Sunday Words of Encouragement November 4, 2018

We are getting back to normal now with Sunday School (SS) and Church this morning. Both our SS teacher and our Pastor shared appropriate, uplifting messages that complement each other.

The SS message was fittingly titled: Our Anchor Still Holds. The scripture shared was in our Bible Through the Year readings this week: Lamentations 3:19-26.
Although there is much sadness in Jeremiah and Lamentations, there is also a message of hope. The verses shared convey the thought: Dare to hope!
As we pass through the storm (figuratively and literally with Hurricane Michael) we can see God working through His children. People came from all over the states, and even Puerto Rico, came to help with the disaster relief efforts. We see the debris but don't know what the future holds.
We can be looking to see the good that may be coming out of this. Our teacher mentioned the “Blessings” song with its chorus: “What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”
Life happens. But as Christ-followers we have an anchor, a hope.
We need to remember that this is not our home; we are on a journey

Rick Warren stated: God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Beautiful furniture starts with rough wood that has to be cut, shaped and sanded. Do we resist or submit?

Pastor’s Message shared similar sentiments.
All locations are beautiful to someone: deserts, mountains, cities, snow covered, field and stream. But beauty can be stripped away in an instant by tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fire and other disasters. Beauty is all around us, but beauty can fall away at times of our lives. However, we know that a certain beauty almost always arises from ashes.

As Christ followers we know that new beauty will be by revealed. New life is birthed. Isaiah 61:1-3.

Point: God has promised beauty from ashes and life from death.

God is always way out in front be of us. There is purpose in our pain.
When Jesus was on the cross it was an end, death. But to us who know the full story it is beautiful. The stone closing the grave represented death but the stone being rolled away now signifies life.
The story of Esther also shows beauty from ashes… Esther was a queen “for such a time as this”.
We can trust God's promises. Seeing beauty amidst destruction doesn't happen by accident.
Steps to see beauty:
1. Move away from negativity.
2. Take time for rest. Use that time with God.
3. Ask God to show you the beauty, His plan and purpose.
Be thankful.
Find something to be thankful for each day and express it.

Our SS teacher played this video which fits the message:

Verses for Today: Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

My Prayer: Help me to find beauty each day and be Thankful!

Sharing Beyond Books #355 Comment Giveaway November 3, 2018

Hello again and Welcome back to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB after a month away!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
Commenters shared lots of wonderful places to visit: beautiful libraries, Paris, Hobbiton, Rio, Nazaré in Portugal, Alaskan cruise, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Egypt and the aurora borealis! Two mentioned New Orleans and Ireland and three mentioned special museums.

The Winner from SBB #354 comments is: #12 Fredamans who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated (**Finally!) ARC/Review titles or (recently updated) Love and Christmas titles - all linked near the end of the post.

**NOTE: I did post an Updated ARC and Other books for Giveaways. I have to go back and list the titles -- someday.
Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #355

(One Question.)

This is an older question from Elizabeth: Have you started Christmas shopping, yet??

I used to shop all year long but that has not happened lately. I did find some outfits for the kids earlier this summer. And actually - we never celebrated Christmas with our kids last year so I have a stack ready to wrap. LOL.

Image found at Knoxville Moms Blog.

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.
Alina provided the question in October and gets $2.50 Credit.

Your turn to share. Elizabeth asks: Have you started Christmas shopping, yet??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Updated ARC and Other books, including the "Love" and Christmas titles all in one post.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made through Saturday November 17, 2018 at 5 PM central.

Audiobook Review: The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell

I found this to be a well laid out, thought provoking treatise.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice
Written By: Thomas Sowell
Narrated By: Robertson Dean

Date: September 2017
Duration: 5 hours 52 minutes
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Genre: Jurisprudence, Non-Fiction, Social Studies
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0

Summary:
This book is about the great moral issues underlying many of the headline-making political controversies of our times. It is not a comforting book but a book about disturbing and dangerous trends.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice shows how confused conceptions of justice end up promoting injustice, how confused conceptions of equality end up promoting inequality, and how the tyranny of social visions prevents many people from confronting the actual consequences of their own beliefs and policies. Those consequences include the steady and dangerous erosion of fundamental principles of freedom-amounting to a quiet repeal of the American revolution.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice is the summation of a lifetime of study and thought about where we as a society are headed-and why we need to change course before we do irretrievable damage.

Review:
I really enjoyed listening to this treatise but found it hard to review. I took two and a half pages of notes while listening! My first review draft was 910 words and this is still long. This work was copywritten in 1999 but its discussion is timely in today’s distraught and divisive political atmosphere.

Some of the well stated points include: Social justice is not the same as true justice. Justice at all costs is not justice; it always costs someone.

Sowell discusses Traditional Justice v Cosmic Justice. Cosmic Justice often approaches issues with a theoretical stereotype rather than addressing flesh and blood reality. The cosmic arguments focus on emotion rather than objective, factual circumstances. Sowell shares many examples supporting his premise that the Cosmic Justice vision is self-serving as it is unwilling to look at the evidence of application. Cosmic Justice favors the abstract which is at odds with practicality in the everyday.

Sowell projects that there is a quiet repeal of the American Revolution which was based upon ideas of landmark freedom and a democratic society. The three branches of government were intended to balance each other. Now, as the legislative branch fails to agree and take action, they leave the door open to executive orders and legislation made through Supreme Court decisions. American freedoms were set forth with a stated Rule of Law that was tempered with controls and exemptions. The issues of Cosmic Justice versus Traditional Justice are a seesawing balance of public rights versus private rights. Traditional Justice permits individual rights while Cosmic Justice dictates through controlling requirements. Cosmic Justice is irreconcilable with personal freedom which is based on the Rule of Law.

Cosmic Justice seeks to further government powers while Traditional Justice seeks to maintain individual rights. Expansion of Federal powers erode individual freedoms. Sowell notes that state rights have continually been eroded in 20th century, not by legislation, but by judges. Traditional Justice applies laws. Cosmic Justice allows judges to input their view of right and wrong (the Rule of Men) rather than enforcing the Rule of Law. Burdens of proof on plaintiffs are now shifting to defendants encouraging a prima facie case without support. (This was in evidence in the recent hearings to approve Justice Kavanaugh and is also an underlying basis in the division of those seeking liberal justices rather than conservative justices.)

Impartiality of law is being disregarded in the face of Cosmic Justice which results in a political non sequetor, to wit: ‘Things are not right and government should make them right’. Increasing government control (especially Federal) is in conflict with freedoms and rights of the common man who wants to live peaceably in their (hopefully compatible) local communities. Cosmic Justice is pursuing Globalism instead of American rights.

As I listened to this it gave me better insight on the current extreme divide in our social and political views. I do widh that people would agree to civilly disagree. I pray Americans could recognize the privilege we have to live under such a unique system of government and I hope we don’t lose it. I recommend this to anyone interested in the topic. Although I enjoyed the audio, I think a print copy would work for a better resource.

Audio Notes: The narration by Robertson Dean was very well handled. The tone is direct and respectful. He managed to keep my interest in what could be at times a difficult work to follow and digest. I am glad I had the audio although, as noted above, a print copy would be worthwhile too.

Source: Audiobooks July 2018 credit purchase. This qualifies for Audiobook and Alphabet Challenges.

Audible Book Review: The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry

This mystery has great suspense and tension.
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
By: April Henry
Narrated by: Cristina Panfilio

Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-11-13
Language: English
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall, Story and Audio.

Publisher's Summary
"Take her out back and finish her off."
She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.
And that she must run.
In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.
©2013 April Henry (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Review:
Cady was kidnapped and tortured for information. When the kidnappers were done with her she was supposed to be killed. Instead she struggled and surprisingly escaped. She is on the run knowing that she is being hunted. She manages to get a young man to help her, pulling Ty into her run from death. They don’t know who to trust or where to hide since the evil men always seem one step behind them and have framed her for a crime in order to pull her in.

The author does a clear presentation in first person with good confusion, mystery and tension expressed through the fear of the character. The story is full of twists, turns and great tension. Although the characters are young and don't always think things through, I was pulled into the story from the beginning and it moved quickly with the suspense. I am glad I picked this up as a daily deal. I will look for more by Ms. Henry. This is suitable for young people as well as adults.

Audio Notes: Cristina Panfilio did a good job with the narration. She portrayed the young voices and gave the characters energy. The narration enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

Source: Audible March, 2017 Daily Deal $1.95. This qualifies for Audiobook Challenge and 2018TBR.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway November 2, 2018

Happy Friday and Welcome to a month of Thanksgiving!
Every November I pick 4 random winners to celebrate the anniversary of Friday Pick.

I may be pulling together another box of books for next week. We'll see how time goes.

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 October 5 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. No titles were blocked.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from October 5 Pick:
FREDAMANS gets a GC and
BN100 gets Don't Tell a Soul

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.}

This came up for 2017. I didn't see any promo for 2018. :-(
Image found at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

There are three audios at the top:
No One Left to Tell is MP3
Kisscut is Cassettes
Dark Summer is CDs
Pairs: Kay Hooper and Carla Neggers Red Clover Inn
The rest are singles
Cold Pursuit by Carla Neggers
Zombies of the Gene Pool 
Pretty Poison
Bound For Murder 
Don't Tell a Soul


New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Pairs: Fern Michaels and James Patterson
The rest are singles
Note:
The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
The Green Trap
Secrets of Paris



New Book Group #79 July 13, 2018
I found this box of books buried under some other boxes.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox by Maggie O’Farrell
P.S. by Helen Schulman
Her Sexiest Surprise by Dawn Atkins (personally autographed)
The Maverick Preacher by Victoria Bylin (personally autographed)
The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver
The Doctor’s Forever Family by Marie Ferrarella
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Branded by the Sheriff by Delores Fossen
The Italian’s Inexperienced Mistress
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
Rhapsody in Time by Judith O’Brien
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham
The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by RaeAnne Thayne


New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

Midnight Rainbow
Betrayed
Indigo Blue
By a Spider's Thread 
Johanna Lindsey Pair 
Judith Krentz Pair
Breaking Point 
My Dark Prince
Fatal Defect

New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018- All gone

New Book Group #76 November 3, 2017
13 books remain of the original 37:

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
Echo Burning by Lee Child
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle
Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
White Night by Jim Butcher
Five Gold Rings Anthology Constance O’Banyon and three others
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Wizard’s Daughter by Catherine Coulter
Pearl Beyond Price by Claire Delacroix
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
Night Whispers by Judith McNaught
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

 THESE BOOKS CHOSEN/WON ARE THE ONES STRICKEN HERE:
Finger Licken' Fifteen
How to Tame a Highland Warrior
The Texan
Total Control
Atlantis Found
Stephanie Laurens Pair
Desperado 
Rebellious Desires 
Forget Me Not 
The Eighth Commandment
Ghost Riders
The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber 
Shadow Music 
Corbin's Fancy 
Hawk's Lady

This shelf of 35 books are what is left from Groups #1 (11/27/09) through Group #75 September 29, 2017

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 14 titles.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
Named of the Dragon
Daring
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
JoAnn Ross: Confessions
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman
A Kiss Before Dawn by Kimberly Logan
The Fireman’s Fair by Josephine Humphreys (Hardcover)
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen
Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven
There Was A Little Girl by Ed McBain (Audio Cassettes)
Love's Brazen Fire by Betina Krahn 

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I found.
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty by Vickie Kennedy
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
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
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

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 EIGHT years I have posted 81 groups of 16 plus an additional 21 totalling 1,317 books to find new homes! (as of November 2, 2018).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,192+books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A year or so ago I posted I had reached 2000 books given away. As I calculated the numbers 11/2/17 I realized that had to be an error. I realized I went from 1098 to 2001 instead of 1101. Guess I was tired; sorry for the error.] 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!