Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway July 19, 2013

[** If you are new to Friday Pick Giveaway - Welcome!  Scroll down a bit (below book group #19) for instructions on how to enter.]

Happy Friday Friends!! Oh I am sooo glad it is Friday. It seemed like I had a long week. My assistant (daughter) was away with our Grandson for his baseball playoffs.  No assistant for two days leaves me scrambling.

[UPDATED NOTE - US entrants I prefer, please, that you pick a book as that is the first purpose of this giveaway - to find new homes for books. The GCs are for the  international entrants because postage has jumped up.]

Thank you to all who entered the July 12 Pick. There was no Automatic wins this week. (Automatic winners are those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks). There were two blocked titles - one selected by several people.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from July 12 Pick:

Jolene gets Mission: Irresistible

Bookishqueen gets Her Last Chance

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 or sexy and I have a new supply of sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

How about some surfing summer book fun?!

Image found at Classroom Clipart.

New Book Group #40 June 28, 2013

Pairs:
     (Highlands) Highland Treasure by Amanda Scott and Highlander Unbound by Julia London
     (Angels) Not Quite An Angel by Bobby Hutchinson and An Angel for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad
Singles:
What Sarah Saw by Margaret Daley (Cover has black line across where bookstore crossed it for clearance)
Her Last Chance by Terri Reed  (Cover has black line across where bookstore crossed it for clearance)
The Clairvoyant Countess by Dorothy Gilman
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes
Mission: Irresistible by Lori Wilde
Sin and Scandal in England by Melody Thomas
Dance With Me by Luanne Rice
A Mother's Day Anthology - three stories
Rising Moon by Lori Handeland
Star Light, Star Bright by Katherine Stone
Another View by Rosamunde Pilcher
Promise Forever by Marta Perry


New Book Group #39 May 31, 2013 - Plenty of "summer" titles!
Oops - I never added all the links last month so no promises on these either.

Pairs:
Hannah Howell
     Highland Hearts and Highland Destiny
Catherine Anderson
     My Sunshine and Blue Skies
Elizabeth Lowell
     Remember Summer and Too Hot to Handle
Singles:
Touched by Fire by Kathleen O'Reilly
Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
That Summer by Joan Wolf
Shadow of the Sun by Tammy Hilz
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen
Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs
Shadow Beach by Barbara Freethy
It All Began at Monte Carlo by Elizabeth Adler


New Book Group #38 April 20, 2013
Here is a group with many mysteries.  Links to be added as I get time.

Pairs:
Amanda Scott
      Abducted Heiress and Highland Bride
Sandra Brown
     Texas! Chase and Exclusive (spine wear) (not the covers as on the links)
A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
Deadly Advise by Roberta Isleib
Dial Emmy for Murder by Eileen Davidson 
On Deadly Ground (Love Inspired Suspense) by Lauren Nichols
Happy Never After by Kathy Hogan Trocheck
Female Intellignece by Jane Heller
Improper English by Katie MacAllister
Sheer Dynamite by Jennifer Skully
Golden Chances by Rebbecca Hagen Lee
Caitlin's Guardian Angel by Marie Ferrarella
Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher
Awaken the Senses by Nalini Singh


New Book Group #37 March 22, 2013

As I am linking these titles it is clear to me why they were in my TBR boxes and it is really hard to let them go but I have soooo many. Better that they find good reader homes than sit on my shelves, or in a box, and collect dust. 
Pairs:
Carly Phillips
     The Heartbreaker and Simply Sinful
Singles:
Anthology: Something Borrowed, Something Blue - this book has spine creases and minor water damage...I thought I had read it and liked it but now I realize it was another anthology I read with Elaine Barbier.
Bride by Command by Linda Winstead Jones
To Tame a Rebel by Georgina Gentry
While Passion Sleeps by Shirlee Busbee
Lord Liar by Laurie Grant
Lady in Red by Karen Hawkins
The Admiral's Bride by Suzanne Brockmann
Marry Me, Maddie by Rita Herron
Lady Ice by Joan Hohl
Dark Roots & Cowboy Boots by LuAnn McLane
Only My Dreams by Anna Blundy



New Book Group #36 February 15, 2013

Pairs:
Tara Taylor Quinn
     Father: Unknown and McGillus v.Wright
Tom Clancy
     Power Play: Cold War (paperback) and Power Play: Ruthless.com (audio cassette tapes)
Singles:
Timeline by Michael Crichton
Bride of Shadow Canyon by Stacey Kayne
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
Always a Lady by Sharon Sala
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart


New Book Group #35 January 11, 2013
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing 

Pairs
Mary Baxter
    His Touch and One Summer Evening
Singles-- I found a couple of boxes of romances (a lot of Harlequins) that I haven't gotten to read over the past 8 years so... I will send them off to others to read!
Never Say Never Again by Tori Carrington
*Merger of Fortunes by Peggy Moreland
*The Banker's Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham
* The Millionaire's Daughter by Sophie Weston


New Book Group #34 December 7, 2012--- (All gone)

New Book Group #33 October 27, 2012
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing

SINGLES - CHRISTMAS TITLES (Better sizes for international) 
*Deck the Halls by Arlene James (slight spine creasing)
*A Holiday Prayer by Deb Kastner  (slight spine creasing)


New Book Group #32 October 5, 2012

- Oops upside down book! 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 - A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley
Please Remember This by Katleen Giles Seidel
The Boy's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries) by Margaret Frazer


New Book Group #31 August 31, 2012
I pulled some more books from several of my boxes.

An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)


New Book Group #30 July 27, 2012
This time I pulled some books from one of my older boxes.
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing

The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Wild Escapade by Lisa Bingham
Dancing on Snowflakes by Jane Bonander (postage too much - replaced with GC)

New Book Group #29 June 29, 2012
*asterisks indicate lighter, smaller books possibly suitable for international mailing

Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, An Anthology
*One is the Lonliest Number - Tom Clancey's Net Force

New Book Group #28 May 18, 2012 (All gone)

New book Group #27 April 13, 2012 (All gone)

New book Group #26 March 2, 2012--- (All gone)

New Group #25 January 12, 2012---(All gone)

New Group #24 Pick Books November 25, 2011---(All gone)

New Group #23 Pick Books October 14, 2011
I tried to pick some books that would be good for October -
Halloween or dark minded.
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser


New Group #22 Pick Books September 2, 2011---(All gone)

New Group #21 of Pick Books July 29, 2011
Mallory's Oracle (Kathleen Mallory Novels) by Carol O'Connell

May, 2011 New Group of Pick books Group #20
Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins - Audio Cassettes

3/25/11 I did get to set up a new group of books: Group #19
Primary Colors - audio tapes
*Note of Peril (black strip on cover)

2/19/11 Book Group #18- Pairs!---(All gone).

I have finally updated the intro and Entry paragraphs here:

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 in November 27, 2009 and in three years I have posted 33 groups of 16 (528) books to find new homes! (as of November 2012)

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! I am happy to say that so far about 530 books have found new homes! YAY. I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed.

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, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, 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 far away places runs between $5.00 $7.00 and $6.00 $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)

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.
CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 10:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up past midnight to do the winner post!
I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.
Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times and I did not note other people asking for that book during those weeks.
WINNERS PLEASE CHECK THE WIN POST ON FRIDAYS AND fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me at mesreads@gmail.com. [I will confirm receipt of the addresses- well I realize I haven't always done this. But if you filled out the form and don't get the book within two weeks nudge me with an email please!] If I have the winners e-mail I will send a reminder in a week or so....

Thanks for helping these books find new homes!!

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!

1/14/11 New List #17--- (All gone)

12/3/10 Book Set: #16
Sleight of Hand by Robin Hathaway
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown  (postage too much - replaced with GC)

List #15---(All gone)

List #14---(All gone)

Here is set #13 of Used books! ---(All gone)

Group #12---(All gone)

Group #11
Cat's Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

List #1
Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo

Pick #2---(All gone)

Pick #3---(All gone)

Pick #4
Talking God by Tony Kellerman

Pick #5
See Jane Lead by Lois P. Frankel
Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes

Pick #6---(All gone)

Pick #7
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape
Princess Charming by Jane Heller (slightly creased)

Pick #8
(sc) = slightly creased on binding otherwise all in good shape
The Jury by Steve Martini - Audio Tapes
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson - Audio Tapes

Pick #9
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murray
Guardian by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Time to Hunt by Stephen Hunter - Audio Tapes

Pick #10---(All Gone)

Audible Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

This is interesting, entertaining and a thought provoking alien invasion/apocalypse story.
The 5th Wave
    by Rick Yancey
    Narrated by Brandon Espinoza, Phoebe Stro

LENGTH    12 hrs and 41 mins
RELEASE DATE    05-07-13
PUBLISHER    Penguin Audio
Genre: Post Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the first wave, only darkness remains. After the second, only the lucky escape. And after the third, only the unlucky survive. After the fourth wave, only one rule applies: Trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the fifth wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother - or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
©2013 Rick Yancey (P)2013 Penguin Audio.

Review:
Cassie (for Cassiopeia NOT Cassandra) is a young teen struggling to survive her world after aliens appeared and wiped out a large portion of the population. First there was loss of electronics resulting in chaos and soon starvation. Then many, including Cassie’s mother, suffered a painful death from a bleeding virus. After the virus survivor’s fled the killing in the cities trying to hide. Cassie, with her father and her younger brother, Sammy, had joined a small community. They are living day to day as they try to hide from the flying drones and avoid the alien assassins whom Cassie calls the ‘Silencers’.

One day buses and military personnel arrive and everyone thinks they are saved. But the bus is only collecting children under 16. Cassie could go with her brother but she refuses to leave her father. They watch Sammy leave and then Cassie goes into the woods to find another friend. She stumbles upon a soldier killing the young boy. When she starts to return to camp she is devastated to see the soldiers killing all of the adult civilians. Now she knows she cannot trust the military or anyone at all. She is on the run, alone, wondering how she can rescue her brother.  She is injured by a Silencer and lost in the snow when she is rescued by Evan.

Cassie knows to trust no one but Evan saved her from the snow and fed and clothed her. He is very gentle and tender.   Yet he seems to know too much about her and she suspects that he is doing more than hunting as he goes out each night. Cassie slowly regains her strength and Evan reluctantly helps her plan how to get to Sam.

Meanwhile Sam and other young people have been taken to the military base to be trained as warriors to fight. That training includes how to kill the enemy who they are told look just like other humans but have an alien parasite on their brain. Only special tools and glasses help determine who is “green” to be killed or red to recruit.  The new recruits are also ‘tagged’ so they cannot be lost or stranded. Or are they being tagged for control purposes? What is the truth and who can be trusted?

I enjoyed the survival elements and the relationship conflicts presented in the story.  The premise is really interesting and there is good intensity of action that keeps the listener’s attention. I enjoyed some wonderful phrasing in the writing (with a print I could quote them but that is hard to capture in an audio).  I liked Evan’s character even though part of his mind-set is left mysterious. I’m undecided about the ending as it was one that leaves some open issues. But at least there was hope! I recommend this to readers who enjoy a good alien/apocalypse story and the emotional dilemmas of feelings associated with an individual ‘them’ instead of a faceless enemy.

Audio Notes:   I initially was annoyed by the “whininess” of Cassie. I wasn’t sure if it was her personality or the narration but I decided it was both and therefore fit the story.  I think both narrators did a good job with the personalities they portrayed for the reading. The narration enhanced the story for my enjoyment although I think this would be a fine ‘read’ as well. 

This is from my own Audible library.

Book Review: Quest for the Scorpion's Jewel by Amy Green

This is a fun read as youths face dangerous adventures and begin to learn to trust in God's 'rescue'.

Quest for the Scorpion's Jewel
Amarias Adventures: Book 1 by Amy Green

• File Size: 403 KB
• Print Length: 172 pages
• Publisher: Warner Press (July 1, 2011)
• ASIN: B005GFSZLK

Genre: Fantasy Adventure, Inspirational
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: July 1, 2011
The "Amarias Adventures™" begin when 15-year-old Jesse befriends a band of young warriors and risks his life to find a cure for the poisoned Parvel. Though Jesse has a crippled leg, he is asked to join the remaining warriors—part of an elite fighting force known as the Youth Guard—on their mission for the king. Facing danger at every turn, Jesse, Rae and Silas journey over treacherous mountains and across a scorching desert. To make matters worse, an unknown enemy seeks to end their quest before it has even begun. Where is Parvel’s God when they need Him most? And with so little information to guide them, how will they ever complete their mission and find the Scorpion’s Jewel? Will they even escape with their lives?

For more action-packed adventure, look for Book 2 in the "Amarias Adventures™: Escape from Riddler’s Pass."

Review:
Young Jesse is disregarded and disrespected by many due to a limp. He lives with his Aunt and Uncle who take advantage of working him even as they barely feed him.  Yet Jesse is kind and spirited. Jesse is quick to help when a team of Youth Guard, the elite young people trained to serve the King, show up at the Inn with an injured warrior. The guard team is supposed to be four strong but they have already lost one and now their leader, Parvel, has been poisoned.  Jesse sneaks out to get special herbs needed to save Parvel.

Silas is the strong team member and Rae is the feisty, skilled female warrior.  Although he isn’t strong, Jesse is resourceful and crafty. They agree to accept his help to complete their mission. The three set out to seek an audience with a hostile foreign king. Along the way they face treacherous mountain paths and desert sand storms.  Jesse comes in handy with strategies to survive the dangers.  They are fortunate to meet a trader in the desert who will guide them into the city.

However, unknown to the Youth Guard, there is a long term group dedicated to eliminating all Youth Guard members. The team is confused when they have to run and hide from Captain Demetri of the King’s Patrol. Demetri boasts of the corruption of the King while the youths are in cells facing execution. Jesse reveals to the taunting jailor that another injured team member remains at home. Their new friend credits God for helping them escape. The book ends with the teens racing back to Parvel before Demetri can kill him.

The story incorporates a wide gamut of character traits: prejudice, deception and corruption set off against  bravery, loyalty, faith, and more. I liked how Parvel consistently, though gently, shared his faith and how Jesse ponders the intervention of God. The writing is easy and fast paced. This is good entertainment and would make a fun read for middle grade children and even older “kids at heart.”

I picked this title up from NetGalley to provide an honest review.

BookBlast: Blood and Bone by Don Hoesel

Blood and Bone

More Archaeological Adventures from Popular Suspense Writer Don Hoesel.

A decade after Serpent of Moses, Jack is married to Espy and back teaching at Evanston University. They have two sons, one of whom has cystic fibrosis. Despite this challenge, life is comfortable. But that all changes when the CIA, while combing through the papers of the late Gordon Reese, uncovers the secret of Elisha's bones. Jack's world is then turned upside down by an urgent call from his old friend Duckey, who's been alerted to the CIA's probing by one of his former contacts. Jack and his family escape from their home just ahead of the CIA, and he decides to do what he should have done long ago: recover the bones and destroy them. Except the bones aren't where he left them.

So now Jack is in a race, for the last time, to find the bones. And he's not the only one. Pitted against both the CIA and an organization that will kill to protect their secrets, Jack and Espy follow hard-to-decipher clues across the globe before arriving in the catacombs of Paris for a final showdown that will either save their family--or tear apart everything they hold dear forever.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Tour Schedule

Author Don Hoesel

Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.

Twitter * Facebook * Website

BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 8/4/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mailbox Monday July 15, 2013

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
For JULY: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Tasha @ Book Obsessed.
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) but is now hosted at Mailbox Monday and through various blog hosts.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received some print and audio review books, purchased some audios and picked up the free audio titles from SYNC YA. 

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I received two print titles: 
Sourcebooks (Christmas in July) For October Review

 
Lady Jenny’s Christmas Portrait 
by Grace Burrowes
   

AND

    The Christmas he Loved Her
by Juliana Stone

I chose there titles from Audiobook Jukebox:

   

The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel
by Gregory S. Slomba, 
Narrated by Jimm Singer
 

The Maiden Flight of the Rio Grande 
by Michael Coorlim, 
Narrated by Wayne Farrell

The Eye of Moloch
    by Glenn Beck
    Narrated by Jeremy Lowell

Won

I've haven't been entering any contests that I recall. :-)

Purchased

I picked these up with my June Subscription:

  Joshua
    by John S. Wilson
    Narrated by Jonathan Yen
This sounds similar to The Road.
Man helps orphan boy in post-collapse America,

First Grave on the Right: Charley Davidson, Book 1
   by Darynda Jones
    Narrated by Lorelei King
        Series: Charley Davidson, Book 1
Part PI and part Grim Reaper.

The Overton Window
    by Glenn Beck
    Narrated by James Daniels
Since I will be reviewing book two (The Eye of Moloch) I decided to get the first book to read.

Free

Audios:

I downloaded this past week's free pair from SYNC YA July 11 – July 17, 2013:

 
The Peculiar
By Stefan Bachmann
Read by Peter Altschuler
Published by HarperAudio
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

and

Oliver Twist
By Charles Dickens
Read by Simon Vance
Published by Tantor Media
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

I didn't have time to download any free Kindle Titles this week; 
linked through Free Par-tay, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle Review.

It's Monday What are You Reading? July 15, 2013

This meme starts at Book Journey!

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 was a good reading week even though a busy work week.  I finished four books and am a various stages into four for this week.  I posted three reviews, one with Giveaway. I also posted the weekly Mailbox Monday meme, Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Snapshot, Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I am disappointed with myself - I didn't get to visit at all last week.  I hope to do better this week.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• It's Monday What are You Reading? July 8, 2013.

• Mailbox Monday July 8, 2013.

• Audible Book Review: Maelstrom:Destroyermen, Book 3 by Taylor Anderson, Science Fiction, Fantasy; my rating 4.5.

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Haven Creek (A Cavanaugh Island Novel) by Rochelle Alers, Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.0. Ends July 19.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway July 12, 2013. Open Worldwide. Ends 7/18.

• Book Review: Silent Warrior by Lindsey Piper, Urban Fantasy; my rating 4.25. 

• Saturday Snapshot July 13, 2013 Campground, Freeport FL
  

• Sharing Beyond Books #108 Comment Giveaway 7/13/13. Open Worldwide. Ends 7/19.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement July 14, 2013.
  

Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle

Silent Warrior
by Lindsey Piper
An exciting read - review is linked above.
Click on title for full Book Description.

2. Audible

The 5th Wave
    by Rick Yancey
    Narrated by Brandon Espinoza, Phoebe Stro
Engaging post apocalyptic story/YA.
I'll post a review this week.
Click on title for full Book Description.

3. eBook/Kindle

Quest for the Scorpion's Jewel

Amarias Adventures: Book 1 by Amy Green

A fun adventure read; good for younger folks

(and the young at heart).

I'll be posting a review this week.

Click on title for full Book Description.

4. eBook/Kindle
 

West Palm I: The Undertaker's Apprentice
by Joss Cordero
Different, murder mystery, or piece of one.
I'll post a review this week.
Book Description
Publication Date: June 3, 2013
The first in a four-part, fast-paced serialized psychological thriller, from a talented author who captures quirky South Florida in the bestselling tradition of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen.

Zach often hears his great aunt Emmy’s hauntingly sweet voice singing in his head. His calling has been to make the dead look beautiful. As a security guard at a West Palm funeral parlor, he strolls alone among the corpses, artfully decorating them…Zack knows the spirits of the dead need his help as they transition to the netherworld. But when his bizarre rituals are discovered, he flees. Not deterred, he comes upon a tall, beautiful woman alone on a yacht and knows she needs the kind of help only he can provide...

With its taut pacing and sly humor, Cordero’s West Palm serialization is relentlessly addictive, peopled with a South Florida psychopath, a burnt out police detective turned P.I., and one gorgeous but tough woman, in a city where trash mingles with class.

Line Edits/Releases:
I finally worked out the last details for a couple of releases this week.

Currently reading:
1. Audible

The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel
    by Gregory S. Slomba
    Narrated by Jimm Singer
This is a fun adventure. 
I am reviewing this for the author through Audiobook Jukebox.
Publisher's Summary
Twelve-year-old Eric Scott is called by Stig, a talking owl, to journey to another world to save a fishing village from a band of bloodthirsty pirates. Once there, Eric discovers that delivering the town is but one of the problems he'll have to solve.

Can a 12-year-old boy, a talking owl, a headstrong girl and an outcast dwarf save a village, much less an entire world? Find out as they set out on the journey of a lifetime to defeat an immortal pirate, face their fears, and fulfill an ancient prophecy.

2. eBook/Kindle

Blood and Bone
by Don Hoesel
This reminds me a little of an Indiana Jones adventure.
I will be posting a Giveaway 7/15 
and the review on 7/19 as part of BookBlast.
Book Description
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
More Archaeological Adventures from Popular Suspense Writer Don Hoesel

A decade after Serpent of Moses, Jack is married to Espy and back teaching at Evanston University. They have two sons, one of whom has cystic fibrosis. Despite this challenge, life is comfortable. But that all changes when the CIA, while combing through the papers of the late Gordon Reese, uncovers the secret of Elisha's bones. Jack's world is then turned upside down by an urgent call from his old friend Duckey, who's been alerted to the CIA's probing by one of his former contacts. Jack and his family escape from their home just ahead of the CIA, and he decides to do what he should have done long ago: recover the bones and destroy them. Except the bones aren't where he left them.

So now Jack is in a race, for the last time, to find the bones. And he's not the only one. Pitted against both the CIA and an organization that will kill to protect their secrets, Jack and Espy follow hard-to-decipher clues across the globe before arriving in the catacombs of Paris for a final showdown that will either save their family--or tear apart everything they hold dear forever.

3. Print

Flight of the Raven (Mysteries of Sparrow Island Series #2)
by Ellen Harris
I am reading this for Ladies' Book Club meeting July 20.
Book Description
Publication Date: February 15, 2007
A small plane disappears from the sky above Sparrow Iland, and Abby knows she must do something to help. Together, she and Sergeant Henry Cobb, set off to hunt for survivors. They find the plane but not the passengers - who it seems don't want to be found. Abby's wilderness skills are put to the test as she and Henry go on a chase to try to uncover the secrets of the passengers' hidden pasts. An exciting, suspense-filled story, "Flight of the Raven" is a riveting tale of determination, ingenuity and courage.

4. Print

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
by Molly Cannon
I had started this and then remembered book club.
So far it seems fun.
Book Description
Release date: June 25, 2013
 Here comes trouble...
Etta Green kissed Everson, Texas, goodbye years ago. A big city chef, she intends to return only long enough to settle her beloved grandmother's estate and then hightail it back to Chicago. But Grammy Hazel had other plans. In her will, she left Etta part-ownership of a B&B that's about to go bankrupt before it even opens. And what's worse--Etta's partner is Donny Joe Ledbetter, a handsome devil with some serious bad boy charm. Growing up, Donny Joe didn't give Etta a second glance. Now, she's got his whole attention.

A far cry from the shy bookworm he once knew, sexy, spirited Etta Green is nothing but trouble. Yet Donny Joe decides to play nice. After all, the quicker they open the B&B, the faster this exasperating--and irresistible--woman will be on her way. Donny Joe has never been a one-woman kind of man. But one crazy little moment of unforgettable desire may change his mind--if he can convince Etta to stay for good...

I continue to listen to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. [Reading and listening on MP3.] I am studying with the Tyndall One Year Bible this year, hoping to read daily along with my DH.

Line Edits: Still working. Several more releases being prepared for the next few weeks. I am still doing more Smashword conversions in between print formatting.

I have several print books carrying over from June to July and new ones added. The new additions push the total beyond what I wanted so we'll see how things go week to week.

July Scheduled:

7/15 Book Blast Blood and Bone by Don Hoesel
7/19 Review Blood and Bone for Book Blast
7/22 Book Blast The Hero’s Lot by Patrick W. Carr
7/26 Review The Hero’s Lot for Book Blast

Sourcebooks
    (none scheduled unless I pick up at NetGalley)
Hachette - Forever
    Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Molly Cannon
    A House Divided by Kimberly Lawson Roby
    Flirting with Texas by Katie Lane
    Guilty as Sin by Jami Alden
    Revenge by Debra Webb

NetGalley: (July and early August)
      The Companions, The Sundering, Book I by R. A. Salvatore
      The Godborn, The Sundering, Book II by Paul S. Kemp
      Windshift by Joyce Faulkner

AudioBook Jukebox (July and early August)
    The Delivers and Starkey by Gregory S. Slomba, Narrated by Jimm Singer
    The Maiden Flight of the Rio Grande by Michael Coorlim, Narrated by Wayne Farrell
    The Eye of Molech by Glen Beck, Narrated by Jeremy Lowell

Author Books received at March EPICon
     Convict Dad by P. Ryan Hembree

Author Review titles:
     Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker 
     Double Click by Lisa Becker

From TBR Collection - TBD
Won Book - TBD
Free Kindle/Nook or Smashwords: TBD

Sunday Words of Encouragement July 14, 2013

We had a nice communion service this morning and some of the young girls shared their fun experience at church camp a week or so ago. It’s always wonderful to see the joy of the Lord radiate from the kids.

Pastor’s sermon was entitled: “Battle for the Mind”. The primary passage was Philippians 4:8 which encourages us to 'think on good things'. Much of our society focuses on negative-- in the news and unfairness of circumstances-- instead of looking for all the good, joy and blessings we have. Pastor explained that he was feeling a bit unsettled and then, as he was resting his hip, he came upon the Hallmark channel. Hallmark has been sharing sweet stories of “Christmas in July.” Pastor realized that his attitude brightened just by thinking of the wonderful family sharing times we experience during the Christmas season.

Pastor pointed out that this cheerful viewing is in contrast to other less than positive offerings on TV - some of which he termed “crummy.” He said there is a new program about a child, (title withheld), where the audience is encouraged to buy 'sniff and scratch' cards so they can share in malodorous odors! Ugh. He also questioned a commercial for some zesty salad dressing that was touted by a man with no shirt. “What does a shirtless man have to do with salad dressing?” he asked. It is a clear attempt to lure people with the lusts of the flesh. (I am so glad we don’t watch much TV and we use the program that allows us to skip over commercials.)

As mentioned a few weeks ago, we are righteous through Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and we are inheritors, therefore royalty.  So the question is: How do you choose to live? As royalty focusing on good things, joy and blessings? Or as paupers in the slums, gloomy and sad, and grumbling about life's difficulties?

I have had internet (or computer) problems today

and was unable to play the videos choices without locking up. 

This song finally played so my DH said it must be the one to use.

I was looking for a joyful song so Joy in the Holy Ghost works. :-)

A verse for today:
Philippians 4:8  (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I pray that the Lord will always help me to live like royalty and to look for the good and positive each day!

Winner of Paper Roses

CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER:

Giveaway Ended July 12 2013

Giveaway: Paper Roses (Texas Dreams Book #1)

by Amanda Cabot

US Only. 

WINNER: Booklady

Sharing Beyond Books #108 Comment Giveaway July 13, 2013

Hello again on Saturday night and Welcome to SBB, Sharing Beyond Books.

This was a busy week for me with some work stress as a result of several closings getting shifted at the last minute. Last night we were away to Santa Rosa, FL so we could attend our Grandson's baseball game today. The game was delayed by rain so we only saw part of it. But they won and move on to the next match tomorrow. Yeah!

Thank you to all who shared last week.

Most of us do not take any special books on vacation and several people said they don't have time to read on vacation. How shocking! Several of us do like our readers as it makes it easier to travel with more reading material. :-)
 
Most all of us do plan vacations although four of us also do some spur of the moment vacations.
Really, I suppose even spur of the moment trips require some planning to pack. I for one wouldn't want to forget my electronics (computer, Kindle and mp3) and their cords!

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #107 comments is: #16 Anubha who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the ARC/Review titles, Christmas titles or Love titles - all linked near the end of the post.  Please let me know your choice by completing the (new) WINNER FORM.

WEEK #108 Questions

Q1. Margaret asks: Cowboy or Highlander??

A: Ok - I am assuming the question means which would you prefer to read. Although it could be asking which you might like to date! I like both for reading--sometimes I feel like a good Highlander tale and other times I want to read about a warm cowboy.  [Since I'm married 27+ years I don't think about dating either type. :-)] 

I couldn't resist when I saw this image!
Image found at Wikipedia.

Q2. My non-bookish Question this week: Have you ever gone geocaching??

A: I didn't even know what geocaching was ("a free outdoor treasure hunt") until our California trip in November 2010. Our son and my stepson introduced us to the fun event and we raced around Monterey looking for caches! It was a fun part of that vacation. I am sharing several pictures: three of us looking, the very small container and how it was camouflaged! [I have linked the primary site to the word geocaching in case anyone wants to learn more about it.]

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! We can always use fresh questions. I do have a group of questions from the same submitters so if you have a question don't be afraid to ask!

Your turn to share:

Q1. Margaret asks: Cowboy or Highlander??

Q2. My non-bookish Question this week: Have you ever gone geocaching??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books , the Christmas Giveaway Books, or the June 2012 Newly Updated ARC/Review List.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the two/three questions above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.

I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made by Friday, July 19, 2013 at 10 PM central.

Saturday Snapshot July 13, 2013 - Campground, Freeport Beach

I am late posting Saturday Snapshot today because we are out of town. Our Grandson is playing in District Baseball playoffs so we brought the motorcoach down for the family to have a mini vacation at Freeport Beach, FL.I didn't arrive until after 7pm last evening so my DH already had the motorcoach all set up.

Here is the Coach ready for nighttime.

This is the field that the coach faces.

There are just a couple of the 20+ horses off to the right.

Here are those couple of horse zoomed in.

Here is a sliver of crescent moon (the little white spot in upper midsection of photo)

and a bit of the storm clouds we have been experiencing.

We will be watching Grandson's first game this afternoon and then DH and I will return home.
Three kids and four adults is a bit much in such a small space.
Hopefully the kids will have fun -
maybe on the horses or for sure visiting the beach which is half a mile away.
I'll take photos of the recreational park -- which looks pretty awesome -- this afternoon.
We might come back in the next few days if they are winning.

I hope everyone is having a great time. Sorry I didn't get to visit at all this past week. Hopefully I will a bit later today or tomorrow.
Thanks to all who stop by and visit.

A big Thank You to Alyce at Alyce of At Home With Books who has hosted this meme for a number of years. She is taking a summer hiatus at her blog and the new host will be Melissa at West Metro Mommy. Thank you to Melissa for picking up the responsibility. 

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky being hosted this summer by West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Book Review: Silent Warrior by Lindsey Piper

This is book is edgy and exciting.
Silent Warrior
by Lindsey Piper

• File Size: 777 KB
• Print Length: 112 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (April 22, 2013)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• ASIN: B009K54S6I

Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: April 22, 2013
An exciting, emotionally charged prequel to the Dragon Kings trilogy featuring warriors fighting for their lives in violent cage matches to guarantee their clans’ survival—available exclusively as an eBook!

A silent woman ashamed of her criminal background becomes a Cage warrior to seek redemption. An unrepentant fortune hunter will do anything to escape his mounting debts. Although rivals on the streets of Hong Kong, they find common ground when seeking their clan’s stolen idol, but for vastly different reasons. Neither one suspects that love will begin when he becomes the first man in five years to hear her speak.

Review:

Hark is fighting in a warrior match to earn money to pay off debts. His opponent is a beautiful, expressionless and silent woman. She won’t even give a groan in injury. Hark on the other hand is a chatterer and he is fascinated and intent to break through the silence of this fierce warrior. Hark and the woman are both of the Sath Clan, who are able to borrow the abilities of Dragon Kings. However she wears a collar indicating she is in bondage to one of the Cartels and unable to use the powers of others. He finally establishes a slight advantage and, although the woman would not surrender, her ‘handler’ instructs her to stop.

The woman collects $4,000.00 for the fight and tucks it into her bodice. Hark plans to collect his half of the payment but before the two can exit the bar they are confronted with another powerful Dragon King, and his henchmen, who plan to steal the money. Hark and the woman quickly move together to take on the new threat. Soon they leave the opposition in the dust and head off down the dark ally ways to a place to be alone together to slack the other passions that have risen with the adrenaline of battle. Hark finally learns the woman is called–fittingly–Silence.

They are surprised by the extent of their passions and Hark becomes intent on learning Silence’s true name and getting her to reveal more emotion. Soon they are on the run from a new attack as  debt collectors come after Hark. Silence leads him to a horrible, crowded, dilapidated tenement building where she has stashed another Dragon King as a prisoner. Once again they must fight together and share power to prevail.

Silence is on a mission to recover a stolen idol and regain her honor. Hark recognizes her strength and proposes to join her as a mate, even if it means he goes into bondage for a time to pay off his debts.

The story is full of intense action and passion. I liked both strong characters.  The stoic, determined Silence and the bantering, impulsive Hark make a great team. The language is a little rough but it didn’t overwhelm the storyline.  This novella is very entertaining and left me wanting to read more of their adventures.  

This is prequel I picked up at NetGalley to see if I might like the series.