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Sunday, November 8, 2020

Sunday Words of Encouragement November 8, 2020

I enjoyed our online worship this morning and was reminded to “Set our hearts on You!” Our congregation showed appreciation to Pastor this morning.

Pastor continued his Before and After series. He has discussed the purpose of the body of believers and the primary mission to be disciple makers.

If you have ever tried to follow a car to a location, you know that following isn’t always easy or comfortable. Believers aren’t supposed to stay in one place. They are supposed to move – follow and grow. Jesus said “Follow Me.” Matthew 4:19.

Sometimes we find that when we accept a challenge and step out, then we find ourselves in the midst of a storm. Matthew 8:18-24.

You may be in a waiting season but how long does that take? Jesus says ‘follow me’ – move. Jesus taught his disciples to go out and find people, not to sit and wait for them.

Movement and growth are necessary for health and vibrance in the church. We must learn to reach out and learn to serve one another. Matthew tells a story of how Jesus saw a tax collector (Levi who became Matthew) and Jesus said “follow me”. Matthew 9:9. The next step as disciple is to bring others to table like Matthew did. Matthew 9:10.

The Point: Our next steps as disciples leads to greater commitment and bringing others to the table.

Pastor shared the example of three chairs (one he shared when he first came to us a few years ago). 1st chair for guests; 2nd chair for attenders and 3rd chair for disciple makers. There is also the old comfy waiting chair.

We need to be active in the 3rd chair and reach out to bring people to the 1st chair.
Which seat are you in? How long have you been there? What will you do to get moving?
Let’s keep moving!

I like this song for today: Life Song.

Verses for Today
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”



Lord, help me be a better follower and mover.

Pin on Gospel of Matthew

My Reflections...: Reflection for Friday July 6, Thirteenth Week in  Ordinary Time: Matthew 9:9-13

Saturday, November 7, 2020

#NetGalley Book Review: Uninvited by Heather Graham

I enjoyed the ghostly elements in this romantic suspense.
15985888

Publication date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Ghosts, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.


1777: In the throes of the Revolutionary War, Landon Mansion is commandeered by British Lord "Butcher" Bedford. He stabs Lucy Tarleton—who spurned his king and his love—leaving her to die in her father's arms.
NOW: After the day's final tour, docent Allison Leigh makes her rounds while locking up…and finds a colleague slumped over Bedford's desk, impaled on his own replica bayonet.
Resident ghosts may be the stock-in-trade of stately Philadelphia homes, but Allison—a noted historian—is indignant at the prospect of "ghost hunters" investigating this apparent murder.
Agent Tyler Montague knows his hauntings and his history. But while Allison is skeptical of the newcomer, a second mysterious murder occurs. Has "Butcher" Bedford resurfaced? Or is there another malevolent force at work in Landon Mansion? Wary, yet deeply attracted, Allison has to trust in Tyler and work with him to discover just what uninvited guest—dead or alive—has taken over the house.
Or their lives could become history!


Review:
Allison is a local history professor and a docent at an historic mansion, the Tarleton-Dandridge House in Philadelphia. The house served as a British base in 1777 when British Lord “Butcher” Bedford married, and reportedly murdered, Lucy Tarleton. The Tarleton family were supposedly supportive of the British, but Lucy secretly worked to take information to Washington’s troops. The house has had a history of strange deaths over many years.

At the end of a tour, Allison discovers one of her young colleague’s dead in the study. It appears to be a bizarre suicide but at least one member of the board doesn’t believe this. He calls in a very special FBI “Krewe”, a team that studies paranormal events.

Agent Tyler doesn’t make a good first impression on Allison. That could be because she has been grilled for hours by the police, but more importantly she isn’t thrilled to have ‘ghost hunters’ traipsing through the carefully preserved house. Allison reluctantly works to guide Tyler in investigating the house where they find a ransacked attic. Allison continues to resist the paranormal elements until events force her to see otherwise. Tyler tries to explain to Allison that there may be paranormal forces involved but it is likely that the rummaging and murder were done by living humans.

A second person associated with the house dies in another bizarre ‘accident’. When it looks like Allison may be the next target, she finds herself sticking more closely with Tyler and their closeness turns to personal interest. Can Tyler and his team keep Allison safe while racing to find the true killer?

I liked Allison’s strong character and really enjoyed the quiet, determined personality of Tyler. His teammates are interesting and apparently the subject of other books in this series, which I would be interested in reading. The mystery is full of twists and a handful of suspects with red herring clues that kept me wondering until near the villain reveal.

I haven’t read Heather Graham for a number of years and I was pleased to enjoy this romantic suspense/paranormal romance where the mystery was primary and the romance a secondary element that added to the overall story. I recommend this to fans of paranormal mystery with romance.

Source: 2012 Netgalley. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020NetGalley goals.

Friday, November 6, 2020

Audible Book Review: Primal, Lee Harden, Book 3 by D. J. Molles

I like this series and this was a quick listen that kept my attention.
Primal

Lee Harden, Book 3
By: D.J. Molles
Narrated by: Christian Rummel

Primal  By  cover art

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
Release date: 11-05-19
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Military Thriller, Post Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.


Publisher's Summary
Lee Harden is out for blood. After a month, the cartel is looking over their shoulders and jumping at shadows, worried about the madmen in their backyard, who seem obsessed with little else but killing cartel members. Lee continues to claw his way towards revenge, searching for a target to strike at, or a person to destroy, that will force his enemies to reveal themselves. And nothing is going to stop him. Not even Abe.
In the United Eastern States, things are crumbling around Angela. Safe zones are dropping out of communication, and no one seems to have any faith in her since the fall of Fort Bragg. Carl Gilliard's methods of purging the dissenters grow harsher and harsher, and Angela is forced to run interference for him, denying allegations of misconduct. She needs to get them back to Fort Bragg to show that they aren't losing this war. But she's not sure they can get there before everything falls apart.
Working fast - and sometimes unsafely - to secure the route back to Fort Bragg, Sam Ryder and his squad make a grim discovery that might be the start of an evolutionary jump for the primals - and a threat to the survival of the human race.
In this thrilling and gritty third installment to the Lee Harden series, the only thing you can be certain of is that things are about to change. ©2019 D. J. Molles (P)2019 Audible, Inc.


Review:
Lee had grown close to his team of ‘warriors’ who have been on the front lines fighting the hordes of infected and trying to protect their safe zones. In the last book, Southlands, Lee and the team had to leave Fort Bragg to seek allies and resources. When they thought they were about to succeed in their mission goals, they were betrayed. Lee lost most of his team including his friend and lover, Julia, who helped keep him focused on more than survival. Now, left with only his fellow soldier, Abe, Lee has no softness and is focused on nothing more than revenge. Abe tries to fulfill their original mission, but he can’t keep Lee on track. Lee’s drive is brutal and gritty and although he gets to some of his enemies he finally gets reeled into the net of the strongest foe.

Meanwhile, President Angela, security leader Carl and others are trying to keep the refugees of the United Eastern States together while they weed out the dissenting ‘traitors’. They hope to retake Fort Bragg which they lost due to the internal coup allowing the infected primals to swarm their home fort.

Sam Ryder, a young man rescued by Lee and left in the care of Angela, is hiding the secret that he knows at least one of the dissenters who is living among the other refugees. Sam has become one of the many teams who go out to hunt and kill the primals. He is one of the few who begins to see a disturbing change in the patterns of the mutating creatures. Unless others take note of the ‘evolution’ the primals could succeed in eliminating the remaining human population.

I do enjoy the fast pace action in this series. The characters are well developed and make for interesting conflict, even if I don’t like all of them. I do like Lee and Abe and the tension that exists between them. There are a couple of chapters where the language gets too foul for my tastes but, fortunately, that passes and the plot takes precedence again. This episode had more battle issues than moving the survivors forward to safety but it laid the foundation for the next book to do that with some potential allies and the new level of primals to face. I will definitely be continuing with the series.

This is a series spin off (or continuation) of Molles' series called the Remaining where Lee, Abe and other soldiers are introduced as leaders in Project Hometown. I recommend both series to fans of zombie type survival, action stories.

Audio Notes: Christian Rummel is the voice of the series and he doesn’t disappoint. He delivers the pain, grit, weariness and frustrations of the characters. I will be glad to continue to listen to the series.

Source: September 2020 Credit purchase. This qualifies for 2020Audiobook goal.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway November 6, 2020

Happy Friday! Welcome to November. November is my anniversary month for Friday Pick so I award 4 winners each week! I'll try to pull in another set of books this weekend.

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 30, 2020 Pick. There was one automatic win again this week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was no title blocked.

SUEF gets Stalking the Puzzle Lady.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from October 30, 2020 Pick:
MARJORIE gets a GC
and
ALINA 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.}
Official I Am Thankful For Books Librarian Thanksgiving Shirt, hoodie, tank  top and sweater
I am certainly happy for books. How about you?
Image found at ZeusTee.


New Book Group #91 October 2, 2020 - Suspense themed

SINGLES: Ten books in this box:
Senseless by Mary Burton
Indefensible by Pamela Callow
Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder
Final Appeal by Joanne Fluke
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman Audiobook
Capital Crimes by Jonathan & Faye Kellerman
Deadly Promises (Black Ops) Anthology, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Diane Love, Cindy Gerard, Laura Griffin
Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
Justice by Dan Mahoney
PAIRS:


Janet Evanovich: Plum Spooky and Foul Play
Sharon Sala (aka Dinah McCall): Out of the Dark and Bloodlines

PICK TWO  your choice (listed below the picture) Nora Roberts:

Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky
A Little Magic
Valley of Silence
Inner Harbor and
Chesapeake Blue


New Book Group #90 June 19, 2020
Quite a few mysteries in this box.

SINGLES:
Siren's Song by Trish Albright (personally autographed)
Alias by Smy J. Fetzer
Angel Face by Suzanne Forster
Stalking the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall
Hot Sex by Janet Evanovich (Audio cassettes)
The Warrior by Frances Richey (poetry  hardcover)


New Book Group #89 March 6, 2020
Singles:
My Surrender by Connie Brockway
How to Tame a Modern Rogue by Diana Holoquist
Phoenix by A.J. Scudiere

New Book Group #88 November 8, 2019
PAIRS:
Stella Cameron: Body of Evidence and Fascination
Singles:
A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp
Dawn of Redemption by Starla Childs


New Book Group #87 August 23, 2019

SINGLES:
Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper
Open Season by Linda Howard AUDIO CASSETTES


New Book Group #86 June 7, 2019
Another group of variety from my shelves.
SINGLES:
Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze
Show No Fear by Marliss Melton
A Question of God's Balance (Vol 1) by Joseph Thek
King by Right of Blood and Might by Anna L. Walls


New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
Summer Skies by Judith Christenberry
Windfall (two stories) by JoAnn Ross
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

New Book Group #84 December 15, 2018
Here are some Christmas titles to pick from.

SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
On this Holy Night
Christmas Haven
King Harold's Snow Job


New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018
(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
SINGLE
Seductive Secrets by Lynne Connolly
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
Three Reader's Digest Condensed Books - each hardback:
Cold Harbour and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy
The Things We Do for Love, Three Weeks With My Brother, The Murder Artist and Night Train to Lisbon
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind

New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

Stella Cameron: Key West
SINGLES:
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

SINGLES
Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan
Darkness Tell Us by Richard Laymon
Cooking Most Deadly by Joanne Pence


New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018
Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
SINGLES:
Summer’s Moon by Lacey Baker
The Final Judgment by Richard North PattersonAudio Cassettes
Firebird by Janice Graham
No Getting Over a Cowboy by Delores Fossen
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer Audio Cassettes


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)
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham


New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018
SINGLES
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
Too Wicked to Love
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes


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
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff


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
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen


(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three One more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four One 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 TEN years I have posted 91 groups of 16 books plus an additional 21 totaling 1,477 books available to find new homes! (As of November 6, 2020).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,334+ 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 faraway 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!

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Audio Book Review: Murder's a Witch by Danielle Garrett

This is a fun, easy mystery with paranormal characters.
Murder's a Witch
Written By: Danielle Garrett
Narrated By: Amanda Ronconi
38195202. sx318
Duration: 6 hours 49 minutes
Release date: 01-30-18
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Paranormal
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.


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.


Review:

Holly is a witch who apparently gets in trouble. This has caused her to be exiled from the paranormal realm to a halfway house for those like her – displaced paranormals. Holly’s house mates include the ghost landlady (Posy), a dog shapeshifter (Adam), a beauty queen obsessed vampiress (Lacey), and a new, mysterious man (Gary) who is rarely seen. They share an historic manor house set out on a bluff away from any close neighbors. They all try to stay ‘under the radar’ as required by the rules.

When Holly confronts a snooping man in the rose bushes, she meets Nick, a private investigator new to town who wants to arrange ghost tours of the old mansion. Holly quickly says “no” and sends him on his way.

Holly works as a barista in a local coffee shop. Her boss isn’t the most pleasant woman around and has a daily battle with the neighboring shop owner. Holly arrives at work one morning and stumbles on her boss’s dead body. When it turns out that Holly’s co-worker and friend is the most likely suspect, Holly is determined to find the real murderer, even if it means applying a few of her witching abilities.

Holly is able to get Adam to stop sparring with Lacey long enough to help her investigate. Meanwhile she is being dogged by a persistent Nick who is taking an interest in the murder, as well as an interest in Holly.

This is a fun, easy read/listen. There is light humor and a satisfying mystery. The paranormal elements add to the background as we wonder what type of creature Gary is. The quirky characters are nicely developed as the author lays out relationships that can survive to contribute to the next book. I recommend this to readers who enjoy cozy mystery with paranormals.

Audio Notes: Amanda Ronconi did a nice job with the narration. She applies distinct voices and appropriate energy. I enjoyed the listening experience.

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

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