It's Monday What are You Reading? November 25, 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.

It was another busy work week with me coming home tired each evening. I see the oncologist this coming Friday so I will learn what is next in my treatment. 

I wish everyone a Wonderful Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to my sister and brother-in-law joining us.

I had a great reading week - lots of listening while driving to neighboring courthouses. I finished five books but didn't get in as many reviews as I would have liked.  I did post one Tour Giveaway, one Print and one ARC giveaway. 
I also posted the regular weekly memes and posts (except the Saturday Snapshot): Mailbox Monday, Friday Pick Giveaway,  Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

As busy and crazy as my week was I got no visiting done. Phewy. Thinking about it is not going to make it happen.  
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• It's Monday What are You Reading? November 18, 2013.

• Mailbox Monday 11/18/13.

• Blog Tour $25.00 Giveaway: Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden.   Ends 11/30.

• Book Review: Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden, Chirstian Fiction, Apocalyptic; my rating 4.5. 

• Book Review and Giveaway: Accidentally Married to...A Vampire? (Accidentally Yours) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, Paranormal Romance; my rating 4.25. Ends 11/29.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway November 22, 2013. Open Worldwide. Ends 11/28.

• Audio Book Review: Million Dollar Cat by Laura Lond, Contemporary Fiction; my rating 4.5. 

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: To Have and To Hold by Leigh Greenwood, Historical Romance; my rating 4.25. Ends 11/29.

• Sharing Beyond Books #127 Comment Giveaway 11/23/13. Open Worldwide. Ends 11/29.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement November 24, 2013.
  

Finished Reading:

1. eBook/Kindle

Accidentally Married to...A Vampire? (Accidentally Yours)
by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
This was a fun, sassy read.
Book Tour Giveaway and Review linked above.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio

The Last Battle:
When US and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe
    by Stephen Harding
    Narrated by Joe Barrett
I liked this although it is a bit like a documentary.
I will post a review soon. I received this for review through Audiobook Jukebox.
Click on book title for full description.

3. eBook/Kindle

Christmas Past (Entangled Ever After)
by Susanna Fraser
This is a quick, sweet romance.
I'll post the review with Ever After Feature on November 25, 2013.
Book Description
Publication Date: November 25, 2013
Time-traveling PhD student Sydney Dahlquist’s first mission sounded simple enough—spend two weeks in December 1810 collecting blood samples from the sick and wounded of Wellington’s army, then go home to modern-day Seattle and Christmas with her family. But when her time machine breaks, stranding her in the past, she must decide whether to sacrifice herself to protect the timeline or to build a new life—and embrace a new love—two centuries before her time.

Rifle captain Miles Griffin has been fascinated by the tall, beautiful "Mrs. Sydney" from the day he met her caring for wounded soldiers. When he stumbles upon her time travel secret on Christmas Eve, he vows to do whatever it takes to seduce her into making her home in his present—by his side.

4. Audio

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
    UNABRIDGED
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    Narrated by Alan Cumming 
I popped this classic in as a quick listen before I started my next review audio.
Publisher's Summary
Two-time Emmy Award nominee (The Good Wife) and Audie
Award winner for best narrator Alan Cumming here narrates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first-rate Yuletide whodunit "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle". Cumming adds his personal flair to the mystery classic and turns in an outstanding performance of the great detective Sherlock Holmes and his pal, Watson.
Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

5.  eBook/Kindle 

Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel 
(A Chick-lit Paranormal book)
(The Angela Panther Series)
by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
This is delightfully fun gem.
I received this from the author
and I'll post a review soon.
Book Description
Publication Date: April 24, 2013
Sometimes the dead need our help and sometimes, we need theirs.
ANGELA PANTHER HAS A PERFECT LIFE:  A lovely home, an attentive, successful husband, two reasonably behaved children, a devoted dog and a lot of coffee and cupcakes. But while her life might border on mundane, she's got it under control. Until her mother, Fran dies-and returns as a ghost. It seems Fran's got some unfinished business and she's determined to get it done.

Now Fran's got some nifty celestial superpowers and isn't opposed to using them to levy a little ghostly retribution on her granddaughter's frienemies and even her own daughter, which doesn't make Angela happy.

While Angela's shocked and grateful to have her mother back, she's not thrilled about the portal to the afterlife Fran opened upon her return. Now every ghost in town is knockin' on Angela's psychic door, looking for help-and it's a royal pain in the butt.

Now Angela's got to find a way to balance her family life with her new gift and keep her mother in line. And it's a lot for one woman to handle.

Line Edits/Releases:
I hope to finish the two print releases this week; plus at least one more before Christmas.
Enter the bi-monthly drawings at eTreasures Publishing Facebook page.
This week's giveaway link: To be linked.

Currently reading:
1. Print

Don't Want to Miss a Thing
by Jill Mansell
I have really enjoyed this. 
I only have about 60 pages left.
I will post review with ARC Giveaway later this week.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/MP3

Title: The New Space Opera 2
Editor: Gardner Dozois, Jonathan Stahan
Author: Various
Narrator: Various
You know - I like sci fi adventure and I am looking forward to start this.
This is 23 hours so may take two weeks.
I received this for review through Audiobook Jukebox.
Publisher/Date: Blackstone Audio, 09/01/13
Following the success of their Locus Award–winning anthology The New Space Opera, editors Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan up the ante with The New Space Opera 2, in which more of the most beloved names in science fiction spin stunning tales of interstellar adventure and wonder. Authors include:  Neal Asher, John Barnes, Cory Doctorow, John Kessel, Jay Lake, John Meaney...

3. eBook/Kindle

Traitor's Knife (Five Gems)
by E. Kaiser
I will start this tomorrow.
I received this from the author for review.
Book Description
Publication Date: July 8, 2013
When the loyalist cause enlists the mountain house into a weaponry, apprentice Fia is confronted with three refugee children, a disturbingly upstart former messenger, and accidents happening everywhere. Are saboteurs out to nix the weapons works... or is it the incognito crown prince they're after?

Traitor's Knife continues where Jeweler's Apprentice ended, and nearly seventeen year old Fia Brithin from the foothills still has a lot to learn about the mountains, and the people now in them.

4. Print

Christmas at Harrington's
by Melody Carlson
This is our next Ladies' Book Club
read for December meeting.
Book Description
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life after false accusations landed her in prison, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

This tender story about fresh starts will charm readers as all of Melody Carlson's Christmas offerings do. Full of redemption and true holiday spirit, Christmas at Harrington's will be readers' newest Christmas tradition.

I am really lagging but still listening 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: I will still be finishing poetry formatting this week.

I want to keep enjoying adding stories from my own TBR. :-)
I'm up-to-date on reading but have a small back load for review still. About 7-4 =3 + 5 so now 8. :-) Since a couple of the current reads are longer I hope I will get a chance to catch up. 

November Scheduled
11/25 Entangled Book Blast and Review: Christmas Past by Susanna Fraser

Sourcebooks:
 
NetGalley:
   ---

Authors
   more to come

AudioBook Jukebox 
    The New Space Opera 2 (listening now)

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

Sunday Words of Encouragement November 24, 2013

I expect to be late home today as we will be staying after church to practice our Christmas program. We are singing some really wonderful music I hope to be able to share during the next few Sundays.

Since this is Thanksgiving Week I am directed and mindful to Give Thanks! While looking up other images I came across this that gave me pause:

 Image found at Parables Blog

I want to print that out and put it above my pillow so I do not forget on any day to give thanks to God.

I was in mind to pick an older, more traditional Thanksgiving hymn to share today. I had a wonderful hour of listening/watching many songs old and new. It was hard to pick just one but this is the one I selected.  It has amazingly sweet images and the lyrics. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

All Creatures of Our God and King

A Verse for today:
Psalm 95:2  (NIV)
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and extol him with music and song.

I thank you Lord for the abundant life you have given me through Your Great love and mercy.

Sharing Beyond Books #127 Comment Giveaway 11/23/13

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

I must apologize for failing to link my giveaways last week. A special thanks to you folks who sought out the post to comment during the week. :-)

I was rather surprised that greater portion of commenters only read one book at a time. There were nine of those which includes three who occasionally read two at a time. Only six of us read more than one at a time and Ricki takes the cake reading 20 books at one time. Not sure how she manages to keep them all straight. :-)

Most of us claim to be good patients although a couple besides me admitted to be cranky sometimes. Natasha stated she was a good patient "always usually." Hmm wonder just what that means. :-) And Mary P has a mother who plays the dying swan whenever she is sick. I bet (hope) Mary's family has lots of patience.

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #126 comments is: #2 Linda 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 #127

Q1. Emily asks: If you disliked a book, would you still take the time to write a negative review? Or would you just give it a bad rating and forget about it??

A: I rarely read a book without doing a review and fortunately I haven't had too many I actually disliked. If I did I would try to give specific reasons why I didn't like it because we all have different tastes. Giving a book a low rating without saying more doesn't really help other readers know what was unpleasant about the book.   

Image found at Book Haven, Stanford University.

Q2. My non-bookish 'Question' this week: It's that time of year to give thanks so please share something(s) you are thankful for.

A: I started thinking I would say lets state one or two things.  But my own list quickly added up so I decided -- no limits!  Here goes: I am thankful for 1) God creating and blessing me.  2) Family - parents, siblings, spouse, children, grandchildren and extended, including pets. 3) Church Family - they are special. 4) Work - all three businesses. 5) Blog which includes friends in the blogging community and all the books I get to read! 6) Fairly good health - even with the cancer diagnosis it could have been much worse. I could go on but that covers most of it!

Image found at The Sweetest Petunia.

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. Emily asks: If you disliked a book, would you still take the time to write a negative review? Or would you just give it a bad rating and forget about it????

Q2. My non-bookish 'Question' this week: It's that time of year to give thanks so please share something(s) you are thankful for.

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, November 29, 2013 at 10 PM central.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: To Have and To Hold by Leigh Greenwood

This is a solid romance with good characters and good movement in a realistic, historical setting.

To Have and To Hold
by Leigh Greenwood

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (November 5, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1402284462
• ISBN-13: 978-1402284465

Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
"Greenwood's books are bound to become classics."—Rendezvous
A Stranger to the Rescue
Colby Blaine has been a longer his whole life. And he isn't about to change now. But that doesn't mean he can ignore people in trouble. When he rides up to an inexperienced wagon train under attack, he doesn't hesitate to jump into the fray. It's only after the raid that he really lands himself in hot water...

Naomi Kessling is certainly grateful to Colby for saving her family and agreeing to lead their train to safer territory. But the man has an infuriating way of knowing just how to get under her skin—he asks too may questions about a past she doesn't want to remember, and his touch makes her long for far more. Yet the more time they spend together, the more Naomi sees that perhaps it's Colby who needs rescuing the most...

"Greenwood never disappoints. Continuous action, sharp intrigue, and well-rounded characters captivate."—RT Book Reviews.

Review:
Naomi is a strong young woman who has been the “mother’ in her family since the death of her mother. She helps her doctor father and has helped raise her two younger brothers, one 17, only a year younger and the other a 10 year old. Both boys are beginning to assert their own personalities. Naomi and her family are heading west on a small wagon train with all other families in their small Kentucky community. She doesn’t know the true reason they all decided to move but she suspects it has something to do with Union soldiers and perhaps something that is causing her unexplained nightmares.

When the wagon train is attacked by Indians they are saved by Colby, a lone stranger, who rides into their circle to help lead the fight. Colby prefers living his life as a lone wolf but he couldn’t stay by and watch without trying to help. Colby is impressed by Naomi’s bravery and determination as she helps defend the group and then helps reorganize the people, especially the hysterical young mother whose husband was killed in the attack.

Everyone else is friendly and welcoming to Colby except Naomi. He doesn’t understand her hostility towards him and wants to find out, especially since he is surprisingly attracted to her.  Naomi is afraid of the man in the Union Army uniform even if he does attract her more than any other boy or man she has met. He seems so capable in many things but she senses he is hiding a secret too.

The relationship between Colby and Naomi develops slowly through admiration and friendship. Eventually they will learn each others secrets but they will have to decide if they can risk trying to make a life together. The relationships of family and neighbors in the stressed community as it struggles on the trail makes an interesting background to the romance. Colby and Naomi are strong characters but a few of the other participant characters are developed enough to add interest and contrast. The story is not necessarily action packed but it has plenty of forward movement that kept me interested to read on to find how the issues resolved.

Although this may not be spectacular or flashy I enjoyed this very solid romance story. I recommend it to readers who enjoy sweet, historical romance with emphasis on the romantic development with addition of interesting historical detail. This was the first book I have read by this author but I am fairly sure I have another in one of my boxes and I look forward to reading it.

I received this ARC from Sourcebooks for an honest review.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for 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; OR tell me about another book by this author that you enjoyed; OR comment on the review.

* This contest is open to U.S. address only.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on November 29, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED after November 29, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Audio Book Review: Five Million Dollar Cat by Laura Lond

This is a delightful, fun, fast listen with a good twist.
Five Million Dollar Cat: A Novella

    UNABRIDGED
    by Laura Lond
    Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

    LENGTH    1 hr and 52 mins
    RELEASE DATE    06-22-12
    PUBLISHER    Laura Lond
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
When Amy's sleazy ex reemerges, she is wary, for two good reasons. One, she is still paying off the debts Jack had gotten her in. Two, his scheme, as usual, smacks of fraud. Jack, however, insists that everything is perfectly legal, safe, and easy, especially Amy's part. All she needs to do to earn her share, which would be a quarter million dollars, is - adopt a cat.
©2012 Laura Lond (P)2012 Laura Lond

Review:
Amy is a kind young woman who has already been duped by her ex-boyfriend, Jack. She thought she was finally free of him, after he ran up her credit cards and used up all her savings in sure-fire but bad investments. Amy is busy working two jobs trying to get back on her feet when she gets an unwelcome call from Jack. He proposes that she help him by adopting a cat in the hopes of receiving a secret five million dollar reward of which she will get to keep $255,000.00.

Amy is reluctant but then decides that at least she would care for a cat and it would get a good home. Besides, perhaps it won’t be such a bad thing and won’t really hurt anyone. Amy goes to the pet-adoption agency and falls in love with the cats. She decides that one terribly injured cat is the one that must come with a reward. She takes home that sweet cat but no call comes in with a reward. Meanwhile, having lost one part time job, she spends time volunteering at the shelter and helping with the other cats.

When Jack begins to threaten harm to her cat, her apartment and all she owns, she decides to make a change in course. Will she have to hide from Jack or will she be able to protect her loved ones and manage to work herself out of debt?

I read a fantasy by this author which I also enjoyed. I was pleased that this book flows well and is entertaining even if in a different fashion than the other.  This quick story is delightful for cat lovers and has a wonderful, surprising twist. I recommend it to those who love a quick little intrigue.

Audio Notes: Tavia Gilbert does a very good job making this an easy, natural sounding presentation. She is able to convey the emotions of concern and care from Amy and bullying from Jack. I think this would be a fun story to read but it also makes for a great, quick listen.

I received this download for review through Audiobook Jukebox.