Sunday Post June 4, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday June 5, 2023

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 continue to have long weeks juggling my several tasks at work.
We had a great turn out for the Woman's Club & 4 H first week of Summer Camp! The kids had fun and the adults survived. 

Saturday we had a group of 15 attend the GFWC Florida District 2 meeting in Chattahoochee, another Woman's Club 21 miles to the East (in Eastern time).
It was a lovely event of fellowship and food.
Here is a photo of our ladies:

There are six clubs in District 2 and we each get to share what our club has done in the community over the last four months. Here I am (talking) during our "Brag Time".

My continuing prayers include prayers for more unity in all nations, a calmer social atmosphere, and for revival. We are also continuing prays for family and church.

Temps seem to be warming again. I'm glad to be in the office under AC during the days. Temps will be pushing into the 90s this coming week.

I only finished one audio this past week although I am well along in another. I posted three reviews and my memes.

I only visited 13 blogs last week.
Shout out this week: LESA'S BOOK CRITIQUES. Lesa has a serious background in library management/administration and some expertise as a reviewer of mysteries.

Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

• Sunday Post May 28, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday May 29, 2023.

• A2023: Audible Book Review: Wild Fire by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri; Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.
  

• ATBR: Audio Book Review: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan; Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Sci Fi; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.25.
  

• NG2023: #NetGalley Audio Book Review: Wolves & Roses by Christina Bauer; Genre: Fairy-Tale, Fantasy, Paranormal; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement June 4, 2023 - God Will Do It!

Finished Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

When the Morning Glory Blooms
By: Cynthia Ruchti
Narrated by: Melinda Sward
Length: 9h 27m
This was on my list for "Time of Day" goal and I saw that it expires (as a free title) on June 8, so I pulled it to the top of my listening.
I enjoyed the three lines of the touching story.
Source: 10/9/2021 Audible Plus Catalog titles.
Publisher's Summary
Becky rocks a baby that rocked her world. Sixty years earlier, with her fiancé, Drew, in the middle of the Korean Conflict, Ivy throws herself into her work at a nursing home to keep her sanity and provide for the child Drew doesn't know is coming. Ivy cares for Anna, an elderly patient who taxes Ivy's listening ear until the day she suspects Anna's tall tales are not the ramblings of dementia. They're fragments of Anna's disjointed memories of a remarkable life. Finding a faint thread of hope she can't resist tugging, Ivy records Anna's memoir, scribbling furiously after hours to keep up with the woman's emotion-packed, grace-hemmed stories. Is Ivy's answer buried in Anna's past? Becky, Ivy, Anna - three women fight a tangled vine of deception in search of the blossoming simplicity of truth.
©2013 Cynthia Ruchti (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Currently Reading:

1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

A Road Unknown: Amish Roads Series, Book 1
By: Barbara Cameron
Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
Series: Amish Roads, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
This is another book expiring 6/8 so I am listening now.
I like the characters I have met so far.
Source: October 2020 Audible Plus Catalog
Publisher's Summary
Elizabeth is at a crossroads. Will rumschpringe lead her away? Or bring her home? She's been given the chance to experience life outside of her community, away from the responsibility to care for her eight younger siblings, but Elizabeth Bontrager can't decide which road to take. Goshen has its charms and pressures, but Paradise, Pennsylvania, sounds...well, like paradise. And it's also home to her Englisch friend, Paula. Decision made. Elizabeth is Paradise bound. But will the small town live up to its name?
When Elizabeth meets Paula's friend, Bruce, she quickly learns he wants more than a friendship. And the same might be true of Saul Miller, her new boss at the country store that sells Amish products to the Englisch community. As the two compete for her attention, Elizabeth is surprised to realize she misses her family and becomes even more uncertain about where she belongs. She has a choice to make: return home or embrace this new life and possibly a new love?
©2014 Barbara Cameron (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

2. NetGalley Audio Smartphone (ATBR)

The Never-Ending End of the World
By: Ann Christy
Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer, Ari Fliakos
Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
I am 64% into and enjoying this but put it on hold for the free Audibles that are expiring on 6/8.
Source: May 2023 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Audio Smartphone (ATBR)

The Fourth Monkey
Written By: J.D. Barker
Narrated By: Edoardo Ballerini
Duration: 12 hours 30 minutes
I may get to start this one later this week.
I picked this mystery partially because it has a number in the title for my Number goal.
Source: 2/8/2020 Two for One Credit at Audiobooks.com.
Click on book title for full description.

June 4, 2023 - I am doing the daily readings of BibleProject plan: The Full Story - "From the beginning to the Amen". I am still enjoying the readings in Job.
No new separate study yet.

I finished one audio title and posted three reviews.  That puts me at two reviews to post to be totally up to date.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I now have two audios left on my NetGalley shelf as I am listening to another one this week. The two remaining are shorter (under 6 hours).
I still have the two old NetGalley ebook titles.

I have one author review in my queue that I need to start reading on my computer. (I need to look back and see which one this is.)
(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 newest to the team, Emma at Words and Peace.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

No new review titles and no purchases.
I got 10 free titles through Audible Plus Catalog.
No free Kindle titles last week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

Free

5/30/23 I found 10 titles I wanted on Audible Plus Catalog. Several were brought to my attention in 2 for 1 deals at Audiobooks.com.  (Free is better than 2 for 1.)

Bone to Pick
An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, Book 2
By: Charlaine Harris
Narrated by: Therese Plummer
Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
I already have book 1 in this series.

Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, Book 3
By: Charlaine Harris
Narrated by: Therese Plummer
Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder
Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series, Book 2
By: Dianne Freeman
Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
I liked book 1 and want to continue this series.

The Spook in the Stacks
The Lighthouse Library Mysteries, Book 4
By: Eva Gates
Narrated by: Elise Arsenault
Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
I like the option of lighter haunting reads for October.

Pit Perfect Murder
A Barkside of the Moon Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1
By: Renee George
Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg
Series: Barkside of the Moon Mystery Series, Book 1
Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
This title and cover pulled me in.

Hunting Season, A Novel
By: Andrea Camilleri
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
Again the title and cover caught me on this mystery set in 1880.
(Great narrator too.)

Moving Is Murder
Ellie Avery Mystery Series, Book 1
By: Sara Rosett
Narrated by: Gail Shalan
Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
I expect I will move within the year so I thought this would be a fitting title.

Murder in Galway
By: Carlene O'Connor
Narrated by: Heather O'Neill
Series: Home to Ireland Mystery, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
I like stories set in Ireland. I was blessed to visit Galway in 2005.

Death in Delft
A 17th Century Historical Murder Mystery (Master Mercurius Mystery Series, Book 1)
By: Graham Brack
Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
This is another place I visited in 2005.

Murder at Redwood Cove
Kelly Jackson Mystery Series, Book 1
By: Janet Finsilver
Narrated by: Reba Buhr
Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
This has another nice setting and a dog.

No new titles added to Kindle library. 
Free titles might be found at Bookbub, Book Adrenaline, Ereader News Today, Inspired Reads, or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement June 4, 2023 -- God Will Do It!

Our Substitute Sunday School Teacher shared a preaching video with a message God’s No Fly Zone. I will save that good lesson for another day.

We had a strong time of worship before Pastor started his Sermon he called: By Your Spirit or God Will Do It! The scripture was Zechariah 4:1-7; plus 8-14.
God’s word is powerful. Consider that God spoke creation into being.
This book reminds us that we will have struggles during life, but God will be with us.

Zechariah was dealing with hard times. The Israelites were facing opposition to rebuild the temple. Zechariah’s prophesy is to Zerubbabel who was the area governor who returned with Joshua the priest to rebuild the temple. Lampstand signifies God is with you and the two olive trees indicates the two witnesses.

The message to Zerubbabel, and God’s people, is that God will be with us and He will finish the work that is begun --- ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’….
God puts each of His people in the time and place that He wants to fulfil the purpose He has planned. Also, God gives enough grace to deal with whatever problem we face.

We cannot/should not rely on the military. As many have often said, government is not the solution; it is the problem.

Humans tend to think “If I do more I can work it out.” But God has made it clear that we cannot accomplish His Will without His Spirit. At end of day, we need Him.
No matter how big the problem, it is not too big for God.
We are not to have a spirit of fear or to be trepidations. We are to walk wisely by faith.
If He can solve our sin problem, He can handle any other obstacle we will face.

Verse 7 refers to the top stone (or capstone) which is the finishing stone of the project. The mountain in front of him will become a plain and he (Zerubbabel) started the work and he will bring forth the top stone “with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!"

God will finish what He starts. He doesn't start without finishing. But the task is finished through His Grace. All that we have is by grace - His Grace. It's the Lord's doing. God works through our obedience but His will and work are a product of His grace.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “’The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42.

We are able to finish the work because the Lord is on our side. As David said:
“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say,…. Blessed be the Lord,…" Psalm 124:1 and 6.

Zechariah further says: Who dares despise the day of small things. Zechariah 4:10.
Small things are important. A hug, a word of encouragement. Great trees begin as small seeds.
We don’t know who will be impacted by our daily actions.

This isn’t the first video I thought of but I found it and it fits really well!
Take You At Your Word!

Verses for today:
Zechariah 4:6-7, 10 (NES)
6 Therefore he told me, “This is the Lord’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
7 “What are you, you great mountain? Because of Zerubbabel you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple capstone with shoutings of ‘Grace! Grace!’ because of this.”

10 For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes will joyfully look on the tin tablet in Zerubbabel’s hand. These are the eyes of the Lord, which constantly range across the whole earth.”


Lord, always help me to remember that you are faithful to complete the good works you have begun!

#NetGalley Audio Book Review: Wolves & Roses by Christina Bauer

This is an engaging 'fairy tale' story with shifters, wizards, and fae.

Wolves & Roses
Fairy Tales of the Magicorum
By: Christina Bauer
Narrated by: Christina Bauer

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
Publisher: Monster House Books LLC
Genre: Fairy-Tale, Fantasy, Paranormal
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She is descended from one of the three magical races - shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template.
In the case of Bryar, that template should be Sleeping Beauty. Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the Sleeping Beauty life template. Not even close. She does not like birds or woodland creatures. She cannot sing a note. And she certainly cannot stand Prince Philpot, the so-called His Highness of Hedge Funds that her aunties want her to marry.
Even worse, Bryar finds herself attracted to a hottie werewolf named Knox and is under attack by evil mummy-zombies. If Bryar cannot figure out who - or what - she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives...as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.
©2017 Christina Bauer (P)2017 Christina Bauer

Review:
Bryar Rose is one of the Magicorum and her life template appears to be sleeping beauty. But she hasn’t discovered any type of magic in her being and doesn’t seem to fully meet the template either. She’s stuck in a special school for students like her, who haven’t shown their magical abilities. The teacher is a bully, especially attacking Bryar.

Bryar’s three aunties are pushing her to date and marry Prince Philpot whom she finds greatly lacking. But Bryar loves to study hieroglyphs and historical papyri. She would rather work with her best friend, Elle (as in Cinderella – but don’t call her that), to sneak pictures of papyri while playing Robinhood by stealing items from the rich and returning them to the rightful owners.

Bryar slips out of a party with pompous Philpot to sneak pictures of papyri in the office of Alec LeCharme. She’s caught red-handed by Alec, a wizard, and his buddy, Knox, part werewolf. There is instant pull between Bryar and Knox even though they are both resistant. Both young men realize they want to have Bryar work with them as they are all trying to decipher the papyri which holds the secrets of magical code.

Knox, whose wolf wants to claim Bryar, begins to think there is something very special about her. He is inclined to follow to make sure she is okay. This turns out to be a good instinct although he isn’t in time to save Bryar from being kidnapped. Can Bryar figure out who she is and escape from the evil mummy zombies? Can Knox and friends get through the tangle of thorns to rescue Bryar?

Teenage angst is present but light in this entertaining story. The overall plot and character twists kept me engaged and I wouldn’t mind reading/listening to more in the series. I recommend this to fans of fairy tale retelling with magical creatures.

Audio Notes: The author does a fine job narrating her own book. Not surprisingly, she captures the pacing, the voices, and the energy. I enjoyed the narrated story.

Source: May 2023 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2023NetGalley and 2023Audiobook goals.

Audio Book Review: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

This is a good, although gritty, sci fi mystery.

Altered Carbon
Series: #1 of Kovacs
Written by: Richard K. Morgan
Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Duration: 17 hours 30 minutes
Released: April 22, 2005
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.25.

Summary
In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person's consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or 'sleeve') making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.
Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats 'existence' as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning. . . .

'Morgan's debut novel, the first in a series, combines noir mystery with ultra-high tech science to create a complex sf thriller. Featuring a hard-nosed antihero with his own sense of personal honor and ethics, this is highly recommended for sf collections.'-Library Journal

Review:
Takeshi Kovacs has had a life of violence. He started on the streets and continued in the military. Now he is an Ex U.N. envoy who works in the nature of either a mercenary, body guard, or a private investigator, depending on the hire. Kovacs lives in a world where death may not be final since the brain can be stored and then placed in a new body “sleeve”. His last assignment landed him in storage, but he has been re-sleeved 180 light years from home. He wakes up on Earth in Bay City (deteriorated San Francisco) where a wealthy man has brought him to solve the mystery of the man’s supposed suicide.

Kovacs meets his new employer and his sexy wife. It is clear these are “mega” wealthy and powerful people. The wife is a sexual predator and doesn’t waste time going after Kovacs.

The case quickly becomes complicated with Kovacs’ current sleeve being a local cop who has recently been sent to storage for corruption. The cop’s lover is a female cop who plans to watch over Kovacs’ shoulder. There is a strange chemistry between them although they both know that the brain inside that body is not her former lover.

The case expands with conspiracies and other wealthy players involved. As well as pawns who have been used and left for dead (without the ability to re-sleeve). Kovacs is threatened but keeps pushing to resolve the case all the way to the twisty end.

I enjoyed the world building and the complicated plot. Kovacs is a brash interesting character, mostly stoic but showing unexpected softness and vulnerability at different points. There is gritty language, drugs, sex, and violence. And some discussion on the merits/morality of the multiple lives. This was a long audio but kept my attention. Although I overall enjoyed it, I am not rushing to get the rest of the series. I recommend this to fans of gritty, sci fi mystery.

Audio Notes: Todd McLaren does a great job with the narration. I enjoyed the different voices and the characters came alive through the narration. The audio definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this story.

Source: July 2018 Audiobooks.com Bundle win through Beth Fish Reads. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.

Audio Book Review: Wild Fire by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri

I enjoyed the full on action in this dystopian thriller.

Wild Fire
New Frontier, Book 1
By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Anthony Melchiorri
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Series: New Frontier, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
Release Date: July 2022
Publisher: ‎ Aethon Books
Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Summary
From the embers of a burned America rises new hope … and a new threat.
Two years after an attack brought down the electrical grid across the United States, the recovery effort is well underway. A new network of armored trains carry supplies and industrial equipment crucial to rebuilding the country.
But along the rails, one area of America is still mired in darkness, violence, and danger. Some call it the Badlands. Others the Wild West. The government simply refers to it as the New Frontier.
Retired Marine Sergeant Sam “Raven” Spears makes a living tracking down people and treasures in this lawless void. When raiders target a supply train in the New Frontier, Colorado Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth asks Raven to work with ex-Navy SEAL Calvin Jackson to secure the train’s vital cargo. All is going to plan until one fateful disaster changes everything.
As the trail heats up to find those responsible, a mysterious virus starts spreading across the New Frontier. Raven soon realizes the two events might be connected.
If he doesn’t find the insidious forces behind this conspiracy, the entire country will go up in flames.
Listener Note: New Frontier is a brand-new series set in the bestselling Trackers universe by Nicholas Sansbury Smith. For listeners of Trackers, this spin-off written with Anthony J. Melchiorri takes place two years after the end of Trackers 4. While Trackers was an EMP/war story about the destruction of the power grid in America and the chaos that followed, New Frontier is a story about the aftermath. For new listeners, you can dive into New Frontier without reading the four Trackers books.

Review:
Sam “Raven” is a retired Marine and a man of Native American (Sioux) decent. Raven is sought after for his skills in tracking down people and treasures in what has become known as the lawless Badlands or the Wild West. The East has begun to rebuild after an EMP/war strike plunged the country into chaos.

The Badlands are dangerous, but supplies are coming through on the trains to the New Frontier. Ex-Navy SEAL, Calvin, is a security guard on the train lines. Raiders begin to hit the trains going west and Calvin discovers that the raiders are taking a mysterious cargo off the trains.

Meanwhile, a frightening virus is spreading among the settlements in the West. Raven begins to suspect that the raiding and the virus are connected. He and Calvin team up to find the base of the raiders in order to determine what is going on, and stop it before it’s too late.

I like the characters, Raven, Calvin, and Raven’s former love, Colorado Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth. There is good action and suspense that kept me engaged. This is a spinoff from the original series, Trackers, where I first met Raven. I have intended to read/listen to the rest of that series, but it isn’t necessary to enjoy this book. I recommend this to fans of dystopian and suspense.

Audio Notes: Bronson Pinchot did a fine job with the character voices in this book. Each character has a unique sound, and they are delivered with strong energy. I am glad I had the chance to listen to this.

Source 3/23/2023 Two For One Credit Audiobooks.com. This qualifies for 2023Audiobook goal.