MBS 2017 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

Once again this Challenge is hosted by Lori at Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

All details and sign up form are found HERE.

AHH-  just noted these rules:

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles....
The First Main Word Needs To Be The Letter You Are Counting

Except For those pesky Q, X AND Z titles the word that starts with the challenge letter can be ANYWHERE in the title. [Emphasis Added.]

I have always tried to have the beginning letter as the second word after an article like "The" or "A". Having it anywhere in the title could actually make it easier except I think I had already lined up titles for this challenge!

Last year I tried to do four titles for each letter and came pretty close. I did get at least One each.
This year I will work on TWO for each: an Audio TBR title and an ebook TBR.
I will be adding my "possible" lists this weekend.

The Completed Challenge with titles is posted HERE!

Book Review: The Skeleton Code: A Satirical Guide to Secret Keeping by Alla Campanella and Ken Massey

I found this to be a difficult read but it does conclude with a positive message.
The Skeleton Code: A Satirical Guide to Secret Keeping
by Alla Campanella and Ken Massey

File Size: 1868 KB
Print Length: 230 pages
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing (October 25, 2016)
ASIN: B01M09DBMM
Genre: Satire, Self Help
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0

Buy the Book:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble

Early in life, we learn to exaggerate our positive personal qualities and hide or deny our failures and weaknesses. The Skeleton Code is a satirical and humorous look at the many ways we protect our public personas by closeting our personal secrets, an ultimately self-deluding way of life. As a parody of the self-help “success” genre, the book presents facetious strategies about how to cover up our silly and scandalous secrets before turning to The Skeleton Cure.

Review:
I had to keep reminding myself this was satire. And as satire, for 80% of the book, the authors do a very good job. Alla Campanella and Ken Massey rightly note that almost everyone has skeletons in their closets – secrets we just don’t share. But then we worry about keeping those secrets from popping out, or being found out or outed by someone else. The authors are careful to provide a disclaimer that they are not promoting immoral, unethical or illegal behavior. They then proceed to present several chapters of tricks for protecting your secrets: dressing for diversion, mimicking the masters, taking the offensive. There are several chapters sharing methods to encourage fear and help prepare a response in the event of exposure, either accidental or purposeful. There can be an art in self disclosure that minimizes the potential for negative impact. The authors provide a fitting quote from Sidney Poitier: “I know how easy it is for one to stay well within moral, ethical, and legal bounds through the skillful use of words—and to thereby spin, sidestep, circumvent, or bend a truth completely out of shape.” The authors also do a nice job of summarizing the techniques and testing the progress of the reader.

I really had difficulty sticking through this to the end. I knew it is satire but that didn’t help stop my feeling that what they were describing was somewhat ‘slimy’. Still, it just didn’t feel right or good and I didn’t want to read it. This made me feel like when I stop reading a book because the language used is just too foul – it makes me feel uncomfortable and unhappy.

I knew there was a better message but that isn’t shared until the last two chapters. The closing points note that hiding secrets may cause physical pain as well as emotional illness. It is healthier to uncover the secrets, face them and remove the skeleton from your life. This did make me feel better. The closing remarks reminded me of the Transactional Analysis course I took in my late twenties which featured resource books like I’m Ok - You’re Ok and Games People Play.

The book is well written and laid out in an easy to follow fashion. I think the authors’ introduction tried to reassure the reader that the ultimate message was positive… and it is. I just think there could be more positive ways to present the message. This one wasn’t real comfortable for me but could be very useful for the right people, right situation.

I received this title from ProBook Marketing through iRead Book Tours for an honest review. Please watch the video below for a positive view of the book. Also, see other reader/reviewer thoughts on the Blog Tour found here. This qualifies for my 2017 TBR Challenge.

Author Bios:

Ken Massey is a public speaker, author, humorist and minister enjoying the second and truer half of life. He holds two graduate theological degrees and is trained as a life coach, conflict manager and transition specialist. He enjoys golf, and traveling, but finds his greatest fulfillment helping other people discover their true worth as human beings. Ken, a native Texan, loves the beauty and the people of North Carolina, where he and Alla reside.

Alla Campanella, after traveling throughout the world, has lived in the US since 1992. A longtime student of the arts and humanities, she enjoys her work as an artist and photographer. Alla was inspired to write this book because she heard so many personal and painful secrets from her clients about their failures and foibles and wanted them to face these realities rather than hide from them.

Connect with them: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

Ken Massey talking about The Skeleton Code to WTVR CBS 6 News. This is a great interview summarizing the book well.

Youtube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW81AcUlON0

Anniversary Celebration for iRead #booktours With Giveaway!

Help celebrate a Happy 3 Year Anniversary to Laura Fabiani and iRead Book Tours!

There are many reasons I really like about working with iRead Book Tours, but here are my top three five six (if I keep thinking the list will keep growing!):

1. I always know the rating for the books so I can pick books that I am comfortable with.
2. There is a wide variety of genres to pick from on the ongoing tours:  Children's. Middle Grade, YA, Teens, Mystery, Romance, other Fiction and Non-Fiction.
3. It is easy to sign up to spotlight or review and often a giveaway is included to share with others.
4. The iRead Team always sends my date and/or the tour list right away so I can calendar my post.
5. The media kit is always provided early with content and choices that make it easy to put together a post.
6. Laura is lovely to work with and the staff have been responsive and efficient also.

About iRead Book Tours:

At iRead, we give special attention to every book that tours with us. We are passionate about books and we customize all our tours because no two authors are alike.

We don't just market books. We help our authors get the best exposure with traditional tours consisting mainly of reviews. We work closely with our authors and pride ourselves on our highly individualized customer service.
   
All our staff are book bloggers and authors, so we understand the process and the hard work involved. We've built a solid relationship with our database of reliable book bloggers who are eager to read your books.
   
Welcome to the iRead experience!

 

About Laura Fabiani:

In 2008, Laura began blogging about books shortly after she published her first book. She started Library of Clean Reads, a book review blog, and discovered the joy of reviewing a variety of genres. Her children have joined her in this venture and they spend many happy hours reading books together. A Special Care Counselor by profession, Laura has co-led and developed programs for seniors with dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. She has a passion for the topic of neuroscience and wellness.

Throughout the years she has met and worked with wonderful publishers, both traditional and indie, as well as publicists and authors. Best of all, she discovered the world of book bloggers--a community of special people who spend their precious time sharing their love of books and all things related to books.

Taking part in book tours has always made Laura feel more connected to authors and the publishing field. She organized her own virtual tour when her book was published and she learned several things. As an author, it exposed her to actual reader views and social media. As a book blogger and book tour organizer, it taught her the amount of work it entailed. And she loves it!

You can find Laura blogging at Library of Clean Reads and Essentially Italian. 

She is the owner of iRead Book Tours,  Italy Book Tours, and Je Lis Blog Tours.

Giveaway:​

Win $50 cash or a Basic Virtual Book Tour Package 

(2 winners, open int’l)

Ends Feb 4

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Post January 8, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 9, 2017

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.

Another strange week for me. An extra day to rest up, then busy work days with appointments when I was hoping for full work time for file work. My cold bug is nearly gone. I spent Saturday with DH pulling our moveable plants inside and covering those we couldn't move. Then I packed up the Christmas tree ornaments and decorations. After that I started on eTP book work. It was well along the day before I realized that I hadn't posted a review as planned and still had the SBB post to do. Ahhh well - I'll be scrambling again this week with a couple days of traveling; plus two scheduled posts. Such is life.

Reading was mostly listening and print. I finished two TBR audibles and am pretty far along on two print books. I posted two reviews on the blog and one at Goodreads. I also posted all of my usual memes plus year-end Challenge reports.

I enjoyed visiting early in the week; met a few new bloggers (and I'm lining up some blog shout outs).
My shout out this week is to Audiobook Jukebox which is a great place to receive and share audio reviews.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post January 1, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 2, 2017.

• MBS - 2016 Audiobook Challenge Completed.

• MBS- 2016 Netgalley Reading Challenge - Completed.

• MBS- 2016 Alphabet Soup Challenge Completed.

• MBS 2016 Reading List.

• MBS- Best Reads of 2016.

• Audible Book Review: The Chimes by Charles Dickens; Classic, Holiday; my rating 4.5.

• Goodreads Book Review: The Yellow Line by Kitrin Haas; Romance; my rating 4.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway January 6, 2016. Open Worldwide. Ending 1/12/2017.

• Audible Book Review: The Great Martian War: Invasion by Scott Washburn; Sci Fi, Alternate History; my rating 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #285 Comment Giveaway January 7, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 1/14/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement January 8, 2017.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible (ABB-Narrator)

Two by Vonnegut: The Big Trip Up Yonder and 2BR02B
Written by: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix
I picked this for Sci Fi Experience and Vintage Sci Fi.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible (ABB-Narrator)

Patriots of Treason
Written by: David Thomas Roberts
Narrated by: Kelly Klaas
This is a timely thriller full of interesting political tidbits.
Publisher's Summary
Tea anyone? After decades of erosion of the U.S. Constitution, the United States is faced with a major constitutional crisis not seen since the Civil War. A president and his administration filled with scandals and plagued by economic woes surprisingly wins re-election to a second term largely based on an "October Surprise" and the promise of redistribution of the nation's wealth. The night he is re-elected, an assassination attempt throws America into chaos, resulting in riots, food shortages and violence across the country. When it is discovered the assassin has ties to the Tea Party, the administration sees its opportunity to quash its political opposition and launch a diabolical conspiracy to hide the truth of the assassin's real motives. The President and his minions attempt to keep the lid on the conspiracy by any means necessary, including issuing unconstitutional executive orders.
Jack-booted federal agents are ordered to raid private citizens' homes to eradicate the Tea Party once and for all. After an ordinary citizen in Texas, a founder of a local Tea Party, is terrorized and held without due process, the governor of Texas dispatches iconic Texas legend Pops Younger to rescue him. The entire country becomes riveted in the suspense of the high-stakes chess game that pits the State of Texas and the Texas Rangers against the administration and the ATF that escalates to unprecedented proportions. An exciting and fast-paced political thriller, Patriots of Treason presents a very realistic 'what if' scenario that will keep you on the edge of your seat, regardless of your political persuasion.
©2012 David Thomas Roberts (P)2013 David Thomas Roberts

Currently reading:

1. Print (LBC / First Book of 2017)

All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life
by Mark Batterson
I am enjoying this; about mid-way.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Print (i-Read Book Tour)

The Skeleton Code: A Satirical Guide to Secret Keeping
by Alla Campanella (Author), Ken Massey (Author)
I am 70% complete and not sure how I feel about this. I will be posting a tour review for this title on January 11, 2017.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Audible (ABB-Narrator)

We
Written by: Yevgeny Zamyatin
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
This is another title picked/planned this for Sci Fi Experience and Vintage Sci Fi. It is very interesting.
Publisher's Summary
Set in the 26th century A.D., Yevgeny Zamyatin's masterpiece describes life under the regimented totalitarian society of OneState, ruled over by the all-powerful "Benefactor." Recognized as the inspiration for George Orwell's 1984, We is the archetype of the modern dystopia, or anti-Utopia: a great prose poem detailing the fate that might befall us all if we surrender our individual selves to some collective dream of technology and fail in the vigilance that is the price of freedom. Clarence Brown's brilliant translation is based on the corrected text of the novel, first published in Russia in 1988 after more than 60 years' suppression.
Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor

4. eBook/Kindle (NG)

Dead and Breakfast: A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery
by Kate Kingsbury (Author)
This releases 1/10/17 so I thought I would get to reading. I haven't gotten to this yet.
Click on book title for full description.

January 8, 2017 - I am up to date with the One Year Bible; reading along with my husband and others from our church. I hope to take more time this year, staying on the day and listening to the companion commentary online.

I completed two new books and posted three reviews which still leaves me four due for 2016 reads (I miscounted last week).

I have requested some new audio titles as I can always squeeze listening in!
I now have 16 NetGalley Titles and 13+ author titles in my queue.

We did get an ebook release out but waiting for covers for two prints releases.
I had to make adjustments but we will get one horror/thriller upload for eTreasure's NetGalley page this week.

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 (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received three more NetGalley titles plus a review ebook and an audio review book.
I already failed on the (unofficial) plan for no purchases for three months:
I picked up one $.99 Kindle titles and one Audible Daily Deal.

Again, I picked up a fair number of free kindle titles. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

These are titles from NetGalley. The three for Young Readers (Children and young at heart), I picked up the last week of 2016. The other three books I picked up this past week.

The Blue Hour
by Isabelle Simler (February 20, 2017 release.)
"A lovely and tranquil celebration of nature."
I couldn't resist when I saw this cover!

Kalico Jack
by Mike Nahorniak

"Kalico Jack is a little different from the other Jack Rabbits so much so that he is he is constantly ridiculed."

I was attracted to this story of a Jack Rabbit of a different color. :-)

Ivy in Bloom 
by Vanita Oelschlager; Kristin Blackwood (Illustrator)
"Ivy In Bloom captures the weariness of a young girl tired of a long winter."
I wanted to be ready for Spring!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These three picked up this week for the mature me.

The Sleepwalker
by Chris Bohjalian
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Room comes a spine-tingling novel of lies, loss, and buried desire—the mesmerizing story of a wife and mother who vanishes from her bed late one night."
I think I may have spotted this at another blog but I am not certain. It sounds good though.

Dear Heart: The Courting Letters
by Judith Pinkerton Josephson; Kirsten Josephson (Illustrator) (January 10, 2017 release.)
"Dear Heart: The Courting Letters weaves a tapestry from two intersecting love stories. Will the threads hold or pull apart?"
I saw this and loved the cover and description.

Terminal Regression
by Mallory Hill (January 17, 2017 release.)
"It is the story of a tomorrow that teeters on the edge of utopia and dystopia and a resigned outsider who might just change it forever."
This story line caught my interest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also received an author title and an audiobook from Blackstone Audio through Audiobook Jukebox.

Girl of Fire: The Expulsion Project Book One (A Science Fiction Dystopian Thriller)
by Norma Hinkens (January 10, 2017 release.)
"ORIGIN. DESTINY. FATE. How far would you go to unravel the truth?"
I have enjoyed Ms. Hinkens work and am excited to read another new title, although I won't get it read in time for the release date.

Goliath
Author: Steve Alten
Narrator: Chris Kipinaiak
"Terrorism. Acts of oppression. The threat of nuclear war. What if one madman aboard a vessel could end these fears forever?
But there is another player in this life-and-death chess match: unbeknownst to Covah and the Goliath crew, the Goliath’s biochemical computer brain has become self-aware—and it’s developing its own agenda."
This sounds like a good sci fi thriller.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I did pick up one Kindle box set for $.99.

The Days of Noah, The Complete Box Set: A Novel of the End Times in America
Mark Goodwin
I had book one in Audible and book three in Kindle so this got me book two.

I am still tempted by the Audible Daily Deals.

This week I again picked up only one for $3.95:

The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics

Written by: Bruce Bueno de Mesquita , Alastair Smith

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

The title and description captured my interest for this.

Free

I added 62 free Kindle titles to my library this week. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement January 8, 2017

What a lovely morning. Our Sunday School (SS) teacher gave a message on Landmarks which led well into the church service. Those notes will be a message to share another day. In the service, after opening with worship, we celebrated four baptisms of young people, had prayer time and proceeded to the message.

Pastor’s sermon was titled “Shift”. Anyone who has ever driven a manual (shift) car, knows that the learning experience is usually rough and bumpy before becoming smoothing out. Pastor noted that our worldly culture is shifting. Reaching our community is now one of the great challenges that faces every church, and very importantly our church. The tendency, as we move through our lives, is that we have less contact with unchurched. Many are further from God than ever before. The current culture has embraced relativism and subjectivism. (Relativism: the assumption that there is no certain truth. Subjectivism: each person determines right and wrong in their own eyes.)

Jesus points the way to effectively reach our community in John 13:1-15. We must first love unconditionally and serve selflessly. We can only reach others through relationships, which are done in circles, not rows (or pews).

The Point: Be intentionally and determined to connect relationally with our community by loving and serving.

This message made me think of this lovely song:
Make Me a Servant.

Verses for Today:
John 13:12-15 NLT
12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Lord, help me be discerning of your specific direction in my life to love and serve others.