Weekly #MEME: What Are You Reading?

From the Literary Addicts Website

What am I reading this week?

After a few weeks where it was a piles of virtual books on my Kindle that kept me frantically reading, trying to keep up with the schedule, I've taken a few weeks to just sit back and read the books I want to read. Especially the books I've had on NetGalley that I've requested at the beginning of the summer with no hope to read them.
So, these are the books I plan on reading in the next few weeks:

• The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen by Tosca Lee: This book has been calling me since I read Iscariot by the same author. I was impressed by her writing style, by her ability to get into the head of one of the most vilified men in the history of the world: Judas Iscariot. Don't stone me or nothing, but I kinda like Judas. The more I try to delve into him, the more I see him as a misguided human, very similar to many of us in our lives.
• Dr Who: The Crawling Terror by Mike Tucker: Since Twelve has come onto the scene, I've felt the need to dig more into this facet of the Doctor. What better than to read some of his adventures? However, I think this may give me some creepy crawly nightmares....*shudder*
• Doctor Who: The Blood Cell by James Goss: Yet another possibility of seeing more into Twelve.
• Kidnapped by the Taliban by Dilip Joseph MD and James Lund: After just finishing The Son of Hamas, I find myself on a Middle Eastern fling, perhaps in an effort to understand more of the news going on in that region.
• Psalms for Everyone Part 2 by John E Goldingay: I've actually finished this book, but haven't had the time to sit down and compose my thoughts into a review. Its been so long, I'm going to have to re-read.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

It's been a few weeks since I've posted a Monday Reading post. In those weeks, I had heart surgery to get rid of the SVT. It wasn't open heart surgery, but a catheter procedure. The surgeons had to ablate three different areas, meaning they went in with small wires through my femoral arteries and veins, found out where the arrhythmia was, then destroyed the tissue that was causing the abnormal rhythm by using high frequency radio waves. Although the post-op paperwork says I could go back to my daily activities 1-2 days after the procedure, I found I was limping from the insertion sites for a week and a half, and battling extreme fatigue for a week afterwards.
But, the arrhythmia only has a 1 in 200 chance of coming back, and it will come back in the first 6 weeks post-op. I'm now 3 1/2 weeks post-op with no recurrence so far! YAY!

So, now, I'm back to reading with a vengeance, and here is what is on this week's TBR list:

1. Lakebridge: Autumn by Natasha Troop
2. Doctor Who: The Bog Warrior by Cecelia Ahern
3. The Family of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury

I have plenty others, but this is a good start. What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I have been so overloaded by books the past few weeks, when I was able to post this, it came rather late in the day. I will just list the books on my immediate TBR pile now:

1. The Labyrinth Wall by Emilyann Girdner
2. Amity by Micol Ostov
3. Angels and Saints: A Biblical Guide to Friendship with God's Holy Ones by Scott Hahn
4. The Nightingale Girls by Donna Douglas
5. The Nightingale Sisters by Donna Douglas

These are about half of the books. Amity has proven to be a horror story so compelling I can barely put it down. That should be finished pretty soon.

It's Monday, What are you reading?

Hi everyone, it's been an incredibly fast-paced three weeks since I've last posted a Monday Reading post. April has been a crazy busy month for me here on Second Book to the Right, and for work, and for life. I'm sure you're feeling it too!

This week I've got a few different books up on my TBR Now list:

1. Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber
2. Two Brothers: Heritage by Sofia Diana Gabel
3. Take This Cup by Bodie Thoene
4. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
5. Bee Helpful by  JW Edwards III
6. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

And I am waiting for two books to come in the mail:

1. Thirty Days To A More Beautiful You by Kylie Bisutti
2. Defending the Line by Alex Carpenter: really looking forward to this one since its a kids' book and its about soccer. My older daughter just started playing soccer and she really enjoys it. I'm hoping this book will help spark more interest in her.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Hi everyone! It's been a great, productive week for me. Not quite as productive as I would like with reading, but very productive nonetheless.
This week I'm still slogging through last week's avalanche of books, so my TBR pile looks like this:

1. The Behavior of Titans by Thomas Merton
2. One Realm Beyond by Donita K Paul
3. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
4. Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber
5. Take This Cup by Bodie Thoene
6. Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson
7. Peacock Swamp: The Nine by Katie Femia
8. Fragile Creatures by Kristina Circelli

I hope to have at least the first three read this week.I'm only one book ahead of my Goodreads yearly challenge schedule, so I'm afraid if I don't keep up the momentum, I will fall behind.

Happy reading everyone!!!!

Waiting on Wednesday

I seem to be waiting awhile for these two books. They arrived in the mail yesterday, but they will have to wait for me now to get to them.

One Realm Beyond by Donita K Paul

Cantor D’Ahma waited his whole life for this day. Born with a gift to jump between worlds, the young realm walker is finally ready to leave his elderly mentor and accept his role as protector and defender of the realms.

But mere hours after he steps through his first portal, Cantor discovers that his job will be more dangerous and difficult than he ever imagined. The realms are plagued with crime and cruelty, and even members of the once-noble Realm Walkers Guild can no longer be trusted. To make matters worse, his first assignment - finding a dragon to assist him on his quest---has led him to Bridger, who is clearly inept and won’t leave him alone.

With the help of his new friends Bixby and Dukmee, Cantor must uncover the secrets of the corrupt guild before they become too powerful to be stopped. But his skills aren’t progressing as fast as he would like, and as he finds himself deeper and deeper in the guild’s layers of deceit, Cantor struggles to determine where his true allegiance lies.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi

Many Westerners are confused about Islam, somewhat fearful of Muslims, or simply uninformed about the relationship between the Islamic and Christian faiths. In turn, many Muslims are hindered by cultural, intellectual, and theological barriers from understanding, or even rightly hearing, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, former devout Muslim Nabeel Qureshi describes his dramatic journey from Islam to Christianity, complete with the friendships, investigations, and dreams and visions he encountered along the way.

Throughout his story Qureshi provides a compassionate yet powerful apologetic for Christianity over Islam, with an emphasis on relationships and love. Appendices by popular scholars and experts provide further information for Muslims to consider and for Christians to reference in spiritual discussions with Muslim friends.

Engaging as a story and useful as an apologetic resource, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus introduces readers to a powerful story of the clash between Islam and Christianity in one man’s heart and of the peace he eventually found in Jesus.

It's a Late Monday, what are you reading?

These past few weeks have been....busy to say the least. Today is one week since one of my uncle's passed away unexpectedly, and trying to be there for my family while 1500 miles away has been heart-wrenching for me. Work has been an absolute whirlwind. And this Wednesday will be 3 weeks since I got hooked up to a portable heart monitor to record any arrhythmias. I have occasional bouts of Supraventricular Tachycardia and they want to record it for a definite diagnosis. They haven't happened yet, and I'm a little bummed. No recordings mean no definitive answers, which mean no definitive plans of action. One more week of it and then I'm back at the doctor's to see what the next step is if it doesn't happen.

And of course, I have been reading...not as much as I would have liked, but I have added an extraordinary amount of books to my weekly TBR list. So here it is:

1. Undeniable by Tawdra Kandle
2. Unquenchable by Tawdra Kandle
3. Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber
4. Take This Cup by Bodie Thoene
5. Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson
6. Peacock Swamp: The Nine by Katie Femia
7. Fragile Creatures by Kristina Circelli

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's the time of the week again, when those of us who didn't work the weekend are struggling out of bed (or not, if you're a morning person like me) and getting ready for another fabulously productive work week.

Last week, my reading list looked like this:

1. A Lady's Plight by Katy Walters
2. 101 Bible Stories from Creation to Revelation  by Dan Andreasen and Maryn Roos
3. Growing Up Big in God by Dick Wright
4. Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith
5. Fifty Years in Polygamy by Kristyn Decker

I haven't gotten #2 yet, though I expect it by Friday. The reviews are done for #1 and #3. Fifty Years is almost done, and will be reviewed this week as well.

So, this week I have:

1. Fifty Years in Polygamy by Kristyn Decker (to finish)
2. Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith
3. Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith
4. 101 Bible Stories from Creation to Revelation by  Dan Andreasen and Maryn Roos
5. Thrive by Mark Hall

It's Monday, what are you reading?

I can't even explain to anyone what a wacky week last week was, but it all came together, and this week will be better!
Last week's TBR list looked like this:

• The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
• Savage Secrets by Cristin Harber
• C3 by Sherrie Cronin

All of those are read, and their reviews will be out this week, if not already published.

This week is full again with more books!

1. A Lady's Plight by Katy Walters
2. 101 Bible Stories from Creation to Revelation  by Dan Andreasen and Maryn Roos
3. Growing Up Big in God by Dick Wright
4. Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith
5. Fifty Years in Polygamy by Kristyn Decker

They are all very different from one another, which should provide an interesting twist to my week! Hope I enjoy them all.

Happy reading everyone!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Hi everyone! Another great week has passed. It has been an absolutely crazy week for me at work, and yet somehow I still ended up with alot read.
Last week  my TBR list looked like this:

• Lent For Everyone: Matthew Year A by  NT Wright
• God's Daughter by Heather Day Gilbert
• Tale of the Penitent Thief by Don Willis
• Heaven is For Real Movie Edition by Todd Burpo (still waiting for this to come in the mail)

Amazingly enough, I read all four books, wrote 3 of the reviews. I still am behind on a few reviews, so at some point I'm going to have to sit down and start writing them.

This week's TBR list looks like:

• The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
• Savage Secrets by Cristin Harber
• C3 by Sherrie Cronin

Here's for hoping for another great week! Happy reading!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Didn't I say last week that I didn't have much to read? Well, there goes my breather week! Because I didn't have much on my "absolutely have to read by the end of the week" TBR list, I started adding more.
I finished The Angelic Gene and Noah: The Real Story, and of course, I absolutely had to add randomly to my TBR.
Jessica, at a GREAT Read, convinced me with her Monday Wrap-up, that I absolutely had to start Kresley Cole's Poison Princess. I've been juggling that one for awhile and finally convinced myself to jump in and read it. I won't spoil the review for you.
So here's the rest of my TBR list for the next week:

• Lent For Everyone: Matthew Year A by  NT Wright
• God's Daughter by Heather Day Gilbert
• Tale of the Penitent Thief by Don Willis
• Heaven is For Real Movie Edition by Todd Burpo (still waiting for this to come in the mail)

And then will start the real hard-core reading, as I have three other reviews set up for March so far. Can't wait!

Happy reading everyone!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

It's been two weeks since I've posted for this meme. Last time, I was reading:

1. Spartanica by Powers Molinar
2. Leviathan by Charbel Tadros

And I was waiting for Compass:The Study Bible For Navigating Your Life by the Ecclesia Bible Society to come in the mail for review.

I finished both and posted my review for Leviathan last week. Spartanica's review will be coming out next week during the tour. I received Compass in, and posted my review as well.It's an okay study bible, but the translation is a little underwhelming for me.

This week I'm sort of in between books, meaning I don't have a huge pile on my TBR list. I have two books I'm reading now, both of which I will finish soon:

1. The Angelic Gene by Steve Goodwin
2. Noah: The Real Story by Larry Stone

I am waiting on Heaven is for Real Movie Edition by Todd Burpo to come in the mail.

Anyone have any ideas for books for me to read in the meantime? I don't think I've ever not had an avalanche of books on my TBR list before!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

So I completely forgot about last Monday.... I can only blame it on the flu/bronchitis/whatever it was I was battling earlier in the week previous. It's February already!!! Is anyone else as excited about this as me? That means winter only really has maybe two more months up here in New England, and that makes me one very very happy momma! No more kids with cabin fever, no more shovelling the snow, no more black ice.

Last post, I said I was going to finish Sympathy for the Devil and A Warrior's Redemption as well as start:

1. A Sinner's Garden by William Sirls: as soon as I get it from the publisher
2. A Tyrant's Daughter by J.C.Carleson

Sympathy for the Devil and A Warrior's Redemption were both Did Not Finish (DNF) for me, and that bummed me out. I* try really hard to never have any DNF's on my bookshelf, especially two in one week, however, when I got past the halfway mark (almost to 75% on one), and they weren't getting any better, I couldn't force myself to continue putting in energy in books I didn't like.

I did finish both of the books I planned on starting. The review for A Sinner's Garden by William Sirls can be found here. I still have to write the review for The Tyrant's Daughter. There are many reviews I still have to write.

I actually finished four books last week, to the consternation of my kids, who couldn't pull me away from my Kindle, so you can look forward to the reviews soon for:

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laina Taylor
2. In The Place Where There is No Darkness by KM Douglass
3. Glistening Haven by Jill Cooper
4. Glistening Rebellion by Jill Cooper

This week, I'm going to be reading:

1. Spartanica by Powers Molinar
2. Leviathan by Charbel Tadros

I'm waiting for Compass:The Study Bible For Navigating Your Life by the Ecclesia Bible Society to come in the mail for review. I don't expect that to be in till almost the middle of February.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

Another week has come and gone, and I am proud to say I've read some incredible books last week. The best of which was Doon. It took way too long to get to me from the publisher, but it was well worth the wait!

Last week was:

1. Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon: finished it in two days, and it was the BEST book I've read this year so far!
2. In The Place Where There Is No Darkness by KM Douglas: haven't started it yet.
3. Sympathy For The Devil by Gregg Levine: about 50% done..hoping this one gets better, all I've read are very positive reviews for it.
4. Scattered Links: Finished and it is a very gripping read
5. A Warrior's Redemption: about 65% done with it, its getting a little better.

This week:

I plan on finishing Sympathy for the Devil and A Warrior's Redemption, as well as starting:

1. A Sinner's Garden by William Sirls: as soon as I get it from the publisher
2. A Tyrant's Daughter by J.C.Carleson

It's Monday, What Are Your Reading!

It's that time of the week again, when we're struggling to recover from the weekend. Some of us worked (like me), others screamed at the TV while their favorite football team either made it through to the next round (Go Patriots!), or fell to another team (it's okay Saints! We will always love you! Who Dat!), and yet others got to curl up all weekend with their favorite books (I'm jealous!).

This past week, I've gotten some progress done:

1. A Warrior's Redemption: I've gotten about 60% read. I'm hoping it will get better.
2. Scattered Links: I'm about 75% done and it moves quickly!
3. The Evelyn Project: I finished this week, review coming within the next few weeks.

Looking ahead, I will be working on:

1. Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon: I'm still waiting on it to come in the mail from BookSneeze.
2. In The Place Where There Is No Darkness by KM Douglas
3. Sympathy For The Devil by Gregg Levine

Si what are you reading this week?

It's Monday, What are you reading?!

2014 has started, and its the first Monday of the New Year! I have completely dropkicked 2013 to the curb, as the end of it was getting pretty suck-ish. 2014 will be so much better of a year! And its starting out with some awesome books! Here are a few of the books I have on my immediate TBR shelf:

1. A Warrior's Redemption by Guy Stanton III: A Warrior’s Redemption is the beginning of a family saga that starts with a boy named Roric. He lives on a distant world that is full of unrest, where disputes are settled by the sword. Little is known of how they came to this world, only that they came from a place known as Earth, in the distant past. How they came is a mystery that some want to discover again while others would gladly die to keep those secrets from ever seeing the light of day. Roric’s father tired of keeping the secrets of his ancestors, from the people of his nation, forsakes his family’s oath, and leaves to find peace in another land. Little did he know that the wickedness of the land that he settles in would kill him and all his family, except for his oldest son, Roric. Roric, embittered by seeing the death of his family, finds himself sold into slavery. He becomes a survivor in the arena, where man is matched to the death against man and beast alike. He escapes only to pursue a life of vengeance against those who afflicted him and killed his family. Tormented by a life without peace, he remembers the guiding words of his mother, which open up a path of redemption that becomes the guiding influence of his life. Through acts of intrigue and deception he is lead to the awareness of the darker menace within a spiritual world that is unseen, but that he is no less involved in. He travels to the land of his ancestors, a place of majestic mountains and the valleys that lie between them that are settled by a people that exist in peace only because of the warriors that have fought and died to keep them so. It is in protecting these people that Roric finds a reason worth fighting for. He grapples with the long held secrets of his family and unlike his father before him, decides to fight so that his people can remain free. He rises above his humble past to become a leader that inspires a nation in its fight for survival and becomes a legend.

2. Scattered Links by M Weidenbenner : Scattered Links is a novel that pulls its characters from the gutters and, in the end, celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit. 
Thirteen-year-old Oksana lives on the streets of Russia with her pregnant mama and abusive aunt—both prostitutes. When Mama swells into labor, Oksana makes a decision to save herself from abandonment, a decision that torments her forever. But her plan fails when her aunt dumps her in an orphanage before she has the chance to say goodbye to her mama or tell her the secret that haunts her.
Scattered Links is a story of family and the consequences that come from never learning how to love, of a girl’s inability to bond with her adopted family and the frustrations that follow. 
How can a child understand the mechanics of forming a healthy relationship when she never had a mother who answered her cries, held her when she was frightened, fed her when she was hungry, or loved her unconditionally?
Only when the child meets a rescued abused horse, and recognizes the pain in his eyes, does she begin to trust again

3. The Evelyn Project by Kfir Luzzatto: A loving father's cry for help gets into the wrong hands, and a hundred years later things get out of control.
Evelyn’s father did everything that was in his power to save his dying daughter, black magic included. But when a century later his plea for help gets into the wrong hands, all hell breaks loose.
Caught in the slippery battlefield between the Vatican and a cult that wants to change the past, a young Italian professor and a beautiful French aspiring actress are too busy running away from murder and conspiracy to let physical attraction develop into love.
And it doesn’t help that Her Majesty's Secret Service decides to take an interest in what everybody else is doing and to pull some strings of its own. Quite the contrary, in fact…

It REALLY is Monday! What are you reading?

So last week got away from me.... *looks guilty* but this week isn't going to!

This week's books are:

1. Marked for Vengeance by SJ Pierce
2. Seduced by Power by Kimberly Kinrade
3. The Never by Kristina Circelli
4. Through the Valley Love Endures by Eddie David Santiago

Week In Review

Another week is gone, its amazing how the days fly! I'm eagerly awaiting the warm weather to finally stay up here in Boston. I'm so tired of wearing heavy coats.

My new promotion at work has been keeping me so busy that it's been hard to read as much as I want to, but I promise, eventually I'll find the time. I'll re-learn how to juggle everything again.

This week hasn't been very busy with reviews, only the one:

•  Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

I've had a few more giveaways, so if you haven't entered in them yet, please do!

• Ice County by David Estes: 5 copies of Fire County, 2 copies of Ice Country
• Chivalry and Malevolence by Rae Z Ryans: Swag Pack and Autographed book
• Legend of Mickey Tussler by Frank Nappi: $50 Amazon Giftcard

Feature and Follow Friday #18

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q: Have you ever read a book that you thought you would hate -- ? Did you end up hating it? Did you end up loving it? Or would you never do that?

No, I have never attempted to read a book I thought I would hate, and I never will. Why put myself through that? I read because I like to read, because I want to read, because I want to read THAT book. Why put myself through that torture?

Every book I read has to intrigue me at some level, even if it is very vague and minuscule.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's the time again! Monday...the day where I'm loading up on coffee to get myself through today.

I look back at last week's list and I'm amazed....I got through a number of books, but others I wasn't able to start on. Disappointing but this week, I promise to do better!

So this week looks like (based on tour schedules and the like):

1. Starting Now by Debbie Macomber
2. Forgotten by Sarah J Pepper
3. Witch Love by Emma Mills
4. The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen

I know I'll definitely get two of these done this week. I'm only about 90 pages away from finishing the first already. I can hope for more, but with Girl Scouts again this week and the start of softball practice this week as well, it doesn't look very promising.