Wendi's Book Corner ~ Rainy Day Reads (And More) In Seattle

Showing posts with label In My Mailbox. Show all posts

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mailbox Monday: A Little Bit Of Everything Bookish

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is on a blog tour!

This month, Mailbox Monday is being hosted over at Marcia's Mailbox Monday Blog, so stop by and join the fun!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren!

It is so much fun to see what everyone is getting in the mail.

Thanks for taking the time to visit ~ I just love hearing from you! Please let me know if you have read any of these books - I'd love to hear how you liked them!! :)

I've got a few new books to share with you:

Biblical Womanhood in the Home (Foundations for the Family Series) by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Editor ~ Non-Fiction / Christian / Women ~ Available Now ~ Received from PaperbackSwap - This one had been on my wish list for a long time, after seeing it reviewed on another blog!

The feminist revolution was supposed to make us feel better about ourselves, bringing us greater fulfillment and freedom. Yet many of us are feeling anything but fulfilled and free. Across generational lines, inside the church and out, we are understanding that we have lost the beauty and wonder of our distinctive makeup and calling as women. We are realizing that what was supposed to lift us up has been tearing down society, churches, and most importantly, our own families.

There is now a new movement spreading its seeds--seeds of hope, humility, obedience, and prayer. It is a call to return to godly womanhood, and it is resonating in the hearts of women everywhere.

Let its truth ring in your heart through the powerful messages of these seven beloved teachers: Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Susan Hunt, Mary A. Kassian, Carolyn Mahaney, Barbara Hughes, P. Bunny Wilson, and Dorothy Patterson. They approach the subject of womanhood from different angles and teaching styles, but throughout there runs a thread. One that will instill itself in your spirit. A thread of joy and delight with the greatness of God's created order and the part He wants you to play in His grand redemptive plan.

Christmas Jars: A Novel by Jason F. Wright ~ Fiction / Holiday ~ Available Now ~ Received from the publisher for review

Keep some tissues on hand for this holiday story that is sure to be a Christmas classic!
Where had it come from? Whose money was it? Was I to spend it? Save it? Pass it on to the someone more needy? Above all else, why was I chosen? Certainly there were others, countless others more needy than I...Her reporter’s intuition insisted that a remarkable story was on the verge of the front page.

Rising newspaper reporter Hope Jensen uncovers the secret behind the "Christmas Jars" – glass jars filled with coins and bills anonymously given to people in need. But Hope discovers much more than she bargained for when some unexpected news sets off a chain reaction of kindness and brings above a Christmas Eve wish come true.

Digital Photography: A Basic Manual by Henry Horenstein ~ Non-Fiction / Photography / Digital ~ Available Now ~ Received from the publisher for review

This thorough, concise, and easy-to-use guide to capturing digital photographs provides an entire step-by-step course for budding digital photographers. All concepts are fully illustrated with sample work by internationally renowned professionals, representing editorial work, photojournalism, and everything in between. Topics covered include essential information for both film and digital photography, such as exposure controls and shutter speed, as well as digital-specific information on image editing, printing methods, and even file storage. The first digital textbook by legendary photography teacher Henry Horenstein, Digital Photography is the best guide yet for aspiring digital photographers, essential both for photographers transitioning from film to digital and those learning the art of photography for the first time.

The Rogue Pirate's Bride ARC by Shana Galen ~ Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction ~ Available February 7, 2012 ~ Received from the publisher for review

Revenge should be sweet,
but it may cost him everything...

The Marquis de Valère escaped certain death in the French Revolution and is now an infamous privateer. Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who has landed herself in a mess of trouble...

Forgiveness is unthinkable,
but it may be her only hope...
British Admiral's daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé's death. But then the fiery beauty crosses swords directly with Bastien, and now she's not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways...

With her father and a set of ruthless killers hot on their trail, amidst swashbuckling adventure and constant danger, suddenly Bastien and Raeven's steamy entanglement seems to be the only thing they care about.

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up and use to buy more books! :)

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Mailbox Monday: Too Blessed With Deep Disclosure And Don't Mess With Texas

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is on a blog tour!

This month, Mailbox Monday is being hosted over at Life In The Thumb, so stop by and join the fun!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren!

Deep Disclosure by Dee Davis ~ Fiction / Romance / Contemporary ~ Available September 1st ~ Received from the publisher for review

After spending years in prison under deep cover, black ops agent Tucker Flynn joins A-Tac, an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college. Nothing can shake him-except a vulnerable young woman marked for death.

DUAL DECEPTION

When Tucker is assigned to protect-and secretly investigate-Alexis Markham, he expects a routine mission. But this mysterious beauty has a past even darker than his: her father created a horrifying new biochemical weapon-and was murdered to keep it secret.

Alexis has spent the last decade racing to stay one step ahead of the shadowy operatives who will stop at nothing to possess her father's formula. She can trust no one, not even her handsome new bodyguard. But the heat that flares between them is impossible to resist. Will giving in to passion bring her the safety she's always craved, or will her love for Tucker draw him into a killer's sights?

Don't Mess With Texas by Christie Craig ~ Fiction / Romance / Contemporary ~ Available September ~ Received from the publisher for review

Nikki Hunt thought her night couldn't get worse when her no-good, cheating ex ditched her at dinner, sticking her with the bill. Then she found his body stuffed in the trunk of her car and lost her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three-thousand-dollar suit. Now not only is Nikki nearly broke, she's a murder suspect.

Former cop turned PI, Dallas O'Connor knows what it's like to be unjustly accused. But one look at the sexy-though skittish-suspect tells him she couldn't hurt anyone. The lead detective, Dallas's own brother, has the wrong woman and Dallas hopes a little late-night "undercover" work will help him prove it . . .

Too Blessed To Be Stressed:Inspiration for Climbing Out of Life's Stress-Pool by Deborah M. Coty ~ Fiction / Romance / Contemporary ~ Available August 1st ~ Received from the publisher for review and tour with LitFuse Publicity starting August 8th.

With her own offbeat brand of wit and near-wisdom, inspirational humorist Debora Coty addresses heart needs of women drowning in the churning stress-pool of busyness. In Too Blessed to Be Stressed, women will find simple, practical steps for healing, refreshment, and revitalization of the spirit, body, and faith.

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Mailbox Monday and In My Mailbox: Is Red's Hot Cowboy on a Hitlist... Along With SodaStream and an eReader Roo!

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is on a blog tour!

This month, Mailbox Monday is being hosted over at The Bluestocking Guide, so stop by and join the fun!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren!

Black Ties and Lullabies by Jane Graves ~ Fiction / Romance / Contemporary ~ Available July 1st ~ Received from the publisher for review

A good girl can be bad for one night...

Bernadette Hogan doesn't make mistakes. Not when it comes to caring for her mother, and not at her job protecting Texas's most eligible--and infuriating--bachelor. Maybe that's why she's overcome with guilt after one tiny indiscretion: a passionate fling with her boss that's left her confused, intrigued...and pregnant.

but can a bad boy be good for a lifetime?

To self-made millionaire Jeremy Bridges, women are like fine wine: if held for too long, they sour. But one wild night with Bernadette changed all that. She makes him laugh, she makes him think, and soon she's going to make him a father. For the first time, Jeremy wants to be a one-woman man. So how can he convince the fiercely independent Bernadette he's ready to change from partying playboy to dependable dad--and become the loving husband she deserves?

The Chair: A Novel ARC by James L. Rubart ~ Fiction / Christian / Suspense ~ Available Sept. 15, 2011 ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review

If someone gave you a chair and said it was made by Jesus Christ, would you believe them?

When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe's antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was crafted by Jesus, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed two days after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts wondering . . . could this chair heal the person whose life Corin destroyed twelve years ago?

As word spreads of the boy's healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. And that mysterious woman who gave him the piece flits in and out of his life like a shadow, insinuating it's Corin’s destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why?

Desperate, he turns to the one person he can trust, a college history professor who knows more about the legend of the chair than he'll reveal. Corin's life shatters as he searches for the truth about the artifact and the unexplained phenomena surrounding it. What’s more, he's not the only one willing do almost anything to possess the power seemingly connected to the chair.

Hit List (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 20)

Hit List: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K Hamilton ~ Fiction / Paranormal / Vampire ~ Available Now ~ Saw something on Facebook or Twitter about Dreamonus and joined and entered! I won a copy from Dreamonus for review

A serial killer is hunting the Pacific Northwest, murdering victims in a gruesome and spectacular way. The local police suspect "monsters" are involved, and have called in Anita Blake and Edward, U.S. Marshals who really know their monsters, to catch the killer.

Kiloton Threat: A Novel ARC by William G. Boykin and Tom Morrisey ~ Fiction / War and Military / General / Suspense ~ Available Sept. 1, 2011 ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review

Taken from what could be tomorrow's headlines, Kiloton Threat is a novel that explores the frightening potential of nuclear weapons in the Middle East today. Out of the house churches of rural Iran, a Christian masquerading as a Muslim gains the confidence of a high-ranking leader in the Iranian nuclear program and opens his eyes to Christianity. The man’s newfound faith stirs his desire to flee to the West, taking with him intelligence that would allow Coalition forces to neutralize his nation's devastating capabilities. But no one in such a position could ever escape unnoticed.

Enter Blake Kershaw, a highly trained U.S. Special Forces officer who has already made extraordinary sacrifices for his country that include faking death and losing his true identity. His mission to infiltrate Iran and extract the high-value defector strains the relationship with the woman he loves—one of the few people on earth who knows his real story. With even more intensity, it shows the price that must sometimes be paid when political correctness fails and a man has to stand up for what is right.

Red's Hot Cowboy ARC by Carolyn Brown ~ Fiction / Romance / Contemporary ~ Available August 1, 2011 ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review

When Pearl Richland inherits her aunt's 1950s motel she returns to her roots. Tired of the big city, she's ready for small town life, especially when sexy cowboy Wil Marshall comes in to escape an ice storm. Pearl never thought she'd turn in her high heels and start dating a cowboy, but Wil's got an awful lot to offer if a girl's available for a whole lot of fun, sizzle, and unexpected trouble...

The River Queen ARC by Gilbert Morris ~ Fiction / Historical / Romance / Christian ~ Available November 15, 2011 ~ Recieved courtesy of the publisher for review

Julienne Ashby, 24, must change her pampered ways after her father, a prominent businessman in Natchez, Mississippi, loses their fortune and family home to a bad gambling habit in 1850. Like a fish out of water, she aims to refit their one remaining possession, an old riverboat, in hopes of making a profit and restoring the Cuvier name along the mighty Mississippi.

Desperate for help in doing the restoration work, prideful Julienne hires Dallas Bronte, a humiliated captain whose drinking problem stopped his water ways many years ago. Despite initial success, the struggles they will face with other ship owners are almost as challenging as the fiery feelings - of love and hate - that they must sort out for each other. When the riverboat and all aboard meet what looks like certain destruction, God shows Julienne and Dallas only one of those emotions is unsinkable.

She Makes It Look Easy: A Novel by Marybeth Whalen ~ Fiction / Contemporary ~ Available Now ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review with CFBA

Ariel Baxter has just moved into the neighborhood of her dreams. The chaos of domestic life and the loneliness of motherhood, however, moved with her. Then she meets her neighbor, Justine Miller. Justine ushers Ariel into a world of clutter-free houses, fresh-baked bread, homemade crafts, neighborhood playdates, and organization techniques designed to make marriage better and parenting manageable.

Soon Ariel realizes there is hope for peace, friendship, and clean kitchen counters. But when rumors start to circulate about Justine’s real home life, Ariel must choose whether to believe the best about the friend she admires or consider the possibility that “perfection” isn’t always what it seems to be.

A novel for every woman who has looked at another woman’s life and said, “I want what she has,” She Makes It Look Easy reminds us of the danger of pedestals and the beauty of authentic friendship.

Sylvester: or The Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer ~ Fiction / Romance / Historical ~ Available Now ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has exacting requirements for a bride. Then he meets Phoebe Marlow, a young lady with literary aspirations, and suddenly life becomes very complicated. She meets none of his criteria, and even worse, she has written a novel that is sweeping through the ton and causing all kinds of gossip... and he's the main character!

SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Starter Kit and Syrups ~ Kitchen Gadgets ~ Available Now ~ Received for review from the manufacturer

Enjoy freshly made, great tasting sparkling water/seltzer in less than 30 seconds with no mess
Starter kit includes SodaStream Jet soda maker in black/silver, one carbonator (good for making up to 60L of soda), and one BPA-free plastic bottle
Requires no electricity or batteries--great for using in RVs and boats
Reusable carbonating bottles last for three years with hermetically sealed caps to keep drinks fresh and fizzy

eReader Roo Cover in Mulan by Borsa Bella ~ eReader Cover ~ Available Now ~ Received for review and giveaway courtesy of Borsa Bella

Add a pocket to the Original eReader Bag by Borsa Bella® and what do you get? The Roo bag! It fits the Kindle 1, 2 and 3 by Amazon AND the Nook by Barnes and Noble with most covers, and now you can carry your book light, chargers, or cell phone. You name it...as long as it can fit in a 4.5" by 10.5" pocket!

This petite bag can also serve as the perfect multi-function accessory. This bag can be used as a wristlet, diaper carrying case, cosmetic bag or accessory case. Borsa Bella® Roo Bags are made with extra padding and a soft quilted cotton fabric interior insuring its durability is on par with its sense of style. The interior lining will be either black, gray or brown.

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mailbox Monday and In My Mailbox: An Heiress, Lunch Wars and Life... Along With A Little Dessert!

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is on a blog tour!

This month, Mailbox Monday is being hosted over at The Bluestocking Guide, so stop by and join the fun!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren!

The American Heiress: A Novel by Daisy Goodwin ~ Fiction ~ Available June 21st ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review... I have to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover! :)

Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older ARC by Wendy Lustbader ~ Non-Fiction / Self-Help / Inspirational ~ Available August 18th ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review via Shelf Awareness

The acclaimed author of What's Worth Knowing reveals the truth about aging: Old age often offers a richer, better, and more self-assured life than youth.

From our earliest lives, we are told that our youth will be the best time of our lives-that the energy and vitality of youth are the most important qualities a person can possess, and that everything that comes after will be a sad decline. But in reality, says Wendy Lustbader, youth is not the golden era it is often made out to be. For many, it is a time riddled with anxiety, angst, confusion, and the torture of uncertainty. Conversely, the media often feeds us a vision of growing older as a journey of defeat and diminishment. They are dead wrong. As Lustbader counters, "Life gets better as we get older, on all levels except the physical."

Life Gets Better is not a precious or whimsical tome on the quirky wisdom of the elderly. Lustbader-who has worked for several decades as a social worker specializing in aging issues-conducted firsthand research with aging and elderly people in all walks of life, and she found that they overwhelmingly spoke of the mental and emotional richness they have drawn from aging. Lustbader discovered that rather than experiencing a decline from youth, aging people were happier, more courageous, and more interested in being true to their inner selves than were young people.

Life Gets Better examines through first-person stories, as well as Lustbader's own observations, how a lifetime of lessons learned can yield one of the most personally and emotionally fruitful periods of anyone's life. As an eighty-six-year-old who contributed her story to the book noted, "For me, being old is the reward for outlasting all the big and little problems that happen to all of us along life's pathway."

The collected stories in Life Gets Better provide a hopeful corrective to the fear of aging aggressively instilled in us by the media. Don't dread the future: The best years of our lives just may be ahead.

Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children's Health ARC by Amy Kalafa ~ Non-Fiction / Parenting / Food ~ Available August 18th ~ Received courtesy of the publisher for review via Shelf Awareness

There's a battle going on in school lunchrooms around the country...and it's a battle our children can't afford for us to lose.

The average kid will eat 4,000 school lunches between kindergarten and twelfth grade. But what exactly are kids eating in school lunchrooms around the country? Many parents don't quite know what their children are eating-or where it came from. As award-winning filmmaker and nutritionist Amy Kalafa discovered in researching her documentary film Two Angry Moms: Fighting for the Health of America's Children, these days it's pretty rare to find a piece of fresh fruit in your average school lunchroom amid all the chips, french fries, Pop-Tarts, chicken nuggets, and soda that's being served. But what, if anything, can parents do about it?

Written in response to the onslaught of requests she received from parents who saw her film and asked, "If I want to attempt to change the food culture in my kid's school, how on earth should I get started?!" this empowering book arms parents with the specific information and tools they need to get unhealthy-even dangerous-food out of their children's school cafeteria and to hold their schools and local and national governments accountable for ensuring that their growing children are served healthy meals at school. In Lunch Wars, Kalafa explains all the complicated issues surrounding school food; how to work with your school's "Wellness Policy"; the basics of self- operated vs. outsourced cafeterias; how to get funding for a school garden, and much more. Lunch Wars also features the inspiring stories of parents around the country who have fought for better school food and have won, as well as details Amy's quest to spark a revolution in her own school district.

For the future health and well-being of our children, the time has come for a school food revolution.

Semi-Homemade Desserts: Easy Delicious Desserts and Nothing is Made From Scratch by Sandra Lee ~ Non-Fiction / Cooking ~ Available Now ~ Fell in love with it at a neighbor's garage sale, so scooped it up for $1.00

Sandra Lee made a splash last year with her first book, Semi-Homemade Cooking. Her approach is deceptively simple-mix 70 percent ready-made products with 30 percent fresh ingredients-and take 100 percent of the credit, for delicious homemade dishes, without spending hours in the kitchen. Semi-Homemade Desserts is lled with over 100 recipes, each with a full page, color photograph. And everything can be whipped up quickly and easily with the help of cake mixes, frozen fruits, candies, cookies, and even Cool Whip.-® You'll nd sweet temptations, such as Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Frosting; Angel Food Cake with Key Lime Whip; and Caramel Nut Marshmallows. And Sandra's recipes are foolproof because she recommends her favorite brands to ensure perfect results every time. Sandra also provides inspiring ideas for holidays andcelebrations, from baby showers to anniversaries-and a special chapter with recipes from your favorite celebrities including Queen Latifah, Sharon Stone, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eric McCormack-and more.

*Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)