MBS October 2020 Reading List Wrap Up

MBS 2020 Reading List - OCTOBER

Code for the list is:
A = Audio
e = eBook; eA = eBook from Author; eT = eBook from Tour
NG = NetGalley
P = Print; PT = Print from Tour
LBC = Ladies Book Club
TBR = From the TBR shelves prior to 2020
Favorites for the month:
5 Stars = none
4.75 Stars = none
4.5 Stars = Manners and Monsters, Primal

1. NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: Silent Bite: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel Book 22) by David Rosenfelt ; Genre: Crime, Detective, Mystery, Fav Series; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.
2. A2020- Audio Book Review: The Skeletons of Scarborough House by Kitty French; Genres: Cozy Mystery, Ghosts, Mystery; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.
3. A2020- Audio Book Review: The Haunted Forest Tour by James A. Moore and Jeff Strand; Genre: Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror; My Rating: 3.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.0; Narration 3.5.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu; Genre: Classic, Gothic, Horror, Vampire; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25 Narration 4.25. #Fraterfest.
9. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Carniepunk: The Demon Barker of Wheat Street by Kevin Hearne; Genre: Short Story, Urban Fantasy; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 3.75. #Fraterfest.
10. ATBR- Audio Book Review: Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace; Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy, Paranormal, Regency; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5. #Fraterfest.
11. A2020- Audible Book Review: Zombie Fallout: Zero by Mark Tufo; Genre: Dark Fiction, Horror, Psychological, Teen and Young Adult; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0. #Fraterfest.
12. A2020- Audio Book Review: Murder's a Witch by Danielle Garrett; Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Paranormal; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
13. NGTBR- #NetGalley Book Review: Uninvited by Heather Graham; Genre: Ghosts, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.
14. A2020- Audible Book Review: Primal, Lee Harden, Book 3 by D. J. Molles; Genre: Military Thriller, Post Apocalyptic; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Total read = 14; TBR = 6; New to Me Authors = 6
Audio/Audible = 12 (5 TBRs)
eBook = 0 (0 TBR)
NetGalley = 2 (1 TBR)
Review books (other than NG) = 1
Print = 0 (0 TBR)
• Series: 9
• New to me Series: 4 (1 most likely to continue)
• Continuing for me Series: 5
• Finished for me Series: 0

Goal Progress (Year to date meaning through the end of the given month):
Goodreads Goal Read to Date: 126 of 150
TBR to Date: 87 of 100 total
TBR ebooks: 3 of 24
Audio to Date: 88 of 75
NetGalley to Date: 31 of 40
Author Reviews: 11 of 12
Nonfiction: 10 of 12
Series to Date: 79 (52 New and 27 Continued) 5 Finished
• Seasonal title: Winter 1, Spring 1, Summer 1,
• Alphabet letters covered: 10 Jan; 7 Feb; 5 March; 0 April; 0 May; 1 June; 0 July; 1 August; 0 September; 1 October;

Sunday Post November 8, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 9, 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.

I have one staff member moving to another job so we have been shifting positions and cross training. I'll be spending some time interviewing this week while juggling the usual work schedules.

I was hoping those deer in at the end of the driveway would show up better.
They were up next to my car (the blue on the right)
until I opened the door to let the dogs out.
Then they spread to the right and left.
The dogs don't really phase them. They just stare at the human taking pictures.

Our Florida weather remained in low 80s most of last week but the nights dropped to high 50s. We had a couple of cool days and then it warmed up again. It is interesting to see some blog friends with their snow pictures.

I had to push a bit to finish a second book but I am moving on others as well. I finished two audiobooks. I posted three reviews and my usual memes.

I visited 16 blogs again last week.
Shout Out this week to Pondering the Prose. Ardis describes herself as "an avid reader and budding writer" who wants "to share my love of books with others."

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 November 1, 2020/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 2, 2020.

• A2020- Audio Book Review: Murder's a Witch by Danielle Garrett; Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Paranormal; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway October 30, 2020. Open Worldwide. Ending 11/5/2020.

• A2020- Audible Book Review: Primal, Lee Harden, Book 3 by D. J. Molles; Genre: Military Thriller, Post Apocalyptic; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

• NGTBR- #NetGalley Book Review: Uninvited by Heather Graham; Genre: Ghosts, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement November 8, 2020.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible/Smartphone (A2020)

Actualized
The Configured Trilogy, Book 3
By: Jenetta Penner
Narrated by: Brittany Goodwin
Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
Release date: 12-17-19

This is a good conclusion although I wasn't really into the YA elements.

Source: 2/13/2020 Author Code for Review title.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)

The Heavens May Fall
Written by: Allen Eskens
Narrated by: R. C. Bray , David Colacci , Amy McFadden
Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
I picked this as my "fall" season title
and it moved very quickly.
I really like the legal procedural parts of the story.
Source: April 2017 Audible Daily Deal $3.95.
Publisher's Summary
Detective Max Rupert's and attorney Boady Sanden's friendship is being pushed to the breaking point. Max is convinced that Jennavieve Pruitt was killed by her husband, Ben. Boady is equally convinced that Ben, his client, is innocent. As the case unfolds, the two are forced to confront their own personal demons.
Max is still struggling with the death of his wife four years earlier, and the Pruitt case stirs up old memories. Boady hasn't taken on a defense case since the death of an innocent client, a man Boady believes he could have saved but didn't. Now he is back in court, with student Lila Nash at his side, and he's determined to redeem himself for having failed in the past.
Vividly told from two opposing perspectives, the truth about the stunning death of Jennavieve Pruitt remains a mystery until the very end.
©2016 Allen Eskens (P)2016 Tantor

Currently Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (NG2020)

The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas
Jodi Thomas, Sharla Lovelace, Scarlett Dunn
I totally enjoyed the first book
and now I am enjoying the second story too.
Source: Received from NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Wool
Silo, #1; Wool, #1-5
By: Hugh Howey
Narrated by: Amanda Sayle
Series: The Silo Saga, Book 1
Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins
I started a Vintage SciFi but it didn't grab me so I picked this one instead. (For #SciFi Month.)
Source: 2017 Audible Daily Deal $3.95.
Publisher's Summary
In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising. ©2012 Hugh Howey (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

3. Print (Author2020)

The Prepared Investor: How to Prevent the Next Crisis from Affecting Your Financial Independence
by Christopher Manske
This will take a bit longer so it will run as my third "current reading" for several weeks. I am moving slowly but finding this interesting.
Source: I was pleased when the author offered this for my review.
Click on book title for full description.

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

November 8, 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 completed my first Thanksgiving plan in November: 7 Days of Thanksgiving.
This week I will be doing a five day plan: Double Blessing.

I completed two books, posted three reviews and I am up to date.
My NetGalley shelf is now at 3, which are the three remaining titles from 2012-13 which I still hope to read this year. After adding all but one review at NetGalley my percentage rose to 96%. I expect that is the best I will get so I requested a couple of new titles. :-)
I have added no new author review titles this week. I still have one carry over author ebook left in my queue. (Plus a few that I received from newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests.)
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.
No new review titles received this week.
Someday I'll check the email requests I have been receiving. {Sigh.}
I picked up four Audible Plus titles.
Twelve 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

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

Added Audible Plus Catalogue audios:

Upland Autumn: Birds, Dogs, and Shotgun Shells
By: William G. Tapply
Narrated by: Clay Teunis

Legends of the Fall
By: Jim Harrison
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Darkness Falls
By: Kyle Mills
Narrated by: Erik Steele

Freak of Nature: IFICS, Book 1
By: Julia Crane
Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
Series: IFICS, Book 1

Twelve 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 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.

#NetGalley Book Review: Uninvited by Heather Graham

I enjoyed the ghostly elements in this romantic suspense.

The Uninvited: Book 8 in Krewe of Hunters series
by Heather Graham

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.

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

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.