Sharing Beyond Books #193 Comment Giveaway March 7, 2015

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

I guess many visitors got hit with another cold patch the end of this week. I am sure we are all hoping it will be the last before spring comes in. I cleared off a lot on my desk and I'm looking forward to next week in San Antonio.  BTW -- DON"T FORGET TO SPRING FORWARD TONIGHT (Saturday) for those on day light savings time.

Thanks to everyone who commented during the short time this week.

A bare majority of us (11) have participated in some treasure hunt or scavenger hunt. The other 10 have not but half of those think it would be fun. Nrlymrtl shared an "oops" scavenger hunt that ended up more a prank. Several mentioned book/author scavenger hunts and Sue won a cozy mystery through one. :-)

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The Winner from SBB #192 comments is: #18 Bube (lucky first time win!) who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated ARC/Review titles or (not yet updated) Love titles - all linked near the end of the post. I'm hoping to update the book choices this week. Please let me know your choice by completing the (new) WINNER FORM.

WEEK #193 (One Question.)

Q1. Hedgehogi Tearsa asks: Do you love to read more in the summer or winter months??

A: There is no difference for me. I love to read every month as much as I can. My reading this year is running just a bit over three books a week which is comfortable for reading and preparing reviews. 

Image found at hqdefault.jpg (youtube link)

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. Hedgehogi Tearsa asks: Do you love to read more in the summer or winter months??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the  Valentine and "Love" books or the February 2015 Newly Updated ARC/Review List. (My daughter pulled several of the Christmas titles to give with gift bags we made up for the nursing homes. I still have to go back and update that list with what is left and a few new titles to add.)

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 March 14, 2015 at 5 PM  central.

Audible Book Review: Dead Reckoning: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #11 by Charlaine Harris

I found this to be an entertaining, if interim, story in this series.
Dead Reckoning: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #11
Written by: Charlaine Harris
Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
Series: Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:05-03-11
Publisher: Recorded Books
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover, Eric Northman, and his "child", Pam, are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot - which is much more complicated than she knows.
Listen to more titles in the Sookie Stackhouse series.
©2011 Charlaine Harris, Inc. (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Review:
Sookie, who can read minds of humans and to some degree the two-natured, has opened her home to her uncle and grandfather, two fae fairies who look about her age. Sookie seems to think that their nearness is increasing the fae qualities in her. While she ponders that Sookie is worrying about the loss of business at Merlot’s as some of the patrons are visiting a recently opened vampire bar. Business was down even before a fire bomb is thrown through the window.

Sookie learns that a two-natured female enemy has escaped from jail seeking revenge against Sookie. Sookie seeks help from her witch friend, Amelia, to re-strengthen protective wards around her home.

Adding to her troubles, Sookie’s boyfriend, vampire sheriff Eric, is struggling with the competition from the new vampire regent who is doing everything he can to encroach on Eric’s territory. Adding insult to injury, the regent has refused his permission for Eric’s ‘child’, Pam, to change a young woman who is dying. It is becoming clear that the two vampire leaders aren’t going to be able to share the area so plots for killing are working both ways. Sookie gets caught up in a plan to take out the regent even as she learns that Eric is keeping secrets that may break her heart.

I had stopped reading this series in 2010 and my recollection is that it had gotten a bit too racy plus the last title seemed a bit fractured. I apparently didn’t review book #10 when I read it. I am glad that I enjoyed revisiting these characters, including Sam, Eric, Bill and even Bubba. There is danger and death, as always seems to surround Sookie, the vampires and the two-natured, but I wasn’t offended by anything.

Although there are still plenty of open questions in the series, I appreciated the tension that remains with Eric’s dilemma at the end of this installment. I am also interested to find out what happens with the fae and the special stone that Sookie has found. So I’ll be getting the next book after April when I allow myself to buy books again – unless I add it on Audible before then.

I recommend reading this series in order for the best enjoyment and I recommend it in audio. Just be prepared for some sex in some of the volumes and violence in most of them. I did try to watch True Blood, the tv series based on the books, when that first came out but I found it too sexual and graphic for my tastes.

Audio Notes: I totally enjoy Johanna Parker as the narrator for this series. She does a great job portraying the Southern Sookie and the other characters. They each have an appropriate distinct voice that helps me to visualize the characters and enjoy the story more than just reading.

This title has been in my Audible library since September, 2012. This qualifies for COYER, TBR Double Dare, Audio Challenges and Alphabet Soup.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway March 6, 2015

Here we are in March with some rain and chilly winds. I am looking forward to traveling to San Antonio for EPICon 2015 next week! Before I go I hope to take a picture of another group of books to post next Friday. :-)

TO ENTER:

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.
INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up to late 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 without other people asking for that book during those weeks.

Thank you to all who entered the February 27 Pick. Everyone is on a similar schedule - there were FIVE 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 were no titles blocked.
Becky gets the Virginia Henley Pair
bn100 gets The Girl With the Golden Spurs
Carol NW gets Shrink Rap tapes
BettyW gets the James Patterson Pair
Rita gets Fullfillment

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from February 27 Pick:
Mariska gets a GC

HoldenJ gets It All Began in Monte Carlo

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.}

Image found at Book, Line, and Sinker.

New Book Group #55 February 5, 2015
(I'll try to get the rest linked another day.)

PAIRS:
Virginia Henley: The Pirate and the Pagan (spine creases) and The Falcon and the Flower
James Patterson: London Bridges and Roses are Red (both spine creases)
SINGLES:
Pale Kings and Princes by Robert Parker Audio Cassette Tapes
Hour Game by David Baldacci (spine creases)
If I Had You by Deborah Bedford
The Girl With the Golden Spurs by Ann Major
Can't Take My Eyes Off of You by Kasey Michaels
Dark Possession by Christine Feehan
Daisy's Back in Town by Rachel Gibson
The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood
Paradise Bay by James Michael Pratt
The Last Two Bachelors by Debbie Macomber
Exclusive Anthology by Fiona Hood-Stewart, Sharon Kendrick and Jackie Braun
Duets Romantic Comedy: Lady and the Scamp by Candy Halliday & The Doctor Dilemma by Dianne Drake

New Book Group #54 December 26, 2014

PAIRS:
Lisa Gardner: Alone and Gone
Janet Evanovich: Eleven on Top and Twelve Sharp
Stuart Wood: L.A. Dead and Fresh Disasters
SINGLES:
Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card - Tape Cassettes
New Blood by Gail Dayton
Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings
To Collar a Killer by Lee Charles Kelley
Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty
‘Til There Was You by Elizabeth Ann Michaels
The Ladies’ Lunch by Patricia O’Brien
Wild Winds by Janelle Taylor
Shrink Rap by Robert B. Parker - Tape Cassettes
Rescue Me Anthology by Cherry Adair, Lora Leigh and Cindy Gerard


BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty byVickie Kennedy
First to Fight Anthology
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin
Maybe This Time by Victoria Barrett
The Commander by Kate Bridges
The Cinderella Plan by Margaret Daley
The Mr. & Mrs. Happy Handbook by Steve Doocy
A Garden of Friends by Penny Pierce Rose
Intrepid Encounter by Rebecca Ashley
A Stranger's Wife by Maggie Osborne
Richard Paul Evans PAIR: The Looking Glass and The Carousel
Duo Book: Yesterday's Memories by Tara Taylor Quinn and Amanda Stevens
At The Stroke of Madness by Alex Kava
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Catherine Anderson PAIR: Seventh Heaven and Always in My Heart
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner


BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)

Touched by Fire by Kathleen O'Reilly
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
It All Began at Monte Carlo by Elizabeth Adler
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
Mariah Stewart PAIR: Priceless and Brown-Eyed Girl
Cattle Rancher, Secret Son by Margaret Way
Whisper on the Wind by Joan Smith
Fulfillment by Barbara Delinsky
Trouble Becomes Her by Laura Van Wormer
Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark
Diana Palmer PAIR: Diamond Spur, Long Tall Texan
A Lady of Consequence by Mary Nichols
Sweet Talking Man by Betina Krain
Illegal Possession by Kay Hooper


BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)

Final Justice by Jasmine Cresswell
Thinner by Stephen King
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
Mary Higgins Clark PAIR: Let Me Call You Sweetheart and Moonlight Becomes You (SC)
Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, An Anthology
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Dancing on Snowflakes by Jane Bonander
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- 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
Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr
The Millionaire's Daughter by Sophie Weston
Tara Taylor Quinn: Father: Unknown and McGillus v.Wright
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
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.
Bride by Command by Linda Winstead Jones
Awaken the Senses by Nalini Singh


BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)

Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo
The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon
The Darkroom by Minette Walters
The Elusive Flame by Kathleen Woodwiss
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murray
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester
Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
McNally's Puzzle by Lawrence Sanders
The Undertaker's Widow by Phillip M. Margolin
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
S is for Silence (Kinsey Millhone Mystery)
Tender Triumph by Judith McNaught
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Death Angel by Linda Howard

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 five+ years I have posted 54 groups of 16 (864) books to find new homes! (as of February 6, 2015).

I am happy to say that so far about 778+ 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. 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!

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 $7.00 and $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)

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!

Book Review: Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart

I was delightfully pleased by this warm-hearted, sweet romance.

Homespun Bride (The McKaslin Clan: Historical Series, Book 1) (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical #2)

by Jillian Hart

• File Size: 379 KB
• Print Length: 288 pages
• Publisher: Love Inspired Historicals (January 15, 2014)
• ASIN: B00HAZ6C2I

Genre: Historical Romance, Inspirational

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Steeple Hill (February 12, 2008)
Book Description
Montana Territory in 1883 was a dangerous place—especially for a blind woman struggling to make her way through an early winter snowstorm. Undaunted, Noelle Kramer fought to remain independent. But then a runaway horse nearly plunged her into a rushing, ice-choked river, before a stranger's strong, sure hand saved her from certain death.
And yet this was no stranger. Though she could not know it, her rescuer was rancher Thad McKaslin, the man who had once loved her more than life itself. Losing her had shaken all his most deeply held beliefs. Now he wondered if the return of this strong woman was a sign that somehow he could find his way home.

Review:
Noelle became blind due to an injury during a carriage accident that killed her wealthy parents. She lives in Montana territory with her Aunt and Uncle and several younger female cousins. Noelle manages to live a fairly normal, if reserved, life with thier loving support. But she has put her dreams of love and family behind her especially since, before the accident, the love of her 16 year old heart left her behind to go wandering and cowboying.

Thad has returned home to help his brother take care of his ailing mother and their struggling family ranch. Thad had loved Noelle when he was 19, but her father made him realize that he couldn’t give her the things that her wealth and position had prepared her for. He had heard about her engagement to another wealthy beau and hoped his heart could stand the sorrow of seeing her with someone else. Thad shocked when he rescues a run-away horse and carriage to discover that Noelle is blind and living with relatives. At first he thinks, and hopes, she will not know who he is. After all, even if she did recognize him he is sure that she could never forgive him for breaking her young heart.

Noelle knows the voice of her rescuer. She doesn’t want to remember the love and doesn’t want to forgive. As Thad helps her Uncle who is trying to learn to manage horses, Noelle experiences again the tender care and responsibility of the young man she loved even though she can’t reconcile that with the boy who abandoned her. Then she learns that there were secrets behind Thad’s desertion that change her perceptions. Still, she believes he deserves a wife who isn’t damaged - a wife who can share building a homestead with him - things she doesn’t think she can do.

This is a truly heart warming story. It is also beautifully written. I was repeatedly struck by the wonderful prose and phrasing that just made the warm story and the historical setting that much richer. I really liked how Ms. Hart portrayed the aspects of Noelle’s blindness. She continually shows the extra efforts necessary for daily tasks which is quite interesting. Ms. Hart does a beautiful job in revealing the underlying characters of Noelle and Thad as they struggle to overcome their hurts and fears to find the joy of their first love. The story moved along nicely as an easy read.

There is some repetition of the self-doubt themes that could become aggravating but still I loved the story and loved the writing. I checked my reading lists and see that I read one book by Jillian Hart in 2005. I have three I have collected in print and three more in my Kindle library. I will work my way to them soon. I recommend this to readers who, like me, are sometimes ready to take a break from the fast pace to enjoy a sweet, warm-hearted romance.

Excerpts:
Noelle:  How did she tell him the truth? She ought to be crying for her uncle, but the tears were for herself. For him. She held on to those bright pieces of joy like a miser did his last pieces of gold. They were shivers of happiness she could not stand to remember. They were bits of sorrow she could not forget. (location 1295.)

Thad: I"'ll never let you fall." He used that wondrous voice of his against her, replete with humor and unspoken dreams. Quiet, secret dreams that had her heart opening and her wishes coming to life. (Location 2493.)

I have had this title in my Kindle library as a free book since 2009. It qualifies for COYER, TBR Double Dare, and 2015 TBR Pile Challenge.

Since this book has been re-released again in 2014 (as well as 2012 which I have also)
I have copied my original purchase order to make sure I get credit in the TBR Pile Challenge:

Homespun Bride

Jillian Hart

Purchased: May 4,2009

Price: $0.00

Order Details

Audible Book Review: Contingency: Sage Hannigan Time Warper, Book 1 by Peggy Martinez

This is an interesting time warp fantasy.
Contingency: Sage Hannigan Time Warper, Book 1
Written by: Peggy Martinez
Narrated by: Amanda C. Miller

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
Series: Sage Hannigan, Time Warper, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:06-30-14
Publisher: Peggy Martinez
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Eighteen-year-old Sage Hannigan wants to get back to her own time, preferably one that hasn't been destroyed by an underworld plot brewing in Edwardian-era South Carolina. How hard can it be?
Sage never asked to be chosen by the Druid Priestess, Amerach, to become a Warper and she never asked to have the future hanging on her shoulders or to warp a hundred years into the past. She certainly never asked to meet Dr. Aldwin Blake, who would make her question her desire to get back to her own time. But if she fails her mission, people will die, history will change, and the present she wishes to return to will be no more.
©2012 Peggy Martinez (P)2014 Peggy Martinez

Review:
Sage is an 18 year old, modern day woman finally setting up her own place and forging ahead on plans for her future. She loves shopping in book stores and vintage shops. She feels compelled to purchase a pretty necklace while shopping in a new store. On her way out the door to head home she bumps into an old woman who speaks gibberish and seems to saddle her with some type of curse.

The next morning Sage has awakened 100 years in the past. As though time warping isn’t enough to cope with she quickly discovers that preternatural creatures - vampires, weres and shifters - believed to be the stuff of fantasy and myth are alive and well ... and threatening her life. Sage is rescued from the streets and brought to a home for young women. She is informed by her new friends that she is a Warper who has arrived so that she could prevent a disaster that would impact time.

The home’s proprietress, the scarred but still handsome professor, Dr. Aldwin Blake, and her young eager rescuer are part of a special society assigned to keep preternatural activities secret from the public. The team takes up the task of training Sage. She must learn etiquette and dress suitable for the time period, defense with knifes and strategies, and control of her own unique abilities. The plan is to prepare Sage to become the secretary to one of the strongest vampires in town so she can infiltrate his circles to try to learn what major threat is imminent.

Sage is attracted to Aldwin and thinks he likes her too but he remains aloof. Then she meets the remarkable vampire and finds an attraction there as well. Through bumbling luck as much as anything Sage and the vampire uncover hints that help them track down an assassin plan. Now the team has to step in to help prevent the murder that would change history. Sage is eager to help stop the danger but she isn’t sure if she will then get to go home to 2004, or if she wants to.

I appreciated the action and danger that were the base of the story along with the bits of historical clothing and features. The love triangle, although too swift and obvious, added some additional tension and interest, especially for the ending. There are some weaknesses in the story with Sage being viewed as confident and sure when she really is just a mass of confusion and pretty much inept. I thought the writing a bit more on the YA or NA level than I like. (It is categorized for Ages 11-13 which I don't think is really accurate.) Still, the story was engaging enough to keep my attention for a quick listen.

Audio Notes: Amanda C. Miller did an acceptable job on narration. There is no real effort to make a distinction between many of the characters, but the narrator’s voice suits Sage who tells the story in first person. I enjoyed the quick audiobook for this story which I might not have chosen to read in print/ebook.

I received this title for an honest review through Audiobook Jukebox.
This qualifies for my Audiobook challege.