others advised of changes, births and jobs, etc.. I think I would love to read one of nrlymrtl's letters with the farm antics!

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #77 comments is: #1 Mystica There are still 5 'love' books to pick from and new Christmas choices. Mystica please choose a book (or GC if international) from the remaining five Love Books List for Giveaway, the new Christmas Giveaway Book list, 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 #78 Questions

Q1. Winnie asks a book question: I know a lot of us stay up late at nights to read books, but I'm interested to know if there is anyone who would wake up early to sneak some reading time in before the day begins??
I do, I do! LOL. I will sneak in reading whenever I can even if it means waking up early. I don't necessarily 'get up' but I have the kindle or mp3 next to me so I can listen or sometimes I will go to the restroom and bring my book back for a half hour reading before I get up!  :-)
Copyright by Dormia Mattress 

Image found at The Book Garden (Thanks Birgit!)
Q2. Abby asks a holiday related question this week: Do you feel more obliged/in the mood of giving during the festive seasons? Or more so in times of serious crises ie. Sandy Relief??
A: I tend to give various times of the year and for special crises. I have certain charities that I like to make sure I give donations to and often that occurs early in a year.

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 draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions.    Thanks for sending in questions! We can always use fresh questions.


Your turn to share:

1.
Winnie asks: I know a lot of us stay up late at nights to read books, but I'm interested to know if there is anyone who would wake up early to sneak some reading time in before the day begins??

2.  
Abby asks: Do you feel more obliged/in the mood of giving during the festive seasons? Or more so in times of serious crises ie. Sandy Relief??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the remaining Valentine and "Love" books (5 left) or the new Christmas Giveaway Books. 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, December 21, 2012 at 10 PM central.

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