Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway November 13, 2015

Happy Friday.
Our weather turned cold this week -- "cold" is relative, I know, but it is cold for us.
As I noted last week I celebrate Friday Pick's anniversary (year 6) during the month of November. I like to award extra wins in November so this week and the next three weeks will have some extra winners. I have now posted 62 groups of 16 books so the total books up for grabs has come to 992! Happy Picking!

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK

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 too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two + TWO winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the November 6 Pick. There were two automatic wins this week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was one title blocked but (finally) won.
AUTO: Rita gets Beloved Enemy
and Rubynreba gets Remember Me

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from November 6 Pick:
Miki gets a GC

holdenj gets Tombs of Endearment (through the block)
Carol L gets Love Me Tomorrow
Natalija 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.}

Here is a bookish Thank You to authors and readers!

Image found at Lake Carolina Elementary - The Communigator.

New Book Group #62 November 6, 2015
(I was getting ready to leave the office and realized I hadn't taken the photo of the books yet.
I took this very quickly. I may try to get another next week but this will have to do for now.)

PAIRS
Joan Johnston – Colter’s Wife and The Rivals
Nora Roberts – Born in Ice and Carnal Innocence
SINGLES
The Wedding Night by Jane Ann Krentz
The Marriage Prize by Virginia Henley
In Shelter Cove by Barbara Freethy
Into the Valley by Rosanne Bittner
Never Look Back by Linda Lael Miller
The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver – CD Audiobook
Touch Me by Beverly Rae (personally autographed)
Driven by Desire by LuAnn McLane (personally autographed)
To Marry a British Lord by Judith Obrien
A Highlander For Christmas by Sandy Blair
A Midnight Clear by Katherine Stone (slight seam creasing)
Silver Bells by JoAnn Ross, Fern Michaels, Mary Burton, Judy Duarte


New Book Group #61 October 30, 2015
After I noticed the trend I went on a hunt for “bride” titles. I even pulled a couple from some of my long time collections(*). (But they are not getting read on my shelves.)

PAIRS:
Leigh Greenwood –  The Reluctant Bride and The Independent Bride
Jane Feather(*) – The Hostage Bride and The Accidental Bride
SINGLES:
The de Burgh Bride by Deborah Simmons
The Forever Bride by Evelyn Rogers (Seam creasing)
Short Straw Bride by Dallas Schultz
The Bride Thief by Susan Spencer Paul
Bride by Stella Cameron (Seam creasing) (*)
An Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley (*)
Bride Enchanted by Edith Layton
The Maiden Bride by Linda Needham (hardback)
Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore (*)
The Ideal Bride by Stephanie Laurens (*)
Honor’s Bride by Galye Wilson
A Necessary Bride by Debra Mullins
Border Bride by Deborah Hale


New Book Group #60 September 18, 2015
A set of "haunting" tales and a few mysteries for October!

PAIRS:
Shannon Drake – When Darkness Falls (Alliance Vampires #2)  and Realm of Shadows (Alliance Vampires#4) 
Charlaine Harris – Club Dead and Grave Sight
SINGLES:
A Darker Dream (Love Spell romance) by Amanda Ashley
Bloody Good by Georgia Evans
Cat of Nine Tales by Deborah Macgillivray
Fated (Dark Protectors Book 1) by Rebecca Zanetti
Grave Sins by Jenna Maclaine
Primitive by Mark Nykanen (ARC copy)
The Accidental Human (Accidentally Paranormal Novel Book 3) by Dakota Cassidy
The Demon in Me by Michelle Rowen
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands
Silent Night, Haunted Night (A Nicki Styx Mystery) by Terri Garey
Tombs of Endearment (Pepper Martin Mysteries, No. 3) by Casey Daniels
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)


New Book Group #59 July 31, 2015
A few more summer titles, historicals and mysteries!

ANTHOLOGIES:
Broken Vows, Mended Hearts by Lynn Stone, Gail Ranstrom and Anne O'Brien
3,2,1 Married! by Sharon Sala, Marie Ferrarella and Beverly Barton
SINGLES:
Only by Your Touch by Catherine Anderson
Cruise to a Wedding by Betty Neels
Little Girl Lost by Shirlee McCoy
Beloved Enemy by Terri Reed
You Don't Know Jack by Erin McCarthy

New Book Group #58 June 26, 2015
-- A few summer titles, a few mysteries, a few historicals...

SINGLES:
Hot Pursuit - Karen Rose, Annie Solomon and Carla Cassidy
Love Me Tomorrow by Rosanne Bittner (spine creasing)
Sevant, The Awakening by L.L. Foster

New Book Group #57 May 1, 2015

SINGLES:
A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess by Trish Morey
Rally Fever by Crea Jones

New Book Group #56 March 20, 2015
(I'll try to get the rest linked another day.)

SINGLES:
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)

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

SINGLES:
If I Had You by Deborah Bedford
The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood

New Book Group #54 December 26, 2014

SINGLES:
Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card - Tape Cassettes


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 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
Richard Paul Evans PAIR: The Looking Glass and The Carousel
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner


BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)

Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
Cattle Rancher, Secret Son by Margaret Way
Whisper on the Wind by Joan Smith
Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark
A Lady of Consequence by Mary Nichols
Sweet Talking Man by Betina Krain


BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)

Thinner by Stephen King
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
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
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.


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

Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester
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 almost six years I have posted 62 groups of 16 (992) books to find new homes! (as of November 6, 2015).

I am happy to say that so far about 887+ 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: Nirvana (Nirvana Series Book 1) by J.R. Stewart

This story is entertaining and fast-paced but has a cliffhanger ending.

Nirvana (Nirvana Series Book 1)
by J.R. Stewart

• File Size: 4571 KB
• Print Length: 201 pages
• Publisher: Blue Moon Publishers (November 10, 2015)
• ASIN: B014LLM1XW

Genre: Sci Fi, Dystopian
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

When the real world is emptied of all that you love, how can you keep yourself from dependence on the virtual?

Animal activist and punk rock star Larissa Kenders lives in a dystopian world where the real and the virtual intermingle. After the disappearance of her soulmate, Andrew, Kenders finds solace by escaping to Nirvana, a virtual world controlled by Hexagon. In Nirvana, anyone’s deepest desires may be realized - even visits with Andrew.

Although Kenders knows that this version of Andrew is virtual, when he asks for her assistance revealing Hexagon’s dark secret, she cannot help but comply. Soon after, Kenders and her closest allies find themselves in a battle with Hexagon, the very institution they have been taught to trust. After uncovering much more than she expected, Kenders’ biggest challenge is determining what is real – and what is virtual.

Nirvana is a fast-paced, page-turning young adult novel combining elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance. Part of a trilogy, this book introduces readers to a young woman who refuses to give up on the man she loves, even if it means taking on an entire government to do so.

Review:
Larissa was a talented musician when she met her husband, Andrew. She was reluctant to become involved but she finally succumbed to Andrew’s persistent charm, leaving her music behind to join him on the primary military base where he was recruited by the government.

Andrew was a brilliant scientist and the Hexagon organization snagged him to do research for them. He loved Larissa but he was also dedicated to the programming work he was doing, which included keeping secrets.

Larissa is devastated by Andrew’s disappearance during a research expedition. She refuses to believe he is dead because he seems so alive when he visits her in the virtual world of Nirvana. Several of Andrew’s friends try to get her to accept that Andrew is gone but they are giving her mixed messages that he may not be ‘dead’, but still he is unavailable.

Larissa struggles with her feelings until her therapist, Dr. Krag, sends her to the Bubble, a privileged, sheltered community designed by Larissa’s closest childhood friend, Serge. Larissa seeks help from Serge and follows up on another mysterious clue. Serge is thrilled to see Larissa and he is determined to convince her that she can find love again… with him.

Larissa doesn't realize that the primary military leader, Dr. Krag and Serge are connected by a history of deception and cover-ups. They will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the secrets of the true events that led to their profitable programs.

I was engaged by the story and by Larissa's determination to pursue the mystery of what happened to Andrew. I was fascinated by the description of the society changes resulting from the extinction of bees. On the other hand, I was horrified by the political and corporate manipulation and corruption.

The author did a good job building the various communities, but particularly Nirvana, the Bubble and the open source virtual world. I found the plot to be twisty and I easily understood how the real world and virtual world were becoming twisted for Larissa. (Think of "the Matrix".) I was eagerly waiting to get answers when there is a surprise revelation and a sudden end that had me saying "What??"  I really felt it was a terrible place to end the book because it forces a reader to make a choice – buy the next book to figure out what is happening or walk away possibly disgruntled.

The story is entertaining, fast-paced and reads quickly. I recommend it with the caveat that a cliffhanger ending leaves many questions to be answered in the next book.

This is a selection received through NetGalley for an honest review. It adds to my NetGalley challenge and is N for the Alphabet Soup Challenge.

About the Author:
J.R. Stewart has worked on many corporate projects throughout a prolific IT academic and consulting career, and is involved with many confidential virtual reality projects. After working on advanced “VR” technologies for over a decade, Stewart grew concerned about the implications of this work and the possible psychological effects that it may have on its users.

Book Review and Giveaway Link: Merry Mary by Ashley Farley

This presents a soft-hearted dilemma for an infant and a wanna-be mother.

Merry Mary
by Ashley Farley

• File Size: 930 KB
• Print Length: 92 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Leisure Time Books; 1 edition (October 15, 2015)
• ASIN: B01434AX6E
• Genre: Christmas Novella, Holidays
• My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

A young woman longing for a child stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.
Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman's dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home. Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction.
Curl up with Merry Mary this holiday season. A heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.

Review:
Scottie is a photojournalist who takes pictures of the homeless in the park. She plans to do a galley presentation of her “Lost Souls” images. One morning the week before Christmas, while delivering food to the homeless, Scottie finds a dead woman with a crying infant. She doesn’t have a cell phone and the Lost Souls all disappear. Scottie’s primary thought is to get the child to a warm spot, to clean and feed her, until family can be located.

Scottie is reluctant to turn the child over to services where she may end up in foster care. One day leads to another and a few days later one of the Lost Souls appears at Scottie’s home to check up on the child.

The police have found the body and located family. But Scottie is afraid that family will harm the baby. Scottie has her own reasons to be vulnerable about infants and now she has to decide if she will flee with Merry Mary or accept the responsibility for her actions.

I have mixed feelings about this story. I admit I cringed each time Scottie failed to report that she had found the child. I enjoyed how Scottie’s family, her ‘Irish Twin’ brother, her formal mother, and her lawyer father, all gather to help her even if they didn’t support her decisions. I loved Scottie’s compassion for the Lost Souls and especially for the infant. I disliked her leach of a husband - she deserves better.

The writing style is direct and easy to read. It moves well with a natural sense of events and dialogue. I was satisfied with the story’s ending and think that I might enjoy following Scottie in the next book. I recommend this to readers who are interested in a quick Christmas read that offers an interesting balance of compassion and realism.

I received this for review tour through Kim at the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Link to Merry Mary Tour: http://wp.me/p3vHcl-if

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26122667-merry-mary

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Mary-Ashley-Farley-ebook/dp/B01434AX6E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1445102083&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/merry-mary-ashley-farley/1122576823?ean=2940152110548

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/merry-mary/id1033638269?mt=11

Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/merry-mary

About the Author:

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

HER SISTER'S SHOES—June 24, 2015—is a women's novel that proves the healing power of family.

Look for MERRY MARY this holiday season, a heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.ashleyfarley.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshleyWFarley

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleywfarley

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6916019.Ashley_Farley

Excerpt from Merry Mary

    “Shh, don’t cry,” she said, rubbing the baby’s tummy.
    What would become of the baby? Scottie didn’t think the Commonwealth had the authority to place the baby up for adoption without permission of next of kin, which meant the baby would be placed in a foster home until the police could track down the father. If the father even wanted the child. If the father even knew he was the father.
    The baby began to wail, presumably with hunger. “Don’t worry, little one.” She picked the baby up and held her tight. “We’ll get it all sorted out. In the meantime, I have plenty of formula and diapers to keep you comfortable.”
    By the time Scottie got the baby inside, and mixed up a bottle from the supplies in her baby cabinet in the kitchen, the little girl was screaming, flailing her arms and legs in hunger. Scottie plopped down on the leather sofa in the adjoining family room, propped her snow boots up on the coffee table, and brought the bottle’s nipple to the baby’s mouth. The infant took the nipple between her lips, then thrust it back out with her tongue. Scottie turned the bottle upside down on her arm, letting a few drops of formula leak from the hole in the nipple, before returning the nipple to the baby’s lips. When she tasted the formula, the baby began to suck greedily.
    “Careful now, baby girl. Don’t drink too fast or you’ll upset your tummy.” The baby stared up at Scottie with bright eyes. “We need to give you a name, don’t we?”
    Scottie had been in the process of picking out names for her baby when her daughter was stillborn at thirty-one weeks. She’d been torn between Kate and Liza, after her grandmothers Katherine and Elizabeth. She ended up calling the baby Angel, which seemed appropriate for an innocent child who never drew her first breath.
    Scottie’s eyes traveled the room, coming to rest on the nativity scene on the mantle above the fireplace. “Why don’t we call you Mary after the Virgin Mary?” She caught sight of the needlepoint pillow Brad had brought down from the attic—a green background with Merry Christmas in curlicue script in red across the front. “Or Merry, which seems appropriate for a spunky little girl like you.”
    The baby stopped sucking and smiled up at her.
    “I agree,” Scottie said. “I like them both as well. Merry Mary it is, then.

Tour Giveaway:

Ashley is giving away $50 gift card (INT) choice of Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Paypal.
Rafflecopter code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Whispers in the Reading Room (The Chicago World's Fair Mystery Series Book 3) by Shelley Gray

I loved this warm, gentle novel that tells of characters seeking acceptance.

Whispers in the Reading Room
(The Chicago World's Fair Mystery Series Book 3)
by Shelley Gray

File Size: 1873 KB
Print Length: 346 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (November 10, 2015)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
ASIN: B00UF72AB0
Genre: Inspirational, Mystery
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0

Lydia’s job at the library is her world—until a mysterious patron catches her eye . . . and perhaps her heart.
Just months after the closure of the Chicago World’s Fair, librarian Lydia Bancroft finds herself fascinated by a mysterious dark-haired and dark-eyed patron. He has never given her his name; he actually never speaks to a single person. All she knows about him is that he loves books as much as she does.
Only when he rescues her in the lobby of the Hartman Hotel does she discover that his name is Sebastian Marks. She also discovers that he lives at the top of the prestigious hotel and that most everyone in Chicago is intrigued by him.
Lydia and Sebastian form a fragile friendship, but when she discovers that Mr. Marks isn’t merely a very wealthy gentleman, but also the proprietor of an infamous saloon and gambling club, she is shocked.
Lydia insists on visiting the club one fateful night and suddenly is a suspect to a murder. She must determine who she can trust, who is innocent, and if Sebastian Marks—the man so many people fear—is actually everything her heart believes him to be.

Review:
Lydia loves her job at the reading room. The library has become her world. When she is not exploring worlds in the books, she is watching the patrons. She is fascinated with a dark, mysterious, handsome man who spends time in the library reading but never checks out a book. Lydia doesn’t realize that the man has noted her observing him.

Sebastian has pulled himself from poverty to business ownership. He is a very wealthy man but makes his money from the operation of a saloon and gambling club. He doesn’t want to hang out with the working class but he doesn’t meet the requirements to be considered a true ‘gentleman’. So he is a man caught between worlds. He secretly finds Lydia intriguing as a lady who works and clearly loves reading.

Sebastian steps in to rescue Lydia from a situation during tea at the prestigious Hartman Hotel. Lydia ends up with a broken engagement but is glad to begin a friendship with her mysterious reader. When Lydia learns of Sebastian’s business she presses him to show her the club. He reluctantly agrees and the decision puts them all in conflict and danger. Lydia and Sebastian find themselves as ‘parties of interest’, if not suspects, in a murder outside the club doors while Lydia is in the club.

Initially the events draw Sebastian and Lydia closer and she becomes friends with the maid who Sebastian employs to help her at home. But Sebastian fears he is dragging her into danger. Lydia never believed that Sebastian was the murderer but he murders her dreams when he pushes her away and leaves her stumbling to straighten out her life.

There is darkness in the seedy side of the city and the rough dwellers yet the tone of the novel, in writing style and plot, is “gentle”. I loved that Ms. Gray was able to show the many facets of Sebastian’s personality, but particularly the gentleness. The two secondary characters, Bridget, a maid with a history, and Vincent, Sebastian’s right hand manager, add depth and interest. They too are looking for acceptance but not always in the right way. There is a light, inspirational message shared through the struggles of all of the characters. Gray also provides good historical background of the Chicago World’s Fair and the surrounding city with its divided classes.

Some books just “click” or resonate with a reader – this one did for me. I enjoyed it from beginning to the end and I will be glad to read more by Ms. Gray. I recommend that readers who enjoy a gentle, historical romance, with a touch of danger and mystery, treat themselves to this gem.

I received this through NetGalley. I am so glad I selected this and it adds to my NetGalley challenge.

Sunday Post November 8, 2015/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 9, 2015

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This week was another week of getting things done but not as much as I would have liked. My staff was out half the week for child doctor visits and field trips.

I enjoyed my reading and listening with three books completed. I finished two audios, one ebook and more than two thirds of a print. I posted four reviews, one with giveaway, one bookblast with giveaway and the usual memes.

I got to visit at the beginning of the week again but not later.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post November 1, 2015/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 2, 2015.

• Audible Review: The New World: Prequel to the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness; Sci Fi, Fantasy, YA; my rating 4.0.

• Book Blast with Giveaway: They All Fall Down by A.K. Mason.

• Audio Book Tour Review with Giveaway: Murder on Safari: A Thriller by Peter Riva; Mystery, Thriller; my rating 4.5.

• Friday Pick Giveaway November 6, 2015. Open Worldwide. Ends 11/12/2015.

• Book Review: Priceless (A Rylee Adamson Novel, Book 1) by Shannon Mayer; Urban Fantasy, Paranormal; my rating 4.25.

• Audible Review: Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia; Fantasy, Paranormal; my rating 4.75.

• Sharing Beyond Books #226 Comment Giveaway November 7, 2015. Open Worldwide. Ends 11/15/15.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement November 8, 2015.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible/MP3

Murder on Safari: A Thriller
Written by: Peter Riva
Narrated by: R. D. Watson
My review and a giveaway are linked above. I enjoyed this audiobook received for tour review through I Read Book Tours.
Click on book title for full description.

2. eBook/Kindle

Nirvana (Nirvana Series Book 1)
by J.R. Stewart 
Mmmm - interesting but puzzling. I plan to post this on November 12. This is a selection from NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Audible/MP3

Just One Da**ed Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1
Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm
This is a fun listen from my Audible Library from November 2014.
Publisher's Summary
"History is just one damned thing after another."
Behind the seemingly innocuous façade of St Mary's, a different kind of historical research is taking place. They don't do 'time-travel' - they 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time'. Maintaining the appearance of harmless eccentrics is not always within their power - especially given their propensity for causing loud explosions when things get too quiet.
Meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History. Their aim is to observe and document - to try and find the answers to many of History's unanswered questions...and not to die in the process. But one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. And, as they soon discover - it's not just History they're fighting.
Follow the catastrophe curve from 11th-century London to World War I, and from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria. For wherever Historians go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake....
©2013 Jodi Taylor (P)2014 Audible Studios

Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle

Merry Mary
by Ashley Farley
I received this for tour review to post November 11.
A young woman longing for a child stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.
Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman's dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home. Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction.
Curl up with Merry Mary this holiday season. A heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.

2. Print

Katt's in the Cradle: A Secrets from Lulu's Cafe Novel
by Ginger Kolbaba, Christy Scannell
I hadn't quite finished this
so I will complete it this week.
This was Ladies Book Club discussed November 7.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Print

You Know What I'm Sayin'?: Poetry * Drama
by Daniel García Ordaz
I will get back to this after my Ladies Club Book.
Click on book title for full description.

4. eBook/Kindle

Dead Girl Running (The New Order Book 1)
by Ann M. Noser
I saw this sci fi dystopian available 
at Caffeinated Book Review
and requested it for review.
Eight years ago, SILVIA WOOD's father died in an industrial accident. After suffering through years of Psychotherapy Services and Mandated Medications for depression and multiple suicide attempts, she longs to work in Botanical Sciences. When the Occupation Exam determines she must work in Mortuary Sciences instead, she wonders if the New Order assigned her to the morgue to push her over the edge.
To appease her disappointed mother, Silvia enters the Race for Citizen Glory, in an attempt to stand out in the crowd of Equals. After she begins training with "golden boy" LIAM HARMAN, she discovers he also lost his father in the same accident that ruined her childhood. Then Silvia meets and falls for Liam's older cousin, whose paranoid intensity makes her question what really happened to her father.
As the race nears, Silvia realizes that she's not only running for glory, she's running for her life.

5. Audible/MP3

Unspeakable
Written by: Sandra Brown
Narrated by: John Henry Cox
I needed a book starting in U for the Alphabet Soup Challenge. This is from 2003 in my Audible library.
Publisher's Summary
Carl Herbold enjoys being bad. After all, he is terrifyingly good at it. Stimulated by violence, he and his brother, Cecil, had easily graduated from being juvenile delinquents to full-blown killers. And when Carl, serving a life sentence in an Arkansas penitentiary, carries out a daring escape with a fellow inmate, he heads back to where he began - Blewer County, Texas - and sets in motion events that will threaten and change lives forever.
Anna Corbett had been widowed right before her son was born. Beset by debt and personal tragedy, she faces the toughest challenge of her life - holding on to the ranch that is her son's birthright - unaware that she is at the center of Carl Herbold's vengeful plan. Ezzy Hardge is a retired lawman who is haunted by the one crime he sacrificed everything to solve, but could not. And Jack Sawyer, a seemingly easygoing cowboy and drifter whose past is shrouded in mystery, understands Herbold's twisted mind and his hate-filled lust for vengeance. Risking exposure of his own troubled past, Jack arrives at Anna Corbett's ranch asking for work, but in reality hoping to protect the innocent deaf woman and her young son from Herbold's rage.
Carl Herbold's prison break draws them inexorably toward a day of reckoning: Ezzy, an over-the-hill peace officer seeking redemption; Jack, a man stalked by dark secrets he can no longer outrun; and Anna, a beautiful woman locked in silence and self-imposed isolation. All must grapple with their own demons before their tumultuous confrontation with a diabolical killer.
©1998 Sandra Brown Management, Ltd.; (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc

October 1, 2015- I am still up to date on Bible reading and greatly enjoying the readings-- It seems my eyes are open to more details and meaning. I am reading The One Year Bible again along with my husband and others from our church. I am also listening to the companion commentary online.

I posted four reviews last week which left one plus two new so now I am back to three although I hope to post four reviews this coming week. I have another NetGalley selection to read this week and I added one so my shelf is still at three.
I have read 8 of my 12 TBR Pile books and I have picked the last four. I hope plan to start reading them before the end of the month. 

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received two new review titles.
I purchased one $.99 Kindle title and found five (5) free Audible titles.
And of course I added more free kindle titles to my library.
(I am trying to hold off requesting anything new at NetGalley. I am going to request some new Audio books through Audiobook Jukebox but other than that I think it is time to work on the TBR piles!)
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I received this eBook through I am a Reader, Not a Writer ebooks for review.
My review can post before January 1st.

Power of the Matchmaker
by Karey White, Rachael Anderson, Kelly Oram, & 9 more
A prequel novella to the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER Series
Mystical . . . Beautiful . . . Romantic . . .

I received this title through NetGalley for tour review for Forever Romance.

My review is to post on November 25.

Steal Me (NYPD's Finest)

by Lauren Layne

Won

NONE

Purchased

I purchased this at Kindle for $.99 as the Audible reviews weren't positive for narration and I was interested in the series.

Frontier Justice (The Survivalist Book 1)
by Arthur Bradley

Free

I discovered the author of an audiobook I finished, (see under finished above) had these in between stories for free:

The Very First Da**ed Thing, Book .05
Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Jodi Taylor

When a Child Is Born: Book 2.5

A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story

Written by: Jodi Taylor

Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Roman Holiday: The Chronicles of St. Mary, Book 3.5 Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Christmas Present: Book 4.5

A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story

Written by: Jodi Taylor

Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings: 
A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story, Book 6.5
Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm



  Over the past week I added only 43 free Kindle titles to my library. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.