Monday, March 30, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - March 30



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

What a week it has been. I accomplished a lot and had two accepted offers this week. Looks like real estate doesn't even stop for a virus. Our pantries are organized. Our shed is cleaned out. I prepped the vegetable garden for planting. One must look at the positives right now.

As far as books go, I finished ...



I started this one ...


I will crack open this one on Wednesday ...



Then this is my next book for review ...


Here are some others I plan to read ...




Hope you'll share what you have been reading. Hope you have a blessed week.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Feed Your Reader: Free or 99 cent E-books in All Genres!





Need something to read but trying to avoid crowds?

Want to make sure you aren't bringing germs into your house?

Looking to save money now more than ever?

What's your favorite genre? We just might have a book for you! Check here, fill up your ereader, and save money, too!

Click on this link: http://www.goddessfish.com/promo/feed-your-reader-bargain-books/ to find books in your favorite genres that are currently only $0.99 or maybe even FREE and feed your reader!!! They are digital, so no virus germs. A win all the way around!!

OR

Go directly to your favorite genre:


Contemporary Romance (erotic and non-erotic)


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Science Fiction or Fantasy Romance (erotic and non-erotic)


Romantic Suspense (erotic and non-erotic)


LGBTQ Romance (erotic and non-erotic)


Women's Fiction / Chick Lit


Non-Romance Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Horror


Non-Romance Historical Fiction


Non-Romance Science Fiction or Fantasy


Literary Fiction / Contemporary Mainstream Fiction


There's also a chance for you to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC - check out the Rafflecopter at the end of the post.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday:Ten Books to Inspire and Uplift You



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Happy Tuesday! I know it's not a very happy world right now, but I need to try and stay positive. It's too easy for me to dive down into the rabbit hole of like sucks right now. So, for today's genre freebie, I have chosen books to inspire and uplift you.

Top Ten Books to Inspire and Uplift You





















I hope you'll share a book that has uplifted or inspired you.

Praying you all stay safe and healthy.

Monday, March 23, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Mar 23



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

My, oh, my. How are you all hanging in there? Stir crazy yet? Hubby and I are working from home--I'm showing a few homes here and there, but certainly not as much as I planned to--and both girls are home (possibly until fall). The Lil' Diva's job is up in the air since it depends on the kids returning to school.

The up side is that we are spending more time together and have even gone back to family dinner time most evenings. The other great thing is that I finished one editing project and started another one, plus I sent over the extra content for the re-release of one of my Christmas books to the publisher. Maybe before all this is over I'll even get some writing done.

On the reading front, I'm not accomplishing as much as I thought I would. Still, some reading time is better than no reading time.

Finished these books.






I am three-quarters of the way through this one.


Then I owe a review on these two next.




Charlotte Hubbard is touring with a new book I signed up to review.


After that, I need to dig into something Little House related. Maybe this one I recently bought.



Hope you'll share what you have been reading. Praying all of you stay safe and healthy.





Saturday, March 21, 2020

Smashwords Authors Give Back Sale Underway Through April 20, 2020


From Smashwords:


Thousands of Deep-Discounted eBooks!

"In recent days as the global Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, several Smashwords authors reached out to our founder Mark Coker, asking him to consider running a special sale for their readers.

These authors wanted to do their part to use the power of their books to help mitigate the emotional and econonomic hardship faced by citizens of every country, many of whom are now forced to stay home and self-isolate.

Our authors asked and we listened. Now through April 20 at the Smashwords Store, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers are offering deep discounts of 30%, 60% and even 100% on select ebooks.

It is the hope of our authors that you, your friends, and your family might find redemptive strength, comfort, and enjoyment from their books.

If you discover a new favorite author during the sale, consider showing your appreciation by purchasing and reading their other books. The 140,000 authors that publish at Smashwords come from every country and community around the globe. They're your friends and neighbors.

Please help spread the word! Hashtags #authorsgiveback and #Smashwords.

Take care and stay safe."


VISIT SMASHWORDS ONLINE

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Book Spotlight: Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder by MaryAnn Kempher







One night, 28-year-old, Katherine O’Brian, decides to walk to an all-night diner. The only problem? It’s midnight, but Katherine lives in Reno Nevada, a city that never sleeps; she can clearly see the diner’s lights in the distance. It’s no big deal, until she passes someone’s garage where a man is loading a dead body into the trunk of his car.

And now, she’s in trouble. She outran the man that night, and while she has no idea who he is, he knows who she is. And he wants her dead.

As if attempts on her life weren’t stressful enough, Katherine has gone back to college. She’s determined to finally finish her degree, but her lab partner is driving her crazy. He’s hot, but annoying. And she’s not sure which she wants more—a night of mad, passionate sex or a new lab partner. It varies from day to day.

Will Katherine give in to her lust for her partner or will she give in to her desire to throttle him? If she’s in the ground before graduation, it won’t matter.

Not your typical romance, not your typical mystery.


PURCHASE AT

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2OkHlii






EXCERPT





Monday afternoon, the raspy wind snarled Katherine O’Brian’s long hair and reddened her face as she quickly walked into the building. She pulled her gloves off and blew on her hands for a few seconds before weaving her way through the thick crowd in the college’s hallway. It was the first night of class and she was nearly late.

She looked around the classroom self-consciously; she seemed to be the oldest person in the room. Well, that’s what you get for putting off college. You get to take classes with kids barely out of high school.

All the desks had been placed in a circle and the professor was moving from one student to another, having them introduce themselves. Katherine’s eyes widened when the teacher got to the man directly across from her.

The day before she’d stopped at a nearby Starbucks. After placing her order, she’d casually looked around. Her eyes had met those of a woman sitting across the room. When the woman smiled, Katherine had blushed. She was a he, dressed in drag.

Slap on some eye shadow and a pair of high heels and that’s the guy I saw yesterday, minus the dress.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, the professor began talking about the term project.

“You’ll be working in pairs, and this assignment is worth seventy percent of your grade, so obviously you’ll need to work together to do a good job.”

Katherine quickly looked at her syllabus. There it was: the class term project. Very writing-intensive. Even PowerPoint slides were required. This was why she’d put off taking the class—writing wasn’t her strongest subject.

 “You’ll find your partner listed there,” the professor continued, pointing toward the chalk board, to which a piece of paper was taped.

After all the details of the project had been covered, class was dismissed. Katherine quickly looked at the paper on the board. Oh, this just gets better and better. She looked around for her new partner, but he was speaking to the teacher.

I’ll talk to him about the project on Wednesday.

She hugged her book to her chest and walked toward the exit. When she dropped her purse and stopped suddenly to pick it up, she heard a deep voice.

“Hey.”

Katherine looked up—and up—to the face that went with the deep voice.

“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realize you were behind me.”

He was smiling. Not that it matters, but of all the men in the class, why do I get the one that wears dresses?

“I’m Scott Mitchell. We’re partners on the project.”

She turned back and held out her hand. “I'm Katherine.”

As he pulled on his coat, he said, “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go get something to eat or drink, to talk about it.”

Katherine stalled by moving closer to the wall, as if to let other students hurry past. Her first instinct was to say no, but then she remembered her resolve to do well in the class.

“Sure, where?”

They started walking outside together.

“There’s a Starbucks near here,” he said. “We could meet there.”

Coffee was always the magic word for Katherine, or chocolate.

“Sure, I’ll see you there.”

As she sat in her car waiting for it to heat up, she noticed her hands were shaking slightly. She looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Jeez, it’s just a guy. Get a grip.

They arrived at the same time. The hard part came after they’d gotten their drinks and sat down. Katherine could hardly put two words together; it had been a long time since she’d had a decent conversation, especially with a man. After a few minutes, Scott broke the silence.

“So, how about that project?” he said, a little too loudly. Katherine flinched and turned pink. When she answered, the words flew out. “Going to be an avalanche of work: slides and an oral presentation, thousand words each. A monster.”

“Yeah,” said Scott, “and not really what I expected from a history course. Doing a biography from birth to death is a big deal, especially with all the details the professor wants. Do you have any ideas who we should do it on?”

“How about van Gogh?” suggested Katherine.

“He committed suicide, didn’t he?”

“So?”

Scott sighed. “Well, I don’t know. I’d just prefer to do the biography on someone I can respect. For me, it’s hard to respect anyone who kills themselves. Seems so cowardly.”

“That’s very presumptuous of you,” said Katherine. “To assume the man was a coward because he killed himself. And such a generalization. Sometimes people are just in pain, and that’s the only way they see to end that pain.”

Scott held his hands up defensively. “Sorry. Didn’t know you were such a fan of van Gogh.”

Katherine rolled her eyes. “That’s what you take away from what I said?” Jeez, this guy’s hot, but what an idiot.

Scott tipped his cup forward and backwards, side to side. Katherine held her cup to her lips, blowing on the coffee. Judging by the attention their cups received, Starbucks’ coffee had never tasted so good. Scott sat up, leaning forward, his arms folded in front of him. He seemed to take up the whole table. Katherine sat back in her chair.

“We should probably plan on getting together at least a few times during the week,” he said.

The prospect of seeing him so often filled Katherine with both dread and excitement - dread, because she wasn’t sure she even liked him, and excitement because his baritone voice made her unwilling heart flutter, and his mahogany eyes made her blush. He’s right, though, she thought, if I’m serious about getting a good grade, this project will need a lot of attention.

“You’re probably right,” she answered, her eyes avoiding his. “When do you want to meet?”

“How about tomorrow at the library,” Scott replied. “The one on Virginia Street near the mall, does five thirty work for you?”

“Sure.”

After exchanging numbers, Katherine stood. “I should go,” she said. “It’s getting late.”

They walked out together, Scott holding the door for her.









For many years, MaryAnn Kempher lived in Reno Nevada where most of her stories are set. Her books are an entertaining mix of mystery and humor. She lives in the Tampa Florida area with her husband, two children, and a very snooty Chorkie.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

 



http://www.pumpupyourbook.com



Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Shelf Control - Mar 4



Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves sponsored by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. Here's how to jump on board:
  • Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
  • Add your link in the comments!
  • Link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your own post.
  • Check out other posts, and…


BLURB:  Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.

"This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up."

So begins this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend, and how his death impacted those closest to him.

DATE BOUGHT: Unknown, but I'm guessing spring 2011 or 2012.

WHY I BOUGHT IT: Anyone who knows me knows I have a huge Civil War collection. Abraham Lincoln also fascinates me, so anything about him or concerning events surrounding his life is bound to capture my attention. This one came from a school book fair, and I had no idea it was a young person's version when I bought it. I will need to get the adult book if I like this one.

What are some topics or people you are interested in?

Monday, March 2, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Mar 2



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.


Welcome to March! I hope you had a great weekend. I realized recently that in a few months The Book Connection will be 15 years old. How crazy is that? I have no desire to stop blogging, but real life does make it challenging at times.

I've been able to sneak some reading in, which always makes me happy. My review for this one was posted last week. You can find it here.



I also finished reading this one for my children's book blog.


I am starting this book this week.


Next up are these two.



Then I plan to catch up on past due reviews if I can keep myself from requesting other books. I really am my own worst enemy. 

How is your reading going? Any good books to share?