Sunday Words of Encouragement June 8, 2014

Our Sunday school teacher, “G”, gave a wonderful message this morning entitled, “This, That and the Other.”
THIS: Recently G visited his lake home after a long winter and discovered that he had to spend a day pulling weeds that had infested the gravel sitting area. Even though the area had been prepped with a lining, weeds still grow up. G compared this to our spiritual lives. We can do right things and still get weeds in our lives. There is no equivalent of spiritual ‘Round-up”. Satan can even use busyness in ministry to keep us from remembering to tend to the weeds. We must learn to deal with weeds regularly, while they are smaller. This is true of computer bugs, too – we need to do regular debugging. Maintenance is important to our physical bodies as well as our relationships with others.
THAT: Each person is uniquely made with different packaging. We don't choose it but rather we inherit certain “wiring” from our parents. Our wiring and gifting varies greatly. One person may have great patience but deals with other weaknesses like shyness or pride. Another may be bold in his witness but quick to anger.
When we go to purchase a car we look for one that suits the purpose we need. Each vehicle serves differently. A a pickup truck is good to carry or haul on short trips. An 18 Wheeler carries heavy loads for long distances. You would choose a Jeep if you planned to face rough terrain or go off road. A sports car is good for speed, and maybe fun and flash. Most people with growing children end up choosing a station-wagon or minivan. If you only need a smaller vehicle to drive to and from work and around town, you would probably buy an economy car.
Similar to different vehicles, God created each of us to serve a unique purpose. We should not compare ourselves to others. Each person must cope, in varying degrees, with pride, anger, jealousy, envy, lust and other human weaknesses. We become stronger as we mature and learn to conquer lusts of the flesh by walking in the spirit; seeking God’s help and submitting to His will. God may allow situations that reveal the weeds that we have to pick. G admonished us to take a good look within ourselves and to remember to tend to our own weeds regularly.
THE OTHER: G encouraged us to read the book ALL IN by Mark Batterson. G read from Chapter One which tells of “one-way” missionaries who set out knowing they might die in their service. They took along a coffin instead of bags of belongings. Batterson says:

   "When did we begin believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things?...
   Jesus didn't die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous.
   Faithfullness is not holding the fort. It’s storming the gates of hell.
   ...
   It’s time to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
   It's time to go all in and all out for the All in All.
   Pack your coffin!"

I was reminded of this older praise song: You Are My All in All.

Verses for Today:
Ephesians 4: 22-24 (NIV)
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

I pray that the Spirit will show me all areas of my heart, mind and live that need weeding and help give me grace and fortitude to do the weeding instead of seeking a more enjoyable activity.

Sharing Beyond Books #154 Comment Giveaway June 7, 2014

Hello again on Saturday night and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!
Another tired night for me though a little earlier than last week. Waiting to hang up laundry then I'll go to bed.
Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

I was a bit surprised that only four out of 14 of us really have a beach bag and only one seems to use it for the beach. Elizabeth - I hope you had fun at the beach last weekend. Scottsgal keeps her bag ready for vacation or cruise (ahhhh- cruisin') and Di keeps her swimsuits, water shoes and sun hat stored in hers for the rare trip to the beach. I thought that was a good idea. Nikki has a 'beach-y' tote but uses it for shopping, not the beach. :-)

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #153 comments is: #12 Di 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 #154 (One Question.)

Q1. Becky asks: If you could work with any author who would it be??

A: This is a tough question as there are several authors I consider 'favorites.' I narrowed the choice to two who stick in my mind and then I considered how I would want to work with them. Since I have a couple of plot themes/outlines I would gladly share I think I would pick Mary Balogh because I think she could best fill out the plot ideas and develop the characters I have in mind. (Still, Julia Quinn is a close second here.)

Hard to find a fitting image but I thought this worked.

Image found at Noble Dead.

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 still have a supply of questions but from the same people so hopefully others will send more in -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify to use. 

Your turn to share:

Q1. Becky asks: If you could work with any author who would it be??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books, the Christmas Giveaway Books (this is the new link), or the June 2013 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 through Saturday June 14, 2014 at 5 PM  central.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Windflower by Laura London

I didn’t warm to this story although there was some wonderful descriptive phrasing that I really liked.
The Windflower
by Laura London

• Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Forever; Reissue edition (April 29, 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-1455573288

Genre: Historical Romance, Pirates
My Rating: 3.5 of 5.0 (Please note Amazon ratings show others have enjoyed this more than I did.)

Book Description
Publication Date: April 29, 2014
The classic tale of passion on the high seas, available in print for the first time in 20 years . . .

Merry Wilding is a lady of breeding, of innocence, and of breathtaking beauty. With high hopes for a holiday in England, she sets sail from New York-but the tide of her life is destined to turn. Mistakenly swept aboard an infamous pirate ship, Merry finds herself at the mercy of a wicked crew . . . and one sinfully handsome pirate. Soon she's spending her days yearning for escape, and her nights learning the pleasures of captivity.

Devon Crandall believes Merry is in league with his greatest enemy. He's determined to slowly urge her secrets from her. But along the way, he discovers her beautifully unbreakable spirit . . . and a desire unlike any he's ever known. She is hiding something from him, and yet, each day that passes brings her deeper into his heart. When fierce arguments give way to fiercer passion, can a pirate learn to love a woman? Or will true love be lost at sea?

Review:
Merry is a seventeen year old, naive girl with not much to offer but beauty and artist talent. She has been raised in Virginia by her maiden Aunt who longs to return to England where the family had wealth and friends. Merry's older brother pulls her into a spy adventure in order to have her capture the images of some enemies of the American cause. The night they disguise themselves and go to a tavern they run into pirates including the infamous Rand Morgan, an exotic, long-haired boy (Cat) and a devastatingly handsome companion (Devon).

Merry runs into trouble when she slips out back and Devon drags her into a wagon. She is scared to death but the roguish pirate is actually trying to protect her from the other rough men. He suspects she was up to no good as she was dressed as a pregnant peasant - until she lost her stuffing - and she has too much beauty to hide even with that inappropriate disguise.

A month later Merry finds herself heading from New York to England with her Aunt under the escort of Sir Michael Granville. A bad practical joke puts Merry out of her cabin and into Granville’s until hers can be cleared. When pirates sneak aboard to take letters from Granville’s cabin they find a pretty girl there, and take her too delivering her to Rand Morgan’s pirate ship.

Devon is enchanted by the young beauty, but he is coldly angry thinking that Merry is a ‘night bird’ of his hated enemy, Granville. He remembers her from the tavern and tries to bully her to reveal who she is and what secrets she hides. Merry can’t tell the truth as she doesn’t want to expose her brother and cousin as spies. She insists that she is married to the puppeteer from the tavern and was innocently in Granville’s cabin.

Merry is already terrified of the pirates, and her fear increases as Devon and Rand intimidate her and threaten to sell her on a far off island. Rand’s young friend, Cat, becomes her protector. Later other members of the crew become enchanted with her too, although none will challenge Rand’s authority except perhaps the young boy, Raven, who is infatuated enough to help her try to escape.

It is a fine line of fantasy to make pirates be ‘nice’ people and I did enjoy the book more as I got to know the pirate characters and saw their human sides. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting into this story because I didn’t care for the primary characters. Merry was just too young and too weak a character for me to like. Devon was initially too cold and bullying.

I did enjoy some wonderful phrasing and there were some twists nearer that end that made it more interesting. The book took five weeks to read which is really long for me.  In the end I enjoyed the romance but it still didn’t make me warm up too much. Maybe I am not into pirate or kidnap (Stockholm syndrome) stories.  I am sure others who enjoy rich romance might like this more than I did.

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

This book contained some phrasing that I really enjoyed:

Like a decked sturgeon flipping uselessly from side to side, Merry turned from anger, to fear, to despair, and back again to anger. Page 133.

The night song of the forest was a symphony in crescendo. She could hear the ruin of each withered leaf crushed under her feet, the clatter of displaced gravel, the sharp sigh of the fabric of her gown as it rubbed into her thighs. Noises, sights, and smells were a battering intrusion upon her raw nerves. Page 372.

I received this book from Forever/Grand Central for an honest review.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for my review Print 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 comment on the review, OR 
visit THE AUTHOR'S PAGE and tell me something you like/learned there.

* This contest is open to U.S. address only for print.
* This contest will close 5 PM (Central) June 14, 2014.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED after June 14, 2014.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway June 6, 2014

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

I am very tired as I prepare this. The week was not hectic but it has been very busy with three closings and several to prepare for next week. Work has gone quicker at my own desk now that I can print again.  Unfortunately we were without internet at home two nights. *sigh*
Our weather is getting pretty hot - definitely pool weather!


More details at My Cancer Journey (today, 6/6, is last day of treatment!)

[UPDATED NOTE - US entrants I prefer, please, that you pick a book as that is the first purpose of this giveaway - to find new homes for books. The GCs are for the international entrants because postage has jumped up.]

Thank you to all who entered the May 30 Pick. There were two Automatic wins this week.  (Automatic winners are those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks). There was only one blocked title.
bn100 gets Hawken's Heart
and
Linda K gets The Stepmother

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from May 30 Pick:
Miki gets a GC

ElizabethL gets a GC also.

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, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

Here's a dedicated reader - cooling down from the sun but not letting go the book!

Image found at Mark Batty Publisher.

New Book Group #48 May 30, 2014

PAIRS:
Karen Haper:  Black Orchid (spine creases) and Shaker Run
Elizabeth Lowell: Fever and The Color of Death
SINGLES:
After Dark by Phillip Margolin Audio Tapes
Dangerous by Debra Dier
First to Fight Anthology
Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz
Mesmerized by Gayle Lynds
On the Edge by Susan Kearney
Safe by His Side by Linda Conrad
Son of the Sword by J. Ardian Lee
Spring Fancy by LaVyrle Spenser
Tangled Lives by Margot Dalton
Trial by Fire by Jo Davis
Underfoot by Leanne Banks


New Book Group #47 April 25, 2014

PAIRS:
Catherine Palmer: Prairie Rose and A Whisper of Danger
Stephanie Laurens: A Lady of His Own (spine creases) and Impetuous Innocent
SINGLES:
Hawken's Heart by Suzanne Brockman
The Mystery Man of Whitehorse by B.J. Daniels
Trey's Secret by Lois Faye Dayer
Midnight Reign by Chris Marie Green
Illegal Possession by Kay Hooper
When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
Once Upon a Moon by Julie Kistler
The MacGregor Grooms by Nora Roberts
Sirius About Murder by Sue Owens Wright
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty byVickie Kennedy
The Stepmother by Carrie Adams (hardback) 


New Book Group #46 March 15, 2014

PAIRS:
   Virginia Henley - Notorious and Insatiable
   Debbie Macomber - Navy Woman and This Matter of Marriage
SINGLES:
The Diamonds of Wellbourne Manor Anthology by Diane Gaston plus
Heart of Darkness Anthology by Gena Showalter plus
Unbound Anthology by Kim Harrison plus
Sweet Talking Man by Betina Krain
Penhollow by Georgette Heyer
Dangerous Passions by Kat Martin
The Last Heiress by Bertrice Small (spine creases)
If She Only Knew by Lisa Jackson (spine creases)
Liar's Market by Taylor Smith
The Horseman's Secret by Jeannie Watt
Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs
Strong Arms of the Law by Vicki Kennedy


New Book Group #45 January 31, 2014

PAIRS:
   Deborah Cooke: Winter Kiss and Kiss of Fate
   Fern Michaels:  Hey Good Looking and Charming Lily
SINGLES:
Swimming Without a Net by Mary Jane Davidson
Exit Strategies by Catherine Todd
Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter
The Reckoning by Beverly Lewis
Out of Darkness by Lynn Erickson
Lord Braybrook's Penniless Bride by Elizabeth Rolls
Contract Dad by Helen Shelton
Sandhill Dreams by Cara Putman
Hearts Are Wild by Laura Wright
Dare Me Anthology, Cherry Adair, Jill Shalvis and Julie Elizabeth Leto
All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins
A Writer's Dream & A Cowboy's Heart by Vickie Kennedy


New Book Group #44 December 14, 2013---(All gone)

New Book Group! #43 November 1, 2013 ---(All gone)

New Book Group #42 September 27, 2013 ---(All gone)

New Book Group #41 August 2, 2013

Singles:
The Nightingale's Song by Jo-Ann Power
Cattle Rancher, Secret Son by Margaret Way
White Heather by Jaclyn Reding

New Book Group #40 June 28, 2013

Pairs:
      (Angels) Not Quite An Angel by Bobby Hutchinson and An Angel for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad
Singles:
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)

New Book Group #39 May 31, 2013 - Plenty of "summer" titles!
Singles:
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford

New Book Group #38 April 20, 2013
Awaken the Senses by Nalini Singh

New Book Group #37 March 22, 2013
Singles:
Anthology: Something Borrowed, Something Blue - this book has spine creases and minor water damage...I thought I had read it and liked it but now I realize it was another anthology I read with Elaine Barbier.

New Book Group #36 February 15, 2013

The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe

New Book Group #35 January 11, 2013 (All gone)

New Book Group #34 December 7, 2012--- (All gone)

New Book Group #33 October 27, 2012---(All gone)

New Book Group #32 October 5, 2012
- Oops upside down book! NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one - A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley

New Book Group #31 August 31, 2012
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)

New Book Group #30 July 27, 2012
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Wild Escapade by Lisa Bingham
Dancing on Snowflakes by Jane Bonander (postage too much - replaced with GC)

New Book Group #29 June 29, 2012
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing
Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, An Anthology

New Book Group #28 May 18, 2012--- (All gone)

New book Group #27 April 13, 2012--- (All gone)

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

New Group #25 January 12, 2012---(All gone)

New Group #24 Pick Books November 25, 2011---(All gone)

New Group #23 Pick Books October 14, 2011
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser

New Group #22 Pick Books September 2, 2011---(All gone)

New Group #21 of Pick Books July 29, 2011---(All gone)

May, 2011 New Group of Pick books Group #20---(All gone)
Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins - Audio Cassettes

3/25/11 I did get to set up a new group of books: Group #19
Primary Colors - audio tapes

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 on November 27, 2009 and in four years I have posted 43 groups of 16 (688) books to find new homes! (as of November 2013).

I 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 669+ 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 $7.00 and $6.00 $10.00 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--- (All gone)

12/3/10 Book Set: #16
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 

List #15---(All gone)

List #14---(All gone)

Here is set #13 of Used books! ---(All gone)

Group #12---(All gone)

Group #11
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

List #1
Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo

Pick #2---(All gone)

Pick #3---(All gone)

Pick #4---(All gone)

Pick #5---(All gone)
See Jane Lead by Lois P. Frankel
Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes

Pick #6---(All gone)

Pick #7
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape

Pick #8
The Jury by Steve Martini - Audio Tapes
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson - Audio Tapes

Pick #9
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murray

Pick #10---(All Gone)

Book Review: Where Dreams Are Born (Angelo's Hearth) by M.L. Buchman

If you like a full-bodied story with romance, don't miss this wonderful tale of two strong characters finding their way through life issues to love.

Where Dreams Are Born (Angelo's Hearth)
by M.L. Buchman

• File Size: 1389 KB
• Print Length: 290 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1469996766
• Publisher: Buchman Bookworks (November 7, 2013)
• ASIN: B006AT9W3Q

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 7, 2013
One calendar. Twelve lighthouses. Two hearts.
Cassidy Knowles stands on the wind-torn bluff and clutches the calendar of lighthouses. The last gift from her father, with a dozen letters for a final year-long journey “together.” From vineyard roots, Cassidy has climbed up the food-and-wine critic ladder, leaving her rural roots far behind.
Russell Davis, #28 on the latest “most eligible” list, the last guy on the planet Cassidy wants. Fine with him. He has no desire for the driven, urban-fashionista, never-touch-nature Cassidy Knowles. He sets his dream by a calendar of lighthouses. The genesis of a sailing a journey. A journey that keeps leading him to the last woman he’d ever want.
Where can two hearts chart the same course? In the warmth around Angelo’s Hearth.

Review:
Cassidy Knowles is a career woman struggling her way up the competitive ranks of New York food and wine editors. She returns home to Seattle to be with her dad as he is dying of cancer. She is thrilled when her food and wine review columns gain strong success and syndication from her position in the Northwest.

Cassidy’s father left her a calendar of lighthouses and twleve letters - one to open at each setting. Cassidy has two vastly different friends from college who have remained ‘besties’ through the years. They all support each other, sharing joys and woes.

Russell Davis is a highly successful bachelor who has become disenchanted with the fast life in New York as a top notch photographer. He moves to Seattle to find himself and to visit his childhood friend, Angelo, a superb cook who owns a small restaurant.

The first time Cassidy and Russell meet she is doing a wine tasting for Angelo and Russell barges into the kitchen dressed in work clothes from restoring his new, antique sail boat. She barely notices him but he decides that she is a high maintenance city girl like the girlfriend he left in New York. The second time they see each other he has his old flame draped on his arm yet he is stunned by the tableau of Cassidy crying on the shoulders of her best friends. The next time they meet on a blind date arranged by Angelo. Russell discovers that Cassidy is smart as well as beautiful but he still thinks she is shallow and rudely insults her. She realizes that, although good looking and smart, he is a big jerk.

Cassidy is surprised to see a sailboat off shore as she visits each lighthouse. Russell is enchanted by the glimpse of a young woman in a red coat at each lighthouse as he sails by. Russell becomes fixated on the ‘lady of the lighthouses’ and is disappointed when he finds Cassidy at one of the sites instead of his mystery ‘lady.’

Can the two overcome their bad first impressions when they realize that they are looking for each other? Beyond that, can they find a place where they can share their dreams instead of being drawn apart by different goals?

Cassidy is a bright, mostly confident career woman and I could relate to her vulnerabilities in seeking to combine career with love. I also liked Russell although he really is a jerk and did act clueless several times. I truly enjoyed the history of each lighthouse and thought that was a fantastic plot theme adding interesting settings. Although the romantic tension begins early, the full romance doesn’t bloom until farther into the book which worked really well.

I loved the friends, the dialogue, the tension...well I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it. I have enjoyed the military romances by ML Buchman as well.  This book makes it clear he is a versatile writer who delivers a strong story with romance. Sometimes contemporary romances are just 'nice' but sort of the 'same old same old' with some authors relying on the romance scenes to make the story. That is not true of Mr. Buchman's works. He adds romance to a strong story that keeps me engaged without need for passionate scenes.

I am so glad I received this for an honest review as part of the Romance books from StoryBundle.