Audible Book Review: NPCs by Drew Hayes

This is fun 'gaming' adventure - rooting for the underdogs!

NPCs
By: Drew Hayes
Narrated by: Roger Wayne

Series: Spells, Swords, & Stealth, Book 1
Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 09-23-14
Language: English
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Fantasy, Humor
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
What happens when the haggling is done and the shops are closed? When the quest has been given, the steeds saddled, and the adventurers are off to their next encounter? They keep the world running, the food cooked, and the horses shoed, yet what adventurer has ever spared a thought or concern for the Non-Player Characters? In the town of Maplebark, four such NPCs settle in for a night of actively ignoring the adventurers drinking in the tavern when things go quickly and fatally awry. Once the dust settles, these four find themselves faced with an impossible choice: pretend to be adventurers undertaking a task of near-certain death or see their town and loved ones destroyed. Armed only with salvaged equipment, second-hand knowledge, and a secret that could get them killed, it will take all manner of miracles if they hope to pull off their charade. And even if they succeed, the deadliest part of their journey may well be what awaits them at its end.
©2014 Andrew Hayes (P)2014 Tantor

Review:
This story starts with four rough Role Playing Game characters (RPGs) making errors and dying in a tavern. The death is observed by four Non Player Characters: the half-ogre tavern owner/bartender named Grumph, a roughish gnome named Thistle, a rather clumsy local guard, Eric, and the mayor’s tomboyish daughter, Gabrielle. The NPCs find a summons from the King requiring four unnamed ‘heroes’ to travel to Solium to receive a quest.

The summons calls for a paladin (guard), a barbarian, a wizard and a rogue. If the group doesn’t arrive, it could anger the King and result in the destruction of their entire town. Rather than allow that, the four NPCs decide to take the summons and seek the quest, hoping for rewards…and adventure. The intrepid four assign themselves the roles they think fit and head off.

Shortly after beginning their journey the new heroes are captured by Goblins. By a strange magical event the heroes escape, discovering their true roles in the process. They each will grow into their roles as they pursue the quest with bravery, strength, magic and cleverness.

I haven’t played an RPG in years since they take time (that I prefer to use reading). The story concept was interesting, and the execution was fun and engaging. I listened late into the night and was rooting for the underdog NPC heroes all the way! I will be getting book two to continue with the adventure. I recommend this to readers who enjoy action adventure served up with humor.

Audio Notes: Roger Wayne does a wonderful job with the narration. He provides clear narration with distinct voices for the characters. The audio enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

Source: 2017 Audible Credit Purchase. This is part of 2018TBR, Audiobook and Alphabet Challenges.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway May 11, 2018

Happy Friday! 

Another busy, busy week. We had the grandkids come home with us tonight.

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.

INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the May 4 Pick. There was one automatic win again this week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was one title blocked.
bn100 wins The Rose and the Shield.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from May 4 Pick:
NATALIJA gets a GC and
CAROL L gets Betrayal.

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

Image found at Bookish

New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

Midnight Rainbow
Betrayal

New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018
I thought I would look for some 'Springish' titles but that didn't happen. Hope someone finds a title or two you like.

PAIRS
Betty Neals: Tabitha by Moonlight and Fate Takes a Hand
Nora Robert: Hot Ice (spine creased) and Sanctuary
SINGLES:
My Lord Conqueror by Samantha James
Surrender by Pamela Clare
Dessert Rogue by Suzanne Simmons
The Rose and the Shield by Elaine Barrieri
Hannah’s Courtship by Emma Miller
Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught
Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
A Husband’s Wicked Ways by Jane Feather
Hot on Her Heels by Susan Mallery
Indigo Blue by Catherine Anderson
Between the Devil and Desire (Scoundrels of St. James Book 2) by Lorraine Heath (hardback)


New Book Group #76 November 3, 2017
21 books remain of the original 37:

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
Echo Burning by Lee Child
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle
Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
White Night by Jim Butcher
Five Gold Rings Anthology Constance O’Banyon and three others
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Wizard’s Daughter by Catherine Coulter
Pearl Beyond Price by Claire Delacroix
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
Night Whispers by Judith McNaught
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

 THESE BOOKS CHOSEN/WON ARE THE ONES STRICKEN HERE:
Finger Licken' Fifteen
How to Tame a Highland Warrior
The Texan
Total Control
Atlantis Found
Stephanie Laurens Pair
Desperado 
Rebellious Desires 
Forget Me Not 
The Eighth Commandment
Ghost Riders
The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber 
Shadow Music 
Corbin's Fancy 
Hawk's Lady

This shelf of 35 books are what is left from Groups #1 (11/27/09) through Group #75 September 29, 2017

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 14 titles.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
Named of the Dragon
Daring
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
JoAnn Ross: Confessions
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman
A Kiss Before Dawn by Kimberly Logan
The Fireman’s Fair by Josephine Humphreys (Hardcover)
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen
Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven
There Was A Little Girl by Ed McBain (Audio Cassettes)
Love's Brazen Fire by Betina Krahn 

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I found.
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty by Vickie Kennedy
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- 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
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

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 on November 27, 2009 and in almost EIGHT years I have posted 75 groups of 16 (1,200) books to find new homes! (as of November 2, 2017).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,161+books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A month or so ago I posted I had reached 2000 books given away. As I calculated the numbers 11/2/17 I realized that had to be an error. I realized I went from 1098 to 2001 instead of 1101. Guess I was tired; sorry for the error.] I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. 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!

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 $7.00 and $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)

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!

Audible Book Review: The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty

I found the Irish history (1981) interesting in this gritty crime novel.
The Cold, Cold Ground
Detective Sean Duffy, Book 1
By: Adrian McKinty
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Series: Detective Sean Duffy Series, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-11-12
Language: English
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Irish, Mystery, Police Procedure
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Adrian McKinty was born in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. He studied politics and philosophy at Oxford before moving to America in the early 1990s. Living first in Harlem, he found employment as a construction worker, barman, and bookstore clerk. In 2000 he moved to Denver to become a high school English teacher and it was there that he began writing fiction.
In 2009 he moved to Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and two children. His first full-length novel, Dead I Well May Be, was short-listed for the 2004 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and its sequel, The Dead Yard, was selected as one of the twelve best novels of the year by Publishers Weekly.
In 2008 his debut young adult novel, The Lighthouse Land, was short-listed for the 2008 Young Hoosier Award and the 2008 Beehive Award. The final novel in the Dead trilogy, The Bloomsday Dead, was long-listed for the 2009 World Book Day Award.
In 2011 Falling Glass was an Audible.com Best Thriller.
©2012 Adrian McKinty (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Review:
This story is set in an era of political violence in 1980s Northern Ireland. Detective Sean Duffy, a Catholic, is a new detective working for the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He checks for bombs under his car before driving as he doesn’t really know if he is safe in his Protestant neighborhood. Nor does he feel safe near the police station or out and about as he goes about his job.

A man is found dead in his car with his hand cut off and lying on the floor. Duffy feels as though he missed something at the scene. He doesn’t realize what it was until the coroner calls to tell him the hand belongs to someone else. Hours later they find the other man. The sawed-off hands would indicate they may have been informers but both men are gay and the murderer leaves messages noting that as his motive. Duffy’s superiors don’t want to admit there may be a serial killer of gay men on the loose and they are pressuring him to wrap this up quickly.

While hunting clues, Duffy finds an Irish girl hanging in the woods. The young woman turns out to have disappeared months earlier and she was the ex-wife of one of the current prisoners who are part of a hunger strike. Authorities are ready to declare the hanging as a suicide, but Duffy doesn’t think so. His gut tells him there is a connection somewhere.

Duffy is not making friends as he stalks a local henchman to unsavory places. Then he discovers one of the victims was the head of a secret IRA division. Things are getting more complicated and soon he is a target even as his boss pulls him off the case.

I really liked Duffy from the beginning although I didn’t like all his behaviors. I appreciated his determination and willingness to listen to his gut instinct. He puts himself at risk, ignoring orders to stay away from the case. Violence is prevalent among the characters and it is hard to determine which is the ‘right’ side of the Irish conflicts. The history elements were really fascinating. I liked the detailed police procedure and tension. The gritty style clearly fit the time and characters. I recommend this to readers who like gritty, police procedural detective mystery and those who may be interested in Irish conflict.

Audio Notes: Gerard Doyle’s narration enhances the story as the accents make the setting come alive. The narration made this a better ‘read’ for me.

Source: 2015 Audible Credit Purchase. This qualifies for my 2018TBR, Audiobook and Alphabet Challenges.

Audible Book Review: Start with Why by Simon Sinek

There is wisdom here I hope to use.

Start with Why
How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
By: Simon Sinek
Narrated by: Simon Sinek

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 09-05-17
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Business, Inspirational
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The inspiring, life-changing best seller by the author of Leaders Eat Last and Together Is Better.
In 2009 Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work and, in turn, inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who've watched his TED Talk based on Start with Why - the third most popular TED video of all time.
Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with why. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the why behind it.
Start with Why shows that the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way - and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with why.
©2017 Simon Sinek (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Review:
This is a business guide, cheer-leading sort of book. The advice is similar to setting goals but really more fundamental. If we all found our “Why” we would choose work we love to do and not just find a job to make money. On a corporate level, the author explains the importance of knowing the “Why” for the business and then making certain all employees, from top CEO to lowest mailroom clerk, understand and support the “Why”. This should be in mind when interviewing and hiring so that the right person is selected for the job.

Sinek gives good examples of companies who succeeded by knowing and keeping their “Why” in focus. He also shared examples of companies that had money and leaders but failed for lack of a defined “Why”. There are also examples of companies that lost their “Why” along the way, either by trying products or marketing that didn’t fit or by losing a leader who embodied the “Why” but the successor leader did not.

There is redundancy in the material and this could have been condensed to a better presentation. As interesting as this book is, I struggled a little in applying it to a smaller company such as my own. Sinek finally acknowledged about 4/5ths in that the concept of The Golden Circle may work better for larger companies. Still, the idea of working out of passion (the “Why”) instead of just for money, makes good sense and would seem to foster better success. It is possible that this would be better in print as the reader could go back as a resource more easily than with an audiobook. I recommend this to anyone interested in being inspired to find and start with “Why”.

Audio Notes: It is often interesting when an author narrates their own book. Sinek does a good job, clearly knowing and having enthusiasm for the material. I was glad to listen as it was effective use of driving time.

Source: Audible Purchase 2018. This qualifies for Audible Challenge and 2018 selection for Alphabet Challenge.

MBS April 2018 Reading List Wrap Up

MBS 2018 Reading List - APRIL

Code for the list is:
A = Audible; ABJ = Audiobook Jukebox; ABB = Audiobook Boom
e = eBook; eA = eBook from Author; eT = eBook from Tour
NG = NetGalley
P = Print; PT = Print from Tour
LBC = Ladies Book Club
TBR = From the TBR shelves prior to 2017
Favorite for April: Know Your Bible

(I still have a couple of reviews to write.)

1. ATBR- Goodreads Audio Book Review: Dagon by H.P. Lovecraft, Booktrack Edition; Horror, Short Story; my rating 4.0.
2. ATBR- The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wild; my rating 4.5.
3. ATBR- Audiobook Review: The Mysterious Howling, Book 1 by Maryrose Wood; Children, Fantasy, Growing Up, Middle Grade; my rating 4.25.
4. eReview2018- Book Review and Giveaway: Dog Training the American Male by Steve Alten; Humor, Romantic Comedy; my rating 3.75.
5. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb; Female Detective, Mystery; my rating 4.75.
6. NGTBR- #NetGalley Book Review: Mind Game: A Novel (Eve Duncan) by Iris Johansen; Crime, Thriller, Woman Sleuth; my rating 4.0.
7. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Devil's Due: Destroyermen, Book 12, by Taylor Anderson; Alternate History, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
8. A2018Author- Audible Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Hunting in Bruges by E.J. Stevens; Paranormal, Urban Fantasy; my rating 4.0.
9. 2018NG- #NetGalley Book Review: Out of the Box by Jemma Westing; Children, Crafts; my rating 4.5.
10. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Never Hero by T. Ellery Hodges; Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Time Travel; my rating 4.5.
11. NGTBR- #NetGalley Book Review: Let There Be Light by Dan Gordon and Sam Sorbo; Christian, Inspirational; my rating 4.0.
12. PLBC- Book Review: Know Your Bible by Paul Kent; Christian, Inspirational, Religious; my rating 5.0.
13. A2018- Audible Book Review: Start with Why by Simon Sinek; Business, Inspirational; my rating 4.0.
14. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty; Irish, Mystery, Police Procedure; my rating 4.0.

A little slower reading this month but I am still 5 books ahead on my Goodreads Challenge.
Total read = 14; TBR = 10; New Authors = 9
Audio/Audible = 9 (6 TBRs)
eBook = 1
NetGalley = 3 (3 TBRs)
Print = 1 (TBR)