Sunday Post June 25, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday June 26, 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'll be interviewing a lady this week regarding the office work. Time is moving faster than I expect!

This little fellow (and sometimes a friend) greets me almost every night when I get home.
(And, yes, we leave the porch wreath up year round.)

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.

I didn't get caught in any rain this past week. The coming week forecast is less rain but more heat -  temperatures ranging from 72 nights to 97 during the day.

I finished two audios this past week and posted three reviews and my memes.

I visited 15 blogs last week.
Shout out this week: SUSAN LOVES BOOKS. Check out some of her cute images.

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

• Sunday Post June 18, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday June 19, 2023.

• A2023: Audible Book Review: Extinction Shadow, Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, Book 1 by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Anthony J. Melchiorri; Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
  

• ATBR: Audible Book Review: Extinction Inferno, Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, Book 2 by Nicholas Sansbury Smith; Genre: Horror, Post Apocalyptic; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

• ATBR: Audio Book Review: The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker; Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller & Horror; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement June 25, 2023 -Learning by Correction.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

Phule's Company
Phule's Company, Book 1
By: Robert Asprin
Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
This is a fun Space Military story and I want more in the series.
Click on book title for full description.

2. NetGalley App Smartphone (A2023)

Bewitching a Highlander
By: Roma Cordon
Narrated by: Moira Quirk
Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
This is a sensual Scottish romance.
Source: June 2023 "Listen Now" audiobook at NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

To Serve and Protect
Onset, Book 1
By: Glynn Stewart
Narrated by: Ray Porter
Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
I searched out another action story with supernaturals. I am enjoying it and have less than two hours left.
Source: 7/31/2022 July Audible Credits.
Publisher's Summary
A small town cop with an unexpected gift. A shadowy government agency on the side of justice. A call no good man could turn away.
When vampires attack David White's small town, only luck, firepower, and the intervention of an elite government task force saves his life. The aftermath of the attack leaves him in the middle of the world's biggest secret: the existence of government agencies that regulate the supernatural.
They insist that David's "luck" is actually a supernatural gift, and he's immediately recruited into ONSET, the most shadowy part of America's thin blue line of police protectors.
Questioning both his gifts and the agency he now serves, David is drawn into an escalating battle that threatens all of humanity. If he isn't what ONSET thinks he is, the entire world may pay the price.
©2016 Glynn Stewart (P)2017 Podium Publishing

2. NetGalley App Smartphone (A2023)

Leila Nugget Mystery: The Case with No Clues
By: Deserae Brady, Dustin Brady
Narrated by: Emily Eiden
Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
I decided to listen to this short title from my NetGalley shelf.
Source: 4/1/2023 NetGalley Title.
Publisher's Summary
Mr. McGee was the principal of Englewood Elementary in 1947, and the students have just discovered that he created a massive treasure hunt all those years ago... But Mr. McGee disappeared before he could share any of the clues. Seventy years later, Leila and Nugget are ready to crack the case and find that missing treasure.
Leila & Nugget Mysteries reward developing listeners with nonstop laughs, twists, and—of course—cute pets.
©2023 Dustin Brady (P)2023 Andrews McMeel Publishing

3. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

Evolution Impossible
12 Reasons Why Evolution Cannot Explain the Origin of Life on Earth
By: Dr. John F. Ashton
Narrated by: John McLain
Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
I chose this for my nonfiction this month.
Source: September 2022 Audible Plus.
Publisher's Summary
One of the most compelling and authoritative rebuttals of evolution today, Evolution Impossible shows listeners how fossils are evidence of extinction, not evolution; why mutations never produce new genetic information; how the lack of transitional fossils undermines secular timelines; and why living cells and new classes of organisms don't form by chance.
Using recent discoveries in genetics, biochemistry, geology, radiometric dating, and other scientific disciplines, Dr. Ashton explains chapter by chapter in straightforward language 12 compelling reasons why Darwin's theory of evolution is just a myth.
Taking the evidence refuting evolution to a new level with a wide-ranging analysis, this is a must-listen book for all students, Christian educators, scientists, and anyone eager to defend a biblical worldview.
©2017 Dr. John F. Ashton (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Chances are I will get to another book but I haven't decided which one yet. :-)

June 25, 2023 - I am doing the daily readings of BibleProject plan: The Full Story - "From the beginning to the Amen". We are now reading in Song of Solomon.
I enjoyed the five day study titled Greatly Loved by Hosanna Wong, a wonderful Spoken Word Artist.

I finished two audio titles and posted three reviews. I am up to date with two current reviews due and one I am holding. I have written the review for Never Ending End of the World but thought I would save it for a few weeks closer to the release date.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I am now down to one shorter (under 6 hours) audio left on my NetGalley shelf.
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 title.
I'm showing six new audios from Audible plus over the past two weeks.
One free Kindle title last week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

These are Audible Plus titles from June 5- June 20, 2023.

Murder on Black Swan Lane
By: Andrea Penrose
Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
Series: A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery , Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Murder at Half Moon Gate
By: Andrea Penrose
Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
Series: A Wrexford and Sloane Mystery , Book 2
Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

The Thirty-Nine Steps
By: John Buchan
Narrated by: Robert Powell
Series: Richard Hannay , Book 1
Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins

Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates
By: Eric Jay Dolin
Narrated by: Paul Brion
Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

The Godling Chronicles: The Sword of Truth, Book 1
By: Brian D. Anderson
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Series: The Godling Chronicles , Book 1
Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories
By: Stephanie Perkins, Nina LaCour, Libba Bray, Francesca Lia Block, Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Cherise Boothe, Christopher Gebauer, Michael Bakkensen, Jessica Almasy, Erin Moon, Stina Nielsen
Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

Free Kindle:
Hello, My Love (aka: A Modern Love Story) (Between Two Worlds Book 1)
Evy Journey


One new title 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 25, 2023 - Learning by Correction.

We continued our study in James this morning which our Sunday School teacher titled “Don’t Blame God”. Based on James 1:12-15 he explained that James was telling the followers that temptations don’t come from God, they come from personal desires. We all have to face temptations and the enemy will attack in our weak areas. We are going through resistance training which provides growth towards being more like Christ. Satan can't get to our spirit without going through our flesh. There is a spiritual battlefield in our mind.

We had a guest preacher this morning, a man who comes about once a year to share his humor and wisdom with his messages of Mercy and Grace. This morning he spoke on the scripture Philippians 4:10-13. As Paul stated, you have to learn to be content in whatever circumstances you are in. A guest preacher talks about what they know.

We learn by experience, study, instruction, trial, and sometimes correction. The preacher went through a time and situation where he was in jail, facing 35 years in prison. God delivered him from that and he had to realize that God loved him (as he loves all of us) freely.

The Preacher felt he would never preach again he knew that God forgave him but he couldn’t forgive himself. Then God said to him, “You have established a higher standard than me.”.
We can distinguish between condemnation – which is accusing – and conviction where God says “come to me”.

God declared us justified on the basis of Christ’s blood. You are justified - made righteous. Preacher asked: Who here is Holy? No one raised their hand.  In the Bible, only two personalities say I'm holy. God of course (Leviticus 11:44) and David in the Psalms cries out to God and doesn’t want the Holy Presence taken from him (Psalm 51:11 and more). David recognized that his righteousness came from God. Psalm 56:13.

God says we are to be Holy. 1 Peter 1:16. When we accept Christ as our redeemer then we become Holy. Now hands went up throughout the church. We can have confidence through the blood of Christ.

A final word of correction this man experienced was a word of submission to the Lord. When the preacher started to critique a pastor he was under, God told him, “Submit to this man.” The preacher was at a point in life where he was broke. When a missionary spoke, God said to give his last $50.00. He was reluctant. He said to God, “That's all I've got.” God said, “That's all I want.”

God spoke to him and said: “You can continue to flounder through life, or you can learn to listen and obey.” The preacher had to humble himself and learn to “listen and obey” before God could send him out to preach again. After a year or so the pastor he was under told him that God said he was to have a second chance to preach, like Jonah.

We have to humble ourselves to God’s direction. Then we can teach the lessons to others.

This is the song video I was led to after enjoying many. God You Are.

Verses for Today:
Philippians 4:10-13 NIV
Thanks for Their Gifts
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.


God, I thank you that you help me learn to listen and obey!

Audio Book Review: The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker

This is an engaging but dark and gritty thriller.
The Fourth Monkey
Written By: J.D. Barker
Narrated By: Edoardo Ballerini and Graham Winton

Duration: 12 hours 30 minutes
Release Date: June 2017
Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller & Horror
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Summary
Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs in this dark and twisting novel from the author Jeffery Deaver called, 'A talented writer with a delightfully devious mind.' For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realize he was on his way to deliver one final message, one which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive. As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows even in death, the killer is far from finished. When he discovers a personal diary in the jacket pocket of the body, Porter finds himself caught up in the mind of a psychopath, unraveling a twisted history in hopes of finding one last girl, all while struggling with personal demons of his own. With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer's identity remains a mystery. Time is running out and the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written fast-paced thriller.

Review:
Detective Porter has been pursuing the Four Monkey Killer for years. The killer was named after he established a pattern by kidnapping women then taunting the loved ones and authorities with boxed packages of cut off ears, then eyes, then tongues. And each time there is corruption revealed for the wealthy parent of the victim. Porter is frustrated that they have not been able to get to the victims in time to save any of them.

Porter and his team are shocked when they are called to the scene of an apparent suicide because a Four Monkey Killer (4MK) package is found at the scene. Porter also discovers a personal diary providing the history of the psychopathic killer. Porter and team are in a race against time to follow the leads to locate the latest victim. They soon realize that 4MK has left a line of clues as each item found at the death scene leads to another step. As they continue, a major twist occurs in the investigation setting Porter back and intensifying his search. Meanwhile, he is busy reading the horrific childhood experiences, and macabre attitude of the killer, hoping he might find more clues there.

The language is gritty, but the intensity and twists make up for that drawback. As the story proceeds, I had to admire the author’s use of clues and the twists to keep the readers on their toes…and on the edge of their seats. I also liked how the diary readings added so much to the killer’s character. It was unfortunate that some of the police officers are made to look rather lame and petty. I am inclined to think I will continue this series or try another mysteries by J.D. Barker. I recommend this to readers

Audio Notes: Edoardo Ballerini and Graham Winton do a great job of presenting the primary characters. They gave life to both men (and the killer's child self) which added to the story. The narration added to the story for me.

Source: 2/8/2020 Two for One Credit at Audiobooks.com. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.

Audible Book Review: Extinction Inferno, Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, Book 2 by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

I enjoyed this and will be purchasing the next in series sooner rather than later.

Extinction Inferno:
Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, Book 2
By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Anthony J. Melchiorri
Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
Release date: 10-01-19
Publisher: Blue Heron Audio
Categories: Horror, Post Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
The government said the Variants were dying off....
That the beasts would be extinct in a matter of years....
That the Allied States had returned to prosperity and freedom....
The government was dead wrong. Deep under the cities, the Variants weren't just hiding, they were breeding. While the human survivors of the Extinction Cycle built outposts and brought back industries, the monsters were building something of their own. Working with human collaborators, they constructed a vast underground organic network to control this new army and launch a blitzkrieg assault across the Allied States. After tunneling under the walls, the beasts managed to overwhelm even the most fortified outposts. Many of them fell within days, forcing the military to abandon bases and retreat.
But not everyone is on the run. Team Ghost hunts a monster behind enemy lines that could change the tide of war. On the USS George Johnson, Doctor Kate Lovato and her team of scientists seek to understand and tap in to the Variant network while oil tycoon S. M. Fischer and his engineers come up with a plan to help buy time for the remaining outposts. And, at Outpost Portland, Captain Reed Beckham and Master Sergeant Parker Horn investigate a frightening conspiracy involving the human collaborators.
As the Variant armies surge across the Allied States, those working to stop them realize even desperate measures may not be enough to prevent the total annihilation of their country.
©2019 Nicholas Sansbury Smith (P)2019 Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Review:
This book picks up from Extinction Shadow. Our protagonists have learned that, rather than dying off, the Variants have been hiding and are now coming out in force with the aid of an evil and intelligent master. There are even human collaborators who are working with the Variants having decided that ultimately the humans will die and a new order will take over.

Kate and another doctor have found a communications link among the variants. They arrange to send int the Ghost Team, first to kill massive creatures controlling the Variant masses and then to capture one for study!

Beckham Reed and Fischer are in a new Outpost base trying to convince the leader there that he may not be as prepared as he thinks. They are just barely staying a step ahead of the Variant attacks. The Ghost Team go from one dangerous mission to another treacherous mission into territory that was abandoned to the hordes. They have no good intel but there are resources in the location that must be recovered to help the human race have a chance of survival.

Reed is distressed that he lost a young man, Timothy, who was captured by collaborators. Unknown to Reed and Horn (his faithful guard), Timothy escapes with crucial news for the survivors. As the base around him collapses, how can Timothy get the info back to Reed and those who need to know?

Once again, the story moves at high pace with action in multiple threads. I experience stress for all of the heroes not knowing when one or more of them will fall. I will be getting the next book in the series so I can follow the suspense, hoping that the humans can survive the evil that is hidden.

Audio Notes: I can’t say much more in favor of narrator R.C. Bray. He helps deliver an engaging suspense.

Source: October 2022 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.

Audible Book Review: Extinction Shadow, Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, Book 1 by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Anthony J. Melchiorri

I totally enjoyed the action and characters in this story and finished it in two days.
Extinction Shadow
Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, Book 1
By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Anthony J. Melchiorri
Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
Release date: 08-13-19
Publisher: Blue Heron Audio
Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

About This Audible Audiobook
They thought they survived the extinction cycle, but a powerful evil lurks in the shadows...Now old and new heroes join forces to save what’s left of the world in this thrilling sci-fi audio adventure.
Eight years ago, an engineered virus ravaged the globe, infecting and transforming humans into apex predators called Variants. Billions died, civilization collapsed, and the human race teetered on the brink of extinction. Nations banded together and heroes rose up to fight these abominations. On the front lines, Captain Reed Beckham and Master Sergeant Joe "Fitz" Fitzpatrick of Delta Force Team Ghost fought against the Variant hordes. With the aid of CDC Doctor Kate Lovato, they helped lead humanity to victory.
Now, almost a decade after the end of the war, civilization has slowly clawed toward recovery. In the Allied States of America, survivors live in outposts where they have rebuilt industry, agriculture, and infrastructure. The remaining Variants are believed to be dying off under destroyed cities and the abandoned frontier. But evil and intelligent forces dwell in the shadows with the starving beasts, scheming to restart the extinction cycle and end humanity forever. And once again, Beckham, Fitz, and Kate will rise to fight them, along with new heroes to try and save what remains of the world.
R. C. Bray brings to life the beloved characters of this series and expertly depicts their turmoil and struggle for survival.
Note: This new season is a self-contained storyline. Listeners do not have to hear the first seven books of the Extinction Cycle to jump into book one of Extinction Cycle: Dark Age. For returning listeners, this audiobook takes place after book seven, Extinction War.
©2019 Nicholas Sansbury Smith (P)2019 Blue Heron Audio

Review:
This book begins a new but continuation series, Extinction Cycle: Dark Age, picking up eight years after the events of the original series, Extinction Cycle, where a man-made virus resulted in a zombie outbreak. The uninfected human survivors in the Allied States (mostly Midwest to eastern former United States) are still trying to survive the attacks of the Variant infected. Suddenly the Variants, with mutated smarter Alphas leading them, are beginning to escalate in aggressive attacks. They have learned a new way to encroach on the human communities and are causing massive and worrying losses.

I was able to enjoy this book even though it has been several years (2018) since I read books 1-3 of the Extinction Cycle series. (I have boxed set books 4-6 to listen to and there is also book 7.) I was glad to see characters I remembered and see how the survivors were getting along at rebuilding. The story focuses on three groups of fighters, as well as the beleaguered President and Vice President.

Captain Reed, his wife, virologist doctor, Kate, and Reed’s right hand ‘guard’, Master Sergeant Horn, are trying to live calmly with their growing families. A second group, Team Ghost, consisting of a handful of injured Army Delta Force Vets, is being deployed for the most dangerous missions. Their motto is “All it takes is all you got.” There is a third set of Variant fighters emerging as a Texas tycoon, S.M. Fischer, and his elite security team try to save the oil operations that are helping to rebuild society.

I love the camaraderie and action in these stories. I felt emotional tension as different members faced the evils and I suspected that not all the good guys would survive. Most of our favorites continue to have miraculous escapes, but the country and already low level of survivors is being decimated. The struggle is hard and real. I was well engaged and was glad to have book 2 in this series to continue the fight. I recommend this to fans of survival action.

Audio Notes: R.C. Bray is a wonderful narrator who excels in presenting this type of action -packed suspense. Bray delivers great voices and spot on energy. He always contributes to my enjoyment of the story as he did in this performance.

Source: June 2021 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.