Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf

Friday, July 9, 2010

Martha's Bookshelf *** Friday Pick Giveaway July 9, 2010

I always thought books were illuminating. What do you think?

No new group listings for a few more weeks but there are still plenty of books to pick from!

List #14

The Cobra Event by Richard Preston

Blue Screen (Sunny Randall) by Robert Parker

Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler

Proof of Intent: A Charley Sloan Courtroom Thriller by William Coughlin, Walter Sorrels

Blood And Glory (Soldiers Of War) (Soldiers of War, Book 1) byLarson Reed

The Hangman's Knot: A Novel (Billy Tree Mysteries) by David Wiltse

The Darkness by Jason Pinter

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

The Color of Law: A Novel by Mark Gimenez
Atlantis by David Gibbins
Depraved Indifference by Joseph Teller
Lines of Defense by Barry Siegel
Must the Maiden Die (Seneca Falls Historical Myster) by Miriam Grace Monfredo
Gospel Truths by J.G. Sandom
The Summons by John Grisham - Audio CDs

Here is set #13 of "new" Used books!

Immortal Sins by Amanda Ashley
Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways, Book 1) by Lisa Kleypas
Flamingo Diner by Sherryl Woods
Death Cruise (St. Martin's True Crime Library) by Don Davis
Bed of Roses (Topaz Historical Romance, Je 519) by Suzanne Simmons
The Angel by Carla Neggers
Ain't She Sweet? by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
~~Anansi Boys by Neil Gairman~~
The Bone Garden: A Novel by Tess Gerritsen
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Hellion by LaVyrle Spencer
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Pearl Beyond Price by Claire Delacroix

The Outside Man by Richard North Patterson
The Night We Met: The Panty Raid\Frame By Frame\Three Wishes (Harlequin Signature Select) Anthology
Pamela Morsi, Karen Kendall and Colleen Collins

This is a group of books I have had for several years but not gotten to read. Since it doesn't look like I will get to read them for another year (or more!) I am passing them on. Although as I type them part of me still says "But you may want to read that some day!" Yes, yes; along with the other 700 books I am housing! Must Let goooooo.....
Group #12
The Ripple Effect by Lynn Erickson

First King of Shannara (Shannara Trilogy, Prequel) by Terry Brooks
Seal Team Oneby Dick Couch
Motion to Suppress by Perri O'Saughnessy
Presumption of Death by Perri O'Saughnessy
McNally's Puzzle by Lawrence Sanders

Pandemic by Daniel Kalla
Lethal Practice by Peter Clement
The Undertaker's Widow by Phillip M. Margolin
The Burning Man by Phillip M. Margollin
Double Jeopardy by William Bernhardt
The Genesis Code: A Thriller by John Case
Death Takes Passage (Alaska Mysteries) by Sue Henry
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King

Group #11
Cat's Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown
Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods - CD Audio
Taking the Fifth by J.A.Jance
~~Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen~~
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester
Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher
Swan Road by Rebecca Brandewyne
~~The Protector by Madeline Hunter~~
Looking Back by Belva Plain
The Ring on Her Finger by Elizabeth Bevarly
Rainmaker by John Grisham - Audio Tapes
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (Oops - better make sure my daughter has read this one!)

PLEASE NOTE UPDATED RULES IN RED BELOW!

I am going to continue to include the full list updated with chosen books crossed off. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see each post and the book pictures if you want! I am happy to say that so far about 84 books have found new homes! YAY. I pulled a couple of hardbacks and larger books as the postage cost was prohibitive.

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 the Friday Pick Giveaways.

I originally posted ten Friday Pick posts with 16 books each. I will strike out the books as they are chosen. Some of the books may be chosen by winners in the SaSR weekly drawings. So it will be first pick to the one who claims it. SaSR winners are announced Friday mornings (or afternoon if I get busy!) and it usually takes that person a bit of time to get back to me. That means the Friday Pick winner who is drawn Thursday night will usually get the choice named in their comment as I will have time to remove it from the file list before announcing the winner at SaSR.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, TWRP, 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.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists (less whichever books might be picked by the comment or SaSR winners each week). PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM SETTING A NEW CUT OFF TIME AS 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 the next Friday.
ALSO, TO SAVE ME EXTRA WORK, I WILL ASK THE WINNERS TO CHECK THE WIN POST ON FRIDAYS AND E-MAIL ME THEIR ADDRESSES at mesreads@gmail.com. I will confirm receipt of the addresses. If I have the winners e-mail I will send a reminder over the weekend but I won't be so rushed on Fridays! So I still recommend that you leave your e-mail especially if you are new and I don't have a way to find it!

Thanks for helping these books find a new home!!

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!

List 1
A Jockey's Life by Dick Francis
Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo
Net Force - One is the Loneliest Number by Tom Clancy
Almost Single by Advaita Kala

Pick#2
Love Me Forever by Johanna Lindsey

Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann
The Crush by Sandra Brown
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross
The Lighthouse by Mary Schramski

Pick #3
Delivered by Christmas Anthology - Linda Howard, Joan Hohl andSandra Steffen
The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
~~Red Fire by Dierdre Knight~~
One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon
Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank

Pick #4
Talking God by Tony Kellerman
Twelve Acres by Barbara Delinsky
Black Ice by Anne Stuart
Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford
CORRECTION: This was not The Last of The Mohicans based on the Novel by James Fenimore Cooper - although I do have that; The book in the group is The Sixth Sense (a book my son left me when he went off to the service).
The Shadow by Shelley Munro (PA)
Warning Signs by Stephen White
The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman
Swear by the Moon by Shirley Busbee
Montana Bride by Barbara Clark (A)

Pick #5
See Jane Lead by Lois P. Frankel
Jake's Return by Liana Laverentz (A)
The Jester by James Patterson - Audio Tapes
Firestorm by Nevada Barr
Manhunt by Janet Evanovich - Audio CDs
The Darkroom by Minette Walters
The Daddy Spell by Patti Ann Cole
Surrender a Dream by Jill Barnett
Misfortune by Nancy Geary
False Prophet by Faye Kellerman
Cold Hit by Linda Fairstein - Audio Tapes
A Kiss of Fate by Mary Jo Putney (SC)

Pick #6
Tin Man by Dale Brown
The Marshall Takes a Bride by Renee Ryan *PA*
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith
The Edge of Town by Dorothy Garlock
The Elusive Flame by Kathleen Woodwiss
The House of Women by Alison G. Taylor
The Healer by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Elusive Love by Catherine Lanigan
Mistletoe and Mischief by Patricia Wynn

Pick #7
In Her Defense by Stephen Horn - Audio Tape
A Perfect Gentleman by Barbara Metzger (slightly creased)
Scarred by William Heffernan (spine creased)
Prey by Michael Crichton - Audio Tape
The Path to Her Heart by Linda Ford (Personally Autographed)
Deception Point by Dan Brown
X-Men 2
Hunted by William W. Johnstone (spine frayed at top)
Man of My Dreams by Johanna Lindsey (spine frayed a bit at bottom)
Princess Charming by Jane Heller (slightly creased)

Pick #8
(sc) = slightly creased on binding otherwise all in good shape
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
The Jury by Steve Martini - Audio Tapes
Stormy Weather by Carl Haasen - Audio Tapes
The Vision by Heather Graham (sc))
Fool Me Once by Fern Michaels
Midnight Come Again by Dana Stabenow (sc)
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland - Audio Tapes (box creased but tapes good)
Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian (sc)
No Safe Place by Richard North Patterson - Audio Tapes
Vertical Run by Joseph R. Garber (sc)

Pick #9
Spyder Web by Tom Grace - Audio Tapes
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Three Weddings and a Kiss - Anthology
The Rogue and the Rival by Maya Rodale (Personally Autographed)
Final Appeal by Lisa Scottoline (spine creased)
The Lost World by Michael Crichton - Audio Tapes
Evil Whispers by Owl Goingback
Her Highness My Wife by Victoria Alexander
On Treacherous Ground by Earl Murrray
Darkfall by Stephen Laws
Runaway Heart by Stephen J. Cannell
Guardian by Dee Henderson - Audio Tapes
Time to Hunt by Stephen Hunter - Audio Tapes

Pick #10
Cruel & Unusual by Patricia Cornwell (slightly creased -sc)
The Third Twin by Ken Follett (spine creased)
Double Blind by Ken Goodard
The Hunter by Gennita Low (sc)
Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman - Audio Tapes
The Trouble with Mary by Millie Criswell
Dreams Gather by Kathryn Collins (sc)

Winners of Friday Pick July 2, 2010

Congratulations to the Winners of Friday Pick July 2, 2010

Made at GetOnMySpace.com

Cheryl chose The Protector

Made at GetOnMySpace.com

Misha chose Rise and Shine

Misha is International so we will check mailing costs
or arrange a Gift Card or book from Book Depository.

Cheryl and Misha - please email me at mesreadsATgmail.com with your snail mail address.
As always - thanks to all who entered. :)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Tell "Em What You Think: Feedback Friday at Forever Romance

HURRY - Sign up for a chance to get BARELY A LADY and tell the editor your thoughts on romance!

A Message from Forever Romance at Hachette Book Group!

Hello, folks

The editor for Barely a Lady (The Drake's Rakes series) would really like to talk to readers, one on one, about what works and doesn’t work for them in romance. We set up a FEEDBACK FRIDAY system of sorts and we’re planning to do one every first Friday of the month. It will be a different type every time, from book covers to character examination, etc. This month, it was for BARELY A LADY. We’re hoping to get as many people involved in this as we could, so ... please encourage your readers to participate.

Here’s what we put up on Facebook.com/ForeverRomance:

Feedback Friday gives you a chance to tell us what you think about romance! Every first Friday of the month, you can give feedback to the editor. This month’s Feedback Friday is for the book BARELY A LADY by Eileen Dreyer. Sign up below:
Feedback Friday Form

And on Twitter @ForeverRomance:

Here’s ur chance 2 really let a #4evreditor know what u think of BARELY A LADY by @EileenDreyer in a 1on1 email convo http://ht.ly/1

So click on the form for a chance to get the book. If you get the book then on the third Friday of the month you can tell Eileen what you like or what you don't like. My reveiw and giveaway for Barely a Lady (The Drake's Rakes series) will be posted Saturday - for me it's another 5 star Historical!!

Guest Post – Rise of the Fire Tamer (The Wordwick Games, #1) by Kailin Gow

On Grounding Reality in Fantasy

In my newest book series, The Wordwick Games, with Rise of the Fire Tamer Book 1 just released, five teens are challenged in a game so real, they don’t know whether to believe it’s real or it isn’t.

Part of this illusion is the establishing of a world so familiar yet so fantastic to us that there is already a sense of reality in this world. As Gem, Sparks, Rio, Jack, and Kat step into the mysterious castle for the first time, they see a castle steep in history. So much has happened in this medieval castle. In The Wordwick Games, Anachronia is the world the five teen gamers enter, thinking it is the 10th level of a virtual game they are playing. To enter this world, they must first begin at Word Castle, a medieval castle I based on Warwick Castle in England. I’ve visited Warwick Castle a number of times and it has always had an impact on me. The castle, the land, the peacocks, and yes, even the ghosts (it’s said to be haunted). Finally, I had to make it a character in a book, and it became a major character in The Wordwick Games Series.

The medieval qualities of Anachronia and our familiarity of this time period through fairy tales and folk tales which brings us knights, ladies, dragons, ogres, trolls, and wizards set the reality of this fantasy adventure novel. Having five teens that walk and talk like real teenagers also provides the realism of this novel. They are familiar faces and people who we know in school or in our daily lives so we are transported with them into this amazing adventure.

Do you know of any books which feature a building or a place so important to the plot, it becomes a main character in the book? If so, which books and what is the name of the building or setting?

Kailin is stopping by my blog as part of her blog tour with Pump up Your Books.
You can learn more about Kailin at Sparklesoup.com.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) Registration Entry

Plan to be a part of the Third Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week September 13-17.
The book blogging community is really special.

(from the BBAW website):
What: Book Blogger Appreciation Week is a week long festival celebrating the community of book bloggers and their contribution to preserving a culture of literacy through book reviews and recommendations, reading reflections, and general bookish chat. BBAW also includes an awards component. For more information on the BBAW 2010 Awards and how to participate, please visit the BBAW 2010 Awards Blog. BBAW events include daily blogging topics, blogger interview swaps, special guest posts, and so much more!

Who: If you self-identify as a book blogger, this festival is for you! We have been excited to welcome participants from all over the world for past BBAWs.

When: September 13-17, 2010.

Where: Right here at the Book Blogger Appreciation Week blog. You can participate in the comfort of your own home and the convenience of your own time zone.

Why: Because book blogging is a fun and time intensive hobby that has created communities around books and played a crucial role in the continuing evolution of what books mean in our society.

How Can I Participate?
You can participate by filling out the registration form for BBAW 2010. Subscribe to the blog’s feed and follow us on Twitter to keep up with all of the developments!

Well - it is very awkward but to enter the BBAW this year you have to post your own registration. I want to be part of the BBAW event and list so I am going out on a limb and was considering nominating my blog for several niche categories. I started with four posts then looking at the entry form decided they should all go in one post. Now I went to complete the registration and realized you can only enter one niche catagory.
Here we go:

Niche ENTRY:

Best Eclectic Book Blog—This blog doesn’t specialize in any one book genre. It is known for consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in a variety of genres.

I have to list five posts, to be judged by the BBAW panel.
**For Niche category awards, 3 posts must be reviews, recommendations, or analyses of a specific title; 2 posts are up to the nominated blogger
It was not easy to decide on the five posts for each entry.

I am using the following 5 reviews for the Eclectic Entry:

1. Historical Romance - To Surrender to a Rogue by Cara Elliott
2. Audio CD - Crime Thriller - True Blue by David Baldacci
3. Fiction - Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo
4. Inspirational - God Never Blinks by Regina Brett
5. YA/Paranormal - Beyond the Map's Boundary: A Timely Sort of Adventure by Nibi Soto

Feature ENTRY:

Best Written Book Blog—This blog is consistently well-written, clear, and engaging, no matter what the subject. [Note that nominated bloggers for this award are required to submit 3 reviews, recommendations, or analyses of a specific title; 2 are up to the nominated blogger.]

I have to list five posts, to be judged by the BBAW panel.
**For Featured category awards, 2 posts must be reviews, recommendations, or analyses of a specific title; 3 posts are up to the nominated blogger
Not an easy decision but here are my five posts for this category:

I am using the following 5 posts for the Best Written Blog Entry:

1. Book Meme - It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
2. Review - God's Promises for Girls by Jack Countryman and Amy Parker
3. Review - Yesterday's Promise by by Delia Latham
4. Book Talk - How Important is Realism? Comment Giveaway
5. Review - The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyers

Feature ENTRY:

Best Author Interviews—This blogger does his or her research and asks the questions no one else does. These interviews are top-notch. Note that this award reflects the quality of the interviews, not the popularity of the person being interviewed.