Sunday Post September 10, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 11, 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 feel a little out of touch with the office since I have been home with family.
I enjoyed having my son, my sister and b-i-l in town the past four days. We worked hard around the house doing small repairs, pressure cleaning, and painting. The jobs that were done made a big difference in appearance. We filled my garbage can and three more big bags to go, plus five new boxes to go to yard sale. I have several empty cupboards! 

If I do move from my current house I will miss scenes like this baby nursing from her mother in my backyard.

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.
Prayers this week for the families in Morocco.

Our weather has been mostly sunny and hot- high 80s and 90s.  At least the evenings have been in the low 70s. These temperatures will continue this coming week.

I finished two audios and posted three reviews and my memes.

I visited 14 blogs again last week.
Shout out this week to ECHOS OF BOOKS.  Ryna is a book enthusiast who also has a passion for photography, coffee, and blogging.

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

• Sunday Post September 3, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 4, 2023.

• ATBR: Audible Book Review: Etched in Bone, A Novel of the Others by Anne Bishop; Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Shifters; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

• ATBR: Audio Book Review: Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon; Genre: Christian Romance, Contemporary; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

• MBS August 2023 Reading List Wrap Up.

• ATBR: Audible Book Review: Contact Front, Drop Trooper, Book 1 by Rick Partlow; Genre: First Contact, Military, Space; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement September 10, 2023 - Five Enemies to Growth.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1)
Series: #1 of Wings of Fire
Written by: Tui T. Sutherland
Narrated by: Shannon McManus
Duration 8 hours 32 minutes
I enjoyed this dragon story which had good lessons for children although there was violence.
Source: 7/5/2018 won with 7 other titles from Audiobook.com through Beth Fish Reads.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio Smartphone (ATBR)

Hunted
A Seventeen Series Novel Book 1
By AD Starrling
This wasn't quite what I expected. It is full of action and I liked it.
Source 2019 Chirp.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently Reading:
1. Kindle App on Smartphone (A2023)

Con Crazy
by Addison J. Chapple, Danny Kravitz, Eliza Marsh
I have made progress slowly. I am 45% in and still waiting to see the full con.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

The Dragon and the George
By: Gordon R. Dickson
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
Series: Dragon Knight, Book 1
I've been wanting to read a "dragon" story and I picked this from my TBR shelf.
Source: September 2020 Audible Plus Catalog.
Publisher's summary
Through no fault of his own, the once human Jim Eckert had become a dragon. Unfortunately, his beloved Angie had remained human. But in this magical land anything could happen.
To make matter worse, Angie had been taken prisoner by an evil dragon and was held captive in the impenetrable Loathly Tower. So in this land where humans were edible and beasts were magical - where spells worked and logic didn't-- Jim Eckert had a big, strange problem.
©1976 Gordon R. Dickson. ©2004 the Estate of Gordon R. Dickson (P)2014 Audible Inc.

3. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
Author T. Kingfisher
Narrator: Patricia Santomasso
Duration: 8 h 30 min
I wanted something a little fun to listen to and this looks fun. Source: May 5, 2022 Two for One Deal Credit use at Audiobooks.com.
Publisher's summary
Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter, and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance.
But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona's worries....
©2020 T. Kingfisher (P)2021 Tantor

September 10, 2023 - I am doing the daily readings of BibleProject plan: The Full Story - "From the beginning to the Amen". This week the readings have been in 2 Chronicles following the kings of Israel and Judah.

I finished two audios and posted three reviews so I remain up to date.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I have an older audio on my shelf I should listen to soon.
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 this week.

I found 3 Audible Plus titles but I will show them next week.
No new Kindle titles this week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

I did have some Audible Plus titles but I will list them next week as it is late when I am getting to finish this post.

No 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 September 10, 2023, Five Enemies of Growth

Our Sunday School teacher had a good message today which he titled “Cheating on God.”
The lesson was based on the scripture James 4:1-5.

Our service included Communion and a guest pastor, Duke Matlock, (author of Get Up and Grow).
Pastor Matlock identified Five Enemies of Growth.
He referenced the story of the talents from Matthew 25:14-29.
He noted that his greatest challenge was always self. His second greatest challenge was developing team, and the third is developing leaders.

To Pastor Matlock the desert looks lifeless, but grass and trees show life. He encouraged us to invest in God's talents... We need to have a healthy mindset. We want life to count. We are taught to have a future we need growth. No human has reached full potential, but the future is filled with hope. We can be committed to being better each day.
Growing and improving positions us for God's favor. Sometimes we set our goals too small.

Enemy 1 - ego. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. We should never fail to recognize God's favor.
Enemy 2 - complacency. Just going along is not growing. We need to go beyond to nurture the relationship with God and others.
Enemy 3 - distractions. Things of the world – like a boat and a Harley – are distractions from God’s kingdom.
Enemy 4 – our past. Past success does not predict future success.
Enemy 5 - laziness. Each Growth journey has to be active.

God has equipped you for His purpose.
We have three “friends” to help our growth:
Desire for things of God (Matthew 5:6).
Discipline.
Determination.

Why do you follow and worship God? We choose God. Each person has to choose for themselves.
People learn by being loved and loving others. God wants to do something with each person.

I found this song for today: I Still Choose You.

Verses for Today:
Excerpts from Matthew 25:14-29.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.


Heavenly Father, I praise you for all you have provided. Help me to choose You each and every day.

Audible Book Review: Contact Front, Drop Trooper, Book 1 by Rick Partlow

I wanted a space story and I liked the action and interaction in this military space story.

Contact Front
Drop Trooper, Book 1
By: Rick Partlow
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

Length: 8 hrs
Release date: 04-28-20
Publisher: Aethon Audio
Genre: First Contact, Military, Space
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's summary
Go to war or go to jail.
For small-time street hustler Cam Alvarez, the choice is simple. He has no family, no friends, no place in the world...nothing to lose. When his latest con results in the death of a cartel hitman, Cam opts to join the Marines and leave Earth to fight a vicious alien enemy.
Drafted into the Marine Drop-Troopers, Cam discovers there’s one thing he’s even better at than running street-con games, and that’s killing the enemy. Wrapped in an armored battlesuit, Cam finds purpose amidst the horror and destruction of the war, and the opportunity for a new sort of friends and family...if he can break the habits of a life spent alone, trusting no one.
And, if he can survive....
Rick Partlow returns with another kickass military sci-fi epic. It's perfect for fans of Jay Allan, Jasper T. Scott, and Scott Bartlett.
©2020 Aethon Books (P)2020 Aethon Audio

Review:
Cam grew up in the foster care system and made some bad choices along the way – not that he had much choice. He gets caught in another crime and when he won’t give up his girlfriend as the accomplice, he is given a choice: go to war (as a Marine) or go to jail.

As he learns basic skills, Cam does well at controlling the armored battlesuit and he is soon assigned to the Drop-Troopers. Cam finds that he finally has something he is really good at and even though not all of his troop members are supportive, he does get encouragement from superiors as he improves. One old habit they have to break in Cam is working alone and trusting no one. They have to teach him that he and his teammates can only survive by working together.

Not all of the characters are nice and not everyone survives, but I enjoyed the action of the story and the growth that Cam achieves. There are some surprises and twists that keep the story interesting through the end. I would be interested in reading more in the series. I recommend this to readers who enjoy space military action.

Audio Notes: James Patrick Cronin does a fine job with the narration. I could distinguish each character voice and I liked the clear energy James brings to the story. The narration added to my enjoyment of the book.

Source: 12/17/2020 Audible Sale –$5.00. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.

MBS August 2023 Reading List Wrap Up

MBS 2023 Reading List - AUGUST

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 2023
Favorites for the month:

5 Stars =
4.75 Stars = The Summer House
4.5 Stars = 1984, The Lost Librarian, The Marksman, and Etched in Bone

1. NG2023: #NetGalley Audio Book Review: For the Loot, Goblin Mode, Book 1 by Han Yang and Pearce Adams; Genre:Fantasy, GameLit, LitRPG; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75 (due to language); Narration 4.25.
2. ATBR: Audible Book Review: 1984: New Classic Edition by George Orwell; Genre: Classic, Dystopian, Literary Fiction; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
3. ATBR: Audible Book Review: A Springtime to Remember by Lucy Coleman; Genre: Family Life, Romance, Women’s Fiction; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
4. ATBR: Audible Book Review: The Summer House by James Patterson, Brendan DuBois; Genre: Crime Thriller, Military, Police Procedural, Suspense; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.75; Narration 5.0.
5. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Black Sheep by Rachel Aukes; Genre: First Contact, Space Opera; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.
6. ATBR: Audible Book Review: The Ranch (A Legacy of Violence) by Sean Liscom; Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
7. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Eden's Gate: The Reborn A LitRPG Adventure, Book 1 by Edward Brody ; Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, LitRPG; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
8. NGA2023: #NetGalley Audio Book Review: The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass; Genre: Books, Cat, Magical Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.
9. ATBR: Audio Book Review: The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen; Genre: Christian Historical, Historical Romance; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
10. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Robinson Crusoe 2244 by E. J. Robinson; Genre: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Teen & Young Adult; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
11. eB2023: Book Review: The Marksman by Robin G. Mercier, Danny Kravitz, Chris Charles; Genre: Crime, Thriller; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.
12. ATBR: Audible Book Review: Etched in Bone, A Novel of the Others by Anne Bishop; Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Shifters; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

This Month Total read = 12
TBR = 9
New Authors = 9
Audio/Audible = 11 (9 TBRs)
NetGalley = 2 (2 audio) (0 TBRs)
Author Review books (other than NG) = 1
Nonfiction = 0
eBook = 1 (0 TBR)
Print = 0 (0 TBR)
DNF - 0

Goal Progress (to Date meaning through the end of the given month)
Goodreads Goal Read to Date: 88 of 125
TBR to Date: 68 of 90
Audio to Date: 84 of 100
NetGalley to Date: 15 of 10
Author Reviews: 5 of 12
Nonfiction: 6 of 10
TBR ebooks or Print: 3 of 8
New Authors to date: 54

• Series: 63 of 75 (16 continuing, 47 new)
• New to me Series: 47 (23 Yes to continue; 9 likely to continue, 10 maybe, 5 unlikely)
• Finished for me Series: 2 (maybe? Not sure if the Bobiverse is done)

Special Goals
• Seasonal title: 3 of 4: Winter, Spring, Summer, (Autumn)
• Alphabet letters covered: (22 of 26) -- 9 January (A, C, D, F, H, L, P, R, S); 6 February (B, E, G, I, T, Y); 5 March (K, M, J, O, U) 1 April (W) 1 May (N) 0 June
NEED: Q, V, X, Z

Locations: 10 of 8
      River, Mountains, Kingdoms, Castle, Junkyard, Deadlands, Shore, Paris, Park, Ranch,
Numbers: 8 of 12
      Forging Zero, Cat o’ Nine Tales, Six Crimson Cranes, One Heart to Win, The Fifth Victim, The Fourth Monkey, 1984, Robinson Crusoe 2244

Groups of Five: (Places and Numbers above)
Times of Day: 3 of 5
      Moonshine, Morning, Midnight
Occupations: 7 of 5
      Warrior, Cowboy, Vet, King, Cop, Pirate, Instructor
Colors: 5 of 5
      The Far Blue Mountains, Six Crimson Cranes, Silver Dollar Duke; Altered Carbon, Black Sheep

Audio Book Review: Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon

This is a nice story with second chance romance and family redemption.
Hope Harbor
By Irene Hannon
Narrator: Therese Plummer

Duration: 9 h 45 min
Release date: 07-07-15
Publisher: Recorded Books
Genre: Christian Romance, Contemporary
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's summary
Come home to Hope Harbor - where hearts heal...and love blooms. Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life - and love - altered her plans. Now she's home again - with a floundering farm to run...a tragic secret...and a wounded heart. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter's. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets and devastating regrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help with a project that is close to her heart, winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives - including their own.
©2015 Irene Hannon (P)2015 Recorded Books

Review:
Tracy Campbell grew up in Hope Harbor and came back after being away at college. Although she is glad to be back with her Aunt and Uncle taking care of the cranberry farm, she has survived a tragic loss, and is struggling with the decline of the farm. She is focused on the farm and not ready to open herself to new hurt.

Michael Hunter has come to Hope Harbor due to a long desire of his deceased wife. His visit is intended to be short term while he tries to focus his life dealing with regrets after her death. He bumps into Tracy and soon finds himself helping her and making friends in the community. Michael is also drawing his new landlord out of her self-imposed seclusion of many years.

I liked how both Tracy and Michael slowly begin to recognize that their meeting is not mere coincidence, and perhaps God has a different plan for their future. The romance is sweet and the underlying faith messages of healing, hope, and forgiveness are encouraging. I recommend this story (and author) to fans of clean, Christian romance.

Audio Notes: Therese Plummer is a lovely narrator. She delivers clear voices and energy that fits the characters and plot. Her narration enhanced the story for me.

Source: 2018 Audiobooks.com 2 for 1 credit. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, and 2023Location goals.