It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 12, 2013

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.

This was another good reading week- books moved along well and were interesting. I finished four books and posted three reviews one with ARC Giveaway. I also posted a Giveaway announcement for Sourcebooks. 
I  posted the weekly Mailbox Monday meme, Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Snapshot, Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I hope to visit more this week.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts (plus winner post):

• It's Monday What are You Reading? August 5, 2013.

• Mailbox Monday August 5, 2013.

• Sourcebooks Wants to See Your Wedding Dress Giveaway Announcement
  

• Audible Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Dystopia, Futuristic Fantasy; my rating 5.0.

• Book Review: Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker, Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.25.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway August 9, 2013. Open Worldwide. Ends 8/15.

• Saturday Snapshot August 10, 2013 - A Few Interesting Things of Nature
  

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Flirting with Texas by Katie Lane, Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.0. Ends 8/16.

• Sharing Beyond Books #112 Comment Giveaway 8/10/13. Open Worldwide. Ends 8/16.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement August 11, 2013.
  

Finished Reading:

1. Audio

The Eye of Moloch
    by Glenn Beck
    Narrated by Jeremy Lowell
This is another good thriller listen.
I will be posting a review this week.
Received from Simon and Schuster through Audiobook Jukebox.
Click on Title for full book description.

2. ebook/Kindle

Windshift
by Joyce Faulkner
This is an eye opener as well as
a wonderful story of friendship.
I'll post a review this week.
Click on Title for full book description.

3. Print

Revenge
by Debra Webb
This is good mystery and suspense. 
I'm glad I have the next book in the series. 
I will post a review with ARC Giveaway.
Click on Title for full Book Description.

4. Audible

The Giver
UNABRIDGED
    by Lois Lowry
    Narrated by Ron Rifkin
        Series: Giver Quartet, Book 1
This is a different, thought provoking Dystopia.
From my own Audible Library;
review to be posted later this week.
Publisher's Summary
December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man, the man called only the Giver, he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.
©1993 Lois Lowry; (P)1993 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, An Imprint Of Random House Audio Publishing Group.

Line Edits/Releases:
We are working on print, Smashword and Kindle releases.
Released at Smashwords for all ereader formats:
Three prom night short stories:
     Secrets in the Fog: Danny's First Love by Ellen Spain
     The Gift by Kat Deacon
     A Tale of Two Prom Dates by Evie Alexis
Enter the bi-monthly drawings
at eTreasures Publishing Facebook page
This week's giveaway link:
Seven Shades of Luminosity by Beth Bowland
Genre(s): Children's - Middle Grade, Fantasy
Print Pages: 228

Currently reading:
1. Print

Guilty as Sin
by Jami Alden
I am about 70 pages into this romantic suspense.
I'm enjoying the mystery and anticipating the romance.
Reviewing for Forever/Hachette
Book Description
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
For over a decade, a killer has been waiting, silent as death and . . .
GUILTY AS SIN
Fourteen years ago, Kate Beckett was a teenager more interested in summer romance than babysitting. Then the unthinkable happened: her younger brother was kidnapped and murdered on her watch. Now she is an advocate for missing children, and her newest case brings her back to the small town where she lost her brother-and where she left behind the first boy she ever loved.

Tommy Ibarra's world fell apart after Kate broke his heart, and he's spent his adult life making sure that he'll never be vulnerable again. When a teenage girl vanishes, he offers his expertise as a high tech security expert to help find her. Although he's determined to keep his distance from Kate, it isn't long before he's falling under her spell all over again.

As they race against the clock, their investigation leads to a brutal killer with a shocking connection to Kate's tragic past. And this time, the killer has Kate firmly in his sites.

2. eBook/Kindle

      The Companions, The Sundering, Book I
by R. A. Salvatore
It took a couple of chapters to understand what was happening in this.
It is interesting and different fantasy.
I picked this from NetGalley for review.
Book Description
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
“The Companions is the best novel [R.A.] Salvatore has ever written. It’s insanely courageous, profoundly powerful, masterfully constructed, and easily Salvatore’s most ambitious work to date.”—Paul Goat Allen, BarnesandNoble.com
“After a quarter of a century, R.A. Salvatore just keeps getting better and better, and The Companions is another masterful leap forward for one of the greatest fantasy epics of all time.”
—Philip Athans, best-selling author of Annihilation and The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff
This latest installment in New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore's beloved fantasy saga, The Companions moves Salvatore's signature hero Drizzt into a new era of the Forgotten Realms. As Drizzt's fate hangs in the balance, he reflects on the lives of the trusted allies who stood by his side throughout his early life--the friends now known as the Companions of the Hall. Meanwhile, the first stirrings of the Sundering begin.

3. Audio

Death of a Dyer
by Eleanor Kuhns
Reader: Richard Waterhouse
I've just started this.
Reviewing for AudioGo through Audiobook Jukebox.
Synopsis:
Will Rees feels at home. It's been a long time since he last felt this way--not since before his wife died more than five years ago and he took to the road as a traveling weaver. Now Rees is back on his farm, living with his teenaged son, David, and his housekeeper, Lydia--whose presence contributes more towards his happiness than he's ready to admit. But his domestic bliss is shattered the morning a visitor brings news of an old friend's murder. Nate Bowditch and Rees hadn't spoken in many long years, but as children they were closer than brothers, and Rees feels his loss acutely. Asked to look into the circumstances surrounding Nate's death, Rees simply can't refuse. At the Bowditch farmstead, Rees quickly discovers that everyone--from Nate's frosty wife to his missing son to the shy serving girl--is hiding something. But are any of them actually capable of murder? Or does the answer lie elsewhere, behind stones no one even knew needed un-turning? Death of a Dyer once again proves Eleanor Kuhns' remarkable ability to spin a captivating story and capture the light and darker sides of human nature on the page.

I continue to listen to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. [Reading and listening on MP3.] I have been remiss and not keeping up with daily reading with my DH.

Line Edits: Still working. Several more releases being prepared for the next few weeks. I am still doing more Smashword conversions in between print formatting.

I still have several print books carrying over from June now into August. I don't have quite so many new choices so I think I can wrap these carry overs up this month.

August
Scheduled:
8/22 Review: A Most Devilish Rogue by Ashlyn Macnamara; Review and Author Guest Blog through Random House 

Sourcebooks
    (none scheduled unless I pick up at NetGalley)

Hachette - Forever
    A House Divided by Kimberly Lawson Roby
    Guilty as Sin by Jami Alden (reading)
    Ruthless by Debra Webb

NetGalley: (July and early August)
      The Companions, The Sundering, Book I by R. A. Salvatore (reading)
      The Godborn, The Sundering, Book II by Paul S. Kemp
 
AudioBook Jukebox
Death of a Dyer by Eleanor Kuhns (listening)
Paradox Resolution by K.A. Bedford

Author Books received at March EPICon
     Convict Dad by P. Ryan Hembree

Author Review titles:
     Double Click by Lisa Becker

From TBR Collection - TBD
Won Book - TBD
Free Kindle/Nook or Smashwords: TBD

Sunday Words of Encouragement August 11, 2013

We had a grand time of praise and worship this morning. Then a short, interesting presentation by a missionary who is ministering to the Muslem community in Dearborne, Michigan.

Then pastor shared a message he titled: “God Cares for You...Because He Loves You.
Some people wonder “Does God really care about my life?”  1 Peter 5:7 says: “Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.”
Our God is a caring God. He wants to remove all of our anxiety, distractions, worries, and troublesome fears. He does care about the details in our life even as he cares about bigger events too.
Pastor listed these three signs of unbelief:
▸    Care - constantly on your mind.
▸    Worry - mental notes of what to do.
▸    Fear - perceived threat.
You cannot be secure in God’s love if you do not submit to complete belief and faith in His ability to handle our lives, our burdens. If we do not completely trust in him then we are double minded. (Which is not a good thing as noted in James 1:5-8, James 4:8-10.)
How unbelief enters or appears in your life:
1. Ignorance.  If you do not know the Word and promises of God then you might not recognize the word when it is twisted or manipulated for the purposes of the enemy.
2. Disbelief; listening to false teachings; failure to recognize the leading hand of God.
3. Natural unbelief. We cannot allow feelings to supersede God’s promises.

God cares more about you than little sparrows and He doesn’t let one fall without His knowing.. God loves us so much that he even counts the hairs on our heads which natural living parents don't. Matthew 10:29-31.  So you can safely cast ALL your care on Him. He'll be there with you and for you.

This is the traditional hymn that Pastor chose for us to sing to close his message.

No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.

Verses for Today:
Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I thank you Jesus, Lord, for caring so completely for me - Creator, Provider, Healer, Comforter, Redeemer! You are worthy of glory, honor and praise!

Sharing Beyond Books #112 Comment Giveaway August 10, 2013

Hello again on Saturday night and Welcome to SBB, Sharing Beyond Books.

I had another good week even though it was busy. It was a good busy. I got to lead a real estate training class so that took a number of hours in preparation. The rest of the schedule was light enough to allow that without too much extra stress.

Only four of us have met other bloggers in person and that included Bookishqueen who knows her blogger sister. But most of us would like to meet other bloggers. :-)

Most of you use larger purses and a handful do use backpacks. Bookishqueen has a tiny  purse and Linda K doesn't use a bag except when going to the zoo when she uses a backpack. A couple of you have "in between" size purses to carry 'enough.'  Mary P has one big enough for umbrella, water and book!!

Thank you to all who shared last week.

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #111 comments is: #20 Linda T who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the ARC/Review titles, Christmas titles or Love titles - all linked near the end of the post.  Please let me know your choice by completing the (new) WINNER FORM.

WEEK #112

Q1. (This fits for getting ready to return to school.) Mamabunny asks: Back to school means summer is almost over (in my area) name one last hoorah! you would like to have before autumn arrives??

A: My kids are all beyond school age and seeing their own little ones back to school. But the summer break will be over in a week here. I'm not really thinking of a last hoorah although I would really like two things.  1. I wished I'd used the pool more this summer. I'd blame it on all the rain but it was really just me.  2. I think I am ready soon for another mini vacation--. cruise or motorcoach-- but away from the office. :-)

Cartoon characters by Charles M. Schulz.

Image found at West Austin Athletic Club.

Q2.  My turn for a bookish Question this time: Have you ever thought of a pen name you would like to use if you were to write??

A: Many years ago (and far, far away... oh I digress) I fixated on a name I really liked. It is Eustacia with Stacy as a nickname.  Never thought about a last name and I don't really plan to use a pen name but I still like Eustacia.

Image found at The Vandal (Derek Haines).

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 are getting low on questions so hopefully you will send more in -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify to use. 

Your turn to share:

Q1. Mamabunny asks: Back to school means summer is almost over (in my area) name one last hoorah! you would like to have before autumn arrives??

Q2.  My bookish Question: Have you ever thought of a pen name you would like to use if you were to write??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books , the Christmas Giveaway Books, or the June 2012 Newly Updated ARC/Review List.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on either of the two 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, August 16, 2013 at 10 PM central.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Flirting with Texas by Katie Lane

This is a fun, flirty read.

Flirting with Texas (Deep in the Heart of Texas)
by Katie Lane

• Series: Deep in the Heart of Texas (Book 5)
• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Forever (July 30, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1455515698
• ISBN-13: 978-1455515691

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Release date: July 30, 2013 | Series: Deep in the Heart of Texas (Book 5)
YOU'RE A LONG WAY FROM HOME, COWGIRL
On her own in the Big Apple, Jenna Jay Scroggs can handle herself when trouble arises. But when she tries to rescue a horse, the passionate do-gooder ends up on a runaway Central Park carriage ride with a hunky stranger. With his sexy drawl and well-worn Levis, Beauregard Cates is doing his darnedest to make Jenna homesick for the small western town she's spent years trying to forget. And it's working: She's dangerously close to falling head over boot heels for the rugged rodeo star with hair the color of moonshine.

Beau came to the big city to escape his past and live life to the fullest. Yet the leggy blonde with eyes as blue as a western sky causes a real hitch in his giddy-up. So when the well-meaning folks of Bramble plot to bring Jenna home, Beau will need to convince her that she won't ever get Texas out of her blood - or one good-time, ever-lovin' cowboy out of her heart.

Review:
Jenna is a passionate activist fighting evil in New York as she seeks to help the underdogs of the world. Although she was raised in a small Texas town in a lively family with “country”-type parents, Jenna felt like she never quite fit in with her taller dark-haired siblings. When her parents wouldn’t accept her college boyfriend, Davy, a long-haired ‘artist’, Jenna moved to New York in her own little rebellion and has refused to speak to her family.

Beau is a handsome cowboy competing in rodeo bull riding around the country. He owns Miss Hattie's Hen House, a former brothal, now a Bed & Breakfast, in Bramble, Texas that is managed by the former Madam, Minnie. Minnie has an agenda and she asks Beau to track down Jenna in New York.
No sooner does Beau locate Jenna then he gets caught up in her escapades. He has to rescue her after she takes off with a horse and carriage because she wants to save the horse from the cruel master. Beau shows up at Jenna’s apartment and isn’t impressed by her girly looking, wimpy boyfriend. Beau didn’t intend to get entangled with Jenna but then they get shanghaied and transported together from NY to Texas in a small travel trailer!

Once Jenna simmers down she realizes she is attracted to the rugged cowboy but he has made it clear that he is out for fun and no commitment. Beau is surprised by his attraction to Jenna too, especially since he has had some trouble of late responding to his usual rodeo groupie one night stands. Just as they decide to explore their attraction they are totally surprised to have the trailer door opened to the cheers of the home town folks! It seems the town had decided it was high time that Jenna made up with her folks. If the adventure brought Beau in from a two year absence too, all the better.

Beau has avoided his family as he copes with recovering from cancer and treatment at a young age with no promises that it won’t come back. As Beau continues to struggle with his own demons, Jenna plans to make an escape back to NY and Davy.

Both characters have an awakening as a misunderstanding has Jenna panicking about her family history and a medical emergency for Minnie has Beau seeing his illness and absence in a whole new light. While they are navigating their emotions another character, Marcy, who has a high school reputation as a slut, is suddenly spending time with the bachelor pastor. Will these couples be able to face their fears, move beyond their pasts and maybe find a future together?

This story turned out a lot better than it started for me. I wasn’t crazy about the playboy character of Beau and even Jenna was a bit extreme. But they both grew on me until I was cheering for them by the end. I really liked the insights that Ms. Lane shared on the cancer and self-esteem issues. Minnie, even from her wheelchair, shares a great positive attitude. Instead of accepting the old adage “Life is hell, and then you die” Minnie proclaims “Life isn’t hell; it’s a journey. A wonderful, breathtaking journey.” (Page 256.)

The romance with the two couples was on the steaming side for Jenna and Beau while more sweet and struggling for Marcy and Sean. There was some mobster involvement that added a little extra fun and excitement. I recommend this story as a fun read especially for romance readers who enjoy their characters a bit wacky with plenty of escapades to share.

I received this ARC from Hachette/Forever to provide an honest review.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for the ARC Copy:

ENTRY FORM HERE

Don't forget to fill in the form for entry! 

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.  

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open to those with US or Canadian address.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on August 16, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on August 17, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Saturday Snapshot August 10, 2013 A Few Interesting Things of Nature

Today I am sharing some more shots of nature around our house.

Here is a moth on the large wreath that stays up

on our front porch.

Here are two snails that my DH found as he cleared out a planter.

(Looks like they are cozy together doesn't it?)

I liked the orange fungus growing on the stump in the garden.

And these raindrops on a cobweb looked like glistening beads.

I just wish I could have gotten a better shot of them.

I had fun visiting last Saturday morning and I will do it again this week.

Thanks to all who stop by and visit.

A big Thank You to Alyce of At Home With Books who has hosted this meme for a number of years. She is taking a summer hiatus at her blog and the new host will be Melissa at West Metro Mommy. Thank you to Melissa for picking up the responsibility.

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky being hosted this summer by West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.