Mailbox Monday September 24, 2012

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
FOR SEPTEMBER: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Kristen’s at BookNAround.

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 added several Audible and free books this week to add to my garden. How about you?

Review Titles

I accepted an author review book:

The Mine by John A. Heldt

Wins

No new books in this week.

Purchased

I purchased these titles at Audible - 2 under my monthly membership and 8 from $4.95 sale:

Defining Diana
Variant
Dead Reckoning: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #11
10th Anniversary: The Women's Murder Club
Conspiracy in Death: In Death, Book 8
Furies of Calderon: Codex Alera, Book 1
Daemon
Spider's Bite: Elemental Assassin, Book 1
It Happened One Autumn: Wallflower Series #2

Free 

I received these books through Free Partay

FEATURED free books:

Featured Romantic Suspense
License to Thrill By Stephanie Bond
Roll the Dice By Mimi Barbour
Agents Under Fire By Dana Marton
The Heart of Lies By Debra Burroughs
The Spia Family Presses On By Mary Leo 
The Choice By Lorhainne Eckhart
Dare Me By Julie Leto

Featured Contemporary Romance
Touch Me And Tango By Alicia Street and Roy Street
Under the Covers By Rita Herron
Love Birds? By Carolyn McCray and Ben Hopkin

Featured Historical Romance
Heart's Desire By Jacquie D'Alessandro
The Nude By Dorothy McFalls
Fated By Carolyn McCray

Featured YA/Paranormal/SciFi
Blood Soaked Promises (Blood and Snow 4)
By RaShelle Workman
Resistance By David Weisman
The Third Scroll By Dana Marton

Click here to
see ALL Romance

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? September 24, 2012

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.

I have had a rough week with a feverish cold. I think it is starting to break up so hopefully this coming week will be better. 

I finished four books last week but only posted three reviews as I was going to bed early. I will have to catch up a bit this week on the reviews.   I had one tour book last week with a giveaway link plus I posted the regular Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I did get to visit a bit last week and hope I will get to do do again tonight before I crash once more. :-)
I truly appreciate all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• It's Monday What are You Reading? September 17, 2012.

• Monday Mailbox September 17, 2012.

• Audio Book Review: Night Rounds by Helene Tursten; Mystery, Scandinavian Crime; my rating 4.0.

• Book Review: Man Of Honor by Loree Lough; Christian Romance; my rating 4.25.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 21, 2012.  Open Worldwide.  Ends 9/27.

• Book Review:  Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson; Comedy; my rating 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #67 Comment Giveaway. Open Worldwide. Ends 9/28.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement September 23, 2012.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible

The Lost Gate: Mithermages, Book 1

• UNABRIDGED
• by Orson Scott Card
• Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Emily Janice Card
• • Series: Mithermages, Book 1

I liked parts of this but was disappointed overall. I will post a review early this coming week. This is from my Audible Library.

2. Print
 

A Man of Honor: First Responders Book #3
by Loree Lough
I enjoyed this alot.
The review, part of tour,  is linked above.

3. Print
 

Angels Landing (A Cavanaugh Island Novel)
by Rochelle Alers

This  was a fast, fun read. I will post a review this week.

Reviewing for Forever/Hachette.
Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2012 | Series: A Cavanaugh Island Novel (Book 2)

Sometimes love can take you by surprise.

4. Print

Kiss of Steel
by Bec McMaster
This is fast paced reading.
Review and Interview to post
with Giveaway September 25, 2012. (Sourcebooks)
Book Description
Release Date: September 1, 2012
"Action, adventure, steampunk, and blazing hot seduction...Bec McMaster offers it all."—Eve Silver, author of Sins of the FleshA brilliantly creative debut where vampires, werewolves, and clockwork creatures roam the mist–shrouded streets of London...
When Nowhere is Safe
Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the last safe haven. But at what price?
Blade is known as the master of the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single–handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood–craving he's been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal.
When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel—or that she could be the very salvation he's been seeking.

Line Edits: I am working on more formatting this week.

Currently reading:

1. Audio
 

Bones Are Forever: A Novel (Temperance Brennan)
Kathy Reichs (Author), Linda Emond (Reader) 
I had read or listened to books 1-12 in this series. This is Book 15 and I was pleased to get it from Simon & Schuster through Audiobook Jukebox.
Book Description
Release Date: August 28, 2012 | Series: Temperance Brennan
Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the Fox hit series Bones, is at her brilliant best in a riveting novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan—a story of infanticide, murder, and corruption set in the high-stakes, high-danger world of diamond mining.

Temperance Brennan has been asked to examine the corpses of three dead babies in Montreal. It’s a difficult assignment, complicated further by the fact that her long-time flame Detective Ryan is investigating the infants’ mother, a former (and possibly current) prostitute. When the woman flees to Edmonton, the investigation is joined by Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant with whom Tempe had an ill-advised fling over a decade earlier. The dissonant team heads to remotest Yellowknife—mining country—to pursue an ever more sinister trail.

     With the Fox series Bones in its seventh season and her popularity at its broadest ever, Kathy Reichs reaches new heights in storytelling and suspense-building. Bones Are Forever shimmers with sexual tension, crackling dialogue, and the thrilling twists Reichs delivers so well.

2. eBook/Kindle
 

Power
by Debra Webb
I just started this and it is strong characters already.
Reviewing for Forever/Hachette.
Book Description
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Agent Jess Harris is back in another thrilling installment of Debra Webb's Faces of Evil series.

Jess is ready to start the next chapter in her life as the new deputy chief of Birmingham's major crimes division. But with her first love, Chief of Police Dan Burnett, acting as her new boss, it looks like Jess won't be able to put the past behind her that easily.

Jess has decided to focus all of her attention on work when a celebrated ballet instructor is found dead by one of her students. Though Jess's instincts tell her otherwise, the death is ruled an accident, and the case is assigned to another division. Still, Jess can't shake the feeling that there's more to the story, and her investigation leads her into the worlds of Birmingham's gang culture and its powerful elite.

Now Jess's investigation has dug a little too deep, and there's a target painted on her own forehead. Will she be able to solve the crime before her own life is in jeopardy?

3.  Print
 

When You Give a Duke a Diamond (Jewels of the Ton)
by Shana Galen
I expect to start this tomorrow. Reviewing for Sourcebooks.
Book Description
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
HE HAD A PERFECTLY ORDERLY LIFE...
William, the sixth Duke of Pelham, enjoys his punctual. securely structured life. Orderly and predictable—that's the way he likes it. But he's in the public eye, and the scandal sheets will make up anything to sell papers. When the gossips link him to Juliette, one of the most beautiful and celebrated courtesans in London, chaos doesn't begin to describe what happens next...

UNTIL SHE CAME ALONG...
Juliette is nicknamed the Duchess of Dalliance, and has the cream of the nobility at her beck and call. It's seriously disruptive to have the duke who's the biggest catch on the Marriage Mart scaring her other suitors away. Then she discovers William's darkest secret and decides what he needs in his life is the kind of excitement only she can provide...

I am again listening to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. 

[Reading and listening on my new MP3.]

Instead of studying with the Tyndall One Year Bible this year I am studying with Through the Bible in One Year by Alan B. Stringfellow. It is a Study that I used for teaching back in around 1989 so I will enjoy it again.  This week the reading is Philippians.

Line Edits: I am working on more formatting this week.

I thought I had selected fewer titles for September but there are already 17 in the starting list which means five per week continues.   I have read 10 from the list; 12 for the month so far.

Scheduled for September:
9/25 Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster - Review and Interview (Sourcebooks)

Unscheduled for September:
NetGalley

Blades of Winter: A Novel of the Shadowstorm by G. T. Almasi
(Possibly one more)

Sourcebooks
When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen
(Possibly two others)

Hachette
Power, Faces of Evil by Debra Webb

Audiobook Jukebox:

The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman
Bones Are Forever Kathy Reichs

Authors
Risking it All by Suzanne Barrett

TBR
I plan to read at least one "Won"/TBR books and one free Kindle book.:-)
1 Free Kindle - read and reviewed; 1 Free Audio - read and reviewed.
Won TBR: Shift by Ami Rebecca Blackwelder

[To be posted - I am setting these up for interview/feature days. These were read and ready for reviews for Authors.  
Quest for Magic by Jean Hart Stewart - Read; review to be posted with interview.  
Seeing for the First Time (What You See is What You Get) and To See (What You See is What You Get) by Nicole Zoltack - Both Read; setting up author interview with reviews.]

Sunday Words of Encouragement September 23, 2012

Pastor's Sermon this morning was entitled "God's Glory." Pastor shared passages explaining what that is.

We have to have a vision of who God is, what His Glory is. Think how glorious it must have been in  the Garden of Eden when God fellow-shipped with man. Then man was put out of Eden and generation after generation lost touch with the reality and the Vision of God. Revivals change people who receive a personal understanding of his glory. 

What is the glory of the Lord?  In the Old Testament it appears as the Weightiness of His Presence. In the New Testament God's Glory is revealed in the character of Jesus and the Comforter.  The enemy uses a major weapon to keep us from seeing and sharing God's Glory --  that is our words.  If our words don't carry 'life' (see the message from September 9) then we are not living as God wants; we are not sharing the character of Jesus with others.

Each day I have to remember--

"It's All About You"

Verses for Today
Ephesians 4:29-30 (NIV)
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.


I thank God for allowing me to recognize His Glory in His Presence during worship. For me, I see His Glory through those who share His Word, His Love, His Blessings and His Peace.  I also give thanks that, as the song says: 'I will share eternity with You'

Sharing Beyond Books #67 Comment Giveaway September 22, 2012

Welcome to another SBB!

Hello again on Saturday Night.  I am still under the weather with this horrible sinus cold. I almost didn't get up to finish this post. As soon as it is posted I am back off to bed so goodnight all!

Thank you to all who shared last week.

I was surprised that only one other commenter belongs to an in person book club and two belong to online book clubs. I appreciated the comments and  the book recommendations. I have to agree that the book choices would depend a lot on the group of readers. I am tempted to try some of the recommendations too. :-)

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #65 comments is: #5 Jane There are still 6 'love' books to pick from and 1 Christmas choice (I guess I'll have to add some titles to that list soon). Jane please choose a book (or GC if international) from the remaining Love Books List for Giveaway, remaining Christmas Giveaway Book, OR pick from the Updated ARC/Review List and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #67 Questions

Q1. Abby asks: What's on your bedside table, besides book(s)??  

A: In addition to the print book that I am reading, on my bedside table I have a tray that holds my glass of water, a nail file and my glasses at night. Behind the tray is a box of tissues.  I also lay on my bedside table my Kindle and my mp3 depending on which I am listening to -- sometimes both. In the top drawer at the ready reach is a small notebook and a pen so I can take notes.

Now here is an interesting Bedside Table idea

 Image found at Treehugger

Q2. Does your family understand your love of reading??

A:  Sad to say my DH is not a reader so he does not really appreciate all of my reading. Fortunately he tolerates it. My daughter likes to read when she has time but she is busy with young children.  She and I will listen in the car if we travel together. I am glad to say my older brother has become more of an active reader since he got his Kindle so we share recommendations.

Image found at LOL Zombie

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 will draw from the suggestions I used the month before and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions but some of you others might want to get in a question or two as we have a few people submitting most of the questions so far.  Either way - it works for me. :-)  The question list is being replenished!  Thanks for sending in questions! 

Your turn to share:

1. Abby asks: What's on your bedside table, besides book(s)??

2. Does your family understand your love of reading??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the remaining  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books - there are still about 7 books available to choose from. Also I have added the Updated ARC/Review List now.

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, September 28, 2012 at 10 PM central.

Book Review: Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

This is a charming, old fashion tale of characters in an English village.

Miss Buncle's Book
by D.E. Stevenson

• File Size: 923 KB
• Print Length: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (September 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007ZI00BO

Genre: Novel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: September 1, 2012

Who Knew One Book Could Cause So Much Chaos?

Barbara Bunde is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara's bank account has seen better days. Maybe she could sell a novel ... if she knew any stories. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from her fellow residents of Silverstream, the little English village she knows inside and out.

To her surprise, the novel is a smash. It's a good thing she wrote under a pseudonym, because the folks of Silverstream are in an uproar. But what really turns Miss Bunde's world around is this: what happens to the characters in her book starts happening to their real-life counterparts. Does life really imitate art?

A beloved author who has sold more than seven million books, D. E. Stevenson is at her best with Miss Buncle's Book, crafting a highly original and charming tale about what happens when people see themselves through someone else's eyes.

"Love it, love it, love it"

"There are no vampires, no faeries, no weird creatures, just a sweet story about real people living in a world I've always dreamed of."—Reader Review

Review:

Miss Buncle is a unremarkable young woman who lives in a quiet little English village.  Times are hard and her small dividends have dwindled so that she doesn’t have enough to cover bills. The only choices she thinks she has are to raise hens or write and sell a book.  She doesn’t know anything about chickens so she writes what she knows – she writes about the people in her village.

The first part of the book describes the day to day life of the village named Copperfield instead of its real name, Silverstream. She portrays the neighbors fairly accurately with foibles and quirks although she does give them different names that play on their true names.  The second half of the book she becomes creative and allows for fantasy to devise a future for several characters.  Miss Buncle submits the book as John Smith and is happily surprised when a publisher agrees to publish it. He doesn’t know if the book is simple or satiric but he found it engaging.

Miss Buncle is thrilled to get an advance and is cheered until her neighbors start to read the book. Some find it charming and laughable but certain ladies in the community become upset by their honest, but not always kind, portrayal.  They gather the neighbors together to try to figure out who the author is so they can chase him down and ‘horse whip’ him.  While she decides whether to reveal that she is the author, Miss Buncle watches as her neighbors begin to do things depicted in the book.

I’m not quite certain what year this is set in -- there are cars and phones -- but the book was originally published in 1936. So it is apparently a cozy, slower village time.  It isn’t a fast read but it is sweet and engaging and I loved some of the phrasing (see quotes below). It is enjoyable to follow the gentle Doctor and his wife, the new Vicar and the women who pursue him; it is fun to watch the cranky, snobbish women who don’t want to recognize who they really are and it is particularly lovely to watch Miss Buncle’s own transformation.

If you like a cozy warm caricature of life, try this sweet, easy story!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are examples of the laid back, charming phrases I liked:

“Lawks!” she exclaimed suddenly, looking up at the clock. “Look at the time, and the drawing room to be done yet—I’m behind , like a cow’s tail.”  Location 53.

“Dorcas, I could never give up writing now,” she said, incredulously (nor could she, the vice had got her firmly in its grip, as well ask a morphinomaniac to give up drugs). “You don’t know how exciting it is, Dorcas. It just sweeps you along and you’ve no idea of the time--” Location 2057.

 I received this through NetGalley to review for Sourcebooks.

I will add this to my New Author Challenge List.