Sharing Beyond Books #413 Comment Giveaway January 23, 2021

Hello again, Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books.

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
Last Q#412 Ashfa asked: What topic would you like to see tackled more in diverse reads??
Four of us suggested more dystopian with two of us mentioning 'prepper' stories. Three suggested more diversity - different tropes, race and equality issues and different cultures. Three didn't know what to suggest and one added more pets. Although I might not agree with Fredaman's suggestion that included "more sexuality" (or I would chose not to read it), I totally agree with her comment: "More of it all. Don't ban it, read it." I agree - let it be the reader's choice to read or not.

The Winner from SBB #412 comments is #1 MIKI who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated (**Finally!) ARC/Review titles or (recently updated) Love and Christmas titles - all linked near the end of the post. -- [11/16/19 I plan to add some review books this week and maybe some new Christmas and Love titles as soon as I locate the box I put them in. 11/28/20 I have added a box of new books for SBB and will list them in the next week or so. I have to try to cross off books that have already been awarded. ]

Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #413

(One Question.)

Natalija asks: Do you prefer alpha or beta heroes in your romantic fiction??

 I think I generally prefer alpha males but it may depend on how you define alpha male. He still has to be loyal and honest, not a womanizer or a cheat, and kind rather than bullying.

Image found at Whisper.

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month, I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a 1/2 book choice or $2.50 towards GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify them.
January Questions were shared by Ashfa and Natalija who both get $2.50 credit.

Your turn to share. Natalija asks: Do you prefer alpha or beta heroes in your romantic fiction??

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

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made through Saturday, February 6, 2021, at 5 PM central.

Book Review: 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.
A Stockingful of Joy
by Mary Jo Putney, Jill Barnett, Justine Dare, Susan King

Publisher : Signet; First Edition (October 30, 2007)
Mass Market Paperback : 400 pages
ISBN-10 : 0451223489
Genre: Anthology, Christmas, Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0.

Now readers can enjoy the magical spirit of Christmas with this romantic quartet of stories filled with all the hope and joy of the holiday season.

Review:
This anthology was a joy for me. I happened to have a handful of books by Jill Barnett and a dozen or so in my Putney collection. I have enjoyed the other authors before too. All of the stories have attraction and sensuality to convey the romance without outright heat and graphic description. They are sweet and quick, easy reading to enjoy.

The Snow Rose by Susan King – 4.75.
Highlands, 1573. Catriona MacDonald is being forced to marry a man her uncle has chosen if she wants to keep her castle. Catriona has a snow rose pin that represents a 21-year-old promise to give aid so she seeks aid from a rival Scottish clan, the Frasers. But the clan will not help due to a signed pledge not to feud with the MacDonalds.

Catriona departs with food gifts. She returns to her small shieling, taking the food to a houseful of orphans she is helping. She prepares the new year’s traditions hoping for good luck although she can’t imagine who would come to be the first-foot through her door and bring blessings to her small abode. Then Kenneth Fraser stumbles in, having been attacked as he was trying to find her home.

Kenneth has to recover from his beating and as he does he finds himself drawn to the gentle, but strong young woman who was brave enough to seek help from his clan. Can Kenneth bring some good luck and help Catriona find a solution to her problems?

The Best Husband Money Can Buy by Mary Jo Putney – 4.75.
London 1818. Emma Stone is a distant cousin in the Vaughn family. As a child she loved the Christmas gatherings and remembers with fondness her crush on Anthony Vaughn, five years older. But the death of her parents sent Emma to become a governess.

Ten years later, Emma is mourning the fact that she is too poor to attend the annual festivities she still gets invited to. But this year things change. Through a random act of kindness, Emma inherits a stranger’s fortune. She decides to buy the best husband money can buy and then return to the family gathering.  Her new solicitor prepares dossiers of several appropriate men, but Emma is set on one who might not be quite appropriate based on family financial troubles. Emma hopes those troubles will help her convince Anthony Vaughn to marry her.

Emma finds Anthony in the mess of a morning after party, with participants strewn about the room. She is able to convince him to marry and they travel to the country to meet with the family for the first time in 10 years. Things seem to be going slowly by well, until Emma learns that there are bad feelings that impact Anthony and therefore their relationship. Will she find heartache or happiness with her ‘purchased’ husband?

A Light in the Window by Justine Dare – 4.5.
Wyoming Territory 1878. Morgan has been a drifter since a tender age when he left the home of his bitter, critical aunt. He takes shelter in a barn during a storm and is soon surprised when a small boy with a small pack comes in. It seems the boy, Zach, is intent on running away from his weepy, grabby, old aunt.

Faith has been crying as she grieves the loss of her sister and struggles to gain acceptance from her nephew, Zach. But Zach believes that his mother is coming back and nothing Faith can do is as good as his mother would do. Faith can’t even chop the wood to keep the fuel ready for the fire so how is she supposed to keep the homestead as Zach’s inheritance?

Surprising them all, Morgan decides to help in exchange for the shelter and food. His insight helps bring understanding between Faith and Zach and one day turns into a couple and soon Christmas Eve is upon them. Faith knows that Morgan isn’t likely to stay but perhaps he could be her gift for one Christmas before he goes and perhaps she can show him the love he has never known.

Boxing Day by Jill Barnett – 4.0.
New York 1898. Conn Donoughue is a big man, a former boxer known as the Irish Giant. Now he runs a gymnasium in the ‘belly’ of New York. He leases the four-story building and would like to buy it but can’t convince his stubborn landlady, Eleanor, to sell. It seems whenever the two see each other there is tension. She moves into the top flat only to learn the beautiful glass ceiling leaks. Conn has to rescue her (and this won’t be the only time).

They fuss at each other but a friendship quickly develops. Eleanor resists a stronger relationship because she is older than Conn. Can he convince her to move past her fear and give them a chance at love and a family?

Source: My own print TBR stack and author collected books (Putney and Barnett). This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Print goals.

#NetGalley Book Review: The Pugly Duckling by Carla Siravo

This is very cute but has a major flaw.

The Pugly Duckling
by Carla Siravo
P. Santiago (Illustrator)

Publisher : Indigo River Pub (December 8, 2020)
Paperback : 36 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1950906802
Reading age : 5 - 6 years
Genre: Animals, Children
My Rating: 3.25 of 5.0

Jean and Joe Duck were oh-so-surprised, When their duckling hatched, not quite the right size, With a curly-swirly tail and hairy-scary paws, And furry fat rolls and sharp beast claws. They loved their son, though he was ugly, Not quite a duckling, and a little bit pugly.

Review:
Jean and Joe Duck really want a child. They are thrilled when they finally have an egg to care for, even if it is a "ugly-wugly". And they are thrilled too when the egg hatches and produces their own pugly child. The problems come when the adorable pug tries to pretend to the other ducks that he is one of them. They are ready to accept him if he would stop pretending to be something he is not.

The story is a bit of a twist on the classic Ugly Duckling story. It is very cute and has wonderful rhyming that kids would surely like. I think the illustrations are adorable, like the cover. The story has a good message about being yourself and allowing others to accept you for the real you.

It was hard to give this only a 3.25 rating but I didn't feel right rounding up to 4.0. I wasn't thrilled with the repeated 'ugly" descriptions for the pug as that might give children the idea it is okay to call others "ugly" instead of finding kinder word choices. But the big flaw for me was that dogs don’t come from eggs. An adult understands this but it would have to be explained to children and, for me, that lessens the effectiveness of the story and message. Dressing up in a cute duck costume and trying to fit in with the ducks can be explained. But I think each parent/teacher who might share this book would have to think how they would address the egg issue.

Source: 2020 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway January 22, 2021

Happy Friday!  This month is flying by too fast.

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 15, 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 15, 2021 Pick:
RITA gets The Abducted Heiress
AND
NATALIJA 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.}

I would love to fill this bookshelf, wouldn't you?
Image found at GoodHousekeeping.com.

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 1,349+ 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!

Audible Book Review: Break Shot: My First 21 Years, An Audio Memoir, by James Taylor

I was surprised by this history of James Taylor's early years.
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
Publisher: Audible Originals
Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Memoir, Music
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

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

Review:
James Taylor, born in 1948, is a renowned musician/songwriter who is only a few years older than me. I enjoy many of his songs when I was young, and still do today. I was totally surprised that this prolific songwriter suffered mental illness during his teen years. I enjoyed that he shared his family struggles openly and frankly. He acknowledged that he got involved with drugs early on and had to seek help more than once… all before the age of 21. Taylor thanked several friends and musicians who helped him begin his career, including a visit with the Beetles. He also explained how personal events and relationships contributed to the songs he was writing. It was interesting that Taylor reveals the humanity and fragility that provided inspiration for his music.

I agree that Fire and Rain is a ‘classic’ and I was pleased when the song was shared at the end of the book. This is a quick listen, narrated by the author which provided more authenticity. I did enjoy what was shared but I would have liked more lyrics in the piece. There were several sections of music without lyrics which were nice but not as meaningful for me. I recommend this to those of the era and to those who enjoy learning about the background of an American songwriter.

Source: 2/10/2020 Extra Free Audible Original. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook, and 2021Alphabet goals.