Sunday Words of Encouragement June 15, 2014 -- Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there! We have been thinking about, and missing, my father - Love you Dad.

Pastor’s message this morning was, of course, about fathers, particularly about our Heavenly Father. The message started in Luke 15 - the story of the Prodigal Son. Instead of focusing on the son, Pastor looked at the father and used him as an example of our Heavenly Father.
Just as the prodigal son’s father, our Heavenly Father gives, receives, restores and renews.
He gives love, salvation, mercy, healing and grace
He receives us into His household - His kingdom - as adopted children.
He restores us through forgiveness and redemption.
He renews us with healing and mercy by the Power of His Grace.

There is no perfect father on earth. There is none like Him. But Godly men are to reflect the Father, not just serve Him.

Thinking of Heavenly Father made me think of this:
Our Father Who Art in Heaven.

Psalm 103:13-14 NIV
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

I thank you, my Father Creator, for all the things you are to me: creator, provider, healer, banner, defender, deliverer, comforter, strength, peace, and above all, love. Help me to reflect Your nature through my own life.

Sharing Beyond Books #155 Comment Giveaway June 14, 2014

Hello again on Saturday night and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!
I did relax a little today so I'm not quite so tired.
Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

Almost everyone had a different, wonderful author they would like to 'work' with! Neil Gaiman was the only one who was named twice.

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #154 comments is: #3 Ricki 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 #155 (One Question.)

Q1. Lisa C asks: Apart from ereading, do you have any apps that you depend on??

A: I have to admit that "apps" are still a bit of a puzzle for me. As well as I know my regular computer it just doesn't seem so natural on the phone or tablet. We do use Skype, Facebook and Dropbox - if those are considered apps. And I imagine when we travel in the motorhome I will probably use some type of weather and GPS app. We do have a GPS for the car. We do not pay (extra) for internet on our phones so we don't do a lot of things on the phone.

Working with apps is still a puzzle to a lot of people, including me.

Image found at fwelections.

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. Lisa asks: Apart from ereading, do you have any apps that you depend on??

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 21, 2014 at 5 PM  central.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway June 13, 2014

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

Argh! Another busy week getting up and out early (6:30am twice and 8:00am three times) this week and home after 7:30pm three nights. I keep plugging away at work but there is always more to do. 
I hope to get a couple hours relaxing by the pool this weekend. Is any one else getting to relax for summer?

[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 June 6 Pick. There were no 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 and it was won through a many weeks block.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from June 6 Pick:
Becky gets the Stephanie Laurens pair (won through the block)

Linda gets a GC

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.}

June is AudioBook Month and I am a happy listener!

Image found at Salon.

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:
Trey's Secret by Lois Faye Dayer
Midnight Reign by Chris Marie Green
Once Upon a Moon by Julie Kistler
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty byVickie Kennedy



New Book Group #46 March 15, 2014

PAIRS:
   Virginia Henley - Notorious and Insatiable
   Debbie Macomber - Navy Woman and This Matter of Marriage
SINGLES:
Sweet Talking Man by Betina Krain
Penhollow by Georgette Heyer
The Last Heiress by Bertrice Small (spine creases)
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:
Out of Darkness by Lynn Erickson
Lord Braybrook's Penniless Bride by Elizabeth Rolls
Contract Dad by Helen Shelton
Hearts Are Wild by Laura Wright

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

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

New Book Group #29 June 29, 2012
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)

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 671+ 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)

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)

Audible Book Review: Earth Abides: The 60th Anniversary Edition by George R. Stewart

This is a remarkable work that provokes thought on the nature and purpose of man.
Earth Abides: The 60th Anniversary Edition
by George R. Stewart
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Connie Willis

Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
Format: Unabridged
Release Date:04-21-09
Publisher: Audible Studios

Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he'd either dreaded or hoped for.
NOTE: This 60th anniversary edition of Earth Abides includes a special introduction written and read by Hugo Award-winning writer Connie Willis.
©1949, renewed 1976 by George R. Stewart; (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Ish is a graduate student in the 1940s living alone in the Californian mountains. He is bitten by a rattlesnake and, while struggling through venom fever, survives the virus that kills the majority of people in the country. Ish travels to a nearby town and wonders where everyone has gone until he finds a newspaper that describes the crisis.

Ish goes to his parents’ home but finds no one alive in the community. He travels across country to observe and look for survivors. He makes it to New York finding only a handful of people, but no one to stay with or join him. He returns to his parents’ home and after a time he discovers a woman living across town. Em is a calm, positive and easy going nurturer to balance out the passive, worrying nature of Ish. A few more strangers wander in and slowly a community develops.

Throughout his journey and regrouping Ish relishes his role as an observer and his internal contemplation gives the reader plenty to ponder. He theorizes how the loss of humans will impact animals, from domestic pets and farm animals who are not prepared to forge for themselves to wild animals who will find little hindrance to their expansion where only the strong and resourceful will survive. He also anticipates how natural forces such as fires, vegetation, and weather will take over the roads and structures of men.

Ish is troubled as the children in the community grow without the rules that helped maintain civilization but have little meaning in their small group. He worries the group will eventually run out of supplies to scavenge yet there is no motivation to learn how to grow crops or rebuild. He has hope in one bright son, Joey, who is quick and eager to read and learn. But Joey is little and frail and may have trouble becoming a leader in a clan of scavengers and hunters. There is no formal religion but a form of superstition develops around Ish and the ever present hammer that he picked up the first days and, over the years, becomes a symbol of authority and power. As he ages, the young people perceive Ish as an “old American”, a type or creator from the past.

This is a remarkable piece of work though different than what I expected. It was written in 1949 so it deals with a culture that was not as technologically dependent as we are today. Many apocalyptic books deal with violence, danger and struggles of man in current times with the loss that might be more extreme than the society of 1949. This book is much more contemplative with an emphasis on observance, expectation and philosophy rather than the day to day struggles of survival, although that is covered too.

I was engaged and intrigued by the fascinating story that made me think and touched emotions. But I felt a sadness at the lack of faith and hope. The message I got in the end was that man has no real purpose other than survival, then death...returning as dust to the abiding earth.

Audio Notes: The narration by Jonathan Davis was steady and suited to the contemplative nature of the work. Davis manages to infuse emotions and interest into parts that might otherwise be a bit dry. Connie Willis sets a good perspective with the introduction. I found the story interesting and the audio made it an easier ‘read’ for me to enjoy.

I had never read this Sci Fi Classic and selected it recently to add to my Audible library.

Book Review: Simply Irresistible by Kristine Grayson

This is a fun story with good characters- the nice ones and the evil ones.

Simply Irresistible

by Kristine Grayson

• File Size: 641 KB
• Print Length: 326 pages
• Publisher: WMG Publishing (March 3, 2011)
• ASIN: B004QZ9XYY

Genre: Paranormal Romance
My rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: March 3, 2011
Dexter Grant, the inspiration for the greatest superhero of all time, lives in reduced circumstances. Now he runs a pet store in Portland, Oregon, and privately calls himself a Kitten Superhero because he saves stray animals. He aspires to something greater, but his magic has been restricted—by the Fates.
The Fates, three women who control the magical universe. Only they’ve lost their position, and they’re on the run. They’ve turned to an old friend for help, but that friend is dead. Her niece, Vivian Kineally, runs her estate. Vivian, who doesn’t even know magic exists. Vivian, who loves comic books. Vivian, who also happens to be psychic.
The Fates steer Vivian to Dexter Grant. They want his help. He’s not willing to give it. But now that he’s met Vivian, he’s not willing to give her up either. Dexter Grant must save the Fates—and discover his own fate, all at the same time.
Book One of the Fates Trilogy.

Review:
Vivian is a physic who has always lived a bit apart because of her ability to read the thoughts of others. She has always struggled with her ‘gift’ because most people wouldn’t believe her or they would consider her a freak. Only her beloved Aunt Euginia, assured her it was okay to be different and it would work out. Aunt Eugenia had tried to get Vivian to visit her but Vivian was too busy being independent. Suddenly Aunt Eugenia is murdered and Vivian comes to Portland to administer her estate.

Vivian has boxes of books and papers Eugenia instructed her to read but, before she has time to look at them, Vivian's life is disrupted by frantic knocking. The Fates demand entrance to her apartment claiming they are being stalked and they need Vivian’s help. The Fates are distressed to discover that Vivian doesn’t know who they are and she hasn’t been mentored or prepared for her magical abilities. The Fates have given up their own magical powers and someone really is trying to get to them. There is no time for training but they have to call on Vivian’s skills telling her what to do to protect them, at least temporarily. They send Vivian off to find Dexter Grant who they hope will help them.

Dexter is a mage who has been warned and threatened by the Fates to the point that he lives a stoic, humble life, running a pet store to save stray animals instead of saving humans from bad guys like he would like to. He doesn’t understand why it is wrong to help especially since it wasn’t his fault that some young observers wrote comic stories about his superhero good deeds.

Dexter immediately senses that Vivian is ‘the one he has waited for’. He doesn’t really want to help the Fates but he does want the chance to keep Vivian around. That means getting the Fates out of her hair and then protecting Vivian by uncovering and stopping the evil mage who is seeking to kill the Fates. Dexter has a menagerie of animals to care for as well as hidden dwellings to be revealed.

I discovered quickly that this is a tongue-in-cheek, fun story. Vivian and Dexter are lovely, kind, generous characters and it is a turn of the tables to have the Fates powerless, helpless and pretty much clueless in a modern world setting. The vengeful mage and her bumbling son make for dastardly, nasty villains.

The story has plenty of action, suspense and humor to keep the reader engaged. The writing is an easy style making for a quick read. This story reminded me that I enjoy Kristine Grayson’s light style of mixing fantasy, mythical characters with modern day, real life characters. I would like to read more in this series especially since there are a few loose ends at the conclusion of book one.

I received this title for review as part of the Romance books from StoryBundle - a great bargain based on the five books I have read so far!