Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway June 3, 2016

Happy Friday!
Argh! Another week and another month gone by. It is hard to believe it is almost summer although our weather and the kids being out of school confirm it. My week has been super busy with my daughter out on vacation. We have been enjoying the visit with our son, D-I-L and the Sweetpea but I am beginning to feel a bit ragged.

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 winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the May 27 Pick. There were no 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 were no blocked titles this week.
None

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from May 27 Pick:
Rubynreba gets Violets are Blue

Carol NW N is for Noose

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.}

A great thought: Summer of books!

Image found at Honolulu Magazine

New Book Group #65 April 29, 2016

PAIRS:
Jayne Ann Krentz: Gift of Gold and Man with a Past (spine creased) 
Linda Howard: Cover of Night and Strangers Night
SINGLES:
A Dangerous Fancy by Tracy Cozzens
The Bodyguard and the Snitch by Christy Tillery French (autographed)
When Dashing Met Danger by Shana Galen
The Champion by Heather Grothaus
Never Marry a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath
Just The Way You Are by Donna Jordan
The Second Chair by John Lescroart (hardcover)
What a Rogue Desires by Caroline Linden (spine creased)
Violets are Blue by James Patterson
The Bequest by Candice Proctor
A Perilous Attraction by Patricia Francis Rowell (spine creased)
So Wild A Kiss by Nancy Richards-Akers


New Book Group #64 March 4, 2016

SINGLES:
Short Straw (Ed Eagle Novel) by Stuart Woods Hardcover
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
N is for noose by Sue Grafton -Cassettes
Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF by April Winchell


New Book Group #63 January 22, 2016

SINGLES:
Wayward Winds by Michael Phillips - Audio Tapes

New Book Group #62 November 6, 2015
All Gone

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.)

SINGLES:
Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore (*)
The Ideal Bride by Stephanie Laurens (*)
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!

Shannon Drake –  Realm of Shadows (Alliance Vampires#4) 
SINGLES:
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands
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!

SINGLES:
Cruise to a Wedding by Betty Neels

New Book Group #58 June 26, 2015 -- All Gone
SINGLES:
Servant, The Awakening by L.L. Foster

New Book Group #57 May 1, 2015 -- All Gone
SINGLES:
A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess by Trish Morey

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 -- All Gone

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 Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty byVickie Kennedy
First to Fight Anthology
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Commander by Kate Bridges
A Garden of Friends by Penny Pierce Rose
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle


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)
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)
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


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 966+ 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!

Audible Book Review: Old Man's War by John Scalzi

This is a captivating, action-packed space story with a great narrator.

Old Man's War
Written by: John Scalzi
Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
Series: Old Man's War, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-08-07
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.5 0f 5.0

Publisher's Summary
John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First, he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.
The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce - and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So, we fight, to defend Earth and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.
Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.
John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea of what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine. And what he will become is far stranger.
©2005 John Scalzi (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Review:
John Perry is a 75-year-old man on earth who lived a good life married to a lovely woman who died a few years back from a sudden stroke. In John’s world all humans register for government service at age 65 when they are given ten years to decide if they will continue to grow old on earth or enlist for a minimum two years of space service. All the humans know is that if they join the Colonial Defense Force (CDF) they will get a body upgrade but they will never get to return to earth. No one actually knows what happens as they have never seen any human who has joined the CDF.

The work of the CDF is to protect the human colonies all over space. Many species are fighting over the valuable asset of livable planet surface. The same environment is not suitable for all, but for those who share the same needs as humans, the competition is fierce. The new recruits are physically enhanced so they can have a fighting chance. Suddenly the 75 year olds have become 25 year olds with super strength.

John is one of many recruits who face their basic training drill sergeant who is the first, loudest and roughest to tell them this is nothing like earth service. Here in the CDF most recruits are dispensable bodies who will not make it through their two years and it is his job to push them beyond what they think they can endure.

John gathers a handful of friends who form a bond through training. Two females and five men who each contribute a special skill that make them a good team. John has a knack for seeing alternate approaches and solutions. This helps his team succeed in a training mission that gets him recognized by his superiors. The “gang” is assigned to different ships for duty but they design a way to stay in touch. On his first real mission John again discovers a pattern that saves his squad and the battle.

John continues to fight and be an asset to his teams. Then he meets the Ghost Squad – a special forces unit that is only rumored to exist. Among their ranks is a woman, Jane, who could be a double for his dead wife in looks although she doesn't possess the same human qualities. Although regular recruits are not to have contact with the Ghost Squad, John ends up being pulled into a special mission with that team.

I found John a wonderful, strong, warm character and his friends add depth and interest. The concept is fascinating with plenty of futuristic, creative technology and imaginative alien species. I was totally engaged with the story and John’s adventures and then enjoyed the addition of Jane and their slow growing relationship. John questions why there is no effort to negotiate instead of engaging in battle and the author’s discussion and examples were interesting.

There is some bad language which I passed over as much as possible. I really loved the action, the light humor and the character development. I found this hard to put down. I will want to listen to more in the series.

Audio Notes: William Dufris does a great job with this narration. I was soon pulled into John’s world and appreciated Dufris skillful presentation of the story from his view and with unique voices for other characters as John interacts with them. I am always glad to listen to Dufris narrate and he added to my enjoyment of this story.

I pulled this from my Audible Library for a TBR (2013) and it qualifies for "O” on Alphabet Soup Challenge.

Book Review: The Girl in the Time Machine by Debra Chapoton

This is an engaging time travel twist with some creepy elements.
The Girl in the Time Machine
by Debra Chapoton

File Size: 502 KB
Print Length: 158 pages
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
ASIN: B01CADY2SK
Genre: Sci Fi, Time Travel, YA
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

A NEW TWIST TO TIME TRAVEL
A desperate girl
A faulty time machine
A paradox waiting to happen ...
Seventeen year old Laken may want to get revenge on the girls who have bullied her, but she also wants to help them. Honest. Secretly using the time machine in her father's science lab, she sends them one by one into the last century. Poof, problems solved.
Except they're not.
Now the disappearances are being linked to unmarked graves. Parents are lying about their missing kids' whereabouts. The police want to search the lab. And Laken is running out of time to retrieve the last girl she sent to 1994.

Review:
Laken is a seventeen-year-old who has struggled through her school years as an ‘odd girl’. She has been laughed at and scorned by the other girls in her classes. She has no friends and spends most of her non-school hours at her parent’s laboratory. Her parents are two eccentric scientists who have hidden a time machine in their unusual, secluded laboratory.

One night Laken finds one of her classmates stumbling in the park. Laken realizes the girl has been abused and decides to help by sending her back in time. Over the next number of months Laken decides to “help” a few other girls from school. Then she meets a new girl at school, Sky. Finally Laken has found a friend and she is willing to share her secrets and seek her help in a rather scary mission.

Many of the missing girls from the community have had no one who really cared to try to find out what happened. But Laken has learned new facts about one of the latest girls, Megan, who she sent through time. Laken decides that she must go back and retrieve Megan and she talks Sky into helping. Sadly, when they return with Megan she doesn’t survive. Now Laken is alarmed and trying to think if going back earlier would make a difference. But in the process they have to be careful to avoid triggering a paradox.

This is not a usual time travel story. Oh what trouble a rejected young teen can create. This is a twisted journey that soon travels into a rather “creepy” tone. Not quite enough to be horrified, but enough to cause cringing. I sensed the ironic overlap fairly early into the read and found it fascinating to see where Ms. Chapoton would take Laken’s character to get to the reveal part of the mystery.

The read moves smoothly and quickly. The story is very engaging even as it is a bit circular with time travel paradox issues. I think young adults –okay, older adults too-- who like the idea of time travel, might find this story unique and intriguing.

I received this from the author for an honest review.

MBS May 2016 Reading Wrap-Up

Martha's Bookshelf May 2016

My goals are repeated below the book list - 15 per month total. I was ahead by two in January but down by five in February; up one in March; down one in April.  MAY I am up nine by including children's books which puts me up six for the year so far.  I still hope to gain a couple TBR groups maybe during the summer so I do not have to push at the end of the year.
Total read = 17+7 = 24
Audio/Audible = 8
eBook = 7 (one tour review; 6 author requests)
NetGalley = 2
Print = 0
Children = 7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBR = 1 (obtained prior to 2016); year to date = 32
New to Me Authors = 10; year to date = 49
Series Continued = 4; year to date = 12

There was one 5.0 rated book in May and five 4.5 rated.

Code for the list is:
A = Audio/Audible     ABJ = Audiobook Jukebox    ABB = Audiobook Blast
E or ETour = eBook
NG = NetGalley
P = Print
LBC = Ladies Book Club
TBR = From the TBR shelves prior to 2016

1. ETour-- Book Review (with Giveaway link): Reaching Angelica: Book #2 in the Tag Series by Peter Riva ; Sci fi, Cyberpunk; my rating 4.25.
2. A-- Audio Book Review: In the Mist of Killarney: An Irish Faery Tale by Robert McCallum ; Fantasy; my rating 4.0.
3. NG-- Book Review: Much Ado About Highlanders (The Scottish Relic Trilogy) by May McGoldrick; Scottish, Historical Romance; my rating 4.5.
4. ABJ-- Book Review: Pack: A Paranormal Romance Novelette by Jeaniene Frost; Paranormal Romance; my rating 4.0.
5. ATBR-- Audible Book Review: The Jewel of Dantenos: The FREE Lee Starfinder Adventure by Brian D. Anderson ; Fantasy, Adventure; my rating 4.25.
6. NG-- Book Review: Hold Your Breath (Search and Rescue) by Katie Ruggle; Sci Fi, Fantasy; my rating 5.0.
7. A-- Audio Book Review: Redfall: Freedom Fighters: American Prepper Series, Book 2 by Jay J. Falconer; Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
8. E-- Book Review: Carnations in January by Clare Revell; Christian Romance; my rating 3.75.
9. E-- Book Review: Violets in February by Clare Revell; Christian Romance, Suspense; my rating 4.25.
10. ABB-- Audio Book Review: Making Amends by Melinda Clayton; Suspense, Drama; my rating 4.25.
11. E-- Book Review: First Fruits by Brad Duncan; Christian, Inspirational; my rating 4.5.
12. E-- Book Review: Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two by Norma Hinkens; Dystopian, YA; my rating 4.25.
13. ATBR--Audible Book Review: Old Man's War by John Scalzi; Sci Fi, Military Sci Fi; my rating 4.5
14. E-- Book Review: The Girl in the Time Machine by Debra Chapoton; Sci Fi, Time Travel, YA; my rating 4.25.
15. A-- Audible Book Review: Enforcing Home: The Survivalist Series, Book 6 by A. American; Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
16. ABB-- Audio Book Review: The Arrival: The Evaran Chronicles Prequel by Adair Hart; Sci Fi; my rating 4.5
17. E-- Book Review: Cast Adrift by Mannah Pierce; Sci Fi; my rating 4.5
I also read these books with our Sweet Pea (3 1/2 year old granddaughter):
18. Richard Scarry's A Day at the Airport
19.  Richard Scarry's Busy Worker's Book
20. Shelly the Hermit Crab by Stacey Leigh Malloy
21.  Best Dad In the Sea (Disney/Pixar Finding Nemo)
22.  But No Elephants (Once Upon a Time) by Jerry Smath 
23. Milk and Cookies, A Frank Asch Bear Story
24. Motorcop, board book, by Darice Bailer

I have certain goals to reach my challenges and reading total for 2016.

The YEARLY reading goals+ Progress (+ after the number means I am ahead; - means I am short; no symbol means I am right on goal.)
Total = 180................... End of May = 81
Audio = 72................... to date = 35+
NetGalley = 42.............. to date = 18+
Tours  = 24..................... to date = 8- (incls 2 NG)
Ladies Book Club (LBC) = 12.. to date = 5
Print = 12...................... = (4-) These are same as the LBC books.
Mixed in Author Reviews (hopefully includes TBR books I've won) = 18 to date = 17+ (includes childrens)

My TBR goal is to read at least 100 from my shelves, whether Audible, Kindle, other ebook or print.
TBRs read as of May = 32-

This breaks down roughly to 15 books a MONTHLY in these formats (with TBRs, print, LBC and others overlapping at times):
Audio --  6
eBooks -- 2  (author review/tour or TBR)
NetGalley -- 3.5
TBR Print  --  1
TBR eBook -- 1
LBC -- 1
Other -- 1

Book Review: Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two by Norma Hinkens

This is a strong sequel with action that moves the story forward.

Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two 

(A Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Novel)

by Norma Hinkens

File Size: 3717 KB

Print Length: 295 pages

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publisher: Dunecadia Publishing; 1 edition (February 21, 2016)

ASIN: B01C39SVT2

Genre: Dystopian, YA

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

The Undergrounders prevail. The Craniopolis falls. But victory proves bittersweet.
Against all odds, Derry and a handful of survivors escape the malevolent Doctor Lyong’s clutches, but no one knows if Owen is dead or alive. The shaky plan to rescue him falls apart when the Council splits over rumors of Owen’s ties to the Craniopolis. Forced to find new recruits Derry makes the treacherous journey to Shoshane City, home of the mysterious riders. Mutiny and sabotage is afoot and Derry finds herself caught up in a desperate struggle to save the city from being destroyed by The Ghost, a man who swears allegiance to no one. Time is running out to save Owen, and tensions are rising between Jakob and Sven, who may turn out to be a deadly distraction.
Will Derry emerge victorious from the showdown at the Craniopolis, or will the price of freedom mean sacrificing the man she loves?
Embattlement is the second book in The Undergrounders Series, a sci-fi dystopian thriller trilogy. If you like captivating apocalyptic tales, gritty complex heroines, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love this fast-paced, end-of-the-world adventure!

Review:
Derry and a handful of undergrounders have escaped from the evil Dr. Lyong and the city of Craniopolis. Derry saw her brother, Owen, struck down and fall even as he facilitated the escape of their Hovermede. She believed he sacrificed himself for the mission but she is told that as the craft flew away, Owen was seen alive and captured by the Security Cyborgs.

Derry is intent on rescuing Owen from Craniopolis, hopefully before Dr. Lyong uses his horrible synthesizer equipment to experiment on him like so many of the damaged humans abandoned within the city. Some of the Undergrounders are willing to support her but others vote not to be involved. Derry knows she will need huge reinforcements before attempting to reenter Craniopolis. She hopes to recruit the dangerous Rogues whose camp is beyond Shoshane City. She goes to the city first and discovers a community of survivors led by a strong leader, Jerome, who has his own secrets. These survivors live under the threat of the Sweepers from Craniopolis so Derry convinces them to join in the attack to wipe away the common enemy. One of Jerome’s conditions is that the deformed and damaged humans are rescued too.

Convincing the brutal Rogues to cooperate is more dangerous and trickier. Derry is using Rummy, Blade’s brother, as a hostage for negotiation. They manage to capture Blade and then use both to obtain a meeting with the mysterious, dark Rogue leader known as The Ghost. Finally, a combined group proceed with the mission. Each step of the attack has its own risk and it will take a lot of coordination and a bit of luck to overcome the security force.

This is book two and I enjoyed the intense action and the new characters added in this sequel. I also liked the plot dilemmas of trusting enemies in a combined effort and weighing attempts at negotiation rather than violence. Ms. Hinkens’ style of presentation in first person present is a bit differed but works fine once the reader adjusts. This story has an end point but includes a surprise that leaves more danger ahead. I do recommend this to readers who like dystopian with action.

I received this from the author for an honest review.