Sunday Post October 25, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday October 26, 2020

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

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.

We did enjoy our surprise Pack & Go trip to Denver. Two of my staff had never flown before. Here is the link to our trip photo album. I have to have them upload the few pictures from my phone.

Here is a stream that three of the ladies climbed down to as we traveled to Boulder falls:

Hubby went to the election office on Thursday afternoon when few people were there. He was pleased they had chairs available for people like him. They had masks available for those who might need them and they handed out a separate pen to each person. I was going to wait until November 3 but hubby fussed at me to go early, so Saturday I went out in a drizzle. Unfortunately it turned into a deluge so I waited in the parking lot for a break and ran in to vote.  There was no crowd during the rain. :-)

Our Florida weather is set to be cooler this coming week - in the 70s.

My reading week was good - extra time on the flights. I finished four audiobooks. I posted four reviews and my usual memes. 
I started FraterFest on 10/15 running through 10/24. I finished six books.

I visited 16 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to Wishful Endings. Tressa has been an avid reader her whole life. She has had her blog since 2013.
Don't forget- Audible is offering free children's titles during these days at home.
Audiobooks.com is also offering free listens for children.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post October 18, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday October 19, 2020.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen; Genres: Forensic Science, Journalist Biography; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway October 23, 2020. Open Worldwide. Ending 10/29/2020.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Genre: Classic, Horror, Sci Fi; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

• A2020- Audible Book Review: Psycho Inside Me by Bonnie R. Paulson; Genre: Dark Fiction, Horror, Psychological, Teen and Young Adult; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0. #Fraterfest.

• A2020- Audio Book Review: The Book of Riley by Mark Tufo; Genre: Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0. #Fraterfest.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement October 25, 2020.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Carniepunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street
By: Kevin Hearne
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
Release date: 09-09-14
I enjoy the Iron Druid Series and the short novellas that add to the series.
I held this to read as #Fraterfest.
Source: 12/13/2019 Audible Member Sales $.94.
Publisher's Summary
From the New York Times best-selling author of Hounded comes an Iron Druid Chronicles short story in the captivating Carniepunk anthology.
The ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan gets more than greasy corn dogs and flat soda when he visits a carnival in Kansas to which his apprentice, Granuaile, drags him. He runs across a barker with a strange power over the crowd: attractive women leave their men and disappear into an unmarked tent, never to be seen again, and the men wander away, forgetting that they ever had girlfriends or wives. When Granuaile falls under the barker’s influence and enters the tent, Atticus isn’t about to forget it and move on. He and his Irish wolfhound, Oberon, pursue her and discover the horrifying secret to the carnival’s success.
©2014 Kevin Hearne (P)2014 Simon & Schuster Audio

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Carmilla
By: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Narrated by: Phoebe Fox, Rose Leslie, David Tennant, David Horovitch, James Wilby, Susan Wooldridge, Hannah Genesius
Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
Release date: 10-27-15
This is a twisted Vampire short story. I saved this for #Fraterfest too.
Source: 10/23/2019 Audible Original.
About This Audible Original
Their house guest is beautiful and charming, but she carries a dark secret—one that could prove deadly. It’s time for gothic horror fans to sink their teeth into one of the very first vampire thrillers ever written. David Tennant (Doctor Who, Harry Potter), Phoebe Fox (Life in Squares, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death), and Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Downtown Abbey) breathe new life into J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic horror story, Carmilla.
It all begins when Laura’s widowed father finds Carmilla stranded in the forest after a carriage accident and takes her in. The young women develop a fast friendship which turns into a passionate meeting of souls. A relationship of vampire and prey, the story is told through Laura’s eyes as she is drawn further into Carmilla’s terrifying world of pleasure and pain.
A masterpiece of erotic gothic horror, Carmilla encompasses mystery, suspense, forbidden lust, violence...and blood. This audio adaptation of Carmilla has been dramatized by Robin Brooks, an actor, dramatist, and author who has been working as a playwright for over 25 years. Carmilla was directed by Fiona McAlpine of Allegra Productions for Audible Originals. David Tennant, Phoebe Fox, and Rose Leslie bring their talent and gravitas to this Audie nominated performance (Original Work), making it an exhilarating listening experience.
©2015 Audible Ltd. (P)2015 Audible Ltd.

3. Audio/Smartphone (A2020)

Manners and Monsters
Written by Tilly Wallace
Narrated by Marian Hussey
Run time: 7 hours and 31 minutes
I love this cover and totally enjoyed the story.
I plan to get more in the series.
This is another #Fraterfest listen.
Source: 4/22/2020 Chirp purchase $.99.
Guys and ghouls, gather round for this grisly romp… (that’s a thing, right?) After a gruesome crime ruins her friend’s engagement party, Lady Hannah must use her knowledge of the occult to help boorish viscount Wycliff find the murderer — that is, if the two don’t kill each other first. Great for fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!

4. Audible/Smartphone (A2020)

Zombie Fallout: Zero
By: Mark Tufo
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
Series: Zombie Fallout, Book 0.5
Length 2h 44m
I liked this military based addition explaining the beginning of the Zombie Fallout. This is another listen for #Fraterfest and Z in Alphabet.
Source: September 2020 Audible Plus Catalog.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (NGTBR)

The Uninvited: Book 8 in Krewe of Hunters series
by Heather Graham
I am enjoying this though still slow reading on my phone.
Source: Would you believe 2012 Netgalley?
Click on book title for full description.

2. Print (Author2020)

The Prepared Investor: How to Prevent the Next Crisis from Affecting Your Financial Independence
by Christopher Manske
I'm starting this even if it takes a little longer to read print.
Source: I was pleased when the author offered this for my review.
Why do some crises affect the stock market far more than others? When faced with disaster, why do investment advisors keep telling clients to just be patient? Christopher Manske reveals that investing through crisis is very different from the standard dogma accepted today. Like Outliers showed a different way to look at success and Nine Lies About Work turned the establishment upside down on leadership and teams, The Prepared Investor demonstrates how readers can protect and grow their net worth in the face of calamity. By offering a new lens to examine major catastrophe, Manske gives a compelling and instructive approach to maximizing one’s portfolio despite tomorrow’s uncertainty. Using twenty specific action steps that highlight how different crises affect investors, readers will see how a few National Guardsmen sank the entire stock market, how the secret Napoleon knew explains investors’ selling behavior, and why a simple statement from particular leaders can be just as much a crisis as an airplane flying into the World Trade Center. Manske shows readers how foolish it is for Wall Street to approach all types of calamity with the same “just hold on” solution.

3. Audio/Smartphone (A2020)

Murder's a Witch
Written By: Danielle Garrett
Narrated By: Amanda Ronconi
Duration: 6 hours 49 minutes
I am getting good use of my one credit for Audiobooks Mystery Book Club. This is a fun listen so far.
Source: 10/2020 Audiobooks.com Mystery Audiobook Club.
Summary:
Holly Boldt has a secret . . .
Well, technically, she has lots of them. After a scandal uproots her entire life, she is forced to relocate to a halfway house for displaced paranormals. It's her last shot for a fresh start. But keeping secrets isn't easy in a town that goes through gossip faster than tissue paper, even for a powerful witch.
When a grisly murder rocks the small town of Beechwood Harbor, Holly finds herself unwillingly entangled in the investigation. With everyone watching, Holly must solve the case before she's forced to abandon her new-found home. But with a paranormal investigator tailing her every move, a civil war brewing between her vampire and shifter roommates, and her ghostly landlord on the edge of a breakdown, she can barely think in complete sentences. How is she supposed to track down a murderer?
Holly has to make it work, or risk losing everything . . . again.

I'm keeping track of my Alphabet here as I finish the books. These are the letters that remain:
NETGALLEY:  H  M  U X  Y and Z
AUDIO:             X  and  Z

October 25, 2020 - I continue enjoying reading first thing each morning, even this week while away.
I am still enjoying the devotions and readings with the One Year Bible plan through You Version App. I considered changing but this is the reading group that is closest to my husband's reading so we can sometimes discuss the same passages.
I didn't do an extra study last week but will look for one this week.

I completed four books, posted four reviews and will have 4 do this upcoming week.
My NetGalley shelf remains at 4, one current and three remaining titles from 2012-13 which I still hope to read this year. Still one more that would be good for October.
I have added no new author review titles this week. I still have one carry over author ebook left. I have one more audiobook from an author.
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

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.
One author review title received this week.
Someday I'll check the email requests I have been receiving. {Sigh.}
I selected added four more free Audible Plus titles.
I picked my October Audiobooks.com VIP choice.
No free Kindle titles this week.
(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

The Prepared Investor: How to Prevent the Next Crisis from Affecting Your Financial Independence Hardcover
by Christopher Manske
I was pleased when the author offered this for my review.
See more under current reading above.

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

Four Audible Plus Catalogue titles added this week:

Baron Steele
By: Rhett C. Bruno , Jaime Castle
Narrated by: R.C. Bray

The Peculiar Patriot
By: Liza Jessie Peterson
Narrated by: Liza Jessie Peterson

Hold Your Breath: A Novella
By: Wendy Walker
Narrated by: Dylan Baker

August Heat: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery
By: Andrea Camilleri , Stephen Sartarelli (translator)
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Series: Inspector Montalbano, Book 10 (I think earlier books are available too.)

Audiobooks.com VIP for October:

Alliance Stars
By Michael Wallace
This looks like a good sci fi and struck me more than the other choices.

No free Kindle titles this week.
Free titles often found at Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement October 25, 2020

I was able to watch our service last Sunday while we were waiting at Union Station in Denver for breakfast at Snooze. The original reservation was 1hr and 40mins. At 1 hr and 30mins they advised that there would be another hour wait! By then it was 10:30am and we hadn’t yet eaten. This was the second time that we waited for that restaurant which is obviously very popular. We realize that they were only serving at half capacity and further hindered Sunday morning due to drizzly weather that closed their outside porch area. Even so, we were starving and decided to head over to the Coors Field stadium where we had a great lunch at Cherry Cricket Ballpark.

In any event, I am combing my notes from last week and this week. Pastor’s message is titled Before and After. 10/18 His question was: what will the church look like in 2021, after the pandemic danger is gone? Will we continue to be secluded or will we return to being active and protected?
The Church needs to remember to be a Bible-centered focus.

The Point: Disciples keep their eyes on Jesus; are empowered by the Holy Spirit; and have their destination set for the Kingdom of God.

Are we this kind of disciple? We need to be disciples who follow and make other disciples.

This morning, 10/25, Pastor continued this theme. He noted that discipleship is foundational for the church. Will the church be healthier after the pandemic? He reminded us we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, be directed by the Holy Spirit and keep our destination as the kingdom.

What kind of disciple will I be after the coronavirus is gone? There is concern that people will be complacent. Pastor shared an example of taking his family on a hike up many steps where they had to commit to continue climbing more steps to get back to their car. Each Christ follower has extra work to do.

The Bible tells us in Luke 10:1-10, 16-17 that Jesus chose 72 disciples who were ready to be sent out. What were they to do? Go tell people to follow Jesus. Go and make other disciples.

Would you be ready for Jesus to chose you to go out?
When the 72 returned expressing joy that the demons obeyed when they used the name of Jesus, Jesus told them to rejoice because their names were registered in heaven. Luke 10:20.
Christ followers have five main purposes"
Worship.
Belonging - fellowship bringing others in.
Spiritual growth - helping each other understand the Word.
Serving others.
Mission for each individual.

How do I fulfill my life responsibility to do the mission?
Disciple makers start at step two, by going together.
This is consistent with the commandment to Love One Another. John 13:34-35.

What drove the ‘People of the Way’ to follow even years after Jesus’ death?
They were witnesses. They were willing to risk their lives to make other disciples.
Pastor noted how the Disney Dine and Dash has classic cars that aren’t used as cars but as tables. What is a disciple who doesn't do disciple things?
What step are you stuck on?
God will help you. Push past the enemy who says you can't, you don't want to, you’re not worth it.
Take someone up the steps with you. The enemy is afraid of that kind of church.
God gets people unstuck!

This song fits (and is our church moto): Love God, Love People!

Verses for Today:
Luke 10:1-4, 16-17 (NLT)
Jesus Sends Out His Disciples
1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.

16 Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”
17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”

Lord, help me to see if I am stuck and direct me to do your will to reach others. 

Audio Book Review: The Book of Riley: A Zombie Tale by Mark Tufo

This is a zombie tale with a dog hero.
The Book of Riley: A Zombie Tale
Written By: Mark Tufo
Narrated By: Sean Runnette

Duration: 2 hours 58 minutes
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
#Fraterfest

Summary:
When the zombie apocalypse strikes without warning one dog will hold the fate of her pack in her paws. This is the story of Riley, an American bulldog. Follow along as she tries to keep her pack safe from a zombie apocalypse. Traveling with her are Ben-Ben the high strung Yorkie, her favorite two-legger Jessie, Jessie's younger brother Zachary, and Riley's arch enemy Patches the cat. They are a rag-tag group of survivors, who, when pushed to the limit, realize that they are all each other has.

Review:
Riley is a loving dog who wants to protect her human pack. She stands with the human alpha and is surprised to get help from the pip-squeak Yorkie, Ben-Ben. Of course, (according to Riley), the cowardly and obnoxious cat, Patches, hid in the bathroom with the rest of the human pack. When some of her human pack fall, Riley is forced to save the teen daughter, Jessie, and the baby child, Zachery. Riley is joined in the journey to safety by Ben-Ben and Patches who turns out to have some wisdom and cleverness – even if she remains a great annoyance.

I enjoyed the dog’s view which is filled with humor, base thoughts (food, smells and elimination process) and rivalry with the cat. I am fairly sure this is a spin off from the Zombie Fallout series. I had listened to Book 1 of the primary series in 2018 and have a prequel, Zombie Fallout: Zero, ready to go this week as a “Z” title. I think I liked the dog book more but I wouldn’t want a steady diet of this. I recommend the Riley books as quick reads/listens for those you enjoy zombie battles with pets, and humor.

Audio Notes:  It appears that Sean Runnette is the narrator for Mr. Tufo and he has adapted well to the characters, whether dogs, cats or military.

Source: 10/2020 Audiobooks.com Mystery Audiobook Club. This qualifies for 2020Audiobook goal and #Fraterfest.

Audible Book Review: Psycho Inside Me by Bonnie R. Paulson

This is a dark but interesting listen.

Psycho Inside Me
By: Bonnie R. Paulson
Narrated by: Jenifer Krist

Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
Release date: 03-04-14
Publisher: Bonnie R Paulson
Genre: Dark Fiction, Horror, Psychological, Teen and Young Adult
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
#Fraterfest

Publisher's Summary
***Mature YA listeners recommended - sexual content, violence, language***
I killed my first victim at thirteen years old - my age, not his. He was going to rape me, him and a couple of his friends. And so, I killed him. And then.... I killed again. And again.
At seventeen, I'm killing four to six times a year - maybe more. Don't stress out. I only go after the pedophiles and rapists. There are more out there than I could cover in a lifetime.
Saying I did this on my own would be selfish. Enforcing justice holds a glory all its own. But now, my lifelong friend and backup, Deegan, has been arrested. I have to decide if I want to give myself up and take his place or leave him with all the damning evidence. I don't want to stop killing. But if I let him take the fall, I can't kill anymore. And I need to keep doing that.
But the worst part of it all? I love him.
Cover artist - Ashley Byland of Redbird Designs
©2013 Bonnie R. Paulson (P)2014 Bonnie R. Paulson

Review:
Cassie was almost raped by a trio of bullies when she was only thirteen. Her childhood friend, Deegan, pulled the boy off of her but in the tussle Cassie accidentally killed the teen boy. Rather than report the event, Deegan helped Cassie dispose of the body and get away before the boys two friends returned to the scene.

On the anniversary of the first killing Cassie finds herself compelled to kill again. She specifically targets another sexual predator and Deegan arrives just in time to help her complete the killing and coverup. This pattern continues and grows. Deegan tries to convince Cassie to stop but she is intent on saving other innocent victims from men she has been able to identify as rapists and pedophiles.

It is surprising that the pair isn’t caught but finally they are betrayed, and Deegan is taken into custody. Cassie is desperate for a way to get him out of jail even if it means she will be arrested. After all she is still a minor when he might be tried as an adult.

This is a dark, macabre read/listen. It is told from Cassie’s viewpoint and the listener is tempted to feel sympathy for her while also being horrified and repulsed. The killings are not fully planned and carried out which seems fitting for the youth of the characters. The tentative and twisted friendship to romance is an interesting element in the story. I attribute a lot to the author’s writing skill to keep this in the edge of bizarre and interesting rather than totally depraved. Still, it is certainly dark, not for the squeamish reader/listener and not actions to be emulated! This is listed under "Children's Audiobooks" at Audible which I think is totally inappropriate. Perhatps YA, teen or NA but physological horror is more accurate. I do recommend it to fans of horror or those, like me, who read monsters and horror for the month of October.

Audio Notes: Jenifer Krist did a fine job with the narration. She adequately provided different voices for the characters, but more importantly for this work, she conveys the twisted, teen mind which I think Ms. Paulson intended.

Source: 4/10/2020 Author Codes. This qualifies for 2020Audiobook and Author review goals and #Fraterfest.

Audible Book Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is a fun, ironic sci fi, horror(?), short listen.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
By: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Narrated by: Scott Brick

Published March 16th 2007
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Genre: Classic, Horror, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Publisher's Summary
F. Scott Fitzgerald makes antebellum Baltimore his setting for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a fantastical tale with some Poe-like overtones about a baby born at age 70 who then lives life in reverse, his hair turning "in the dozen years of his life from white to iron-gray, the network of wrinkles on his face becoming less pronounced". What ramifications that creates for Benjamin's relationship with his father first and then later with his wife and his own son makes for some fantastical situations.
Public Domain (P) 2007 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Review:
Benjamin Button was born as a fully grown 70-year-old man. Neither the doctors nor his parents could understand this bizarre event. Initially the public found this man-child abhorrent but soon the scandal faded. Benjamin himself didn’t understand why his parents wanted him to play with a rattle or why they placed him in a school setting to play with paper and paste.

As the years go by, Benjamin gets younger. When he was age 18 (but appeared in his 50s), he entered military service and became a successful leader. He continued to grow younger and began to mix more comfortably with the younger, social community. Although still young in age, Benjamin met a beautiful young woman who viewed him as an interesting, debonair older man. Theirs was a lovely romance except that she grew older as he continued to grow younger … and younger.

This is an old classic first published in 1922 and was made into a movie in 2008. I don’t recall that I ever read this years ago nor saw the movie although I was familiar with the theme. I am surprised that it is listed as ‘romance’ as to me that was a minimal aspect. Overall this struck me as a bizarre and almost horrific tale. I viewed it as sci fi and horror mix and recommend this to readers of those genres, rather than romance.

Audio Notes: Scott Brick is a skilled narrator and did a good job with the story and the emotions. The story is engaging, and the audio made it an easy read/listen.

Source: 2009 I think this was free at Audible. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.