Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway August 27, 2021

Happy Friday! Another month gone by!

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 August 20, 2021 Pick. There were no automatic wins last 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 August 20, 2021 Pick:
BN100 gets a Anne of Green Gables

AND
FREDAMANS 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.}

Ohhh - A reading vacation. How lovely.
Image found at Living Read Girl.

New Book Box #94 May 28, 2021 (10 books)

Three Audio CD Books:
Web of Evil by J.A. Jance
One Good Deed by David Baldacci
Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
SINGLE TITLES
Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
The Hidden Heart by Laura Kinsale
A Summer of Firsts by Susan Wiggs and Sarah Morgan
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
Christmas on 4th Street: An Anthology by Susan Mallery
The Stranger by Harlan Coben
Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson


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

A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart
Heart's Desire by Ruth Ryan Hagan
The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed
Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Box #93 (14 books)

Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
There's Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers (personally signed)
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
The Irish Bride by Alexa Harrington
When We Met by Susan Mallery
Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery
All of Me by Lori Wilde

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

SINGLES: Ten books in this box:
Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman Audiobook

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

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


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

SINGLES:
Alias by Smy J. Fetzer
Hot Sex by Janet Evanovich (Audio cassettes)

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 1,371 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, TWRP, 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: The Reaper, Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers, by Gary Brozek, Nicholas Irving

Nicholas Irving shares his years of sniper action in service of our military.

The Reaper
Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers
By: Gary Brozek, Nicholas Irving
Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Biography, Memoir, Military, Special Elite
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Content 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Groundbreaking, thrilling and revealing, The Reaper is the astonishing memoir of Special Operations Direct Action Sniper Nicholas Irving, the 3rd Ranger Battalion's deadliest sniper with 33 confirmed kills, though his remarkable career total, including probables, is unknown. In the best-selling tradition of American Sniper and Shooter, Irving shares the true story of his extraordinary career, including his deployment to Afghanistan in the summer of 2009, when he set another record, this time for enemy kills on a single deployment. His teammates and chain of command labeled him "The Reaper," and his actions on the battlefield became the stuff of legend, culminating in an extraordinary face-off against an enemy sniper known simply as The Chechnian. Irving's astonishing first-person account of his development into an expert assassin offers a fascinating and extremely rare view of special operations combat missions through the eyes of a Ranger sniper during the Global War on Terrorism. From the brotherhood and sacrifice of teammates in battle to the cold reality of taking a life to protect another, no other audiobook dives so deeply inside the life of a sniper on point.
©2015 Nicholas Irving (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Review:
Nicholas Irving was given his nickname, “The Reaper”, by other military men who heard of his skills and confirmed kills while protecting his teammates. He was rumored to have many more kills than were actual but he did have a good record especially after so many snipers had uneventful deployments. For Irving, a busy mission was a mixed blessing. Like many young soldiers he dreamed as a young boy of eventually becoming a soldier serving his country. He was only in his early 20s when he was a leader taking his team into enemy territory. On one hand many of the young men are eager to face the enemy, but Irving is mindful of each mate he is responsible for.

I enjoyed this autobiography which is written to be active and interesting. I found it amusing how Irving describes his special relationship with his equipment which is presented in a light way with a touch of self-deprecation. The entire book is presented with honest feelings addressing the relationships, including a dog and handler pair, developed and the reality of the dangers faced in hostile territory. I appreciated the intensity of the thoughts shared with minimal bad language. I recommend this to readers interested in the life of a military sniper.

Audio Notes: Jeff Gurner does a clear job with the narration. My only thought was that the accent didn’t really fit as Gurner appears to be an older white male narrating the thoughts and actions of a young black man. This detracted a bit from the reality of the biography.

Source: March 2016 Sale at Audible. This qualifies for 2021TBR, and 2021Audiobook goals.

Audio Review: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

This delightful story moved very quickly.
Secrets of a Summer Night
Written by Lisa Kleypas
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

Run Time 8h 35min
Release Date: March 16, 2021
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Content 4.5; Narration 4.75.

Publisher Description
The Wallflowers
Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands … no matter what it takes
Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.
Annabelle is determined to resist Simon’s wicked propositions, but she can’t deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle’s courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear.

Review:
Beautiful Annabelle has struggled through several seasons but remains a wallflower because she has no dowry. She is being pushed by her mother to marry a wealthy suitor but she hasn’t found anyone suitable. Meanwhile, the men figure that eventually she will agree to become a mistress to save her mother and younger brother. Annabelle and three other wallflowers decide to band together to help each other find a husband. Annabelle sets her sights on a mild-mannered young man who is being besieged by many unwed debutantes.

One extremely wealthy man, Simon Hunt, continues to take an interest in Annabelle but he is an on the fringes of good society as an entrepreneur rather than titled nobility. Simon isn’t necessarily looking for marriage, but the more he is around Annabelle the more he is drawn to her caring nature. Annabelle is proud and not sure if society will really accept someone like Simon, in spite of his money and good looks. But as they spend time together she begins to wonder what it would be like to be more intimate with him.

I enjoyed the collaborations of the four wallflowers, but I enjoyed the ‘push and repel’ attraction between Annabelle and Simon. I’m not sure I agree that Annabelle should have remained silent as long as she did, but it fit the story plot. I had forgotten how much I enjoy this type of historical romance with its society intrigues and sensual romance. I am looking forward to the next book in the series for Autumn (It Happened One Autumn).

Audio Notes: Rosalyn Landor is a wonderful narrator for this genre. She presents engaging, distinct voices, and strong energy fitting the emotions. The audio enhanced my enjoyment of this story.

Source: July 2021 Purchase at Chirp for $1.99. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook, and 2021Season goals.

Sunday Post August 22, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday August 23, 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.

This past week was a bit difficult. Tropical Storm Fred went through on Monday with not too much damage other than cutting out power both in my office and at home.  We were without power for 24 hours but we are fortunate to have a generator for the fridge, freezer, oxygen tank, and TV. We also pulled a fan downstairs to cool the hot room. I forgot to take my thyroid medicine on Sunday and on Tuesday I had no energy to struggle through the heat so it was a wasted day.

We returned to work on Wednesday having lost a day of preparation. Our business is stressful and it isn't helped when people are rude to staff for things they can't control. Our processor has been working extra files due to Heather's absence. I was out to a board meeting on Thursday morning when a customer yelled at her over bank wire fees. Apparently it was the straw that broke the camel's back and the staff member wrote a two line resignation and walked out leaving the other staff to pick up with two closings scheduled that day.  We were all dismayed. The girls called Heather and she came in for the closings. I felt sorry that I didn't fully recognize the leaving staff member's stress level but we all agreed that didn't justify walking out with no notice. I expect to be juggling in the office for a few weeks.

I needed this sign of hope on Thursday afternoon.

We are supposed to have 90 degree temps and thunderstorms this coming week.

I enjoyed my listening again this week, finishing two audiobooks.  I posted two reviews and my usual memes.

I had no internet Monday night through Tuesday at 8:45pm. I visited only 14 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to WORDREVEL. Joséphine is "passionate about a great many things ranging from reading to baking to sports to photography and beyond."

Audible offerings for free children's titles ended June 30.
Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post August 15, 2021/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday August 16, 2021.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Zero Hour, Expeditionary Force, Book 5, by Craig Alanson; Genre: Adventure, Military, Space Opera; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.75.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway August 20, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 8/26/2021.

• A2021- Audible Book Review: Q & A by Ben Winters; Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Content 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #428 Comment Giveaway August 21, 2021. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/4/2021.
  

• Sunday Words of Encouragement August 22, 2021.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

The Reaper
Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers
By: Gary Brozek, Nicholas Irving
Narrated by: Jeff Gurner
Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
This shares unique personal experiences that I found to give interesting insights to a soldier's life.
Source: March 2016 Sale at Audible.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)

The Trouble with Dukes
Windham Brides, Book 1
By: Grace Burrowes
Narrated by: James Langton
Series: Windham Brides, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
This is another charming

Historical/Regency Romance.
This is from my TBR and fav authors.
Source: 8/9/18 Two for One Credit Audiobooks.com.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:

1. ebook/NetGalley App on Phone (NG2021)

The Keepers
by Jeffrey B. Burton
I am 60% in and still enjoying this

easy, engaging writing.
I wish my ebook reading went faster
(Seen at Inside of a Dog.)
Source: NetGalley 7/11/2021.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

The Bone Farm: A Jane Hawk Case File
By: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers , James Anderson Foster
Series: Jane Hawk, Book 0.5
I've been eyeing books in this series so I am glad to listen to a prequel to get a better feel for the series.
Source: August 2021 Audible Plus.
Publisher's Summary
An audio original novella featuring bestselling author Dean Koontz’s compelling new heroine, Jane Hawk. From the case files of the former FBI agent before she became the nation’s most wanted fugitive - The Bone Farm details a desperate man-hunt for a serial killer before he murders again.
Katherine Haskell, a young college co-ed is on her way back to school, but she never makes it there. Instead, she becomes the latest prey of the rapist and murderer dubbed by the tabloids the “Mother Hater.” He is a twisted soul who kidnaps young girls for pleasure then discards them.
Katherine is missing, but she’s not yet dead. FBI agents Jane Hawk and her partner Gary Burkett must descend into the hell of this killer’s mind to solve the case before it is too late. The question is - will they both get out alive?
©2018 Dean Koontz (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

3. ebook/PDF on Computer (NG2021)

Hematite
1. Serenade
by Script by Victoria Maderna, Federico Piatti and
art by Victoria Maderna, Federico Piatti
Europe Comics
Every now and then I like to throw in a graphic novel and this looks like a good one.
Source 2021 NetGalley.
Hematite is a young vampire who is trying to find her way. As a member of the illustrious Blackwood family, she faces pressure to conform to high society standards, but such grandstanding isn’t for her. And neither is drinking blood—she’d rather have vegetable soup! So it is that she opts for the more diverse Wolven School, rather than joining the ranks of her fellow vampires at the Diaemus Academy. Being different can be hard, though, and doesn’t always help to make friends. Luckily for Hematite, she has her poetry, as well as Drunela—a draugr who won’t let their differences keep them apart—and Emile, a human boy fascinated by the occult who would just love to take a peek at the Blackwood’s private library. Unfortunately, bridging societal divides isn’t always easy, and can lead to terrible consequences…

4. Audible/Smartphone (ATBR)

Infinity Blade: Awakening
By Brandon Sanderson
Narrated By: Samuel Roukin
Duration: 4 h 41 min
This is an author my son really likes too.
Source: 3/28/2020 Audiobooks.com Two For One Credit
Summary:
Trained from birth in swordplay and combat, a young knight named Siris has journeyed to the Dark Citadel with a single purpose: fight through the army of Titans to face the tyrannical God King in one-on-one combat. This was his father's sacred mission, and his father's before him, going back countless generations in an effort to free their people from enslavement.
But when Siris somehow succeeds where all those from his bloodline previously have failed, he finds himself cast into a much larger world, filled with warriors and thieves, ancient feuds and shifting alliances, Deathless immortals and would-be kings. His quest for freedom will take him on an epic journey in search of the mythical figure known as the Worker of Secrets - the one being in the world who can unravel the secrets of the Infinity Blade.
Based on the bestselling video game from ChAIR Entertainment and Epic Games, this all-new adventure from acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson digs deeper into the fantastical world of Infinity Blade, a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable, and even life and death are not what they seem.
Brandon Sanderson has published six solo novels with Tor Books-Elantris, the Mistborn trilogy, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings-as well as four books in the middle-grade Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians series from Scholastic. He was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's long-running Wheel of Time series, to which he added 2009's The Gathering Storm and 2010's Towers of Midnight, as well as the final book in the series, A Memory of Light, scheduled for release in 2012. Currently living in Utah with his wife and children, Brandon teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.

August 22, 2021 - I remain on track. I love seeing new things each time I read the Bible. I am glad to still be current with morning reading. I am reading/listening to the NLT Tyndale version of the Bible on You Version App so Hubby and I are reading the same passages each day.
8/23 I am starting a new 5-day study with other ladies from our church: The Armor of God.

I completed two books to review this week and have one review from last week.
NetGalley shelf is down to 3 old titles. 
Now five author titles are in queue. I'll be working on these next soon.
(Plus a few that I received from facebook links and 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: Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, me and new to the team, Velvet at vvb32reads. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

No new review book again this week.
I selected my VIP Credit choice from Audiobooks.com and I am looking at the 2 for 1 Deals.
I also selected three audios from Audible Plus Catalog.
Two Kindle titles this week.
(Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

I selected this title as my VIP free title in August from Audiobooks.com.

A Court of Thorns and Roses
By Sarah J. Maas
Narrated By: Jennifer Ikeda
Duration: 16 h 11 min
I have been eyeing this series even though YA.


8/2/2021 I selected three titles From Audible Plus Catalog:

Wolf Hall
By: Harper Fox
Narrated by: Tim Gilbert
Release date: 01-31-17

Oracle
By: Andrew Pyper
Narrated by: Joshua Jackson
Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
Release date: 08-17-21

The Unwanted Heiress
By: Amy Corwin
Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart
Series: The Archer Family, Book 1
Release date: 03-16-17


Two Free Kindle Titles - I think these were both links from Facebook:

Free Trader Box Set - Books 1-3:
Free Trader of Warren Deep, Planet Vii, and Adventures on RV Traveler (Free Trader Omnibus Editions Book 1)
Craig Martelle

Winter's Bride: A Fantasy Romance
(The Elders of the Seasons Book 1)
Nellie C. Lind


Other Free titles often found at Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement August 22, 2021

Our service today opened, after worship songs, with prayers for the church to Rise and prayers for protection of the innocents, particularly Christians, in Afghanistan. Pastor continued the sermon series: Rising.

Have you ever had someone offer “anything you need, call on me?” Or maybe you have said that to someone in trouble. Was that a true statement? Did they mean it? Did you?

When was the last time you offered God everything without restrictions?
We should be offering our resources and our bodies without restrictions.
This might be a dangerous prayer when we say “God, I am Yours, use me as You wish.”
Do we trust God to use us for HIS best interest… regardless what it means in our own lives?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

We count the costs... but don’t we trust that God has already counted the cost?

Even Moses tried to say no, He said he wasn’t qualified, couldn’t speak. But Moses obeyed and God let Aaron help him.

God wants someone to say “yes”. God will use the person who obeys through faith, then God will supply the tools and the resources.

Our whole life journey is built on faith

The Point: Rising faith builds a rising victorious church that God can use.

Pray first for rising faith; then let God use you.
In Acts 3:1-8 Peter and John had no gold but offered healing: Get up and walk. The crippled man was healed by faith.

Right now in the world, Afghanistan Christians have to decide if they have faith to keep their printed Bible in their homes or to keep the Bible App on their phones. They are being faced with a point of rising faith. How would you respond?

Are we prepared to say “Yes” even before God asks? How is the level of our faith?

The end result of our faith is the salvation of our souls. 1 Peter 1:3-5. Rising faith helps us understand the difference between this world, this life and what we will have for all eternity.
Are we willing to see that this corporal world is of less value than the promise of eternal life?

Today’s challenge: Will you offer God every part of you without restriction? Will you say “yes” before he asks?

Trust Him fully and completely – with every day, all of our resources, all of our talents… all of us.

We may not see ourselves as important. Why would God choose me to do something? But we are important to God! He has a plan for each of us. He is ready to use those who are willing to say “yes”.

I used this song video four years ago but it fits today.

Verses for today:
1 Peter 1:3-5
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Lord, please help my faith and willingness to serve You be stronger than my worldliness.