Sunday Post January 17, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 18, 2021

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.

Things are still tense in my beloved country.  The censorship of conservative accounts and conservative platforms (Parler plus more) and calls to silence opposing voices is appalling and alarming to me as a lawyer, former journalist student and citizen.

Heather was back in office but our newest employee was out three days. We keep plugging away, but now we have another holiday this week.

I almost forgot to mention that Hubby and I got our first vaccinations on Wednesday. Our little community did a great job funneling multiple lines of cars through a large parking lot to six inoculation stations. Everyone remained in a field parking lot for at least 15 minutes afterwards for monitoring. Hubby had to stay 30 minutes because he is on blood thinners. People started lining up at 5:30 for the opening at 9am. I went over at 1pm and it took just an hour. Hubby went at 1:30 and his line was even faster. At 2pm they put out an open call for additional people not over 65 as they still had vaccines left. Hubby had a sore arm the next day but I had no reaction at all.

My Christmas cacti are a couple weeks behind. The big pot apparently has two different plants - one with white blooms and the other with pink. The little pot has pink buds.

We continue to have cold days and rainy ones several times a week. Looks like we get some warm up this week - 33 to 68. 

I enjoyed the four books I finished last week: two audios, one print and one child ebook. I posted three reviews and my usual memes.

I visited 18 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to Just Reading Jess. Jess is an engineer by day and, (like me), "always reading in my free time."

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 January 10, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 11, 2021.

• ATBR- Audible Review First Book 2021: The Harbinger II, The Return by Jonathan Cahn; Genre: Christian Prophesy, Inspirational; My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 5.0; Narration 5.0.

• Print- Book Review: Coming Home for Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne; Genre: Christmas, Romance, Small Town My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway January 15, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 1/21/2021.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: World Made By Hand, Book 1, by James Howard Kunstler; Genre: Dystopian, Sci Fi, Speculative Fiction; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement January 17, 2021.

Finished Reading:

1. Audio/Smartphone (NG2020)

The Salvage Crew
by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Narrated by Nathan Fillion
Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
Release date: 10-27-20
This went to an unusual conclusion - interesting.
Source: 2020 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Break Shot: My First 21 Years
An Audio Memoir
By: James Taylor
Narrated by: James Taylor
Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
Release date: 01-31-20
I was surprised by this history of James Taylor's early years.
Source: 2/10/2020 Extra Free Audible Original.
About This Audible Original
"I’m James Taylor and I’m a professional autobiographer," says the celebrated folk singer at the start of this tender audio memoir. Through decades of music by one of the best-selling musicians of all time, who created classics like "Fire and Rain" and "Carolina in My Mind," James Taylor has doled out his history in the poetry of his work. Taylor says his early life is, "the source of many of my songs," and Break Shot is a tour of his first 21 years in rich, new detail. Praised by Forbes magazine as going "beyond the spoken word," Break Shot combines storytelling, music and performance to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience. Longtime fans will savor a crop of musical gems, including an unreleased recording of the beloved hymn "Jerusalem," selections from his newest release American Standard, as well as new original scoring by Taylor specially recorded for Break Shot and more from the Grammy Award-winning artist.
Recorded in his home studio, TheBarn in western Massachusetts, Taylor tells the deeply personal story of his youth, which is entwined with the story of his family. What started as an idyllic tight unit soon became a family sent to different emotional corners—like a break shot in the game of pool, he says, when you slam the cue ball into the fifteen other balls and they all go flying off. By the time Taylor released his breakout second album in 1970, Sweet Baby James, he had seen the disintegration of his parents’ marriage and his family crumble in the aftermath. He had committed himself twice to a psychiatric hospital, battled depression, a heroin addiction, suffered a relapse, and traveled far away from the wood smoke and moonshine of the North Carolina landscapes in which he came of age. Despite it all, he was also on the cusp of superstardom and on his way to bringing light and joy to millions. He was 21.
Journey with James Taylor to a time before he became a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts—and a beloved voice to millions.
© 2019 James Taylor (P) 2020 AO Media LLC

3. eBook/Computer (NG2020)

The Pugly Duckling
by Carla Siravo
This is very cute but has a major flaw.
Source: 2020 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

4. Paperback/TBR

A Stockingful of Joy
by Mary Jo Putney, Jill Barnett, Justine Dare, Susan King
This reminds me why I like historical romance. I really enjoyed all four stories.
Source: My own print TBR stack and author collected books (Putney and Barnett).
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:

1. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Galaxy's Edge
By: Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
Release date: 02-20-18
I sometimes wonder why I enjoy sci fi military... but I do. I finished the first story and now on to the second.
Source: 3/8/2020 Two For One Credit Sale at Audible.
Publisher's Summary
Galaxy's Edge contains Legionnaire through to the end of Galactic Outlaws.
On the edge of the galaxy, a diplomatic mission to an alien planet takes a turn when the Legionnaires, an elite special fighting force, find themselves ambushed and stranded behind enemy lines. They struggle to survive under siege, waiting on a rescue that might never come.
In the seedy starport of Ackabar, a young girl searches the crime-ridden gutters to avenge her father's murder; not far away, a double-dealing legionniare-turned-smuggler hunts an epic payday; and somewhere along the outer galaxy, a mysterious bounty hunter lies in wait.
Galaxy's Edge combines sleek starfighters, exotic aliens, loyal bots, blasters, scoundrels, heroes, and powerful enemies in a thrilling adventure that will take you back to that magic place from a long time ago.
©2017 Nick Cole; 2018 Podium Publishing; 2017 Jason Anspach (P)2018 Podium Publishing.

2. eBook/Computer (NG2020)

Came A Horseman, A Hard Ride In A Fierce World
by Paul McHugh
The protagonist in this Dystopian is combative and that got the story off a little rough for me. I'm interested to see where it goes.
Source: 2020 NetGalley.
Ten years after Earth's electronics were fried by an immense solar flare, most human technology has turned useless and civilization has begun to fail. But one thriving pocket is a valley on California's coast, where farmers in a religious cult dwell. A tribe of local hunters protect them. But this arrangement gets upended when a young refugee, Kyle Skander, wrecks his kayak there as he seeks to paddle north to Arcata. Kyle finds himself accused of murdering a young woman from the commune. To win freedom, he must find the real killer. His combative personality and a background in logic and philosophy helps Kyle make headway at this task. His investigation begins to uncover the valley's deepest secrets. Then, buried rivalries erupt into a battle that alters forever this enclave's fate.
"Came A Horseman" re-imagines the Western as a post-apocalyptic adventure, with a murder mystery at the heart of its plot.

3. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Death at the Gazebo
Mirror Pond Cozy Mysteries, Book 1
By: Minnie Crockwell
Narrated by: Michelle Babb
Length: 5 hrs
Release date: 12-22-20
This looks like a fun listen.
Source: 1/8/2020 Author Audible Code
Publisher's Summary
First in a new cozy mystery series from Minnie Crockwell.
Settling into her new condominium on Mirror Pond, novelist Sallie Chilcoat feels lost in Ashburn, Virginia, after moving to the state for love of a man. But with the end of that relationship, she finds herself at loose ends. She stares out the window at the pond and contemplates learning to kayak...or taking up painting...or climbing Mount Everest.
Movement in the overwater gazebo catches her eye, and she grabs up her people-watching binoculars to see a man sitting inside the gazebo playing an accordion. Curious about the musician who plays such a rare instrument, Sallie trots down to the pier to investigate.
The term “investigate” takes on a whole new meaning when Sallie reaches the gazebo to discover not a happy musician, but a dead body and a missing accordion. Forget Mount Everest! Sallie finds herself immersed in the mystery of the death at the gazebo.
©2019 Minnie Crockwell (P)2020 Minnie Crockwell

January 17, 2021 - I have been enjoying reading/listening to the Bible passages every morning.   I am reading/listening the NLT Tyndale version of the Bible on You Version App so Hubby and I are reading the same passages each day.
I enjoyed my first 2021 study: New Year: Living With Purpose.

I completed four books and posted three reviews. I'm up to date with four reviews to post this week.
NetGalley shelf is: 14.  (I peeked today and was so tempted but resisting for now.)
Three author titles in queue as I accepted a new graphic title and am listening to the author audio.
(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.
I received one new graphic novel for review.
I picked up five free plus catalog Audible titles.
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

1/11/2020 Received from Turner Publishing Marketing:

200
by Jennifer Brody, Jules Rivera (Illustrator)
A graphic Sci Fi to be released 2/16/21.

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

I added five new Plus Catalog Audibles to my library:

Crisis Shot: The Line of Duty, Book 1
By: Janice Cantore
Narrated by: Alice Anne English
Series: The Line of Duty, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Q&A
By: Ben H. Winters
Narrated by: John Zdrojeski, Robert Creighton, Jay Snyder, Nicole Lewis, Kathryn Kates, Michael Braun, Elizabeth Evans, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Justis Bolding
Length: 2hrs and 8 mins

Home Shopped Holiday
By: John Burd, Kelly Goodner, Thommy Hutson
Narrated by: Ron Butler, LJ Ganser, Brina Palencia, Chris Kipiniak, Mia Jenness, Ann Osmond, Therese Plummer, Lauren Fortgang, Brittany Pressley, Suzanne Toren, Allison Hiroto, Ali Ahn
Length: 1 hr and 51 mins

Mountain Man
By: Keith C. Blackmore
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Series: Mountain Man, Book 1
Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Safari
Mountain Man, Book 2
By: Keith C. Blackmore
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Series: Mountain Man, Book 2
Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins


No free Kindle title 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 January 17, 2021

Pastor shared another sermon in the series “Battle On” – Continue to live for Jesus. When we accept Jesus, it is a beginning of a battle, not the end.

Live is full of assessments. We want a doctor to assess our problems and advise treatment. We look at our budget to assess our finances. Students get school report cards that assess their progress. When we get an assessment we sometimes struggle with the report. We have a choice: we can complain about the test and results or we can learn from what has been revealed and focus on how to improve.

The New Living Translation may help give understanding to Paul’s tone in Romans 7: 7-25. Paul notes for all of us ‘It is my sinful nature that I struggle with’. “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”

This is where some people get “the devil made me do it” excuse. Paul wants to please God but still has trouble doing right. He doesn’t try to excuse himself or get around it. He is seeking a way to overcome the sinful nature. He realizes he cannot do it on his own. It is not a law problem, but a sin problem. Romans 7:13-15.

The law is the spiritual assessment that reveals where we are and where we need to go, to be. Hebrews 4:12-13.

Paul doesn’t seek loopholes. He asks to see more of the law so he can understand how to live correctly for God. The law revels the sin but has no power to conquer or subdue the sin. The sin wears us down. Matthew 11:28-30.

As we Battle On in the fight against sin, it has less to do with us and more to do with our dependence on Jesus. Romans 7:20-21. The answer is Jesus Christ. Romans 7:25 - Romans 8:1. “There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Jesus stands between us and the judgment we deserve. He keeps working for us – grace at work.

God is righteous; we are wicked. But we are allowed to go boldly to the throne through the grace of our faith in Jesus. Hebrews 4:14-16. Since we have a high priest, hold on firmly to what we have believed…

The Point: When we submit to the revealing word of God, we will Battle On and win!

The word shows us how much we need the Grace of Jesus. We must Battle On by Grace.

This is the “grace” song I pick for today: By Grace Alone.

Verses for Today: Romans 7:23-25 NLT.
23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Lord – Thank You for grace. Help me to Battle On with Your Holy Spirit to guide me and Your Grace to forgive me.

Audible Book Review: World Made By Hand, Book 1, by James Howard Kunstler

This is the first book in an interesting character driven dystopian series.
World Made by Hand: The World Made by Hand Novels, Book 1
By: James Howard Kunstler
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen

Series: World Made By Hand, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
Release date: 08-23-10
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Dystopian, Sci Fi, Speculative Fiction
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Publisher's Summary
In The Long Emergency, celebrated social commentator James Howard Kunstler explored how the terminal decline of oil production combined with climate change had the potential to put industrial civilization out of business. In World Made by Hand, an astonishing work of speculative fiction, Kunstler brings to life what America might be, a few decades hence, after these catastrophes converge.
The electricity has flickered out. The automobile age is over. In Union Grove, a little town in upstate New York, the future is nothing like people thought it would be. Life is hard and close to the bone. Transportation is slow and dangerous, so food is grown locally at great expense of time and energy, and the outside world is largely unknown. There may be a president, and he may be in Minneapolis now, but people aren’t sure. The townspeople’s challenges play out in a dazzling, fully realized world of abandoned highways and empty houses, horses working the fields and rivers, no longer polluted, and replenished with fish.
This is the story of Robert Earle and his fellow townspeople and what happens to them one summer in a country that has changed profoundly. A powerful tale of love, loss, violence, and desperation, World Made by Hand is also lyrical and tender, a surprising story of a new America struggling to be born - a story more relevant now than ever.
©2008 James Howard Kunstler (P)2010 Blackstone Audiobooks

Review:
Robert Earle is old enough to remember life before technology started to fail and bombs eliminated live as known in the 21st century. Now there is only limited electric power, food is grown locally, transportation is mostly horse and cart or walking, and life is generally hard. Robert lost his wife and daughter to illness in a two year period. Five years later his nineteen-year-old son took off to find out what was left of the world. There are no phones or mail service to stay in touch. It is enough of a struggle to get clean water and barter for supplies without running into violence.

Robert goes on a trade run to the local ‘trading post’ (think a dump taken over by a gang). He ran into a young man, Sean, who is there with his dog. Since the guard won’t allow Sean in with the dog, Robert agrees to pick up Sean’s list. But before the transactions are complete, gun shots are heard and Robert returns to the entrance to find Sean and his dog shot to death. Although the guard claims self-defense, clearly there is a problem with the trading gang but there is no one in town to investigate, arrest or pursue the murder. There is a Chief of Police/Sheriff but he said he “wouldn’t serve if elected” and has continued to drink and live up to that promise.

A new religious group, consisting of 70 or so members led by Brother Jobe, has arrived in town. Brother Jobe is prepared to push for more control in the community. Soon, at a duly called town meeting, the existing, do-nothing mayor is fired, and Robert is elected as the new mayor. Robert’s friend, Loren, the existing Pastor, is elected to replace the Chief of Police. Robert and Loren are at least willing to take their positions seriously but before they take up their tasks, Robert is asked to join a rescue team to travel down the river to find a boat of local men who took trade goods to another city. They do manage to find the men but retrieving them ends in violence.

When the team returns with the men, there is a celebration. While most of the community attends the festival, the trader gang members travel through town apparently looting and intimidating people who remained in their homes. One of those intimidated is Sean’s widow who has moved in as Robert’s housekeeper after her house burned down.

Robert and Loren have a jailed prepared. They arrest Brother Jobe for shaving people without consent. Then they attempt to arrest the trading gang leader which ends in a violent confrontation. The town situation is changing and Robert, Loren, Brother Job and the others have to juggle to find their way in this strange new life.

This dystopian story focuses on personal and relational issues as the survivors struggle to continue life and find an acceptable level of community. I wasn’t thrilled by the female characters who are given lesser roles bordering on sex objects. The descriptions are lyrical at times and I liked the title phrase. I found the overall story interesting if not totally compelling. I do have the next three books and plan to continue to listen over the next few months.

Audio Notes: Jim Meskimen is a new-to-me narrator and I think he does a good job. His voice seems to fit Robert and he gives appropriate accent and energy to the characters. The audio enhanced my engagement in the story.

Source: Audible Plus Catalog December 2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook and 2021Alphabet goals.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway January 15, 2021

Happy Friday!  That was another fast week for me. How about you?

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 January 8, 2021 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. There was no title blocked.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from January 8, 2021 Pick:
LINDA H gets a GC
AND
MARJORIE 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.}

If I did resolutions, these are some I like.
Image found at Writers Write.

New Book Groups #92 and #93 November 13, 2020.
#92 (15 books):

The Promise by TJ Bennett
A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
Alaskan Renegade by Kate Bridges
Killing Floor by Lee Child
The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart
Heart's Desire by Ruth Ryan Hagan
Snowflakes on the Sea by Linda Lael Miller
Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed
No Ordinary Man by Suzanne Simmons
The Scot by Lyn Stone
The Abducted Heiress by Claire Thornton
Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Box #93 (14 books)

Three Complete Novels by Sandra Brown (Best Kept Secrets, Mirror Image, and Slow Heat to Heaven)
Select Editions Four Novels: Safe Harbor, The Analyst, Fallen Angel and Open Season
Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
There's Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers (personally signed)
The Celtic Riddle by Lyn Hamilton
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
The Irish Bride by Alexa Harrington
The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
Castles in the Mist by Jose Litton
When We Met by Susan Mallery
Thief of Hearts by Teresa Medeiros
Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery
Familiar Stranger by Sharon Sala
All of Me by Lori Wilde

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


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

Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky
A Little Magic (Sorry - I initially listed this as Dark 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

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:
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

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 1,348+ 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!

Book Review: Coming Home for Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne

This is a nice, sweet romance/second chance story.

Coming Home for Christmas
(Haven Point #10)
by RaeAnne Thayne

Publisher : HQN; First Time Paperback edition (October 27, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1335147993
Genre: Christmas, Romance, Small Town
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Hearts are lighter and wishes burn a little brighter at Christmas…

Elizabeth Hamilton has been lost. Trapped in a tangle of postpartum depression and grief, she couldn’t quite see the way back to her husband and their two beautiful kids…then a car accident stole away her memories. When she finally remembered the sound of little Cassie’s laugh, Bridger’s baby-powder smell and the feel of her husband’s hand in hers, Elizabeth reasoned that they’d moved on without her. That perhaps she wasn’t the right mother for her kids or wife for Luke, no matter how much she loved them.

But now, seven years later, Luke discovers her in a nearby town and brings Elizabeth back home to the family she loves, just in time for Christmas. Being reunited with Luke and her children is better than anything Elizabeth could have imagined. As they all make new holiday memories, Elizabeth and Luke are drawn ever closer. Can the hurt of the past seven years be healed over the course of one Christmas season and bring the Hamiltons the gift of a new beginning?

Review:
Elizabeth and Luke were madly in love. He came from a broken home and was enthralled by the love and acceptance that Elizabeth offered. But Elizabeth experiences debilitating grief after the death of her beloved parents. This is exacerbated with postpartem depression after the birth of her second child. One night she walks away from her husband and her two children and disappears.

Seven years later Luke, 12-year-old Cassie and 8-year-old Bridger are still suffering from the mysterious disappearance (and abandonment) of Elizabeth. Luke is about to be arrested and charged with murder and the children are subject to nasty comments. When Luke learns that Elizabeth is alive, he sets out to bring her back to prove his innocence. He is angry and she is surprised, saddened and shamed for having brought such trouble and sorrow to her husband and children.

Initially Luke doesn’t want to hear what happened to Elizabeth. Once he begins to listen, he is able to recognize the struggles that his wife has had to overcome after a serious accident that caused temporary loss of memory and damaged her face and body. Bridger never knew his mother and is willing to get to know her. But Cassie is resentful and unwilling to open her arms to this unfamiliar woman. Elizabeth longs to be reconciled with her family but she accepts responsibility for their fears and reluctance and even wonders if she is worthy to be part of their loving group. Can the tenderness of the Christmas spirit help them to find a new chance for love and family?

I have never had depression go beyond a day or so before I refocus. However, I have had family members who suffer from anxiety and depression and I recognize it as a dreadful illness that can require medication and/or counselling therapies. Even so, I had trouble relating to Elizabeth. I couldn’t understand why she would not contact Luke after her memory returned and she was released from rehabilitation. That is all part of the story and part of the issues the characters have to address.

As always, I enjoyed the character development by Ms.Thayne. She is a wonderful story teller sharing emotions and romance in real life situations. I recommend this author and this story as a warm romance featuring the best of Christmas and second chances.

Source: Won from Bookfan in 2019. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Alphabet goals.