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Sunday, June 6, 2021

Sunday Words of Encouragement June 6, 2021

We attended services online again this morning. Our church was celebrating five high school graduates. Pastor and our youth pastor shared some thoughts:
We stand by to support these young men and women.
Be an example to all the believers. Be a Leader!
It is time to mentor others; share your experiences.

Unfortunately the video cut off short again.

I chose some graduation quotes to add:

Neil Gaiman
Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art.

Denzel Washington
Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. You've got to take risks.

Kerry Washington
Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.

Martin Luther King Jr.
Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.

JK Rowling
We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

Nora Roberts
If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.

Dr. Seuss
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

Louisa May Alcott
Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors.

I found this song to encourage young (and old) followers:
A Verse for Today:
1 Timothy 4:12 NIV
12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.


Lord, I pray that I would take this encouragement to heart today.
Youth (Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:12) Poster | Zazzle.com 


Saturday, June 5, 2021

Audio Book Review: Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke

This supports my view of Christ as primary, the church as secondary and religion not the important thing. The important thing is relationship - Love God, love people.
Jesus & Religion
by Jefferson Bethke

Book cover for Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke with limited-time offer banner

Run Time 4h 12min
Release Date: October 13, 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Christian, Inspiration, Self-Growth
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0 Overall; Content 5.0; Narration 4.75.


Publisher Description
Abandon dead, dry, rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved.
Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation in 2012 with a passionate, provocative poem titled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” The four-minute video of Bethke’s spoken-word performance literally became an overnight sensation, with seven million YouTube views in its first forty-eight hours (and 24+ million within a year). The message hit like a blizzard on social-media sites and in forwarded e-mails, triggering an avalanche.
In Jesus &; Religion, Bethke unpacks the stark contrasts that he drew in the poem-contrasts between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior.
Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he’s not a pastor or theologian, but simply a regular, twenty-something, soul-starved searcher who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. Along his journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him beyond the props of false religion.


Review:
Author Bethke shares from his experiences growing up with religion and church but still struggling with sin and destructive behaviors. Like many people, he often viewed himself in comparison to others: he wasn’t a saint, but he was better than a murderer. He finally hit the “eureka” moment when he realized that no one is good enough to deserve grace. It doesn’t matter how religious one might be, we are unable to control our sinful natures. As Christ points out in the New Testament (Matthew 5:28) – if you think a sin in your mind (lusting after someone, coveting possessions), even if you don’t act on the thought, you have sinned in your heart. If we get what we deserve, no one would get grace.

Bethke came to realize that we need to proclaim Christianity as what Jesus has done for us… not what we do. When we pursue Jesus, who can be found in the scriptures, we will find that: “The Jesus of the scriptures is more radical and subversive than we realize.” At some point each person has to decide: either Jesus is who he says he is – God – or he is a liar. As Bethke notes: “Be careful when you pursue truth because you might just find Him [Jesus].”

I liked all of this journey that Bethke shared but a point I particularly like is in Chapter 9, “Religion points to a dim future, Jesus points to a bright future.” Often we think that only Christian things matter, not secular things. But reference Romans 8, Bethke makes the good point that all creation groans from sin. God created everything and cares about the earth, art and all jobs, even mundane ones. There is no true divide between secular and Christian. All of our world is God-created. We can still distinguish good from evil and we need to know the difference between praising God through the good and defaming him by the bad.

Bethke explains that there is a purpose for the church – to be a hospital for the sick; to train members to reach out to others with the message of Hope. But religion, as a group of routines and rules, often detracts from the relationship with God and people.

I highly recommend this to everyone. Christ followers will appreciate the truths of the distinction while seekers, and even atheists, may see what really matters beyond the hypocrisy of “religious” people.

Audio Notes: Jefferson Bethke narrates his own work and does a good job. His voice contains concern and energy that helped keep me engaged. I appreciated this work in audio.

Source: 05/30/2020 Chirp $3.99. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook, and 2021Alphabet Audio goals.

Friday, June 4, 2021

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway June 4, 2021

Happy Friday! Yikes - we are almost mid-year already!! I have to apologize because I didn't realize how long ago it was that I mailed out books and paid GCs. My brain was telling me it was December but once I started pulling books I realized they go back to July last year. One person has almost a dozen books coming to them.
The GCs go back to September. So sorry everyone! The books are being prepared for mail out and I plan to send GCs over the weekend.


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 28, 2021 Pick. There was no automatic win last week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was no title blocked.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from May 28, 2021 Pick:
SUE F gets Christmas on 4th Street
AND
FREDAMAN gets a GC

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.}

Great Books to Read With Your Kids in June
I love the title "How to Babysit a Grandpa"!
Image found at Raising Lifelong Learners.


New Book Box #94 May 28, 2021 (10 books)
Three Audio CD Books:
Web of Evil by J.A. Jance
One Good Deed by David Baldacci
Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
SINGLE TITLES Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
The Hidden Heart by Laura Kinsale
A Summer of Firsts by Susan Wiggs and Sarah Morgan
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
Christmas on 4th Street: An Anthology by Susan Mallery
The Stranger by Harlan Coben
Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson


New Book Groups #92 and #93 November 13, 2020.
#92 (15 books):
A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart
Heart's Desire by Ruth Ryan Hagan

The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed

Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Box #93 (14 books)

Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
There's Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers (personally signed)

For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
The Irish Bride by Alexa Harrington

When We Met by Susan Mallery

Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery
All of Me by Lori Wilde


New Book Group #91 October 2, 2020 - Suspense themed
SINGLES: Ten books in this box:
Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder

The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman Audiobook

PICK TWO  your choice (listed below the picture) Nora Roberts:
Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky

Valley of Silence
Inner Harbor and
Chesapeake Blue



New Book Group #90 June 19, 2020
Quite a few mysteries in this box.
SINGLES:
Alias by Smy J. Fetzer
Hot Sex by Janet Evanovich (Audio cassettes)

New Book Group #89 March 6, 2020
Singles:
My Surrender by Connie Brockway
How to Tame a Modern Rogue by Diana Holoquist
Phoenix by A.J. Scudiere

New Book Group #88 November 8, 2019

Singles:
A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp
Dawn of Redemption by Starla Childs

New Book Group #87 August 23, 2019

SINGLES:
Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper
Open Season by Linda Howard AUDIO CASSETTES

New Book Group #86 June 7, 2019
Another group of variety from my shelves.
SINGLES:
Show No Fear by Marliss Melton
A Question of God's Balance (Vol 1) by Joseph Thek
King by Right of Blood and Might by Anna L. Walls

New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
Summer Skies by Judith Christenberry
Windfall (two stories) by JoAnn Ross
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

New Book Group #84 December 15, 2018
Here are some Christmas titles to pick from.
SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
On this Holy Night
Christmas Haven
King Harold's Snow Job

New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018
(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
SINGLE
Seductive Secrets by Lynne Connolly
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
Three Reader's Digest Condensed Books - each hardback:
Cold Harbour and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy
The Things We Do for Love, Three Weeks With My Brother, The Murder Artist and Night Train to Lisbon
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind
New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

SINGLES:
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

SINGLES
Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan
Darkness Tell Us by Richard Laymon
Cooking Most Deadly by Joanne Pence

New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018
Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
SINGLES:
Summer’s Moon by Lacey Baker
The Final Judgment by Richard North PattersonAudio Cassettes
Firebird by Janice Graham
No Getting Over a Cowboy by Delores Fossen
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer Audio Cassettes

New Book Group #79 July 13, 2018
I found this box of books buried under some other boxes.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox by Maggie O’Farrell
P.S. by Helen Schulman
Her Sexiest Surprise by Dawn Atkins (personally autographed)
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham

New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018
SINGLES
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
Too Wicked to Love
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes

New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018- 

All gone

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

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

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
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen


(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three One more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four One 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 TEN years I have posted 91 groups of 16 books plus an additional 21 totaling 1,477 books available to find new homes! (As of November 6, 2020).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,362 books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A year 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, TWRP, 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 faraway 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!

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Audible Book Review: A History of the Future: A World Made by Hand Novel, Book 3 James Howard Kunstler

This is a day to day survival and character driven dystopia.
A History of the Future: A World Made by Hand Novel, Book 3
By: James Howard Kunstler
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen

A History of the Future  By  cover art
Series: World Made By Hand, Book 3
Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
Release date: 08-05-14
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Dystopian, Metaphysical Fiction, Post Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.25.


Publisher's Summary
A History of the Future is the third thrilling novel in Kunstler's World Made by Hand series, an exploration of family and morality as played out in the small town of Union Grove.
Following the catastrophes of the 21st century - the pandemics, the environmental disaster, the end of oil, the ensuing chaos - people are doing whatever they can to get by and pursuing a simpler and sometimes happier existence. In little Union Grove in upstate New York, the townspeople are preparing for Christmas. Without the consumerist shopping frenzy that dogged the holidays of the previous age, the season has become a time to focus on family and loved ones. It is a stormy Christmas Eve when Robert Earle's son Daniel arrives back from his two years of sojourning throughout what is left of the United States. He collapses from exhaustion and illness, but as he recovers, he tells the story of the break-up of the nation into three uneasy independent regions and his journey into the dark heart of the new Foxfire Republic centered in Tennessee and led by the female evangelical despot Loving Morrow. In the background, Union Grove has been shocked by the Christmas Eve double murder by a young mother of her husband and infant son. Town magistrate Stephen Bullock is in a hanging mood.
A History of the Future is attention-grabbing and provocative but also lyrical, tender, and comic - a vision of a future of America that is becoming more and more convincing, and perhaps even desirable, with each passing day.
©2014 James Kunstler (P)2014 Blackstone Audio


Review:
This is the third book in the series. It tells the day to day struggles of various members of the community of Union Grove in upstate New York. The people are preparing for Christmas although it may be bleak. There will be choirs to remind the townspeople of the true meaning of Christmas even if there won’t be many gifts.

The story focuses on the usual primary characters which include key townspeople, like the mayor, Robert Earle, the head pastor of the New Faith Covenant Brotherhood Church of Jesus, Brother Jobe, and the community wealth baron, Stephen Bullock. There are some new characters as well -- a family involved in murder, and the most important, Robert’s wandering son, Daniel. Daniel and another young man left two years before to find out what happened to the rest of the United States.

Daniel’s story of his travels, betrayals and adventures are shared in several chapters as the other events continue in town. Daniel is able to fill in details of other regions of the states, including a purported “federal’ group in the Midwest, and two battling factions in the South. Daniel’s involvements seem a bit far-fetched but the events allows the author to offer different society scenarios and adds interest to the more mundane nature of the story.

The author has the ability to build entertainment around everyday event and observances. This series isn’t particularly exciting like many of the post-apocalyptic, dystopian stories I read, but it has its own engaging appeal. There continues to be some mild sexual scenes, pleasant and unpleasant. There are also moments of societal tensions as the community leaders tussle on how they will address social issues such as abuse, mental illness and murder.

I hope to listen to book 4 soon as it has the word “Spring” for my season challenge. I also want to see how the characters go forward and how Mr. Kunstler wraps up the community. I recommend this to fans of survival dystopia.

Audio Notes: Jim Meskimen’s narration adds to the story. He provides unique voices that helps the reader/listener feel like they are in the community. I am glad that I have this series from Audible.

Source: 12/21/2020 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Audiobook goals.

World Made By Hand: A World Made by Hand Novel, Book 1
by James Howard Kunstler
The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel, Book 2 by James Howard Kunstler

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

#NetGalley Book Review: The Madman's Library by Edward Brooke-Hitching

This is fascinating - especially for book nerds (like me)!
The Madman's Library
The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History
by Edward Brooke-Hitching

55278284
ASIN : B08M5GNCM2
Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK (October 1, 2020)
Genre: NonFiction, Educational, World History
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.


'Anybody who loves the printed word will be bowled over by this amusing, erudite, beautiful book about books. It is in every way a triumph. One of the loveliest books to have been published for many, many years' Alexander McCall Smith
'Quite simply the best gift for any book lover this year, or perhaps ever' Lucy Atkins, Sunday Times Books of the Year
'An utterly joyous journey into the deepest eccentricities of the human mind… The most cheering, fascinating book I’ve read for ages' Guardian
From the author of the critically acclaimed and globally successful The Phantom Atlas, The Golden Atlas and The Sky Atlas comes a stunning new work. The Madman’s Library is a unique, beautifully illustrated journey through the entire history of literature, delving into its darkest territories to hunt down the very strangest books ever written, and uncover the fascinating stories behind their creation.

This is a madman’s library of eccentric and extraordinary volumes from around the world, many of which have been completely forgotten. Books written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle, books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered… and a few others that are just plain weird.
From the 605-page Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, through the gorgeously decorated 15th-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the lost art of binding books with human skin, every strand of strangeness imaginable (and many inconceivable) has been unearthed and bound together for a unique and richly illustrated collection ideal for every book-lover.


Review:
I enjoyed the great extent of details and illustrations shared in this book. The introduction indicates the Google Books project set out in 2002 to scan the then known 129,864,880 books. The book opens with illustrations of a multi floored library, then a partially naked alien warrior (with exposed parts), and Chinese illustrations of figures using flatulence as weapons. So now that he has your attention, the author can share about size (so large to require an engine to turn pages, small enough for a locket and smaller), and materials (including skin and tin, inks and bindings with poisons like arsenic).

Scan the table of contents and you will see the diverse topics the book is going to share. I loved the Books that Aren’t Books chapter and Cryptic Books. The Curious Collections and Curiosities of Science are cool too, as are all the chapters.

This is certainly a good table conversation book but it could also be great for creative inspiration for book nerds. Not that you want anyone inspired by the blood and skin books but there are plenty of items that are worth being inspired by! I recommend this to every book lover to enjoy the history and variety of books.

Source: 4/4/2021 from NetGalley Read Now. This qualifies for 2021NetGalley goal.

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