Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway August 5, 2016

Happy Friday!
Okay - where did another week go? How did it get to be Friday already? I realize I am behind in putting the up to date links in the sidebar. I will try to get that done over the weekends because it sure isn't getting done later in the week.
DH is working well with the therapists... still in pain though.
I lost one night this week with the internet off (due to storms I think). It gave me the chance to go to bed early with meds I got from the doctor for my back spasming. 

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 July 29 Pick. I was a little surprised to find FOUR 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 titles blocked.
AUTO: bn100 gets Once an Angel
CarolL gets Bride of Lochbarr
Di gets Bound for Temptation
and
Rita gets Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from July 29 Pick:
CarolNW gets On Fire

Janhvi 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.}

Now this is a lovely way to read. 

Image found at community sparknotes.
 
New Book Group #66 June 25, 2016

(I will post a picture later. *Four of these books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I have had for many years. They may not be wanted by anyone and if so, I will donate elsewhere in time.)
Sandra Brown: Above and Beyond and Honor Bound (my copy is 1986 edition with a different cover
Joan Johnston: Faron & Garth: The Cowboy and the Princess / The Wrangler and the Rich Girl and Sweetwater Seduction
SINGLES:
Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews (new- hardcover)
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
*Witch’s Hammer by Caroline Farr (a 1967 yellowed pages - different cover)
*Mistress of Mount Fair by Jane Gordon
Once an Angel by Tammy Hilz
Bound By Temptation by Lavinia Kent
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
On Fire by Carla Neggers (1999 version with different cover)
Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate by Nora Roberts
*She Came Back by Patricia Wentworth (1981 yellowed pages)
Freedom's Stand by J. M. Windle


New Book Group #65 April 29, 2016

SINGLES:
A Dangerous Fancy by Tracy Cozzens
The Champion by Heather Grothaus
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

New Book Group #57 May 1, 2015 -- All Gone


New Book Group #56 March 20, 2015
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 985+ 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: Burning Nation: Book 2 of Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy

Chilling, scary and sad. This is an intense sequel from my own Audible credits (2016).

Burning Nation: Book 2 of Divided We Fall
Written by: Trent Reedy
Narrated by: Andrew Eiden


Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
Series: Divided We Fall, Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:06-09-15
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy, YA
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
In this wrenching sequel to Divided We Fall, Danny and friends fight to defend Idaho against a federal takeover and the ravages of a Burning Nation. At the end of Divided We Fall, Danny Wright's beloved Idaho had been invaded by the federal government, their electricity shut off, their rights suspended. Danny goes into hiding with his friends in order to remain free. But after the state declares itself a Republic, Idaho rises to fight in a second American civil war, and Danny is right in the center of the action, running guerrilla missions with his fellow soldiers to break the federal occupation. Yet what at first seems like a straightforward battle against governmental repression quickly grows more complicated, as more states secede, more people die, and Danny discovers the true nature of some of his new allies.
Chilling, powerful, and all too plausible, Burning Nation confirms Trent Reedy's place as a provocative new voice in YA fiction.
©2015 Trent Reedy (P)2015 Scholastic Inc.

Review:
Danny and his friends are on the run and hiding from the federal government. The Idaho governor and officials have declared Idaho an independent Republic, plunging the state into a civil war. Danny’s small community of Freedom Lake has been occupied by federal troops making it even harder to get food and supplies. After a time of sitting in a bunker hiding, the crew decides to begin covert guerrilla attacks.

Danny unfortunately gets his friend Becca involved and then his own girlfriend, JoBell, gets injured when another rebel group steps in to challenge the feds. Danny isn’t sure who this other group is although there has been some buzz on the radio. Eventually the rebel groups bring Danny and his friends into their camp but Danny isn’t sure he agrees with all of their methods.

Meanwhile matters become more complicated politically as other states secede and the federal forces are spread over more fronts. Soon the awful dilemma is brought to the forefront when state troops have to meet neighbors who may be in the federal troops.

As in any civil war situation there is much to be sad about in this book. Danny and his friends are very young and will no longer have a normal high school or college life. Friends will end up on opposing sides and even enemies might be secret friends or vice versa. Although the story focuses on the local group there are larger issues covered as well. The good and bad of war and the divisions of ideology are awful to contemplate. Many of the characters are just teens so they are impulsive which I find difficult to deal with even though it is certainly realistic. I like the social media reports that are added to bring in news bits.

There is plenty of action to keep the story moving quickly. There is violence of course and some foul language. This book brings Danny to a new crisis and it is clear there is more to come. There is a final book in the trilogy but it is not available on audio yet. Although I found this engaging I am not sure why it is getting such high ratings. Perhaps I didn't embrace it as much because I cringe at the youth and the losses… which means the realism is high… so maybe it deserves some high ratings.

Audio Notes: Andrew Eiden does a very good job with the narration and emotions. Additionally, there is a nature presentation of news blurbs that greatly enhances the book experience for me. I will definitely wait for the Audible version of the final book.

This is an intense sequel I picked up with Audible credits this year. It does qualify for my Audio Challenge.

Audible Book Review: Daemon by Daniel Suarez

This is a very intense AI suspense/mystery - well done!
Daemon
Written by: Daniel Suarez
Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
Series: Daemon, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:01-08-09
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Sci Fi, Techno-Thriller
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Technology controls almost everything in our modern-day world, from remote entry on our cars to access to our homes, from the flight controls of our airplanes to the movements of the entire world economy. Thousands of autonomous computer programs, or daemons, make our networked world possible, running constantly in the background of our lives, trafficking e-mail, transferring money, and monitoring power grids. For the most part, daemons are benign, but the same can't always be said for the people who design them.
Matthew Sobol was a legendary computer game designer - the architect behind half-a-dozen popular online games. His premature death depressed both gamers and his company's stock price. But Sobol's fans aren't the only ones to note his passing. When his obituary is posted online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events intended to unravel the fabric of our hyper-efficient, interconnected world. With Sobol's secrets buried along with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed at every turn, it's up to an unlikely alliance to decipher his intricate plans and wrest the world from the grasp of a nameless, faceless enemy - or learn to live in a society in which we are no longer in control. . . .
Computer technology expert Daniel Suarez blends haunting high-tech realism with gripping suspense in an authentic, complex thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton, Neal Stephenson, and William Gibson.
©2009 Daniel Suarez; (P)2009 Penguin Audio

Review:
Matthew Sobol, a legendary computer game designer has died of cancer. Physically he is gone, but he is still around – in his computer programs – especially one special program he calls Daemon. The computer entity contacts Detective Pete Sebeck directly leading him to further victims. Although the FBI takes over the cases they don’t agree with Pete who is the only investigator inclined to believe that the killer is Sobol through his computer program, Daemon.


This is a wonderful mystery --- not fully solved and not really a happy ending. There is plenty of action from different views. The early part of the book follows the investigations with Pete until the computer program manipulates him into major trouble. The story also picks up other characters who are contacted and engaged by - to them - an unknown entity. Some accept the new employer willingly but others are strong-armed with no choice. The story is a bit confusing as not all povs are fully clarified. This might require a re-listen… if it was a movie, it would be one to watch more than once to pick up on the threads.

Although I work well with computers, I do not have any real technical training and I am not a gamer. I may not have fully grasped all the computer technicalities but I was able to follow the gist. The control that Daemon exercises through the internet on various companies and agencies is truly scary. The goal is initiate a social agenda through an intricate design created, and left behind, by Sobol. I enjoyed the writing and found the whole idea fascinating. I enjoyed the mystery elements too. I just realized there is a sequel and I will be adding that to my Audible library. I recommend this book to sci fi buffs who enjoy mystery and AI intrigue.

Audio Notes: Jeff Gurner is the primary narrator and he does an excellent job. There is also wonderful full performance with female voices and sound effects that enrich the listen. The audio is really wonderful and I recommend it for those who love a good audio.

This AI suspense/mystery was from my own Audible shelf from 2012. This qualifies for TBR, Audio Challenge and "D" in Alphabet Soup Challenge.

Book Review: The Bluebonnet Betrayal, A Potting Shed Mystery by Marty Wingate

This is an easy, delightful cozy mystery with gardening interests and lovely warmth – other than the death of course.

The Bluebonnet Betrayal, A Potting Shed Mystery
by Marty Wingate

File Size: 2129 KB
Print Length: 294 pages
Publisher: Alibi (August 2, 2016)
ASIN: B017QLSIU4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Bestselling author Marty Wingate “plants clever clues with a dash of romantic spice,” raves Mary Daheim. Now Wingate’s inimitable gardening heroine, Pru Parke, is importing a precious bloom from Texas—and she won’t let a vicious murder stop her.
Pru’s life in England is coming full circle. A Texas transplant, she’s married to the love of her life, thriving in the plum gardening position she shares with her long-lost brother, and prepping a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit featuring the beloved bluebonnets of the Texas hill country. Technically, Twyla Woodford, the president of a gardening club in the Lone Star State, is in charge of the London event, but Pru seems to be the one getting her hands dirty. When they finally do meet, Pru senses a kindred spirit—until Twyla turns up dead.
Although Twyla’s body was half buried under a wall in their display, Pru remains determined to mount a spectacular show. Twyla would have insisted. So Pru recruits her husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, to go undercover and do a bit of unofficial digging into Twyla’s final hours. If Pru has anything

Review:
Pru Parke is a ‘transplanted’ Texan living and gardening in England where she now lives with her new husband. Pru and her newly found brother are working to restore the gardens on a country estate. Pru has been asked by a Texan gardening ‘friend’, Twyla Woodford, to help set up a Texas exhibit for the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Pru arrives at the exhibit site and begins to meet the various crew: an aloof ‘designer’, Roddy; a competent, if angry, crew boss, Chiv, and his jealous partner, Iris; a mostly absent, wealthy sponsor, Damien; and a young, enthusiastic researcher, Forde, who is convinced the sponsor will buy his special biofuel product. Pru picks up on some tension among these crew members even before she meets the Texas garden society ladies. Pru picks up five of the Texas ladies at the airport only to learn that their fearless leader, Twyla, has been delayed.

Twyla finally arrives and she and Pru hit it off right away. Twyla has some concerns that she has to resolve although she doesn’t fully explain the problems to Pru. This gives Pru fuel for the mystery when Twyla is discovered murdered the next morning. The Chief Inspector immediately warns Pru to keep her nose out of the investigation and to keep her husband, Chris, the former chief inspector who retired and now serves as consultant, out of the way too.

This of course won’t work for Pru who is determined to find Twyla’s killer while she also continues preparing for the exhibit. Pru drags Chris onto the crew to investigate under cover. As they make their inquiries, Pru learns that all four men, and several of the ladies, had relationships with Twyla that might provide a motive for the killing. Now they just have to narrow the field of suspects without getting in the line of fire.

Although there initially seemed to be quite a lot of characters and suspects, Ms. Wingate does a wonderful job of tying all the details together while hiding the true killer until an exciting confrontation at the end. The story brims with gardening background that I found interesting and I loved the gentle humor. Each chapter begins with a tidbit from the fictional ARGS (Austin Rock Garden Society) news or minutes. There is a sweet romantic vibe between Pru and Chris that adds to the story.

There is a rich warmth and easy style (yes, cozy) to the writing which makes this enjoyable entertainment. This is the second Potting Shed Mystery that I have read by Ms. Wingate and I highly recommend this author and series to readers who like cozy mysteries.

I received this title through NetGalley for an honest review. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.

MBS July 2016 Reading Wrap-Up

Martha's Bookshelf July 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 was up nine by including children's books. June I was down two. JULY I am down three so that puts me up one for the year to the end of July.  I still hope to read more TBRs but right now I am running behind on those.

Total read = 12
Audio/Audible = 4
eBook = 8 (two tour reviews; 2 author request, 1 kindle TBR)
NetGalley = 3
Print = 0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBR =  4 (obtained prior to 2016); year to date = 36
New to Me Authors = 4; year to date = 61
Series Continued = 5; year to date = 21

There were no 5.0 rated books in July and two rated 4.5.

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

JULY 2016

1. E-Tour-- Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Regina Shen, Defiance by Lance Erlick; Dystopian, YA; my rating 4.0.
2. ATBR-- Audible Book Review: Daemon by Daniel Suarez; Sci Fi, Techno Thriller; my rating 4.5.
3. NG-- Book Review: A License to Wed: Rebellious Brides by Diana Quincy; Historical Romance; my rating 4.25.
4.  A-- Audible Book Review: Burning Nation: Book 2 of Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy; Dystopian, Sci Fi, YA; my rating 4.0.
5. NG-- Book Review: Machinations by Hayley Stone; Sci Fi, Suspense Thriller; my rating 4.25.
6. E(Author)-- Book Review: Indiana Belle (American Journey Book 3) by John A. Heldt; Dystopian, Sci Fi, YA; my rating 4.25.
7. ATBR-- Audible Book Review: For Honor We Stand: Man of War, Book 2 by H. Paul Honsinger; Sci Fi, Military Space Opera; my rating 4.5
8. E-Tour-- Book Review: Regina Shen: Endurance by Lance Erlick; Dystopian, Sci Fi, YA; my rating 4.25.
9. NG-- Book Review: The Bluebonnet Betrayal, A Potting Shed Mystery by Marty Wingate; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25.
10. ETBR--Book Review: Quiet As They Come by Angie Chau; Asian American, Fiction; my rating 4.5.
11. ATBR-- Audible Book Review: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti; Inspiration, Religious, Suspense; my rating 4.25.
12. E(Author)--Book Review: Engaged in Danger (Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Barbara Venkataraman; Cozy Mystery, Female Lawyer; my rating 4.25.

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 July = 106+
Audio = 72................... to date = 46+
NetGalley = 42.............. to date = 24
Tours  = 24..................... to date = 14 (incls 3 NG)
Ladies Book Club (LBC) = 12.. to date =6-
Print = 12...................... = (4-) These are same as the LBC books.
Mixed in Author Reviews (hopefully includes TBR books I've won) = 18 to date = 22+ (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 July = 36-

The goal 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