Showing posts with label seasonal books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seasonal books. Show all posts
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Seasonal Non-fiction: The First Christmas by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan
In The First Christmas Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan—top Jesus scholars and authors of The Last Week—help us see the real Christmas story buried in the familiar Bible accounts. Basing their interpretations on the two nativity narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Borg and Crossan focus on the literal story—the inner truth rather than the historical facts—to offer a clear and uplifting message of hope and peace. With The First Christmas readers get a fresh, deep, and new understanding of the nativity story, enabling us to better appreciate the powerful message of the Gospels.
File Size: 726 KB
Print Length: 274 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0281060045
Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (October 13, 2009)
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English
ASIN: B000WPXTJ2
Order here!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Book Review: The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren
The Purpose of Christmas is a moving, inspirational seasonal title by Pastor Rick Warren.
In this powerful book, Warren shares the three purposes of Christmas and how they can solve your greatest needs. From the beginning, this book will touch your heart and open your mind to the rewards of accepting God's Christmas gift to us--His Son, Jesus Christ.
This is a challenging review for me to write simply because this tiny book with beautiful photography meant so much to me this year.
Hardcover: 132 pages
Publisher: Howard Books; 1 edition (November 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416559000
ISBN-13: 978-1416559009
I borrowed this book from my local library. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
In this powerful book, Warren shares the three purposes of Christmas and how they can solve your greatest needs. From the beginning, this book will touch your heart and open your mind to the rewards of accepting God's Christmas gift to us--His Son, Jesus Christ.
This is a challenging review for me to write simply because this tiny book with beautiful photography meant so much to me this year.
- It reminded me that our family's focus must be on Jesus.
- It encouraged me to give control over my life to God.
- It renewed for me the hope of God's most precious gift--my Savior.
I'm no sure I can get my husband to read it, but I feel it would make a difference in his way of thinking too. Even we Christians get so caught up in trying to manage our lives that we forget everything we do and everything we have comes from God. We scramble about trying to make things work, when all we need to do is give our lives fully to God and let Him figure it out.
Warren definitely has a beautiful gift for words. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and look forward to reading more of his work.
Publisher: Howard Books; 1 edition (November 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416559000
ISBN-13: 978-1416559009
I borrowed this book from my local library. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Gift Idea: Letters to Santa Claus by The Elves
For years, children and adults have stuffed their candid dreams, wishes, and promises into envelopes addressed to Santa Claus. Whether the envelopes come with stamps or without, are addressed to "The Big Red Guy at Jingle Bells Lane" or simply "To Santa," for over 100 years, millions of these letters have poured into Santa Claus, Indiana. Arriving from all corners of the globe, the letters ask for toys, family reunions, snow, and help for the needy―sometimes the needy being the writers themselves. They are candid, heartfelt, and often blunt. Many children wonder how Santa gets into their chimneyless homes. One child reminds Santa that she has not hit her brothers over 1,350 times that year, and another respectfully requests two million dollars in "cold cash." One child hopes to make his life better with a time machine, an adult woman asks for a man, and one miscreant actually threatens Santa’s reindeer! Containing more than 250 actual letters and envelopes from the naughty and nice reaching back to the 1930s, this moving book will touch readers’ hearts and bring back memories of a time in our lives when the man with a white beard and a red suit held out the hope that our wishes might come true.
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Indiana University Press (October 5, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0253017939
ISBN-13: 978-0253017932
Purchase here!
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Pelican Book Group's Christmas Extravaganza!
On her way home for Christmas during a blizzard, college student Izzy hurdles down an embankment. Her worst nightmare is being trapped.
Brock comes to her rescue, but after a night in the hospital, the roads are drifted shut and she can’t make it to her family home in the country. Izzy goes home with Brock and spends Christmas Eve with his family.
Once the road clears, Brock gets Izzy home on Christmas Day but her car is totaled, and she needs a way back to college. Used to fending for herself, and safe now, Izzy balks at Brock’s offer to drive her.
Does God have a plan for an enthusiastic independent goal-setter who avoids the college dating scene, and a nurturing do-gooder man?
File Size: 1126 KB
Print Length: 89 pages
Publisher: Pelican Book Group (December 1, 2015)
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Purchase here for only 99 cents!
All she wants for Christmas is her Master’s Degree. All he wants is a one-way plane ticket back to Los Angeles.
Tiffany Zelling’s mission is to become a crisis therapy counselor using specially trained animals as comfort tools. She's focused on reaching the end of her school career, and nothing will stand in her way—not even a fantasy-world attraction to colleague Mitch Alexander.
After a year as interim Director of East Coast Operations Mitch's tenure has been a resounding success. Now, he’s set to return to California and lay claim to a well-deserved promotion. He can’t wait to leave behind the cold and snowy darkness of Manhattan, but when corporate bullying and a massive snowfall throws him together with Tiffany Zelling, Mitch wonders if heading west is his best future.
As two hearts build a pathway to love, goals shift and evolve. But as Christmas joy and hope move through the streets of New York, critical decisions must be made. Can their lives truly meld? Can Christmas at Tiffany’s be God’s answer…for them both?
File Size: 764 KB
Print Length: 83 pages
Publisher: Pelican Book Group (December 1, 2015)
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Purchase here for only 99 cents!
Father Christmas can't grant this request...
Stan Fuller juggles a full time job as an airline pilot, along with being a single father to eight-year-old Haley-Jo. When he becomes a reluctant Father Christmas at his daughter’s school party, she stuns him and the whole school, never mind the attending press, by announcing she wants a mummy for Christmas.
Carly Jefferson is covering the party for the local paper. New to the village, she is running from a broken past and bitter argument with her mother which resulted in a rift lasting years. Haley Jo’s simple request rocks Carly to the core, especially when her editor wants her to run several follow-up pieces on the child and her father.
File Size: 1173 KB
Print Length: 96 pages
Publisher: Pelican Book Group (December 1, 2015)
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Purchase here for 99 cents!
Alani O'Dwyer offered her heart to Ryan Connolly years ago, and he tossed it aside without so much as a backward glance. Though the town of Boulder Creek dubs him a hero,she vows she'll never again fall victim to his charms.
Ryan Connolly captains a raucous crew of firefighters at the Boulder Creek Fire Department, yet he's unprepared for the adventure of falling in love with beautiful and headstrong Alani O'Dwyer.
But when a meddling angel at the annual Fighters for Hire charity auction brings Ryan and Alani together, even regrets from the past can't thwart Ryan's plans to make her his own.
File Size: 1379 KB
Print Length: 56 pages
Publisher: Pelican Book Group (December 1, 2015)
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Purchase here for only 99 cents!
Find these and other digital books on sale during
Pelican Book Group's Christmas Extravaganza!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Mailbox Monday - November 30
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful holiday surrounded by family followed by another successful annual bazaar at our church.
Because you know I can't resist bargain books or free books, I came home from the bazaar with several titles and picked up a few freebies this weekend.
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, the Eighth Earl of Asherton, and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, encounter what seems to be a perfect crime as they investigate a fatal fire at an fifteenth-century cottage. 85,000 first printing. $85,000 ad/promo.
Over three successive nights, stranger Harry Johnson sits in the London Pub "The Old Wine Shades" and tells a story to Richard Jury about a good friend of his whose wife and son (and dog) disappeared one day in Surrey. They've been missing for nine months - no trace, no clue, no lead as to what happened. The dog came back - but how?
For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive.
Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted with the impossible- that somewhere, somehow, Elizabeth is alive.
Beck has been warned to tell no one. And he doesn't. Instead, he runs from the people he trusts the most, plunging headlong into a search for the shadowy figure whose messages hold out a desperate hope.
But already Beck is being hunted down. He's headed straight into the heart of a dark and deadly secret- and someone intends to stop him before he gets there.
Dear Reader,
I love living in Cedar Cove, but things haven't been the same since a man died at our B and B. Turns out his name was Max Russell, and Bob had known him briefly in Vietnam.We still don't have any idea why he came here and—most important of all—who killed him. Because it now appears that he was poisoned. I sure hope somebody figures it out soon!
Not that we're providing the only news in Cedar Cove these days. I heard that Jon Bowman and Maryellen Sherman are getting married. And Maryellen's mom, Grace, has more than her share of interested men! The question is: Which one is she going to choose? Olivia—I guess it's Olivia Griffin now— is back from her honeymoon, and her mother, Charlotte (who's in her mid-seventies at least), seems to have a man in her life, too. I'm not sure Olivia's too pleased….
There's lots of other gossip I could tell you. Come by for a cup of tea and one of my blueberry muffins and we'll talk.
Peggy Beldon
The dating game is always the same. One disaster after another. Fortunately, Hallie McCarthy can compare notes with her neighbor, Steve Marris. He's divorced and in the same boat. Right--too bad Hallie and Steve are not interested in each other!
Death is business as usual
When Frank and Joe grab one of the Network's cases, the secret government agency tells them they're on their own. Then they hustle themselves a one-way ticket to France, expecting a little action. But after they penetrate the shady world of Reynard and Company, the largest organized crime ring on earth, the Hardys begin to expect something more - murder. Maybe their own.
Posing as gun dealers, Frank and Joe immediately run into trouble with the French police. Soon they're fugitives with no one to turn to but the criminals they've sworn to expose. Caught in a deadly web of enemies and betrayed by a beautiful girl, Frank and Joe must use every ounce of cunning they possess to defeat a foe whose icy fingers slowly tighten over the entire world.
I've requested from the library books two and three from Macomber's Cedar Cove series to get read to read 44 Cranberry Point. The next several books were free for Kindle this weekend.
Gus LeGarde’s life essentially ended four years ago, when his beloved wife leapt to her death. Today, Gus lavishes love on his family, trying to bury the pain. But trouble arrives when his arrogant son-in-law’s business partner goes missing, and Gus’s innocent friend is set up to take the fall.
When Marcella Hollister’s prize parakeet gets zapped by a wayward power line in the same pool as her mother, the ensuing psychic link helps Marcella chase her mother’s kidnappers through the Adirondack Mountains, where she unearths a fifty-year-old secret about her dear father with shocking links to a hidden treasure.
After two years of brutal captivity, Portia Lamont has escaped and returned to her family’s Vermont horse farm—only to find her parents gone to New York to try an experimental treatment for her mother’s cancer, and her childhood friend Boone Hawke running the farm.
Like the rest of her family, Boone has never given up hope that Portia would return. But when she turns up battered, skinny as a twelve-year-old boy, afraid of everything and unable to talk about what happened, he does the only thing he can—try to help her heal. He summons the town doctor and Portia’s parents, and sets out to put this beautiful, broken woman back together again.
Through her family's love and Boone's gentle affection, Portia gradually comes back to herself, and starts to fall for her old friend in a whole new way. But one thing threatens her fragile hope for recovery: The man who took her promised that if she ever escaped, he'd kill her. Slowly. And someone is definitely watching her...waiting to make his next deadly move.
When Sam Moore discovers a peculiar green marble in his garden, it links him to his vanished little brother and thrusts him back in time, where he battles a faceless serial killer to untangle the maddening mystery and stop the murder of his beloved grandson.
They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Finn McGraw disagrees.
He was just seventeen when he had a torrid summer affair with the girl who stole his heart—and then inexplicably turned on him, just before being sent to boarding school. Finn may have moved on with his life, but he’s never forgotten her.
Now, ten years later, he’s got more than his lost love to worry about. A horrific accident turns his life upside down, resurrecting the ghosts of his long-dead family at the same time it takes the lives of the few people he has left.
Finn always believed his estranged brother was responsible for the fire that killed their family—but an unexpected inheritance with a mystery attached throws everything he knows into doubt.
And on top of that, the beguiling daughter of his wealthy employer has secrets of her own. But the closer he gets, the harder she pushes him away.
The Seacrest is a story of intrigue and betrayal, of secrets and second chances—and above all, of a love that never dies.
It is three days before Christmas and a bitter wind is blowing across Norfolk.
Until her daughter was born, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway didn’t do Christmas, but now that Kate is a year old, she wants it to be special.
She must get a tree, shop for food, clean the house, buy presents, including one for her new boyfriend—who she isn’t even sure is her boyfriend—and remember to get the turkey out of the freezer.
But time is rushing by and the best-laid plans don’t always work out …
Unlucky in love, Maddie LaRocque moves to Calgary at the urging of her former college roommate. Maddie's luck goes from bad to worse when she's laid off from her job two months before Christmas. Undeterred, she sets up a gift wrapping business in the lobby of the Drummond Building in downtown Calgary where she meets Annie, a ten-year-old who has recently lost her parents.
When Maddie falls into the arms of the building's maintenance man it looks as though her luck is changing, but she soon learns that Brent isn't who she thought he was.
Maddie's roommate Lily hasn't fared too well in the romance department either, having been used for her beauty and Asian heritage by a man in Calgary.
The moment Chase Drummond spots Lily, he's stunned by her beauty, but Lily resists his advances, unwilling to have her heart broken by the most eligible bachelor in town.
Will a young orphan girl be able to convince the two women that love is the best gift of all this Christmas?
As you can see, my mailbox this time is filled to overflowing. I am still hoping for a couple more books from Santa this year.
Hope you will share what your mailbox held. Hope you have a great week.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
Lil' Diva, the cousin--Lil' Dickens--and the Lil' Princess
Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful holiday surrounded by family followed by another successful annual bazaar at our church.
Because you know I can't resist bargain books or free books, I came home from the bazaar with several titles and picked up a few freebies this weekend.
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, the Eighth Earl of Asherton, and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, encounter what seems to be a perfect crime as they investigate a fatal fire at an fifteenth-century cottage. 85,000 first printing. $85,000 ad/promo.
Over three successive nights, stranger Harry Johnson sits in the London Pub "The Old Wine Shades" and tells a story to Richard Jury about a good friend of his whose wife and son (and dog) disappeared one day in Surrey. They've been missing for nine months - no trace, no clue, no lead as to what happened. The dog came back - but how?
For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive.
Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted with the impossible- that somewhere, somehow, Elizabeth is alive.
Beck has been warned to tell no one. And he doesn't. Instead, he runs from the people he trusts the most, plunging headlong into a search for the shadowy figure whose messages hold out a desperate hope.
But already Beck is being hunted down. He's headed straight into the heart of a dark and deadly secret- and someone intends to stop him before he gets there.
Dear Reader,
I love living in Cedar Cove, but things haven't been the same since a man died at our B and B. Turns out his name was Max Russell, and Bob had known him briefly in Vietnam.We still don't have any idea why he came here and—most important of all—who killed him. Because it now appears that he was poisoned. I sure hope somebody figures it out soon!
Not that we're providing the only news in Cedar Cove these days. I heard that Jon Bowman and Maryellen Sherman are getting married. And Maryellen's mom, Grace, has more than her share of interested men! The question is: Which one is she going to choose? Olivia—I guess it's Olivia Griffin now— is back from her honeymoon, and her mother, Charlotte (who's in her mid-seventies at least), seems to have a man in her life, too. I'm not sure Olivia's too pleased….
There's lots of other gossip I could tell you. Come by for a cup of tea and one of my blueberry muffins and we'll talk.
Peggy Beldon
The dating game is always the same. One disaster after another. Fortunately, Hallie McCarthy can compare notes with her neighbor, Steve Marris. He's divorced and in the same boat. Right--too bad Hallie and Steve are not interested in each other!
Death is business as usual
When Frank and Joe grab one of the Network's cases, the secret government agency tells them they're on their own. Then they hustle themselves a one-way ticket to France, expecting a little action. But after they penetrate the shady world of Reynard and Company, the largest organized crime ring on earth, the Hardys begin to expect something more - murder. Maybe their own.
Posing as gun dealers, Frank and Joe immediately run into trouble with the French police. Soon they're fugitives with no one to turn to but the criminals they've sworn to expose. Caught in a deadly web of enemies and betrayed by a beautiful girl, Frank and Joe must use every ounce of cunning they possess to defeat a foe whose icy fingers slowly tighten over the entire world.
I've requested from the library books two and three from Macomber's Cedar Cove series to get read to read 44 Cranberry Point. The next several books were free for Kindle this weekend.
Gus LeGarde’s life essentially ended four years ago, when his beloved wife leapt to her death. Today, Gus lavishes love on his family, trying to bury the pain. But trouble arrives when his arrogant son-in-law’s business partner goes missing, and Gus’s innocent friend is set up to take the fall.
When Marcella Hollister’s prize parakeet gets zapped by a wayward power line in the same pool as her mother, the ensuing psychic link helps Marcella chase her mother’s kidnappers through the Adirondack Mountains, where she unearths a fifty-year-old secret about her dear father with shocking links to a hidden treasure.
After two years of brutal captivity, Portia Lamont has escaped and returned to her family’s Vermont horse farm—only to find her parents gone to New York to try an experimental treatment for her mother’s cancer, and her childhood friend Boone Hawke running the farm.
Like the rest of her family, Boone has never given up hope that Portia would return. But when she turns up battered, skinny as a twelve-year-old boy, afraid of everything and unable to talk about what happened, he does the only thing he can—try to help her heal. He summons the town doctor and Portia’s parents, and sets out to put this beautiful, broken woman back together again.
Through her family's love and Boone's gentle affection, Portia gradually comes back to herself, and starts to fall for her old friend in a whole new way. But one thing threatens her fragile hope for recovery: The man who took her promised that if she ever escaped, he'd kill her. Slowly. And someone is definitely watching her...waiting to make his next deadly move.
When Sam Moore discovers a peculiar green marble in his garden, it links him to his vanished little brother and thrusts him back in time, where he battles a faceless serial killer to untangle the maddening mystery and stop the murder of his beloved grandson.
They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Finn McGraw disagrees.
He was just seventeen when he had a torrid summer affair with the girl who stole his heart—and then inexplicably turned on him, just before being sent to boarding school. Finn may have moved on with his life, but he’s never forgotten her.
Now, ten years later, he’s got more than his lost love to worry about. A horrific accident turns his life upside down, resurrecting the ghosts of his long-dead family at the same time it takes the lives of the few people he has left.
Finn always believed his estranged brother was responsible for the fire that killed their family—but an unexpected inheritance with a mystery attached throws everything he knows into doubt.
And on top of that, the beguiling daughter of his wealthy employer has secrets of her own. But the closer he gets, the harder she pushes him away.
The Seacrest is a story of intrigue and betrayal, of secrets and second chances—and above all, of a love that never dies.
It is three days before Christmas and a bitter wind is blowing across Norfolk.
Until her daughter was born, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway didn’t do Christmas, but now that Kate is a year old, she wants it to be special.
She must get a tree, shop for food, clean the house, buy presents, including one for her new boyfriend—who she isn’t even sure is her boyfriend—and remember to get the turkey out of the freezer.
But time is rushing by and the best-laid plans don’t always work out …
Unlucky in love, Maddie LaRocque moves to Calgary at the urging of her former college roommate. Maddie's luck goes from bad to worse when she's laid off from her job two months before Christmas. Undeterred, she sets up a gift wrapping business in the lobby of the Drummond Building in downtown Calgary where she meets Annie, a ten-year-old who has recently lost her parents.
When Maddie falls into the arms of the building's maintenance man it looks as though her luck is changing, but she soon learns that Brent isn't who she thought he was.
Maddie's roommate Lily hasn't fared too well in the romance department either, having been used for her beauty and Asian heritage by a man in Calgary.
The moment Chase Drummond spots Lily, he's stunned by her beauty, but Lily resists his advances, unwilling to have her heart broken by the most eligible bachelor in town.
Will a young orphan girl be able to convince the two women that love is the best gift of all this Christmas?
As you can see, my mailbox this time is filled to overflowing. I am still hoping for a couple more books from Santa this year.
Hope you will share what your mailbox held. Hope you have a great week.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Mailbox Monday - October 26
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
It is a beautiful fall day in New England. This is the view from my office window. It makes me thinks of Anne Shirley inviting Gilbert to go for one of their "old time rambles in the woods."
Life is hectic these days: a lot of working, but not much reading and even less blogging. It seems, however, that I am getting more books than ever. Here is what has arrived in one form or another over the past few weeks.
I've read more than one book in Jon Land's Caitlin Strong series. They are always a good read. This one came to me directly from the publisher.
Caitlin Strong is a fifth generation Texas Ranger as quick with her wits as she is with her gun. Over the years she's taken on all manner of criminals and miscreants, thwarting the plans of villains to do vast damage to the country and state she loves. But none of that has prepared Caitlin for an investigation that pits her against ruthless billionaire oilman Calum Dane, whose genetically engineered pesticide may have poisoned a large swath of the state.
How that poisoning is connected to the disappearance of thirty high school students from a Houston prep school, including the son of her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters, presents Caitlin with the greatest and most desperate challenge of her career. As if that wasn't enough, she also has to deal with a crazed rancher whose entire herd of cattle has been picked clean to the bone by something science can't explain.
The common denominator between these apparently disparate events is a new and deadly enemy capable of destroying the US economy and killing millions, a foe it will take far more than bullets to bring down. There's yet another player in the deadly game Caitlin finds herself playing: Russian extremists prepared to seize an opportunity to win a war they never stopped fighting.
Caitlin's race to save the United States weaves through the present and the past, confronting her and Cort Wesley with the most powerful and dangerous enemies they've ever faced, human and otherwise. The Cold War hasn't just heated up; it's boiling over under the spill of a strong light only Caitlin can extinguish before it's too late.
This next one I picked up at the suggestion of a professional I met at a realtor's conference. Jan Hargrave spoke not only on how to detect if someone is lying, but also how to recognize personality differences. Not only was the information fascinating, Jan was hilarious.
Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success—but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals—personal and professional. Dweck reveals what all great parents, teachers, CEOs, and athletes already know: how a simple idea about the brain can create a love of learning and a resilience that is the basis of great accomplishment in every area.
I borrowed the next two books from the library since I really am trying to read more on personal and professional development. Not sure when I will get to read them, but they are the next two books on my list.
Meatball Sundae is the definitive guide to the fourteen trends no marketer can afford to ignore. It explains what to do about the increasing power of stories, not facts; about shorter and shorter attention spans; and about the new math that says five thousand people who want to hear your message are more valuable than five million who don?t.
The winners aren't just annoying start-ups run by three teenagers who never had a real job. You'll also meet older companies that have adapted brilliantly, such as Blendtec, a thirty-year-old blender maker. It now produces: Will it blend? videos that demolish golf balls, Coke cans, iPhones, and much more. For a few hundred dollars, Blendtec reached more than ten million eager viewers on YouTube.
Godin doesn't pretend that it's easy to get your products, marketing messages, and internal systems in sync. But he'll convince you that it's worth the effort.
A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It's our nature.
Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger. But more important, they're enabling countless new tribes to be born—groups of ten or ten thousand or ten million who care about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming.
And so the key question: Who is going to lead us?
The Web can do amazing things, but it can't provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals—people just like you who have passion about something. The explosion in tribes means that anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips.
If you think leadership is for other people, think again—leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma leads a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, runs her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle. All they have in common is the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.
If you ignore this opportunity, you risk turning into a "sheepwalker"—someone who fights to protect the status quo at all costs, never asking if obedience is doing you (or your organization) any good. Sheepwalkers don't do very well these days.
Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers. . . . It's not easy, but it's easier than you think.
Also from the library, I picked up the sixth book in the Harry Potter series on CD.
When Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens, the war against Voldemort has begun. The Wizarding world has split down the middle, and as the casualties mount, the effects even spill over onto the Muggles. Dumbledore is away from Hogwarts for long periods, and the Order of the Phoenix has suffered grievous losses. And yet, as in all wars, life goes on.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, having passed their O.W.L. level exams, start on their specialist N.E.W.T. courses. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate, losing a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Harry becomes captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, while Draco Malfoy pursues his own dark ends. And classes are as fascinating and confounding as ever, as Harry receives some extraordinary help in Potions from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.
Most importantly, Dumbledore and Harry work together to uncover the full and complex story of a boy once named Tom Riddle-the boy who became Lord Voldemort. Like Harry, he was the son of one Muggle-born and one Wizarding parent, raised unloved, and a speaker of Parseltongue. But the similarities end there, as the teenaged Riddle became deeply interested in the Dark objects known as Horcruxes: objects in which a wizard can hide part of his soul, if he dares splinter that soul through murder.
Harry must use all the tools at his disposal to draw a final secret out of one of Riddle's teachers, the sly Potions professor Horace Slughorn. Finally Harry and Dumbledore hold the key to the Dark Lord's weaknesses... until a shocking reversal exposes Dumbledore's own vulnerabilities, and casts Harry's-and Hogwart's-future in shadow.
A friend of my donated some books to my church's tag sale, so I picked up the entire Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben. Here is the first book in the series.
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron’s prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend—a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead—the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family’s tragedy, a woman’s secret, and a man’s lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business—where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.
On Saturday, October 17, I attended the annual WriteAngles Conference at Mount Holyoke College. That's where I picked up the next two books.
Women today have more choices than at any time in history, yet many smart, ambitious, contemporary women are finding themselves angry, dissatisfied, stressed out. Why are they dissatisfied? And what do they really want? These questions form the premise of this passionate, provocative, funny, searingly honest collection of original essays in which twenty-six women writers—ranging in age from twenty-four to sixty-five, single and childless or married with children or four times divorced—invite readers into their lives, minds, and bedrooms to talk about the choices they’ve made, what’s working, and what’s not.
With wit and humor, in prose as poetic and powerful as it is blunt and dead-on, these intriguing women offer details of their lives that they’ve never publicly revealed before, candidly sounding off on:
• The difficult decisions and compromises of living with lovers, marrying, staying single and having children
• The perpetual tug of war between love and work, family and career
• The struggle to simultaneously care for ailing parents and a young family
• The myth of co-parenting
• Dealing with helpless mates and needy toddlers
• The constrictions of traditional women’s roles as well as the cliches of feminism
• Anger at laid-back live-in lovers content to live off a hardworking woman’s checkbook
• Anger at being criticized for one’s weight
• Anger directed at their mothers, right and wrong
• And–well–more anger...
I was going to get the children's version of this year's market guide, but someone snagged the 2016 copy and I didn't want to buy the 2015 one because I couldn't remember if I had the 2014 or 2015 one at home. So, I snagged the Writer's Market 2016 instead. That's fine since I am writing more than just children's stuff these days.
A Nantucket Christmas
The Yuletide season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. But the cheerful mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arm’s length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s first Christmas with her new husband. Yet, in the season of miracles, holiday joy has a way of coming to all, both naughty and nice.
An Island Christmas
It’s Christmas time and Felicia has returned to her family’s home on the island to marry her rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every snow-dusted street and twinkling light is picture-perfect for a dream wedding. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy. With the arrival of Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, fueling tensions, and the family careening toward a wedding disaster, an unexpected twist reminds everyone of the true meaning of the season.
What books have shown up in your mailbox lately?
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
It is a beautiful fall day in New England. This is the view from my office window. It makes me thinks of Anne Shirley inviting Gilbert to go for one of their "old time rambles in the woods."
Life is hectic these days: a lot of working, but not much reading and even less blogging. It seems, however, that I am getting more books than ever. Here is what has arrived in one form or another over the past few weeks.
I've read more than one book in Jon Land's Caitlin Strong series. They are always a good read. This one came to me directly from the publisher.
Caitlin Strong is a fifth generation Texas Ranger as quick with her wits as she is with her gun. Over the years she's taken on all manner of criminals and miscreants, thwarting the plans of villains to do vast damage to the country and state she loves. But none of that has prepared Caitlin for an investigation that pits her against ruthless billionaire oilman Calum Dane, whose genetically engineered pesticide may have poisoned a large swath of the state.
How that poisoning is connected to the disappearance of thirty high school students from a Houston prep school, including the son of her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters, presents Caitlin with the greatest and most desperate challenge of her career. As if that wasn't enough, she also has to deal with a crazed rancher whose entire herd of cattle has been picked clean to the bone by something science can't explain.
The common denominator between these apparently disparate events is a new and deadly enemy capable of destroying the US economy and killing millions, a foe it will take far more than bullets to bring down. There's yet another player in the deadly game Caitlin finds herself playing: Russian extremists prepared to seize an opportunity to win a war they never stopped fighting.
Caitlin's race to save the United States weaves through the present and the past, confronting her and Cort Wesley with the most powerful and dangerous enemies they've ever faced, human and otherwise. The Cold War hasn't just heated up; it's boiling over under the spill of a strong light only Caitlin can extinguish before it's too late.
This next one I picked up at the suggestion of a professional I met at a realtor's conference. Jan Hargrave spoke not only on how to detect if someone is lying, but also how to recognize personality differences. Not only was the information fascinating, Jan was hilarious.
Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success—but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. She makes clear why praising intelligence and ability doesn’t foster self-esteem and lead to accomplishment, but may actually jeopardize success. With the right mindset, we can motivate our kids and help them to raise their grades, as well as reach our own goals—personal and professional. Dweck reveals what all great parents, teachers, CEOs, and athletes already know: how a simple idea about the brain can create a love of learning and a resilience that is the basis of great accomplishment in every area.
I borrowed the next two books from the library since I really am trying to read more on personal and professional development. Not sure when I will get to read them, but they are the next two books on my list.
Meatball Sundae is the definitive guide to the fourteen trends no marketer can afford to ignore. It explains what to do about the increasing power of stories, not facts; about shorter and shorter attention spans; and about the new math that says five thousand people who want to hear your message are more valuable than five million who don?t.
The winners aren't just annoying start-ups run by three teenagers who never had a real job. You'll also meet older companies that have adapted brilliantly, such as Blendtec, a thirty-year-old blender maker. It now produces: Will it blend? videos that demolish golf balls, Coke cans, iPhones, and much more. For a few hundred dollars, Blendtec reached more than ten million eager viewers on YouTube.
Godin doesn't pretend that it's easy to get your products, marketing messages, and internal systems in sync. But he'll convince you that it's worth the effort.
A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It's our nature.
Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger. But more important, they're enabling countless new tribes to be born—groups of ten or ten thousand or ten million who care about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming.
And so the key question: Who is going to lead us?
The Web can do amazing things, but it can't provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals—people just like you who have passion about something. The explosion in tribes means that anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips.
If you think leadership is for other people, think again—leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma leads a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, runs her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle. All they have in common is the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.
If you ignore this opportunity, you risk turning into a "sheepwalker"—someone who fights to protect the status quo at all costs, never asking if obedience is doing you (or your organization) any good. Sheepwalkers don't do very well these days.
Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers. . . . It's not easy, but it's easier than you think.
Also from the library, I picked up the sixth book in the Harry Potter series on CD.
When Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens, the war against Voldemort has begun. The Wizarding world has split down the middle, and as the casualties mount, the effects even spill over onto the Muggles. Dumbledore is away from Hogwarts for long periods, and the Order of the Phoenix has suffered grievous losses. And yet, as in all wars, life goes on.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, having passed their O.W.L. level exams, start on their specialist N.E.W.T. courses. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate, losing a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Harry becomes captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, while Draco Malfoy pursues his own dark ends. And classes are as fascinating and confounding as ever, as Harry receives some extraordinary help in Potions from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.
Most importantly, Dumbledore and Harry work together to uncover the full and complex story of a boy once named Tom Riddle-the boy who became Lord Voldemort. Like Harry, he was the son of one Muggle-born and one Wizarding parent, raised unloved, and a speaker of Parseltongue. But the similarities end there, as the teenaged Riddle became deeply interested in the Dark objects known as Horcruxes: objects in which a wizard can hide part of his soul, if he dares splinter that soul through murder.
Harry must use all the tools at his disposal to draw a final secret out of one of Riddle's teachers, the sly Potions professor Horace Slughorn. Finally Harry and Dumbledore hold the key to the Dark Lord's weaknesses... until a shocking reversal exposes Dumbledore's own vulnerabilities, and casts Harry's-and Hogwart's-future in shadow.
A friend of my donated some books to my church's tag sale, so I picked up the entire Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben. Here is the first book in the series.
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron’s prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend—a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead—the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family’s tragedy, a woman’s secret, and a man’s lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business—where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.
On Saturday, October 17, I attended the annual WriteAngles Conference at Mount Holyoke College. That's where I picked up the next two books.
Women today have more choices than at any time in history, yet many smart, ambitious, contemporary women are finding themselves angry, dissatisfied, stressed out. Why are they dissatisfied? And what do they really want? These questions form the premise of this passionate, provocative, funny, searingly honest collection of original essays in which twenty-six women writers—ranging in age from twenty-four to sixty-five, single and childless or married with children or four times divorced—invite readers into their lives, minds, and bedrooms to talk about the choices they’ve made, what’s working, and what’s not.
With wit and humor, in prose as poetic and powerful as it is blunt and dead-on, these intriguing women offer details of their lives that they’ve never publicly revealed before, candidly sounding off on:
• The difficult decisions and compromises of living with lovers, marrying, staying single and having children
• The perpetual tug of war between love and work, family and career
• The struggle to simultaneously care for ailing parents and a young family
• The myth of co-parenting
• Dealing with helpless mates and needy toddlers
• The constrictions of traditional women’s roles as well as the cliches of feminism
• Anger at laid-back live-in lovers content to live off a hardworking woman’s checkbook
• Anger at being criticized for one’s weight
• Anger directed at their mothers, right and wrong
• And–well–more anger...
I was going to get the children's version of this year's market guide, but someone snagged the 2016 copy and I didn't want to buy the 2015 one because I couldn't remember if I had the 2014 or 2015 one at home. So, I snagged the Writer's Market 2016 instead. That's fine since I am writing more than just children's stuff these days.
Finally, this seasonal book arrived directly from the publisher with two Christmas tales from Nancy Thayer.
A Nantucket Christmas
The Yuletide season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. But the cheerful mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arm’s length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s first Christmas with her new husband. Yet, in the season of miracles, holiday joy has a way of coming to all, both naughty and nice.
An Island Christmas
It’s Christmas time and Felicia has returned to her family’s home on the island to marry her rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every snow-dusted street and twinkling light is picture-perfect for a dream wedding. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy. With the arrival of Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, fueling tensions, and the family careening toward a wedding disaster, an unexpected twist reminds everyone of the true meaning of the season.
What books have shown up in your mailbox lately?
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Little Shepherd Featured Today!
My first book, Little Shepherd, is featured today at the blog of author Janet Elizabeth Lynn. Hope you'll check it out at http://janetelizabethlynnauthor.blogspot.com/2014/12/special-featured-author.html
Little Shepherd and my second book, A Christmas Kindness, make great gifts for your little reader. You can find out more about them at http://ccmalandrinos.com/books/
Monday, August 11, 2014
Mailbox Monday - August 11
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
It was a busy week. I worked every day. Then on Friday night the girls went to the One Direction concert. Should have been my night off, but the hubby's car died and I had to go pick everyone up. Saturday, the family came over to celebrate the Lil' Diva's birthday, which is actually today. On Sunday, I had an open house and then joined the hubby, our son and daughter-in-law for the Def Leppard and KISS concert. I am tired.
In the mail I received an ARC of Nancy Thayer's latest through the Amazon VINE program.
Known for her heartwarming observations of family life, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer showcases her beloved Nantucket’s snowy off-season in this emotionally gratifying and utterly entertaining story.
Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, from the jolly decorations on the Brant Point lighthouse to the much anticipated Christmas Stroll, in which merrymakers promenade through quaint streets adorned with Yuletide cheer. The season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.
But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arms’ length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.
Nancy Thayer’s wonderful tale reminds us that this is the season of miracles. Before the gifts are unwrapped, surprise visitors appear, and holiday joy comes to all, both naughty and nice.
I also picked up these two Kindle freebies.
Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago's rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work--and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago. When she meets an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family's expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?
Readers will love being swept away into a world of mansions, secrets, and romance as they follow Lucy through the streets of the Windy City during one of the most exciting times in the city's history. From opulent upper-class homes to the well-worn rooms of an orphanage, Olivia Newport breathes life and romance into the pages of history--and everyone is invited.
Vampyres don’t exist. They absolutely do not exist.
At least I didn’t think they did ‘til I tried to quit smoking and ended up Undead. Who in the hell did I screw over in a former life that my getting healthy equates with dead?
Now I’m a Vampyre. Yes, we exist whether we want to or not. However, I have to admit, the perks aren’t bad. My girls no longer jiggle, my ass is higher than a kite and the latest Prada keeps finding its way to my wardrobe. On the downside, I’m stuck with an obscenely profane Guardian Angel who looks like Oprah and a Fairy Fighting Coach who’s teaching me to annihilate like the Terminator.
To complicate matters, my libido has increased to Vampyric proportions and my attraction to a hotter than Satan’s underpants killer rogue Vampyre is not only dangerous . . . it’s possibly deadly. For real dead. Permanent death isn’t on my agenda. Avoiding him is my only option. Of course, since he thinks I’m his, it’s easier said than done. Like THAT’S not enough to deal with, all the other Vampyres think I’m some sort of Chosen One.
Holy Hell, if I’m in charge of saving an entire race of blood suckers, the Undead are in for one hell of a ride.
What came in your mailbox?
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
It was a busy week. I worked every day. Then on Friday night the girls went to the One Direction concert. Should have been my night off, but the hubby's car died and I had to go pick everyone up. Saturday, the family came over to celebrate the Lil' Diva's birthday, which is actually today. On Sunday, I had an open house and then joined the hubby, our son and daughter-in-law for the Def Leppard and KISS concert. I am tired.
In the mail I received an ARC of Nancy Thayer's latest through the Amazon VINE program.
Known for her heartwarming observations of family life, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer showcases her beloved Nantucket’s snowy off-season in this emotionally gratifying and utterly entertaining story.
Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, from the jolly decorations on the Brant Point lighthouse to the much anticipated Christmas Stroll, in which merrymakers promenade through quaint streets adorned with Yuletide cheer. The season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.
But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arms’ length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.
Nancy Thayer’s wonderful tale reminds us that this is the season of miracles. Before the gifts are unwrapped, surprise visitors appear, and holiday joy comes to all, both naughty and nice.
I also picked up these two Kindle freebies.
Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago's rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work--and the classes she is secretly taking at the newly opened University of Chicago. When she meets an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family's expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?
Readers will love being swept away into a world of mansions, secrets, and romance as they follow Lucy through the streets of the Windy City during one of the most exciting times in the city's history. From opulent upper-class homes to the well-worn rooms of an orphanage, Olivia Newport breathes life and romance into the pages of history--and everyone is invited.
Vampyres don’t exist. They absolutely do not exist.
At least I didn’t think they did ‘til I tried to quit smoking and ended up Undead. Who in the hell did I screw over in a former life that my getting healthy equates with dead?
Now I’m a Vampyre. Yes, we exist whether we want to or not. However, I have to admit, the perks aren’t bad. My girls no longer jiggle, my ass is higher than a kite and the latest Prada keeps finding its way to my wardrobe. On the downside, I’m stuck with an obscenely profane Guardian Angel who looks like Oprah and a Fairy Fighting Coach who’s teaching me to annihilate like the Terminator.
To complicate matters, my libido has increased to Vampyric proportions and my attraction to a hotter than Satan’s underpants killer rogue Vampyre is not only dangerous . . . it’s possibly deadly. For real dead. Permanent death isn’t on my agenda. Avoiding him is my only option. Of course, since he thinks I’m his, it’s easier said than done. Like THAT’S not enough to deal with, all the other Vampyres think I’m some sort of Chosen One.
Holy Hell, if I’m in charge of saving an entire race of blood suckers, the Undead are in for one hell of a ride.
What came in your mailbox?
Monday, February 17, 2014
Mailbox Monday - February 17
Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
While I don't often enter book giveaways these days--I have way too many books in my office I haven't read yet--if there is something I am really interested in, I'll shoot for it. Dick Wolf, creator of Law & Order, has turned his attention to novels. I entered a giveaway to win the first two books in his Jeremy Fisk series and won them.
Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer: that this is just the work of another lone terrorist.
Fisk—from the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti-terror unit modeled upon the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department’s food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin.
Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weakness and anticipate Fisk’s every move. And time is running out.
NYPD Detective Jeremy Fisk must make an uneasy ally - the disturbingly beautiful and assertive Mexican Intelligence Agency Detective Cecilia Garza. She recognizes the signature of assassin Chuparosa - a hummingbird carved on a corpse. After years of pursuit, she knows only that he is heading to Manhattan - with the rest of the world for UN Week.
Ten days after the Mexican presidential election, 23 bodies were found beheaded on the US border, each carved by Chuparosa. Near New York, Rockaway has a mass murder. There is more to this threat than meets the eye — and justice is not always blind.
I picked up the following free books for my Kindle:
A KISS IS NOT JUST A KISS ... NOR IS A SIGH JUST A SIGH ...
In ROMANCE-ology 101, Award-winning "Passion Most Pure" expert Julie Lessman tackles the subject of romantic tension in today's inspirational/sweet markets with humor and heart. Offering tips for ramping up the WOW factor with romance that is both sweet and swoon-worthy, Lessman highlights tried-and-true methods with before-and-after examples to illustrate the following points:
-- Getting inside the Hero's Head with Internal Monologue
-- Maximizing Use of Beats in Dialogue
-- Effectively Using Dialogue to Escalate Tension
-- Utilizing Dual Point of View
-- Escalating Romantic Tension with Anger
-- Using All Five Senses for Heightened Effect
-- Cashing In on the Kid and Pet Factor
-- Enhancing Mood with Emotionally Charged Words/Verbs
-- Capitalizing on the Element of Surprise
-- Exposing Desire in an Unwilling Character
-- Immediate Hero/Heroine Confrontation
-- Making the Most of Touch and Response
-- Implementing the Concept of Forbidden Fruit
-- Words with a Hint of Taboo
-- Appropriate "Bleep" Words for Inspirational Romance
-- KISS-ology 101: The Many Faces of a Kiss
New Beautifully Illustrated Edition of a Well Loved Classic Tale of God's Love
"A charming book about a mysterious bear that shows up in the right place at just the right time. His comforting message and his cache of supplies always solve the problem at hand. The story is very reassuring on many levels, reiterating the old adage that all's well that ends well." - reader review
God Loves You. Chester Blue was originally written as a children's chapter book. However, since its launch it has become an inspirational story for all ages.
What if when you most needed help, a blue bear appeared with a note from God One night, Miss Millie of Blossom, Ohio turns her face to the stars and asks God for help. The next day, a package arrives on her doorstep containing a blue teddy bear and a very special note. God will meet us where we are... Over the course of a year, this remarkable blue bear travels across the country, showing up just when he's needed most. During his journey, Chester Blue helps a young girl trying to impress her big sisters; helps a man who has lost his job; saves a sailor caught in a terrible storm; reunites two constantly fighting brothers suffering from a terrible case of sibling rivalry; watches a cowboy become a rodeo clown; and helps a father and daughter after divorce.
Each chapter is short story demonstrating God's love for us in every situation. God is everywhere. His love can find us anywhere. Whether you are a child or an adult, God has a very important message for you, too... God Loves You. Chester Blue is an inspirational book for kids, adults, parents, families, in other words, everyone.
Eralee is a misfit among immortals. She is supposed to marry a philandering river Prince. She doesn't want him. She wants to save the human called Klaus. Klaus lives alone at the edge of the Everaude Forest, a dangerous forbidden place. He's convinced he will never know love until he meets Eralee. Unfortunately, she's immortal and he isn't sure how such a love could work. There is another immortal who wants him. She is Kamichen, the Winter Witch, known in legend for eating men's hearts. She has plans for Klaus and they don't include Eralee.
Growing up in an orphanage, Samantha Austin has never had a family. When her one and only true friend lay dying she begs Samantha to care for her child. Unable to refuse, Samantha vows to do anything to keep the child safe... anything. Struggling to survive she unwittingly becomes an unwilling accomplice in a series of bank robberies. Labeled the Masked Lady, Samantha, with the help of her friends concoct a foolproof plan to escape. Will it set her free; or will it put them all in mortal danger?
Rance Harding is a Texas Ranger, sworn to uphold the law. When he receives a telegram from his estranged brother he finds himself on the trail of the Masked Lady. Promising to bring her to his brother, Rance tracks her down. He quickly realizes that everything may not be as it seems. Is she a ruthless outlaw? Or is she just a beautiful woman caught in an impossible situation. Either way, Rance will see to it that justice prevails.
When Rance reveals everything he knows about her past, Samantha is stunned. What will she find at the end of the trail? Heartache? Or will Rance and Samantha both find the one thing they desire most.
That's it for me. What was in your mailbox?
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
While I don't often enter book giveaways these days--I have way too many books in my office I haven't read yet--if there is something I am really interested in, I'll shoot for it. Dick Wolf, creator of Law & Order, has turned his attention to novels. I entered a giveaway to win the first two books in his Jeremy Fisk series and won them.
Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer: that this is just the work of another lone terrorist.
Fisk—from the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti-terror unit modeled upon the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department’s food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin.
Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weakness and anticipate Fisk’s every move. And time is running out.
NYPD Detective Jeremy Fisk must make an uneasy ally - the disturbingly beautiful and assertive Mexican Intelligence Agency Detective Cecilia Garza. She recognizes the signature of assassin Chuparosa - a hummingbird carved on a corpse. After years of pursuit, she knows only that he is heading to Manhattan - with the rest of the world for UN Week.
Ten days after the Mexican presidential election, 23 bodies were found beheaded on the US border, each carved by Chuparosa. Near New York, Rockaway has a mass murder. There is more to this threat than meets the eye — and justice is not always blind.
I picked up the following free books for my Kindle:
A KISS IS NOT JUST A KISS ... NOR IS A SIGH JUST A SIGH ...
In ROMANCE-ology 101, Award-winning "Passion Most Pure" expert Julie Lessman tackles the subject of romantic tension in today's inspirational/sweet markets with humor and heart. Offering tips for ramping up the WOW factor with romance that is both sweet and swoon-worthy, Lessman highlights tried-and-true methods with before-and-after examples to illustrate the following points:
-- Getting inside the Hero's Head with Internal Monologue
-- Maximizing Use of Beats in Dialogue
-- Effectively Using Dialogue to Escalate Tension
-- Utilizing Dual Point of View
-- Escalating Romantic Tension with Anger
-- Using All Five Senses for Heightened Effect
-- Cashing In on the Kid and Pet Factor
-- Enhancing Mood with Emotionally Charged Words/Verbs
-- Capitalizing on the Element of Surprise
-- Exposing Desire in an Unwilling Character
-- Immediate Hero/Heroine Confrontation
-- Making the Most of Touch and Response
-- Implementing the Concept of Forbidden Fruit
-- Words with a Hint of Taboo
-- Appropriate "Bleep" Words for Inspirational Romance
-- KISS-ology 101: The Many Faces of a Kiss
New Beautifully Illustrated Edition of a Well Loved Classic Tale of God's Love
"A charming book about a mysterious bear that shows up in the right place at just the right time. His comforting message and his cache of supplies always solve the problem at hand. The story is very reassuring on many levels, reiterating the old adage that all's well that ends well." - reader review
God Loves You. Chester Blue was originally written as a children's chapter book. However, since its launch it has become an inspirational story for all ages.
What if when you most needed help, a blue bear appeared with a note from God One night, Miss Millie of Blossom, Ohio turns her face to the stars and asks God for help. The next day, a package arrives on her doorstep containing a blue teddy bear and a very special note. God will meet us where we are... Over the course of a year, this remarkable blue bear travels across the country, showing up just when he's needed most. During his journey, Chester Blue helps a young girl trying to impress her big sisters; helps a man who has lost his job; saves a sailor caught in a terrible storm; reunites two constantly fighting brothers suffering from a terrible case of sibling rivalry; watches a cowboy become a rodeo clown; and helps a father and daughter after divorce.
Each chapter is short story demonstrating God's love for us in every situation. God is everywhere. His love can find us anywhere. Whether you are a child or an adult, God has a very important message for you, too... God Loves You. Chester Blue is an inspirational book for kids, adults, parents, families, in other words, everyone.
Eralee is a misfit among immortals. She is supposed to marry a philandering river Prince. She doesn't want him. She wants to save the human called Klaus. Klaus lives alone at the edge of the Everaude Forest, a dangerous forbidden place. He's convinced he will never know love until he meets Eralee. Unfortunately, she's immortal and he isn't sure how such a love could work. There is another immortal who wants him. She is Kamichen, the Winter Witch, known in legend for eating men's hearts. She has plans for Klaus and they don't include Eralee.
Growing up in an orphanage, Samantha Austin has never had a family. When her one and only true friend lay dying she begs Samantha to care for her child. Unable to refuse, Samantha vows to do anything to keep the child safe... anything. Struggling to survive she unwittingly becomes an unwilling accomplice in a series of bank robberies. Labeled the Masked Lady, Samantha, with the help of her friends concoct a foolproof plan to escape. Will it set her free; or will it put them all in mortal danger?
Rance Harding is a Texas Ranger, sworn to uphold the law. When he receives a telegram from his estranged brother he finds himself on the trail of the Masked Lady. Promising to bring her to his brother, Rance tracks her down. He quickly realizes that everything may not be as it seems. Is she a ruthless outlaw? Or is she just a beautiful woman caught in an impossible situation. Either way, Rance will see to it that justice prevails.
When Rance reveals everything he knows about her past, Samantha is stunned. What will she find at the end of the trail? Heartache? Or will Rance and Samantha both find the one thing they desire most.
That's it for me. What was in your mailbox?
Monday, January 6, 2014
Mailbox Monday - January 6
Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Here is what I received this week:
James Study Guide
Deepening Life Together video Bible studies guide small groups into a deeper understanding of the Bible, and a deeper relationship with God and others. Each DVD features inspirational teaching by trusted scholars and pastors edited with engaging graphics and footage from the Jesus film. The study guides are based on the Five Biblical Purposes and enhance fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship.
Each guide includes leader notes, discussion questions, daily reflections, and personal assessments to chart and track spiritual growth. Deepening Life Together is a great church resource and includes built-in leader training. With leader notes and video coaching for each session, the curriculum is perfect for new or experienced leaders. Lifetogether has sold more than 2.5 million copies of its award-winning studies for small groups, taking groups deeper into the Bible and providing proven techniques to start and sustain a small group.
Kindle freebies
Practical, insightful and relatable 250 page in depth devotional study with great personal stories. Each day is short enough to be able to read and have time to process the personal application questions. It can be used in conjunction with the discussion guide (at www.TheBookofJudges.com) or as a stand alone devotional.
This comic romance is a tasty morsel for the holidays to make even the truest cynic believe in love again.
Christmas is a time of togetherness, celebrations, family and love. But for Heather it is a time for second guessing and false hope. Fearing for her still young marriage and feeling abandoned in a time of great emotional need, she has pinned all her hopes on a Christmas present--a small gesture with great meaning--to renew her faltering relationship.
As her husband, Derek, an intern, spends long hours and late nights in the emergency room saving lives, Heather diligently and lovingly teaches her kindergarten class and wonders if her marriage is slowly, imperceptibly, slipping away. As Christmas approaches, she remembers the joy and the closeness she and her husband shared in holidays past, and grapples with her options for reigniting the spark they once shared. But did she get it all wrong when she decided that a mere sweet pastry from the hottest bakery in town was the answer to all her woes? Could it be that simple?
And how could a poodle skirt, a princess and bouncer help?
When all is said and done, Derek and Heather will come to know the regenerative power of love and Christmas, as the very best Christmas present ever touches both their lives and leaves their lives forever changed.
Point Pleasant. Virginia. 1859
A slave revolt is spreading across across the land.
Amid fears of terrible bloodshed, the gentleman farmer Mr Underwood is promoted to the position of Supervisor.
After a tense confrontation, the town is kept safe.
But on the ride home, an escaped slave lands Mr Underwood in a whole lot of trouble.
And suddenly he is embroiled in a bitter and bloody feud between the North and South, the Confederates and the Unionists.
As the two sides battle over Virginia, Mr Underwood is caught up in a dangerous struggle for control of the State.
And when he meets a beautiful widow, it is not just the State that is divided - it is Underwood's heart that is at stake as well as must choose between the beguiling Ariadne and his shrewish wife.
The Secessionist is a fast-paced, brilliantly researched historical novel that is sure to have you on edge of your seat from the first to the last page.
It is a must-read for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Charles Frazier.
"A wonderful book combining detailed research and fast-moving story-telling." - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of Trade Off.
In spite of having to recover from serious injuries from her fall down a cliff with O'nan, Josiah Reynolds is back to sleuthing. This time her friend, Irene Meckler, asks Josiah to investigate the death of her nephew which was ruled accidental. Irene has her doubts.
Along with her best friend Matt, and Jake Dosh, a physician assistant hired by Josiah's daughter, Josiah again makes the rounds of quirky characters that can only be found in the mysterious world of antebellum homes, bourbon and horse racing of Kentucky's Bluegrass region.
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