Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway February 12, 2021

Happy Friday!  Happy Valentine's everyone! ♥

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 February 5, 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 February 5, 2021 Pick:
LIFE'S SIMPLE PLEASURE gets a GC
AND
ASHFA 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.}

Image found at Pinterest.

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 1,351+ 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: X-O Manowar, Volume 1: By The Sword by Robert Venditti

I quite liked this except that it ends at a point that needs more.

X-O Manowar, Volume 1: By The Sword
(X-O Manowar (2012- ) #1: Digital Exclusives Edition Kindle & comiXology
by Robert Venditti (Author) (Writer), Cary Nord (Artist), Stefano Gaudiano (Inker), Moose Baumann (Colorist)

ASIN : B01FIJ9XP0
Publisher : Valiant (May 2, 2012)
File size : 32876 KB
Print length : 35 pages
Genre: Comic, Graphic Novel, Sci Fi, Superhero
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

The beginning of the all-new Valiant Universe starts here!
Aric of Dacia is a brash warrior and heir to the throne of the Visigoth people. He has lived his life under the heel of the Roman Empire, but now a far more terrible enemy has come to subjugate him. Taken from his home and family, Aric is enslaved aboard a starship belonging to a brutal race of alien colonizers known as The Vine. If he is to have any hope of escaping and returning to Earth, he will have to steal the Vine’s most powerful weapon – a sentient suit of indestructible armor – and become X-O Manowar!

Review:
The Visigoth people have been battling the conquering Roman Empire for years. Aric of Dacia is the heir to the Visigoth throne and a brash warrior. He is ready to attack even as his uncle calls the troops to retreat in the face of the overwhelming numbers and superior weapons of the Romans. When Aric and a band of his soldiers seek to charge, they find themselves facing a brutal alien force instead of the Romans. They are taken captive by the aliens known as The Vine. Aric watches as the aliens hold a religious ceremony and pick their strongest warrior to step into a powerful sentient suit of armor. Although the warrior doesn’t survive the armor, Aric now plans to steal the armor and return as a superhero to his people on Earth.

I really liked the story and the bright, clear illustrations. I was ready to learn how Aric would steal the armor and what would happen to him if he did… But that would have to wait until the next book.

Apparently, this is a recreation of a Valiant comic series from the 1990s. I am definitely tempted to get the next book in the series but, on the other hand, I am not particularly inclined to commit to a series of 50 (plus?) editions at $2.99 each. This first episode is free and teases those who might really enjoy digital comics. Give it a try!

Source: December 25, 2018 Free Kindle Download. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021eBook, and 2021Alphabet goals.

MBS January 2021 Reading List Wrap Up

MBS 2021 Reading List - JANUARY

Code for the list is:
A = Audible; ABB = Audiobook Boom
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 = The Harbinger II: The Return and Love
4.75 Stars = A Stockingful of Joy
4.5 Stars =  Galaxy's Edge

1. 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.
2. PrintTBR- Book Review: Coming Home for Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne; Genre: Christmas, Romance, Small Town; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.
3. 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.
4. NG2020- #NetGalley Audio Book Review: The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, Narrated by Nathan Fillion; Genre: Humorous Sci Fi; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.
5. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Break Shot: My First 21 Years, An Audio Memoir, by James Taylor; Genre: Arts & Entertainment, Memoir, Music; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
6. NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: The Pugly Duckling by Carla Siravo; Genre: Animals, Children; My Rating: 3.25 of 5.0.
7. PrintTBR- Book Review: A Stockingful of Joy by Mary Jo Putney, Jill Barnett, Justine Dare, Susan King; Genre: Anthology, Christmas, Historical Romance; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0.
8. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Galaxy's Edge by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole; Genre: Military Science Fiction; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
9. Author2021- Audible Book Review: Death at the Gazebo by Minnie Crockwell; Genre: Amateur Sleuths, Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
10. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Junkyard Cats by Faith Hunter; Genres: Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.
11. NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: Came A Horseman, A Hard Ride In A Fierce World by Paul McHugh; Genre: Dystopian, Mystery; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.
12. NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: LOVE by Corrinne Averiss; Genre: Children, Educational, Emotions; My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0.
13. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Red Winter, Book 1, by Annette Marie; Genre: Asian Myth & Legend, Fairy Tale, Fantasy Teen & YA; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.

Total read = 13
TBR = 12
New Authors = 8
Audio/Audible = 8 (6 TBRs)
NetGalley = 4 (4 TBRs)
Author Review books (other than NG) = 1
Nonfiction = 1 (TBR audio)
eBook = 0 (0 TBRs)
Print = 2 (2 TBRs)

Goal Progress (to Date meaning through the end of the given month):
Goodreads Goal Read to Date: 13 of 124
TBR to Date: 12 of 90 total
Audio to Date: 8 of 64
NetGalley to Date: 4 of 24
Author Reviews: 1 of 12
Nonfiction: 1 of 12
TBR ebooks or Print: 2 of 24

• Seasonal title: 1 of 4: Winter
• Color in title: 1 of 8: Red
• Alphabet letters Group 1 = 26 Mixed media: 10 Jan +
• Alphabet letters Group 2 = 26 Audio only (not included in group 1): 1 Jan +
• Series: 8 (3 continuing, 5 new)
• New to me Series: 5 (3 Yes to continue, 2 likely)
• Finished for me Series: 0

Sunday Post February 7, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday February 8, 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.

I finished my organizational reports and loved the fact that the club did so much to help the community even during the year of the pandemic. Starting this year, our local Woman's Club manned an hydration station during the local vaccination event. We will do that, plus snacks and lunch, for the 2nd shot event. Here is an image of the parking lot during the height of the January event during which 1,700 shots were given from 9am to 3pm. Those who arrived at 5:30am had a long wait. I went at 1pm and went through in under 1 hour.

Our temperatures are warming again this week -- up to 74 on two days mid week, but five days of rain.

I enjoyed my reading this past week. I finished two audiobooks and one ebook. I posted three reviews and my usual memes.

I visited 19 blogs again last week.
Shout Out this week to FEED YOUR FICTION ADDICTION. Nicole is a middle grade writer, a book-loving homeschooling mom of three who may need an intervention for her addiction!

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 31, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday February 1, 2021.

• NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: Came A Horseman, A Hard Ride In A Fierce World by Paul McHugh; Genre: Dystopian, Mystery; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

• NG2020- #NetGalley Book Review: LOVE by Corrinne Averiss; Genre: Children, Educational, Emotions; My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway February 5, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 2/11/2021.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Red Winter, Book 1, by Annette Marie; Genre: Asian Myth & Legend, Fairy Tale, Fantasy Teen & YA; My Rating: My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #414 Comment Giveaway February 6, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 2/20/2020.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement February 7, 2021.

Finished Reading:

1. Kindle App on Phone (ebTBR)

X-O Manowar, Volume 1: By The Sword
(X-O Manowar (2012) #1)
by Robert Venditti (Goodreads Author) (Writer), Cary Nord (Artist), Stefano Gaudiano (Inker), Moose Baumann (Colorist)
I quite liked this except that it ends at a point that needs more.
Source: December 25, 2018 Free Kindle Download.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Unprepared
The Scourge, Book 1
By: Tom Abrahams
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
Release date: 04-26-20
This is a descent post-apocalyptic but not stellar.
Source: 12/31/2020 Audible Two for One Credit Sale.
Click on book title for full description.

DNF -Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

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

I started this and was finding it interesting but the foul language got to be too much for me.

3. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

You're Going to Mars!
By: Rob Dircks
Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
Release date: 11-13-18
This was a fun story - mix of Willy Wonka, Survivor and America Ninja Warrior competition to get to Mars.
Source: 7/21/2019 Audible Daily Deal $3.95.
Publisher's Summary
Living and slaving in Fill City One, you get used to the smell. We call it the Everpresent Stink. But every once inI a while, on a spring day with a breeze, it clears away enough to remind us that there is something more out there. Most Fillers' wildest dreams would be just to get past the walls and live in the mainland. But my dream? It’s a little bigger.
I’m going to Mars.
Well, I’m only going to Mars if I can find a winning Red Scarab to get on Zach Larson’s crazy reality show. And then I’ll have to figure out how to escape this hellhole. And then compete on live television for three months. And somehow win a spot on the crew of the very first manned mission to Mars. Oh, and one more slight obstacle? There might be a reason that by 2085 a human still hasn’t set foot on the Red Planet. A dangerous reason. A reason worth killing for.
In You’re Going to Mars! Rob Dircks, Audible best-selling author of Where the Hell Is Tesla?, creates a near-future filled with family (the good kind and the insufferable kind), pop divas, mobsters, and the world’s first trillionaire - and sends them all on a science fiction odyssey/comedy/love story/adventure that will change their world forever.
©2018 Rob Dircks (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

Currently Reading:

1. eBook/NetGalley App (NG2020)

Evolving Elizah: Initiatum
by C.J. Hall
I am enjoying this post-apocalyptic/dystopian set in space.
Source: 2020 NetGalley.
Elizah (Liz) Goeff was born into a world much like the one we know today, but she doesn’t remember it. It’s all gone now, covered in ash after a series of natural disasters threw North American civilization into a death spiral. Now Liz’s world is the Green Grow 3, a lush space farm orbiting Earth designed to feed humanity until the planet can heal itself.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

From Here to Equality Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century
By: William A. Darity Jr., A. Kirsten Mullen
Narrated by: JD Jackson
Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
Release date: 04-20-20
I chose this as a resource to offer background and solutions. I saved it to read/listen to during Black History Month.
Source 6/28/2020 One June Credit at Audible.
Publisher's Summary Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn. At several historic moments, the trajectory of racial inequality could have been altered dramatically. Perhaps no moment was more opportune than the early days of Reconstruction, when the US government temporarily implemented a major redistribution of land from former slaveholders to the newly emancipated enslaved.
But neither Reconstruction nor the New Deal nor the civil rights struggle led to an economically just and fair nation. Today, systematic inequality persists in the form of housing discrimination, unequal education, police brutality, mass incarceration, employment discrimination, and massive wealth and opportunity gaps. Economic data indicates that for every dollar the average white household holds in wealth the average black household possesses a mere 10 cents.
In From Here to Equality, William Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen confront these injustices head-on and make the most comprehensive case to date for economic reparations for US descendants of slavery. Taken individually, any one of the three eras of injustice outlined by Darity and Mullen - slavery, Jim Crow, and modern-day discrimination - makes a powerful case for black reparations. Taken collectively, they are impossible to ignore. ©2020 William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen (P)2020 Tantor.

3. PDF on Computer (Author Ebook)

200
by Jennifer Brody, Jules Rivera (Illustrator)
This is a graphic Sci Fi to be released 2/16/21.
Source: 1/11/2020 Received from Turner Publishing Marketing.
It’s Eva Thorne’s 200th birthday.
But it’s not a celebration, more like a funeral. Eva lives in a world where the Cure for aging and illness has been discovered and administered to every person on Earth, only there’s one big hitch. It turns out that very few people can handle immortality, so they have to take a test on their two hundredth birthday. If they pass, then they get to live forever. But if they fail, they must be euthanized.
Eva’s not an optimist. In fact, she’s pretty sure that she’s going to fail her Centurial Assessment Test. For starters, almost nobody passes anymore. She’s seen the news stories. But than more than that, Eva can tell that she’s already starting to slip mentally. Ever since the Escorts took her husband Owen away for his test a little over six months ago and he never came back, she’s been chainsmoking cigarettes (they can’t kill her after all), binge drinking, and waiting for the Escorts to get it over with already.
Who wants to live forever if you have to do it alone?
Here’s the truth—Owen was her husband for over 170 years. He was her soulmate. Her lover. Her goofball best friend. Her partner in crime. Her everything. But on the way to her testing room, Eva glimpses a staffer who resembles her husband. Suddenly, she has to find out the truth about what really happened to him. Suddenly, she has a reason to live. Did he pass his test? Does he get to live forever? Can Eva join him for this next part of their lives? Or is she destined to fail her test and be euthanized?
Now Eva must escape from the testing facility and find out if her husband passed his test—and what he’s been doing for the past six months. With the Escorts hunting her down, she kidnaps the staffer and drags him to the roof, discovering that it’s Owen—only he can’t remember her because they wiped his memory. When you pass your CAT test, you must leave your old life behind. Eva must now find a way to him remember their life together, or lose him forever to his new immortal existence.

4. Paperback (PTBR)

Noah - Another Storm is Coming
by Ellen G. White
The reading is still slow, but I plan to finish this by week's end.
Source: My own bookshelf; gift from a church friend.
Click on book title for full description.

February 7, 2021 - I love seeing new things each time I read the Bible. I did good for a month reading/listening first thing each morning.  I hope I can continue the pattern.
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 am doing a 21-day study this month: Open Heaven: 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer.

I completed three books and posted three reviews to remain up to date.
NetGalley shelf is still at 12. (I didn't look again this week so I wouldn't be tempted.)
Three author titles in queue as I am reading one but I added an audio from anothor.
(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 Audible Code from an author.
I made the mistake of looking at the Audible Plus catalog and added seven more to my library. 
Ten 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

2/5/2021 Author Audible Code:

Dorothy: A Madcap Regency Romance
The Fairweather Sisters, Book 3
By: Anya Wylde
Narrated by: Deryn Oliver
Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
Release date: 12-30-20

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

Seven new Audible Plus titles:

Dusty's Diary
By: Bobby Adair
Narrated by: Ray Porter

Blueshift
By: Joshua Dalzelle
Narrated by: Paul Heitsch

The Wicked Wyckerly
By: Patricia Rice
Narrated by: Eliza Jane Cornell
Series: The Rebellious Sons, Book 1

Genesis: Legends Online, Book 1
By: Jonathan Yanez , Ross Buzzell
Narrated by: Adam Gold
Series: Legends Online, Book 1

Three books in series:

Eternal Frontier
By: Anthony J. Melchiorri
Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
Series: Eternal Frontier, Book 1

Edge of War: The Eternal Frontier, Book 2
By: Anthony J. Melchiorri
Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
Series: Eternal Frontier, Book 2

Shattered Dawn
By: Anthony J. Melchiorri
Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
Series: Eternal Frontier, Book 3


Ten 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 February 7, 2021

Our church celebrated communion this morning. We can participate with a cracker and juice, but it isn’t the same. Pastor continued his series called “Battle On”.

We all have unexpected interruptions or experiences during our lives. How do we respond? With anger and frustration or with grace and patience? Are we a pessimist, an optimist or somewhere in between? In Romans chapter 8 Paul explains that believers have a special hope, a special assurance of the future.
Romans 8:14-25:
Believers are adopted in as God’s children. Verses 14-16.
But if we share the Glory, we will also have suffering! Verse 17.
We have reasons to be confident:
We are children of God. Verses 14-16.
God has already been there and gives assurance of victory as God’s heirs. Verses 17 and 23.
We are not alone. All creation is waiting for God’s freedom from death and decay. Verse 21.
Our suffering is temporary. Verse 18.

These assurances are spelled out more clearly in Revelation 2 and 3 which contain seven promises for those who endure to the end.
To those who are victorious will be given:
Revelation 2:7. …fruit from the tree of life....
2:11. … will not be harmed by the second death.
2:17. … manna from heaven and a white stone* with secret name…. (*Evidence of acquittal).
2:26. … authority over all the nations.
Revelation 3:5. …clothed in white… names never erased from the book of life… Jesus will announce you are His.
3:12. … become a pillar in the temple of God…. …will belong with the name of God written on you….
3:21. … will sit with Jesus on the heavenly throne….

Have you accepted the gift of salvation that gives you hope? Are you pressing on with Christ to be victorious in the end?

Sometimes I search through song videos until I find the one that my heart says it right. Even though this is a video I shared last year, it is the one I came to today. In times of uncertainty I am thankful that I know there is victory if we hold on to God’s promises!

Verses for Today:
Romans 8:18-22 (NLT)
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

Lord, Thank you for Your promises. Help me to hold on to win the victory with Christ!