Sunday Words of Encouragement August 14, 2022 When You Speak

This is a very late post today. I have been busy the past two days working on my committee tasks as our new year program begins soon.
I tried to do church online this morning but they had technical difficulties.
I miss my church fellowship but I am glad I can read my Bible verses and 'hear' God speak to my heart.

I chose this song as it speaks to me today.

A Verse for Today
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”


Lord, Thank You for speaking "peace" to me and thank you for guiding me. Please continue to guide me each day.

MBS July 2022 Reading List Wrap Up

MBS 2022 Reading List - JULY

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 2022
Favorites for the month:

5 Stars =
4.75 Stars =  Man of War, Christmas Every Day
4.5 Stars = (4) End of Summer, The Plus One Pact, Forget Nothing, After it Happened

1. NG2022: #NetGalley Audio Book Review: Just Tyrus: A Memoir by Tyrus; Genre: Biography, Memoirs; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.0.
2. ATBR: Audible Book Review: End of Summer by S.M. Anderson; Genre: Adventure, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
3. AT2022: Audible Book Review: Man of War by T. J. London; Genre: Action and Adventure, Historical Fiction; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.75; Narration 4.75.
4. A2022: Audible Book Review: The Plus One Pact by Portia MacIntosh ; Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Comedy; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
5. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Christmas Every Day by Beth Moran; Genre: Action and Adventure, Historical Fiction; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.75; Narration 4.75.
6. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Forget Nothing by Jason Anspach and Michelle C. Meyers; Genre: Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
7. ATBR: Audible Book Review: After It Happened Books 5 and 6 by Devon C. Ford; Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.
8. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Sidekick, Raptors, Book 1 by Jaime Castel and C.J. Valin; Genre: Action and Adventure, Comic, Teen and Young Adult; My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.25.
9. ATBR: Audio Book Review: Tattered Loyalties by Carrie Ann Ryan; Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Shifter, Wolves; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
10. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Nomad, The Nomad Triology 1, by Matthew Mather; Genre: Action, Post-Apocalyptic; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
11. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves; Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Women Sleuths; My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 3.75.

Total read = 11
TBR = 8
New Authors = 8
Audio/Audible = 11 (8 TBRs)
NetGalley = 1 (1 audio) (0 TBRs)
Author Review books (other than NG) = 1 (0 TBR)
Nonfiction = 1
eBook = 0 (0 TBR)
Print = 0 (0 TBR)

Goal Progress (to Date meaning through the end of the given month):
Goodreads Goal Read to Date: 73 of 125
TBR to Date: 57 of 90 total
Audio to Date: 68 of 100
NetGalley to Date: 11 of 10
Author Reviews: 3 of 12
Nonfiction: 6 of 12
TBR ebooks or Print: 5 of 12

• Series: 50 of 75 (21 continuing, 29 new)
• New to me Series: 29 (8 Yes to continue; 9 likely to continue, 9 maybe, 3 unlikely)
• Finished for me Series: 3

Special Goals
• Seasonal title: 3 of 4: Winter, Spring, Summer
• Alphabet letters covered: AUDIO SERIES: 4 Jan, 2 Feb, 7 March, 3 April, 4 May, 2 June (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, Z) (22 of 26)   
Remaining: V, W, X, Y
• Alphabet letters covered: MIXED MEDIA (focus on stand alones but can be series): 3 Jan, 4 Feb, 3 March, 7 April, 3 May, 2 June; (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, U, W, Y, Z) (23 of 26)
Remaining: T, V, X

Audible Book Review: Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves

Although I enjoyed the full story, it is a bit plodding.
The Dead Cat Bounce
By: Sarah Graves
Narrated by: Lindsay Ellison

Series: Home Repair is Homicide, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
Release date: 08-01-09
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Women Sleuths
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 3.75.

Publisher's Summary
Since she bought her rambling fixer-upper of a house, Jacobia Tiptree has gotten used to finding things broken. But her latest problem isn't so easily repaired. Along with the rotting floor joists and sagging support beams, there's the little matter of the dead man in Jake's storeroom, an ice pick planted firmly in his cranium. Jake's unknown guest turns out to be local boy turned billionaire Threnody McIlwaine. When Jake's best friend, quiet and dependable Ellie White, confesses to the murder, cops and journalists swarm into the snowbound Eastport. Jake smells a cover-up, and begins poking into past history between McIlwaine and Ellie's family. But someone doesn't like nosy neighbors...and Jake's rustic refuge may become her final resting place.
©1997 Sarah Graves (P)2009 BBC Audio

Review:
Jacobia (Jake) had a successful career as a financial planner helping people salvage damaged accounts. Now she has chosen to retire with her teenage son to the insular community of Eastport, Maine where she invests her money in a damaged, fixer-upper house. While working on house renovations, a dead body is found in her storeroom. The dead man is a local playboy billionaire who has created many enemies along his flamboyant path.

The prime suspect is Jake’s best friend, Ellie, who is known as a caring, dependable woman who has remained single to live at home and take care of her loving father and bitter, demanding, mother. George, the local police officer who is first to investigate, has had a crush on Ellie but hasn’t been able to get her to leave her parents. George would do a lot to protect Ellie but he can’t do much when she confesses to the crime.

Jake doesn’t believe Ellie and is sure she is protecting someone. Jake sets out to investigate on her own, even making the authorities aware of her disdain for their failure to look for an alternative to Ellie’s quick confession.

There is family drama with both primary female characters. Ellie has her loving father who has doted on her nasty, bitter mother. Jake has to deal with her high-power ex-husband who wants to push their not so motivated son into Ivy League schools where he will struggle. Jake is also involved with a rugged, local man who is a water rescue specialist, Wade. Wade is very likeable while her ex is repulsive.

Unlike many cozy mysteries, the dead body was found early in the book, rather then far into it. However, the story still seemed slow in getting to the details and suspects. I enjoyed the setting and descriptions, but the writing, though clear, was more plodding than exciting. I found it interesting to learn the term "Dead Cat Bounce". I do have the second book from the plus catalog so I will listen to it sometime. Fans of light cozy mystery might want to check this out for themselves.

Audio Notes: The narration by Lindsay Ellison was clear and adequate but didn’t infuse any “oomph” to the story. I would still want to listen rather than read.

Source: 11/6/2021 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway August 12, 2022

Happy Friday!
TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK.
Sorry I was unable to get a post up last Friday. I spent almost two weeks visiting my son's family, watching the children while my d-i-l rested after another cancer surgery on her temple.
I am traveling home today.
I still have some GC emails and payments to complete and books to pull for mailing soon.

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 July 29, 2022 Pick. There was one automatic win this past 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.
BN100 gets One Minute Out

CONGRATULATIONS to one winner (only 6 entries):
Random.org picked Winner from July 29, 2022 Pick:
ELAINE 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 hope you celebrated by reading a book!
Image found at Reading Ladies Book Club.

New Book Box #96 June 10, 2022

PAIR:
Liz Carlyle: Three Little Secrets and My False Heart
Johanna Lindsey: Brave the Wild Wind and Fires of Winter
SINGLE TITLES
Against the Sky by Kat Martin
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

The Eagle and the Dove by Jane Feather
Heir to a Dark Inheritance by Maisey Yates
The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood
Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour
A Legacy of Secrets by Carol Marinelli
Marry in Secret by Anne Gracie
No Greater Treasure by Ellen Kelley
One Minute Out by Mark Greaney
Texas Born by Diana Palmer
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (Illustrated Classic Edition)
While Others Sleep by Helen R. Myers


New Book Box #95 November 7, 2021

I'll add the titles through the week (16 including 2 doubles, 1 pair).
(on top) (Two) Rancher's Wild Secret and Hold Me Cowboy by Maisey Yates
(on top) Shadowlight by Lynn Viehl
(Two) The Taming & The Conquest by Jude Deveraux
My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
Love's Surprise by Karen Ball
Manhunt by Wayne Barton and Stan Williams - Audio CDs
After the Light by Kimberly Clark Sharp (Hardback)


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

Three One Audio CD Books:
Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
SINGLE TITLES
Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
The Hidden Heart by Laura Kinsale

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

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
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


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

Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky
Valley of Silence


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:
A Question of God's Balance (Vol 1) by Joseph Thek


New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
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
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
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind

New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

SINGLES:
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018
All Gone

New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
SINGLES:
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.

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
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
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
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.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

(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 TWELVE years I have posted 91 groups of mostly 16 books plus an additional 21 totaling approximately 1,535 books available to find new homes! (As of November 26, 2021).

I am happy to say that so far at least 1,403 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: Nomad, The Nomad Triology 1, by Matthew Mather

This apocalyptic, action story has interesting climate science elements.

Nomad
The Nomad Trilogy 1
By: Matthew Mather
Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka

Series: The Nomad Series, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
Release date: 11-04-15
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Action, Post-Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Publisher's Summary
Something big is coming...big enough to destroy the entire solar system...and it's heading straight for Earth. That's what Dr. Ben Rollins, head of Harvard's exoplanet research team, is told by NASA after being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. His first instinct is to call his daughter and wife, who are vacationing in Italy: Something is coming, he tells them, a hundred times the mass of our sun. We can't see it, we don't know what it is, but it's there. They're calling it Nomad, and it's coming fast. In just a few months, the Earth may be destroyed.
The world erupts into chaos as the end approaches - and Ben discovers that his wife and daughter are trapped in Italy. The key to humanity's survival may rest in the final answers he pieces together in the midst of his frantic scramble to find his family before Nomad swallows the planet.
©2015 Matthew Mather (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Review:
As a young scientist, Dr. Ben Rollins provided research predicting a collision in space. That research paper was declined for publication many years ago. Now Earth is facing a catastrophic solar event which is being hidden from the public even as it will soon be in position to be seen by amateurs. Nomad, as the event is called, doesn’t have to collide with Earth to cause a terrible impact. Instead, it has enough draw to pull planets out of orbit. There will be cataclysmic global warming, volcanic activity, tsunamis, and more extreme conditions that will remove society infrastructure as well as causing immediate deaths.

Ben is picked up by government/scientific authorities. He apparently has the only records that would help pinpoint the origin and trajectory of Nomad. He tries to have his family, ex-wife, Celeste, and daughter, Jessica, fly to meet him but they get trapped in Italy when the climate reactions begin.

Jessica and Celeste were touring a castle (“castello”) in Chantilly, Italy. Jessica is an expert extreme climber in spite of having a prosthetic leg. She captures the eye of the owner of the castle which provides her a place to seek refuge after getting mugged in Rome.

The pacing was good and I enjoyed the action moving the story along. The scientific descriptions of the events and consequences made this interesting. On the other hand, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the characters with their poor decisions. It is an interesting post-apocalyptic and I expect I may pick up more in the series sometime in the future.

Audio Notes: Keith Szarabajka did a good job with the various voices, including acceptable accents (a least to my untrained ear). I am glad that I had this title to listen to.

Source: June 2021 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.