Sunday Post February 26, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday February 27, 2017

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

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 started this week with migraine headaches. Many have complained of allergy headaches but I think this was a bit of a bug as I did feel better the rest of the week. My sister came to visit for the weekend and we have had nice family time.
Hubby is still tired and dislikes the itchy LifeVest. He has to wear it for another two months to get the readings the doctors want.
Our weather has been very nice. I still pray for those suffering through snow and tornadoes.

Reading was about what I expected considering my visitor. I finished two books: one ebook and one audio. I did find time to get four reviews posted on the blog and posted all of my usual memes.

I am enjoying my visiting; 25+ blogs again last week.
My shout out this week goes to Feature and Follow, which looks like a fun meme at Alison Can Read another site I stumbled on earlier this year.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post February 19, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday February 20, 2017.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Linesman by S. K. Dunstall; Sci Fi, Space Military; my rating 5.0.

• NGTBR- Book Review: Someone to Hold (A Westcott Novel) by Mary Balogh; Historical Romance; my rating 4.5.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway February 24, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 3/2/2017.

• NGTBR- Book Review: The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler; Children, Nature; my rating 4.75.

• AV- Audio Book Review: The Soldier's Secret by Heather Osborne; Historical Romance, Civil War; my rating 4.25.

• Sharing Beyond Books #292 Comment Giveaway February 25, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 3/4/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement February 26, 2017.

Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (Author)

Glenfiddich Inn
by Alan Geik
I enjoyed the history in this.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio (ABJ)

Alliance
Author: S.K. Dunstall
Narrator: Brian Hutchinson
I liked book two as much as book one.
Now I have to get book three to read after several audio review titles.
I received this audio book from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox
Click on book title for full description.

Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (Author)

Girl of Fire: The Expulsion Project Book One
(A Science Fiction Dystopian Thriller)
by Norma Hinkens
I like how this has started.
I received this from the author.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible (iRead Book Tour)

Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 1
Written by: Lauren Carr
Narrated by: C.J. McAllister
I am two hours in and enjoying the characters as they begin the investigations.
I received this through iReads Book Tours for tour review to post March 3.
Publisher's Summary
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
Before long, the case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
©2016 Terri Zaleski (P)2016 Terri Zaleski

3. eBook (Great Escapes)

Elementary, She Read: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery
by Vicki Delany (Author)
I received this title from Great Escapes Book Tour. 
It looks like fun.
Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

Fans of Sherlock Holmes will delight in the sleuthing duo of Gemma and Jayne in Elementary, She Read, the clever and captivating series debut by nationally bestselling author Vicki Delany.

February 26, 2017 - I am up to date with the One Year Bible; reading along with my husband and others from our church. I hope to take more time this year, staying on the day and listening to the companion commentary online.

I completed two new books and posted four reviews. That gets me close to up to date with three reviews for the coming week.
I now have 15 NetGalley Titles and still 12+ author titles in my queue.

My two titles got delayed - but I hope to finally get them up this week at eTreasure's NetGalley page.

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: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received one ebook for review.
I chose three Audibles on sale and one Daily Deal. I also purchased one $.99 Kindle titles.
I picked up a good huge number of free kindle titles again. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I received one eBook for review:
I received this from Partners in Crime for tour review on March 14.
Cat in the Flock (Dreamslippers Book 1)
by Lisa Brunette
"What if you could slip into the dreams of a killer? This family of PIs can."
This sounds like a paranormal mystery I will like.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I picked up this title for Ladies Book Club originally for March 11 but postponed until April.

A Talent for Trouble (Ladies of Distinction Book #3)
by Jen Turano
"For years, Miss Felicia Murdock's every thought and action have been in pursuit of becoming a minister's wife. When the minister she'd set her sights on has other ideas, she decides something in her life needs to change--and soon--before she wastes any more time pretending to be someone she's not. If that means spreading her wings and embracing a more lively way of life, who's to say nay?"
We read and enjoyed the first book in this series.


I purchased three titles on sale at Audible and one daily deal:
Three titles for $14.85

The Emperor's Blades
By: Brian Staveley
Narrator: Simon Vance
Duration: 18 hrs and 46 mins
Epic Fantasy.


The Dragons of Dorcastle
By: Jack Campbell
Narrator: MacLeod Andrews
Duration: 11 hrs and 27 mins
Epic Fantasy.


Orphan X
By: Gregg Hurwitz
Narrator: Scott Brick
Duration: 11 hrs and 15 mins
Suspense Thriller.


Followed by Frost - Daily Deal $2.95
By: Charlie N. Holmberg
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Duration: 7 hrs and 31 mins
Paranormal romance: A 17 year old girl of wealth and status gets banished and find companionship with Death.


I picked up one Kindle $.99 deals:
Lords of Space (Starship Blackbeard Book 2)
Michael Wallace
I liked Book 1 and was glad to get Book 2 at a bargain price.

Free

I added 100 free Kindle titles to my library this week. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement February 26, 2017

This morning we had a great Sunday School message that confirmed a discussion we had with friends on Saturday. We had moving worship to glorify God and then the sermon was given by our new youth pastor, “J,” who did a very good job.

"J" continued the series on When Faith and Life Collide based on the book of James. James 3:1-12 admonishes believers to control their tongue.We need to watch our speech because the tongue can bring fire, it can be poison. Blessing and cursing should not come from the same mouth. Words are powerful as exhibited in Genesis where God spoke creation into existence.

Proverbs 18:21 says “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (NLT) Words have power. Words always put something in motion.

POINT: The words we say will always have a result.

We have the choice to speak positive (life) and negative (death) . Faith without works is dead.
Just as a small bit for a horse or a small rudder for a ship controls direction, so the tongue can affect our direction.

“J” was home schooled so had no reason like other students to dislike Mondays. Yet he grew up thinking Mondays were a bad day. Why? Because other people said so. “J” views negative word as a closed circle; holding the speaker in a rut. [I had a different image as I see the negative as a minus symbol that goes nowhere and detracts, while positive is a plus – like the cross — that adds or increases.]

Luke 6:45 says: “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (NLT)

“J”’s mother told him when he was young: “If cuss is in you it will come out.” The real issue behind the negative tongue and the negative words is a heart issue. Until an individual has a heart changing experience with God they will remain in a rut. He gave the example of a nearby shelter during a storm: “It is not enough to know the shelter is nearby. You have to go into the shelter. You have to experience the shelter.

So is life – it is more than knowledge of what is good. You need to experience what is good, what is right, what God wants. We can choose life each day and speak life. Psalm 118:24 says “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (NLT) We can speak this positive message to each day.

Our words effect not only us but those around us. Do your words reflect grace and love or do they contain negative words of death?

I found this song which fits today's message.

Verses for Today:
James 3:7-10 NLT
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

Lord, please help me to to speak healing and not division; to speak love and not hate; to speak life, and not death.

Sharing Beyond Books #292 Comment Giveaway February 25, 2017

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

I suppose it is not too surprising that many of us do not have time for crafts. Several do like crocheting, if they had time. CarolL does crossword puzzles; Natalija does large cross stitch projects; Mary P loves craft work: knit, sew, crochet and embroider; rubynreba likes to sew, quilt and embroider if time; and Marjorie likes to sew if she has time.  Becky and Natalija look at craft magazines.

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #291 comments is: #2 LINDA who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated ARC/Review titles or (not yet updated) Love titles - all linked near the end of the post. [I'm hoping to update the book choices - maybe the beginning of next year, lol.] Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #292

(One Question.)

Natalija asks: Do you keep some kind of a reading journal or notebook??

My blog is my journal now; as well as my entries at Goodreads. :-) I do keep several lists: one is for my review queue and my upcoming reading schedule. I also have a list of Kindle titles and a separate list of Audio books that I can pick to read from. Prior to the blog I kept a list of books read and I had a data base for several years of books I had on my shelves. I have not continued to update the database - just a matter of not enough time.

Image found at Bookriot.

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! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.
February Questions were provided by: bn100, Nikki, Miki and Natalija. Random.org chose #4 so Natalija gets a GC win.

Your turn to share: Natalija asks: Do you keep some kind of a reading journal or notebook??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books or the February 2015 Newly Updated ARC/Review List. 2-4-17: I FINALLY have some new "Love" and Christmas titles! I hope to get the picture posted later this week.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question 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 through Saturday March 4, 2017 at 5 PM central.

Audio Book Review: The Soldier's Secret by Heather Osborne

This is an interesting Civil War story with a sweet romance.
The Soldier's Secret
Written by: Heather Osborne
Narrated by: Kristyl Dawn Tift

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-06-15
Publisher: Heather Osborne
Genre: Historic Romance, Civil War
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
A picture of pure shock and curiosity, Emma placed her empty glass down, "Surely, you are not suggesting I dress as a man and enlist in the Union Army!"
"That is precisely what I am suggesting."
In an era when women are adornments, northerner Emma Mansfield finds it challenging to fit the mold. It becomes an impossible task when her country is torn apart by civil war. Knowing she must take action, Emma finds herself in the midst of danger and intrigue when she takes up the guise of a young artillery soldier for the Union Army. Desperately trying to find out if her two brothers are alive, Emma must maintain her anonymity as she fights for survival.
Please note: this is historical romance. I have represented the historical facts to the best of my ability and done countless hours of research. However, I have taken some liberties and creatively interpreted some items to make the story more entertaining. I hope you enjoy this work of fiction.
©2015 Heather Osborne (P)2015 Heather Osborne

Review:
Emma is a blossoming, proper young woman living with her family in Rochester, New York. Her father operates a local general store and her two brothers are expected to help in the store as they grow older. Emma meets the local doctor, Colin, and they quickly become enchanted with each other. But war disturbs the plans of everyone.

Will, the elder brother has determined to enlist and fight for the Union. The younger brother, Harrison, is not yet sixteen but he wants to enlist also. All the family tells Harrison that he must stay home to grow and help their father in the business. But Harrison sneaks off in anger to join the Confederates.

Emma becomes engaged to Colin but he feels the call to serve where he is badly needed. When Will’s letters to home Emma becomes more and more upset and concerned about the safety of her brothers. A local friend helps her to disguise herself so she can enlist in the Union army.

“Em” makes it through basic training successfully and sets off with her regiment hoping to find her brothers. She does find Colin and Will and is helping her own unit when she sees Harrison too. Troubles arise with a commander who becomes unreasonably obsessed with this young soldier who seems to do things right and have a charmed life. He continually harasses “Em” and they fear that her secret will be exposed. Colin and Emma make a desperate escape but the obsessed commander is not far behind.

Ms. Osborne does a good job with the vivid portrayal of the bleak hardships of war, camp life and field hospitals. The family drama seems real. There are heartbreaks and joys along the journey as Emma and Colin continue through the Appalachian Mountains trying to make their way back home without being caught by their pursuer.

The story is engaging and I liked the primary characters. I found the sexual scenes a bit more than expected for the nature of the story but it fit the passions of the couple and the basic need to cling in hard times. I recommend this to readers who like Civil War detail with a strong romance element.

Audio Notes: I had to get used to the voice of Kristyl Dawn Tift as it is a bit breathy for a war drama. It does fit the romance though and, as I got used to it, I thought that, overall, she did a good job with the voices and the emotion. I enjoyed the story in audio.

I received this audiobook from AudaVoxx for review. It qualifies for my 2017 Audio Challenge.

Book Review: The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler

This is a delightful, visual view of nature.

The Blue Hour
by Isabelle Simler

Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Hardcover: 42 pages
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
(February 20, 2017)
ISBN-13: 978-0802854889
Genre: Children, Nature
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0

A lovely and tranquil celebration of nature
The sun has set, the day has ended, but the night hasn't quite arrived yet. This magical twilight is known as the blue hour. Everything in nature—sky, water, flowers, birds, foxes—comes together in a symphony of blue to celebrate the merging of night and day.
With its soothing text and radiant artwork, this elegant picture book displays the majesty of nature and reminds readers that beauty is fleeting but also worth savoring.

Review:
The ‘blue hour’ is that twilight time when sun has gone down but the dark of night has not yet arrived. The sky, the water, the fauna, animals and birds shine out softly, in all sorts of glorious blues. The images are beautiful and I really loved how the creatures are located on the final pages in their native countries. The only problem I had was that the text was very small to read, even on my computer. I was glad that my granddaughters were reading with me as the eight-year-old was able to read the story for us.

This is very lovely. I do recommend this as a wonderful, delightful book to share with young… and old.

I received this book through NetGalley. It qualifies for my 2017 NetGalley and Mount TBR Challenges.