Wrap Up Post for HoHoHo Readathon - Great Fun!

Hello Reading Friends! It's time to share fun with holiday and winter-themed books.
For the next past eight days, (1) I planned to read at least six holiday or winter-themed books;
most of my books are sci fi genre to keep with SciFi Month too!
I ended up reading 11 Christmas stories! 8 included SciFi elements!
(2) I hoped to participate in at least four of the other five challenges.
I did the Jigsaw puzzles, the word scramble, the bingo and the story prompt. 
I am not on instagram so that is the only one I didn't do.
(3) I planned to attend the Twitter Party.
I had the time wrong as Central Time instead of EST. 
I showed up for the last three minutes or so. :-(
(4) I planned to meet new friends who love reading as much as I do!
I did meet new friends and even got a Christmas story ARC (Mistletoe Kiss) from another participant!
Please visit my HoHoHo Readathon Challenge Post 
to see links to the other Five Challenges and 
the sentences of those who participated in my Sentence Challenge!
I will be posted the image montage by tomorrow.

The Participant Giveaway is available at Caffeinated Reader, our lovely host blog!

HERE ARE THE 11 BOOKS I FINISHED during 2017 HoHoHo Readathon. Titles in bold are linked to my Goodread review. The others are still to be reviewed.
1. The Snow Owl by Jon Hartling
2. Hey, Santa: SciFi Alien Holiday Romance (An Alien for the Holidays) by Jessica E. Subject
3. Chasing Christmas Past: An Airship Racing Chronicles Short Story Prequel (The Airship Racing Chronicles) by Melanie Karsak
4. A Ninja Dinosaur Christmas!!! by Sonya Saturday
5. Christmas, Corpses, and Clockwork Kittens by L. A. Nisula
6. Always Gray In Winter by Mark J. Engels

I started with the longest, Always Gray in Winter, as it is also a NetGalley review title and I need to get my NetGalley titles in.

I added:
7. Christmas Present (The Chronicles of St Mary's #4.5) by Jodi Taylor
8. A Literary Christmas Anthology


and
9. Mistletoe Kiss by Marie Landry
10. A Christmas Tale (Pepper and Longstreet) by J.T. Lewis
11. Hope Under Mistletoe (Seasons of Hope #1) by Jessica R. Patch

Audible Review: Fight like a Man: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller by L.L. Akers

This is an engaging, character intensive SHTF story; I enjoyed the characters and the premise.

Fight like a Man: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller

The SHTF Series, Book 1

By: L. L. Akers

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Unabridged

Release date: 10-16-17

Publisher: Scorched Earth Publishing, LLC

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary

As a prepper, Grayson Rowan was prepared for almost anything.

...anything other than being totally alone when the sh*t hits the fan.

While he sat back and watched the United States rattle swords with Korea, play chicken with Russia, and strong-arm China, he felt sure if the lights went out that he and his family would be ready and safe - whether it was due to a natural disaster or a man-made event. They had everything they needed at their homestead.

What he wasn't prepared for was his family not being home if it ever happened.

Olivia Rowan is with her sisters, Gabby and Emma, on a girls-only trip to Myrtle Beach. When chaos erupts and there's no gas, their journey home is a nightmare, filled with predators and danger - and apparently, Olivia hadn't learned a thing her husband tried to teach her.

When your neighbors run out of water and turn on each other, what will you do?

Jake, a country boy mechanic, never believed in TEOTWAWKI, but he'd heard his brother-in-law preach about it many times. He knew what to do, but he didn't prepare. He lazily left it all up to Grayson - he was the prepper after all. When catastrophe strikes, will he continue to keep his head stuck in the sand while his clueless neighbors destroy each other, and his wife is stuck out on the road, or will he stand up and fight like a man?

And if you're alone? Bug in or bug out?

Graysie Rowan, a freshman at university, just wants to go home. When no word comes from the government, and the state capital is overrun with looters, chaos, and mayhem, the college administration puts the students on lockdown. But her dad, Grayson, had prepared her for this. Now, if she can only remember what it was he said to do....

If they want to survive this post-apocalyptic event, they'll all have to learn to fight like a man.

©2017 Lisa L. Akers (P)2017 Lisa L. Akers

Review:
Grayson, a firm prepper, is the ‘patriarch’ of his family and has prepared the family farm so everyone will be taken care of. Although the rest of the family have agreed to prep and the rendezvous plans, they don’t take the threats as seriously as Grayson does. They are all startled … and unfortunately separated… when the grid goes down. Grayson is home alone since his wife and sisters-in-law are 200+ miles away for a girl’s weekend at the beach. His daughter is an hour away at college.

Jake, one of the brothers-in-law, a mechanic, has been experiencing some funky mood that he’s been trying to hide from everyone. He hasn’t had much motivation and it takes him a little time to accept that a SHTF event has occurred. He still doesn’t take the steps he knows need to be done and drags his feet getting on the road to the family farm. Plus he remembers that he got lax on some of the tasks he was supposed to take care of. When he finally gets ready to go he runs into one problem after another.

Grayson’s wife, Olivia, is enjoying the beach with sisters Gabby and Emma. Olivia loves her husband but never really bought into the prepper mode. As the beach resort descends into chaos, Olivia plays ostrich and hides her head in a book on the beach. Gabby is ready to move out and try to get home but is rightfully upset when she discovers she is the only one with her bug out bag. The girls are extremely vulnerable as they try to find a ride home and begin to run into some dregs of society.

Graysie is a freshman at college who is stuck with her clueless roommates. University authorities have told the students to stay put. But after several days, as conditions deteriorate, Graysie decides she is going to get past the security guard to her car and head home.

Everyone may have to "fight like a man" as Grayson has tried to teach them. The story follows all four threads with the fears and dangers the characters face as technology, normalcy and society break down around them. The characters evoked various emotions: curiosity, annoyance, anger, dread, fear, and relief. There are some political statements which didn't bother me but sadly there is unnecessary bad language. There are a few alarming scenes that are consistent with an EOTW scenario. I liked the prepper information, including what could go wrong with the best of plans. I am interested in continuing the series.

Audio Notes: Kevin Pierce has become a reliable sci fi narrator. He doesn’t always provide completely unique voices but he still manages to convey the distinct personalities. The narration enhanced my enjoyment of the story and I hope to continue listening to the series on Audible.

I received this from the narrator for an honest review. It qualifies for my Audiobook Challenge.
This was my first read/listen in November for 2017 #RRSciFiMonth.

Sunday Post November 12, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 13, 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.

I had a good, steady week of work. Always more to do.

My reading/listening time went well. I finished five books again: one print, two audios and two ebooks. I posted three reviews on the blog and one at Goodreads; plus I posted my usual memes.

I visited 32 blogs during the week but still I have a few I would like to visit.
Shout out this week is to Reading Reality a co-host of Stacking the Shelves (who has a striking header with a cute bear).
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post November 12, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 13, 2017.

• PTour- Book Review and Tour Giveaway: King Harald's Snow Job by Richard Audry; Animals, Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25. Ending 11/13/17.

• HoHoHo Readathon Mini Challenge Giveaway: Holiday Sentence Ending 11/15/17.

• MBS - My 2017 HoHoHo Readathon Goals; #hohohorat.

• eNG- Book Review: The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson; Holiday, Romance, Second Chance Romance; my rating 4.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway November 10, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 11/16/2017.

• A- Audible Book Review: Apocalypse: The Days of Elijah, Book 1, by Mark Goodwin; Apocalyptic, Religious, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.

• eTBR- Goodreads Book Review: The Snow Owl by Jon Hartling; Fantasy, Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.

• Sharing Beyond Books #328 Comment Giveaway November 11, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 11/18/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement November 12, 2017.

Starting November 1 I am reading and
listening to Sci Fi stories for #RRSciFiMonth.

I am also participating in HoHoHo Readathon

from November 8 through November 15.

Finished Reading:

1. Print for LBC (TBR)

Patched Together: A Story of My Story
By: Brennan Manning
This has a wonderful faith message. I'll post a review and giveaway this week.
Click on book title for full description.

2. eBook/Kindle (NG)

Always Gray In Winter
by Mark J. Engels
This is a fun action story that I enjoyed. 
I pulled this up on my NetGalley shelf for #hohohorat and #RRSciFiMonth.
Click on book title for full description.

3. eBook/Kindle (TBR)
 

The Snow Owl
by Jon Hartling
This is a charming Fairy Tale. 
My review at goodreads is linked above. 
I picked this from my Kindle TBR shelf for #hohohorat and #RRSciFiMonth.
Ben thinks his son’s talk of the magical kingdom of Lukana is just typical childhood imagination. But one winter day, when seven year-old Eric sculpts a snow owl in his backyard, he seems to set in motion events that cannot be anything but magical. Now Ben faces the terrifying prospect of losing his only child to a wintry spirit… a spirit that just might be the boy’s true father.

4. Audible/MP3 (Author)

Virus: Earth's Last Battle
By: Ray Jay Perreault
Narrator: George Napier
Duration: 9 hrs and 10 mins
This is entertaining. 
I received this audio from the author and read it as part of #RRSciFiMonth.
Click on book title for full description.

5. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

Christmas Present
A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm
I like this fun series and 
wasn't disappointed for a quick listen.
I pulled this from the Audible TBR for #hohohorat and #RRSciFiMonth.
Publisher's Summary
It's Christmas Eve at St Mary's. And all through the house. Nothing is stirring.... Except for Max, Peterson, and Markham, sneaking out at midnight for an assignment that is very definitely off the books.
It was ten years ago tonight that senior historians Bashford and Grey went missing in 12th century Jerusalem. So how did they end up in AD 60 Roman Colchester?
Max has a theory. Peterson has a plan. Markham has bacon sandwiches. Colchester has Boudicca and her bloodthirsty Iceni hordes.
And then there's the giant pig...the enraged, giant pig....
Jodi Taylor is and always has been a history nut. Her disinclination to get out of bed for anything after 1485 can only be overcome by massive amounts of chocolate, and sometimes, if it's raining, not even then. She wanted to write a book about time travel that was a little different and, not having a clue how difficult this would make her book to classify, went ahead and slung in elements of history, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy, and anything else she could think of. Her advice to booksellers is to buy huge numbers of her books and just put one on every shelf.
©2014 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Currently Reading:
The next five titles are from my Kindle or Audible TBR shelves for #hohohorat and #RRSciFiMonth.

1. eBook/Kindle (TBR)

Christmas, Corpses, and Clockwork Kittens
by L. A. Nisula
Sounds like a quick, fun mystery. 
(Kindle 1/2017.)
A short Christmas mystery set in the world of the Cassie Pengear Mysteries. While preparing their tinkering/ haberdashery shop for the Christmas season, Kate and Ada find a body on their doorstep. When Inspector Wainwright is sent to investigate, they start looking into the crime themselves before he can scare away all of their Christmas patrons. A short Christmas mystery of approx. 5000 words.

2. eBook/Kindle (TBR)

Hey, Santa: SciFi Alien Holiday Romance
 (An Alien for the Holidays)
by Jessica E. Subject
The green face got my attention.
(Kindle 11/2016.)
She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas…
Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more.
He’s waiting under the mistletoe…
Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no.
All they’re asking for…
Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?

3. eBook/Kindle (TBR)

Chasing Christmas Past: An Airship Racing Chronicles Short Story Prequel
(The Airship Racing Chronicles)
by Melanie Karsak
I do like Steampunk. 
(Kindle 11/2015.)
Top Ten Finisher, Best Steampunk Short Story of 2014
Preditors & Editors Poll, Second place prize awarded to Chasing Christmas Past by Melanie Karsak
***6,000 word short story prequel to The Airship Racing Chronicles***
Christmas Eve 1820.
At Rose's Hopper, a popular London tavern frequented by airship jockeys, all is merry and bright--except Lily Stargazer. Lily and her crew are set to run the Christmas Day Yuletide Airship Race from London to Calais, but not before spending the night swimming in mulled wine and longing for absent lovers.
Even the prospect of a Yuletide win can't convince Lily that this Christmas will be better than any that came before. But Lily is about to find out that there really is a Father Christmas.
Join Lily Stargazer in this steampunk romance short story, a prequel to the steampunk romantic adventure series, The Airship Racing Chronicles.

4. eBook/Kindle (TBR)

A Ninja Dinosaur Christmas!!!
by Sonya Saturday
This looks like Christmas fun for kids.
(Kindle 2012.)
Millions of years ago, a regular dinosaur is turned into a ninja by space aliens. Sent forward to our time, Ninja Dinosaur sets out to wreck Christmas (in exchange for an awesome reward). Now it's up to one girl, her purple cat and a surprising guest to stop Ninja Dinosaur and save Christmas!
“A Ninja Dinosaur Christmas!!!” is filled with laughs and fun. It's pretty awesome.

5. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

A Literary Christmas
By: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, William Wordsworth, Laurie Lee, Samuel Pepys
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson, Simon Callow
This was an Audible Christmas gift 12/2016.
Publisher's Summary
Read by Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow, A Literary Christmas is a seasonal anthology that collects together poems, short stories, and prose extracts by some of the greatest poets and writers in the English language.
Like Charles Dickens’ ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, they are representative of times old and new - from John Donne’s Elizabethan hymn over the baby Jesus to Rudyard Kipling’s "Christmas in India", from Thomas Tusser counting the cost of a Tudor feast to Laurie Lee’s "Cider with Rosie".
Enjoy a convivial Christmas Day as described by Samuel Pepys, Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, or Nancy Mitford. Venture out into the snow in the company of Jane Austen, Henry James, and Dickens’ ever-popular Mr Pickwick. Entertain the children with the seasonal tales of Dylan Thomas, Kenneth Grahame, Louisa May Alcott, and George Mackay Brown.
©2013 The British Library Board (P)2013 The British Library Board

6. eBook/Kindle (Author)

Mistletoe Kiss
by Marie Landry
I received this from the author through
#hohohorat and I will read it after my first TBR ebook.
Bridget Higgins hasn't allowed herself to think too much about fairytales or the magic of Christmas since her dad died. Her life has been dedicated to work, her mom, her best friend Ivy, and little else. But when her kind and gorgeous boss, who she's secretly harbored a crush on for the last three years, offers her a night of fun on top of an unexpected Christmas bonus from work, Bridget starts to remember what it feels like to believe in magic and fairytales once more.
Mistletoe Kiss is a 20,000-word contemporary romance

7. eBook/Kindle (Author)

The Letterbox
by Layton Green
I am 75% in on this engaging story
with ghostly elements.
I plan to finish this after the readathon.
I received this from the author.
Click on book title for full description.

November 12, 2017 - I am back up to date in the One Year Bible reading. I have been 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 five books and four reviews. That keeps me mostly up to date.
I still need to link reviews to Goodreads, Amazon and Audible.
My NetGalley shelf is still at 12. I added a new author title in my queue so I have two committed and many through InstaFreebie.

We're working on two more fiction books soon to add to eTreasure's NetGalley page.

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 one ebook last week from the author (through #hohohorat)
I resisted ALL Audible daily deals but got one free book from Audible.
I also purchased three Kindle titles.
As usual, I picked up more free kindle titles as usual. (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

I received this title from the Author:

Mistletoe Kiss
by Marie Landry
This sweet sounding Christmas romance will go with HoHoHo Readathon.
See full description for this under Current Reading.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I picked up a couple of Kindle titles for $.99 or less:
I've been eyeing the first two for a while. The Sara Humphrey's title was/is only $.69

Free

I received one free Audio book:
11/11/2017 Free through #audible20 - Celebrating 20 years of Listeners.
The Good Girl
By: Mary Kubica
Narrated by: Lindy Nettleton, Johnny Heller, Tom Taylorson, Andi Arndt
Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
Release date: 07-29-14

Here are some of the Free Kindle titles I picked up. (All of these may still be free) (Click on the picture for the Amazon link):


I added 70! 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 November 12, 2017

Our Sunday School teacher continued the “series” on Death. We celebrated communion and our Pastor continued his Sermon series in Galatians called Illuminate.

Last week covered the first half of Galatians. The Point was: We are powerless to atone for our sin. God makes us right with Him when we put our trust in Him. We spend our lives trying to redeem ourselves when we cannot.

We often make promises but we learn that promises are meant to be broken. At some point we have to learn that we can't really promise because we don't know what will happen. We can do our best but we can't promise to be perfect. We make promises to those we love and others but we live in a world where we are allowed to break promises. Sadly, promises lead to lies; even promises to God. Making promises over estimates our ability to control things that are not within our control.

Galatians 3:19-29 explains that the Law was given only until the promise which was given to Abraham (v16-18). We were prisoners to sin and the Law was guardian. But the Law was only needed until God's promise was fulfilled. The law had an expiration date.

The Point: God's promises are proof of His faithfulness and generosity. Only faith in Christ brings fulfillment of the promise.

Satan lies saying that God’s promises are not true and will not be fulfilled. When we put our faith in the law this shows sin. There is a clear contrast between law and God’s grace and holiness.

We are children of God through faith, Galatians 3:26. We put on our new “clothing” (v27); our new identity. See Colossians 3:12. We see God's generosity again and again not through an ancestral lineage but through Christ's lineage.

A person gets to distribute assets as they want when they prepare their Last Will and Testament. They can leave everything to their favorite heir or equally divide among all heirs. The Galatians were trying to get a more favored position with God by applying the law.

God owns the estate of heaven and He gets to say that all become heirs equally. No one can earn more access. We have the promise of Equal access given by faith which gives full access.
We don't get to make up promises like “believe in God and you will have health, wealth and wisdom.”

God’s true promises are salvation; all things work for good to those who believe; comfort; peace; met needs; rest; abundant life; eternal life; protection; blessings; seek Him and you will find Him. When we look to God's promises rather than our needs, our needs are dwarfed by the faithfulness and generosity of God.

I found this song that fits this message!

Verses for Today
Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Lord, Thank You for your sacrifice that gives me the HOPE of eternal life. Thank You also for my faith that trusts in You alone.