Ah . . . Another challenge. I have been meaning to start this series for some time and I know I have the first few books on my Kindle so there is no better time than the present to read this series along with others who are reading for the first time or the tenth. Want the details, here is a summary, but for all the details, head over to Moonlight Gleam's blog to check it out and to sign up. Then stay tuned here in March for my review of Bitten.
The Challenge:
Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.
PLEASE NOTE: **You do not have to have a blog to enter this challenge. You must, however, have a Goodreads account if you don't, so that you can link to your posts there.**
**You do not have to participate each month if you don't want to. I want this to be a fun experience for everyone so, if there only a few books you want to read, please feel free to join!**
**If you did not find time to read the title of the month, feel free to write a post about it and indicate why. This will allow you to link up to qualify for monthly challenge giveaways as well!**
10 Free Kindle Fires, 75 free ebooks, a $500 library
donation. Entries for 10 free Kindle Fires are already underway at http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com.
On Feb. 1-2, bestselling thriller authors J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, Scott
Nicholson, Lee Goldberg, and Scott Nicholson are making 75 Kindle books free on
Amazon. They are also making a $500 donation to the local library of one Kindle
Fire winner. Contest is international, no purchase necessary. You can also join
the Facebook party at http://www.facebook.com/BigKindleBoogie.
My Review:
"We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit." 1 John 4:13 (NIV)
That is the Bible verse that starts the devotional for today, January 31, 2012, which is my day on the tour. The Faith Step for today, or as I like to think about it the lesson to take away and act upon is: "Ask Jesus to empower you to celebrate the blessings of another today."
Wow. This is a powerful one for me. And I bet it is one for you as well. We all have a little bit of the green-eyed monster in each of us. And I don't even think this devotion speaks to that. I'll tell you how it spoke to me when I read through it last night in preparation for this post today. Yes you could say I procrastinate, but in a way maybe waiting made this message appear at just the right time for me. God has a miraculous way of doing that and several of the devotions have been that spark for me.
But back to today's devotion and celebrating the blessings of another. The one quote that stood out in the whole devotion was this one:
How does someone crippled with pain wholeheartedly rejoice over another's miraculous healing, without that whisper deep in the soul: "Lord, what about me?"
Sharon Hinck's words really spoke to me here. Because this is what I feel often. Heck at one time I have even been on the other side of that as I watched a friend die of brain cancer yet the tumors that my doctor at one time believed were inoperable and would probably only give me a month or two to live were found to only be cysts. I wondered how I could face her husband and son since I was alive and she was not. Now I am on the opposite side. I see others happy and healthy and I continue to decline and all I want is my life back, the life I had just 4 years ago. So yes I have asked "Lord, what about me?"
But as the devotion goes on, I felt uplifted, I am not forgotten and through the strength of God I can celebrate the blessings of others. Just as my friends celebrated my blessings as well. I know now they harbored no ill-feelings towards me and that has let loose a burden as well. So this devotion has doubly blessed me today.
And today's devotion is not the only one that has really helped me. Earlier this month there was a great devotional by Camy Tang about a stagnant prayer life and boy don't I feel like I have been there before. Each one I have read so far has had something to say to me. Each morning (or evening) I get just a little bit of God talking to me through these wonderful devotions written by these Christian women. And I look forward to enjoying the rest of the year with the insight these ladies will provide me into my own spiritual life and I hope to come out on the other end just a little closer to Jesus.
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
About the Book:
"Be still and know that I am God.” is one of the most beautiful verses from the Bible, but it’s not easy to practice in this busy world. Mornings with Jesus will help you do just that—“be still” in Jesus’ beautiful and powerful presence. For those who are seeking a deeper experience in their relationship with Christ, Mornings with Jesus offers a fresh perspective of who Jesus is (the Healer, the Son of God, the Comforter, the Good Shepherd) and what that means for day-to-day life. With a warm and friendly voice, 365 short devotional writings on the character and teachings of Jesus encourage readers to greet each day by drawing near to Him and inviting His presence into their day. Spend time with Jesus at the beginning of each day and experience His nearness and peace in a new way throughout the year. Each day’s selection includes: • a Bible verse • an entry based on Jesus: His words, miracles, and parables; His wisdom, compassion, and comfort; His mystery, power, divinity, and humanity • a “faith step” that will inspire and challenge readers to apply the day’s message to their lives
GIVEAWAY
Thank you to the publisher, I have a second copy of Mornings With Jesus 2012 to giveaway. To win simply by enter below. Open to US/Canada only. Ends 2/7/2012. The only mandatory entry is name and email and if you are logged into Rafflecopter using Facebook it will enter those for you all you will have to do is hit the enter me button.
Paperback, 322 pages Fiction, Suspense, Historical, Christian ISBN:978-0800720469
My Review:
I am halfway through this one and if the second half is as good as the first half then this is a first-rate historical suspense thriller. I loved getting to know the characters, but this jumps right into the action as well. I know this is actually the second in the series, but I had no problem getting to know the characters. The storyline is completely separate so that is no problem. It's the two main characters that continue through the series.
I loved the setting. I know very little about the occupation of France during World War II and particularly the occupation of Paris. That is the setting, the end of the occupation and the resistance of the citizens of Paris. I found this fascinating. And then add in the art angle and I was completely sold. The authors did a wonderful job weaving the historical with the suspense to make the book very interesting and hard to put down.
I have no reason to believe this will disappoint and I look forward to finishing the book. I also look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series, The Swiss Courier and any future books that involve Gabi and Eric.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0 (at a little over halfway through, because of tour date)
It is August 1944 and Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country, stealing countless pieces of art. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all, the Mona Lisa, as a post-war bargaining chip to get him to South America. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue DaVinci's masterpiece before it falls into German hands?
With nonstop action, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get readers' adrenaline pumping as they join the chase to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Paris to a posh country chateau, the race is on--and the runners are playing for keeps.
Tricia Goyer is the coauthor of The Swiss Courier as well as the author of many other books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the ACFW's Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Goyer lives with her family in Arkansas. For more about Tricia and her other books visitwww.triciagoyer.com
Mike Yorkey is the author or coauthor of dozens of books, including The Swiss Courier and the bestselling Every Man's Battle series. Married to a Swiss native, Yorkey lived in Switzerland for 18 months. He and his family currently reside in California. For more about Mike and his other books visit www.mikeyorkey.com
Win an iTouch SPY Pack in the Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway from @triciagoyer @mikeyorkey!
Chasing Mona Lisa is the continuing tale of Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler (first introduced in The Swiss Courier). This time the due are on a relentless quest to save the most famous
painting in the world - the Mona Lisa. You can help Gabi and Eric with your very own spy pack when you enter The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!
One passionate protector will receive:
iTouch (The must-have device for any spy. Camera, Maps & Music.)
Starbucks Gift Card (For all those late nights.)
Moleskin Notebook (For those important notes.)
Invisible Ink Pen (Don’t want anyone reading those important notes.)
Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (Great
handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training!)
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on January 31st. The winner will be announced at the Chasing Mona Lisa Facebook Party on 1/31. Tricia and Mike will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from Tricia's website) and giving away their books and a Book Club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Tricia and Mike.)
So grab your copy of Chasing Mona Lisa and join Tricia and Mike on the evening of the 31st for an author chat, spy training (do you know how to pick a lock? ) and lots of giveaways.
Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!
***I received this book through Litfuse Publicity for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.
I saw that the Magic Treehouse books by Mary Pope Osborne are turning 20 in a dedicated issue of Shelf Awareness that I received this morning and I had to post. I have read Magic Treehouse books to both of my boys. My oldest and I have also listened to them in the car as well. I love these books. I love that you get a little bit of history and some mystery mixed in. I love that they have a boy and a girl in them. I love that they are siblings. I love just about everything about these books. I wish I could say I have read all of them, but I have not. But seeing this newsletter this morning makes me want to go home and pull out one of the many we have on our personal bookshelf and read to my youngest tonight and I think I will. He can choose the book and we will read together.
Do you have a favorite? I'm not sure. I loved the ones that revolved around Camelot and fantasy. But the ones with American history were great too. Mary Pope Osborne has a definite gift for children's books and it shows as these books have now spanned 20 years and I am sure they will span more.
So go, click on the banner, enter the giveaway. And maybe you'll pull out a Magic Treehouse book to read to yourself, your child, your grandchild, niece, nephew, whoever, tonight or one night this week.
For this giveaway I have the wonderful book Cobbogoth by Hannah L. Clark to giveaway. I was sent an extra copy just for a giveaway like this one. It has 5, 5-star reviews on Goodreads. Interested? Here's a little more about it.
Cobbogoth by Hannah L. Clark
To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle's brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself. Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did--including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley--she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all. If she succeeds, she'll gain the one thing she's always longed for. But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.
Want to win, fill out the Rafflecopter below. US/Canada only for this one.
I apologize for being MIA the last two weeks. As most of my readers know I have had a myriad of health problems and have had two brain surgeries in the past in an effort to revlieve my symptoms. But it has appeared over the last year the the cysts in my spinal cord were not all of my problems. I had a bout of bad headaches over the summer and after finding a medicine to control them (but not explanation as to why I have them, we are back to my first diagnosis I recieved in 2008, fibromyalgia. However, it has gotten worse in the past 6 months and I have been going to the doctor monthly (and somtimes even more often) trying to work out what is going on. Around Christmas things were slightly more under control and then the stress of the holidays brought me down again.
At the beginning of this year I decided that my word for this year is "Hope" and I would hope for a better year. And then one of my friends who has fibro mentioned she was trying a gluten-free diet and was feeling better. After some reading, some discussion with my husband and some messaging with a friend who has been gluten-free for awhile (and actually encouraged me to go gluten-free when I had the headaches) I decided to give it a try. So that is where I have been. I have been reading up on the gluten-free diet. I have been acclimating myself and my family to the gluten-free diet. They are not eating gluten-free, but it does change how things are done in the kitchen. I truly feel that I am gluten-intolerant, but even if I am not, this is a very healthy diet if done right so I don't feel I can go wrong. So it has taken a lot of my reading time. I actually feel it takes all my time, but slowly I am getting use to it and getting back to reading. So I will be back. I will start to have some reviews later this week and be back to full schedule next week.
I have winners to draw and giveaways to mail. Don't worry - it will all be done. I just had to take a break for me. I did do some serious thinking about giving up the blog, but I can't, it's something I truly enjoy. So I will be back . . .
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