It’s Friday and we have a winner!
Winner of this past weeks Giveaway of Secret Life of Bees with a jar of honey….
Wanda!!!“I had a spider bite me in the night one time and I woke up with my eyes swollen shut. Not fun!!!”
Congratulations Wanda! Email me your shipping info and I can get this sent off to you!
Stay tuned… new Freebie Friday coming up in just a few minutes…
This giveaway is closed – winners were posted on September 9 thank you! 🙂
Thank you to Valerie at Hachette Book Group for offering up 5 of these books for a giveaway!
Book Information:
The saga of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is the tale of origin for all three monotheistic faiths. Abraham must choose between two wives who have borne him two sons. One wife and son will share in his wealth and status, while the other two are exiled into the desert. Long a cornerstone of Western anxiety, the story chronicles a very famous and troubled family, and sheds light on the ongoing conflict between the Judeo-Christian and Islamic worlds.
How did this ancient story become one of the least understood and most frequently misinterpreted of our cultural myths? Gordon explores this legendary love triangle to give us a startling perspective on three biblical characters who–with their jealousies, passions, and doubts–actually behave like human beings.
This giveaway starts now and will end on Aug. 31. Here is how to get in on this book.
1. Comment here with a favorite Bible story or Favorite Christian Fiction book
2. Tweet or blog about this giveaway and add that link here on a seperate comment to earn another chance to win.
3. Follow this blog (RSS Feed) is up on top by header to left) for an additional entry – be sure to tell me that you follow.
4. Leave a comment on any non giveaway post here and let me know and earn one bonus chance per comment left.
As always – have fun! 🙂
Honestly when this book arrived for review I did not think I was going to enjoy it. This is a little out of my reading genre. When I did get start reading it, from the very first page I was pleasantly surprised how the writing brought me right in! ~ Sheila
An incident in computer specialist Rick Macey’s past has put him on the path of revenge. If his plan is successful, the object of his wrath, the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, could lose millions of dollars and thousands of members. What Rick cannot foresee are the sinister ways this church will react when threatened.
Mormons begin receiving letters that question the validity of their gospel and inform them that loved-ones have been baptized into an alternative faith. It’s an assault on the authority of the church,and more importantly, it’s beginning to impact church revenues. The Mormon leadership dispatches Kay Summers, a young but capable administrative assistant, to Oregon, where she finds and follows a thread leading to Rick.
Unbeknown to her, they’ve also dispatched agents from the church’s secret army, the Danite Knights, to follow her to the source of the problem and fix it – permanently.
Initially, Rick and Kay play cat and mouse, each trying to find out what the other knows, while in the shadows the Danites use limitless resources preparing to stop not only the letters, but anybody involved with them. Soon, mysterious deaths and close calls start happening. Rick and Kay, the two erstwhile adversaries become a team; ultimately running for their lives, desperately trying to put the puzzle together as they stay one step ahead of the tempest Rick has awakened.
Much like the way Dan Brown captivated so many with his fiction book The Davinchi Code, I too became totally entwined in the fast paced adventure of this book. Normally, this is not my style of reading and I admit I was hesitant when it arrived…. computer hackers, church politics…. but from page one I let the preconceived notion of what I thought I would find in this book melt away…. it started with this:
Day One: Monday
Salt Lake City, Utah
She jogged. Not necessarily because she wanted to – more because she had to. If Kay stopped jogging for even a few days she would notice the slight weight gain on her body, the slightly pinched way her clothes felt. Her college days had been over for less than seven years, she thought. Back then it seemed she never exercised and had no trouble maintaining a slim figure. Before that it had all been high school volleyball that kept her fit. She was tall and had even played on the all-state team. Now, however, fitness was a semi constant battle – one she was more than willing to wage. She liked looking good.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t trying to look good for anyone in particular.
I liked Kay from those very first words. She was real. She battled like the rest of us (well, errr… me anyway). And the book flows on from there. I found the reading engaging, the storyline – two men trying to take the church for millions for different reasons. One for a broken heart filled with revenge, and the other for the almighty pay off.
The book moves quickly but did not feel rushed as I moved along with Kay, who works for the Mormon Church, to try to get to the bottom of who was sending the letters out to families of deceased Mormons telling them their faith is a lie. While this book touches on the Mormon faith, K Thomas Murphy handles the book well and has great characters all the way around.
Author K Thomas Murphy granted me an interview to discuss this book and what was next.
S: I am curious what made you come up with this book topic?
K Thomas Murphy: Inspiration. While traveling to Salt Lake City one time a friend and I were talking about the Mormons. He mentioned reading about the outrage of the Jewish people when it was revealed that Mormons were performing posthumous baptisms on the holocaust victims. I am not Jewish, nor Mormon, but I understand outrage and indignation.
My vivid imagination turned everything over for about ten years. Finally, about a year and a half ago, I decided to see if I could write a book. In early February I sat down and working only a couple hours in the evenings and some weekend mornings, I turned out End of Grace in a little over two months. Aside from atrocious punctuation that challenged excellent editors, the way you read End of Grace is pretty much how it came out of my head and flowed onto the paper.
S: This books deals a lot with computers and hacking into data bases. Is this something that that comes natural to you or did you do a lot of research about this in order to write this book?
K. Thomas Murphy: Writing is very enjoyable and very rewarding for me. I am not a religious person, but have been in the tech world for over 20 years. All things technical have always come very naturally to me. I consider End of Grace to be a tech thriller in a religious setting. I also love to learn and research, so spent countless hours learning about Mormon doctrine, past and present.
S: I was reviewing your website I found hints of two more books, End of Secrets and End of Fire. What can we expect from these books and when do you think they may be available to the public?
K Thomas Murphy: I have since outlined several more books using a couple of the same characters. I am currently about a third the way finished with End of Secrets, a pure technical thriller that touches heavily on the history of computers and I feel it’s as intriguing as my first story. Not meant to spoil the end of EOG for you, but Kay and Rick are both heavily featured in the sequel. End of Fire would be a natural follow-on where the two battle a new kind of technical threat, and a secret society of computer elite are reveled. Sort of a Big-Brother/ Guardian-Angel organization.
Assuming that it might be the religious aspect of End of Grace that excites people, I also have a full outline of a book that brings the Mormons back onto central stage.
Some of my future depends on me finding a person to carry my torch. Self-publishing is incredibly demanding and time consuming. Time I’d rather spend writing (not to mention I still have a day job). At the same time it’s been so rewarding that I’ll probably continue either way. Eventually I’ll be discovered, make some publisher a pile of money, and make myself enough to take the whole thing more seriously.
S: Thank you K Thomas for taking time to answer my questions and allowing me the opportunity to read and review your book.
We are offering a giveaway for a copy of this book. here is how to enter:
1. Leave a comment here
2. Receive a bonus entry by being a follower of this blog and or following me on Twitter (be sure to let me know)
US entries only please and no po box numbers. Be sure I have a way to connect with you if you are the winner. 🙂
Giveaway will end Aug 20
End of Secrets reveals one of the most obscure but powerful mysteries of the computer era. An urban legend that if true, has the potential to make the most secure, private and even top secret information freely available.
End of Fire introduces a new kind of compute threat. One that could render every computer on the planet useless. The only chance of stopping it is with the help of a secret society of the computer elite.
Merry Weather also has reviewed this book. You can see her review here
This book came from Bostick Communications – the giveaway copy is coming from the author
This is a PG13 book due to some language
My question today is, 6 months in…. what is the best book you have read so far this year? It doesn’t have to be a new release. It can be new or old. If you are a book blogger and have reviewed this book, please leave a link so we can see your review. I am looking for name of book, author, and maybe a line or two about the book.
*Book Bloggers: You can earn a bonus chance to win by linking the book review (Jan – July 09) to this post and add the meme that I have put on this post to your post. Leave me a comment here with the link.
I have two that I can not choose between….
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
The giveaway portion of this post is now closed – the winner was Karoline!
*Winners are chosen by using random.org
This giveaway is closed – winners were announced on September 9. Thank you!
Once again Valerie at Hachette Book Group has provided me with a great giveaway! Readers, you have an opportunity here to win one of five copies of this book. (Thank you Valerie!)
Book Information
Tom Loxley, an Indian-Australian professor, is less concerned with finishing his book on Henry James than with finding his dog, who is lost in the Australian bush.
Joining his daily hunt is Nelly Zhang, an artist whose husband disappeared mysteriously years before Tom met her. Although Nelly helps him search for his beloved pet, Tom isn’t sure if he should trust this new friend.
Tom has preoccupations other than his book and Nelly and his missing dog, mainly concerning his mother, who is suffering from the various indignities of old age. He is constantly drawn from the cerebral to the primitive–by his mother’s infirmities, as well as by Nelly’s attractions. THE LOST DOG makes brilliant use of the conventions of suspense and atmosphere while leading us to see anew the ever-present conflicts between our bodies and our minds, the present and the past, the primal and the civilized.
Ready to play?
How to win…
1. Leave a comment here with the name of your favorite pet (past/present)
2. Tweet or blog about this giveaway on a second comment to earn a second chance to win!
3. Followers of this blog receive an additional chance to win (be sure to let me know)
4. Post a comment on any other non giveaway review or post I have done and receive 2 bonus chances.
journeythroughbooks@gmail.com
There you have it 🙂 As much or as little as you wish to do!
Remember US only entrants and no PO box numbers please. Be sure I have a way to connect with you if you are one of the winners. All winners will be emailed and have 72 hours to respond with mailing
info. Giveaway will end on Aug. 31
Have fun!
This giveaway is closed and winners were announced on September 9, 2009 Thank you! 🙂
Valerie from Hachette Book Group Giveaway has generously hooked me up with 5 of these books to give away! I know, I am excited too! 😉
//
Book Information
Seven years ago, readers everywhere fell in love with Jim Glass, the precocious ten-year-old at the heart of Tony Earley’s bestseller Jim the Boy. Now a teenager, Jim returns in another tender and wise story of young love on the eve of World War Two.
Jim Glass has fallen in love, as only a teenage boy can fall in love, with his classmate Chrissie Steppe. Unfortunately, Chrissie is Bucky Bucklaw’s girlfriend, and Bucky has joined the Navy on the eve of war. Jim vows to win Chrissie’s heart in his absence, but the war makes high school less than a safe haven, and gives a young man’s emotions a grown man’s gravity.
With the uncanny insight into the well-intentioned heart that made Jim the Boy a favorite novel for thousands of readers, Tony Earley has fashioned another nuanced and unforgettable portrait of America in another time–making it again even realer than our own day.
So how can you my ever faithful readers receive a chance (or two, or three) to win one of these beautiful books? I am so glad you asked!
How to win…
1. Leave a comment here with a favorite coming of age (first love) type story that you have enjoyed.
2. Tweet or blog about this giveaway on a second comment to earn a second chance to win!
3. Followers of this blog receive an additional chance to win (be sure to let me know)
4. Post a comment on any other non giveaway review or post I have done and receive 2 bonus chances.
There you have it 🙂 As much or as little as you wish to do!
Remember US only entrants and no PO box numbers please. Be sure I have a way to connect with you if you are one of the winners. All winners will be emailed and have 72 hours to respond with mailing info. Giveaway will end on Aug. 31
Have fun!
I am so excited to have received a review copy of this book + one to give away. I probably will not get to this read until closer to the end of August but in the mean time didn’t want to hold off on this great book and a chance for you to won a copy of this.
Thirteen-year-old Serogia was thrown out of his house by his drunken mother after his father died. Eleven-year-old Anya doesn’t have many friends and is always sad; when she looks in the mirror she sees an ugly girl. Her ten-year-old sister Sashinka is shy, tough and fun loving. Their only living relative is their drunken father.
These are just three of the children who were living at Priut Almus, a children’s shelter in St. Petersburg, Russia, when author Robert Belenky began his visits in 1998. He returned many times during the next ten years. In Tales of Priut Almus he presents his interviews with children and staff as he participates in this humane and innovative shelter unusual in that it focused on preparing children to create and live in a democracy. Finally, we meet Almus’ founding director, enigmatic man of the theater, Mikhail Markarievich, who provided the courageous vision.
This looks like a wonderful read and I cant wait to dig into myself. Once read I will post my review, in the mean time. enter here to receive a copy for yourself! Here’s How….
A delightful read about faith and about family, and about God’s Hands molding it all together into something beautiful.
~Sh
eila
The everyday push and pull of motherhood often leaves Tricia Goyer feeling, well, smooshed. Can you relate? In Blue Like Play Dough, Tricia shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own.
Sure her life is messy and beset with doubts. But God keep showing up in the most unlikely places – in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is-me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child…
Blue Like Play Dough flowed from the moment I opened the first page. With moments that caused me to laugh in acknowledgment,
“One day while praying about the hard stuff in life an image came to mind of a lump of play dough. As I focused on it I realized the lump was not something my kids held in their hands, but that God held in His. I was that lump. God was molding me and he had something in mind.
The image was there and then it was gone. Donald Miller had Blue Jazz. I had play dough. I tried not to be disappointed.”
Tricia writes with experience of what it is like to be a young mom trying to raise children to the best of her ability yet still having dreams of her own. Tricia is honest about her short comings and openly shares the triumphs and the trials of struggling to do it all.
When Tricia writes in this book about letting go and relaxing a bit allowing time for herself and time for the kids to learn to just play and be together I think I felt my own soul relax a little. Having two grown boys I still go through moments of the what if’s (what if I hadn’t worked so hard when they were younger, what if I had been at home more, what if…)
Tricia speaks openly about her short comings and her fear of being judged my others. She like many of us, carries with her that need – that desire for acceptance and I love how throughout the book God continues to show up. As Tricia says,
“The problem isn’t whether God will show up. It’s all about me not being aware that He is already here… that He has been in my life all along. And that he doesn’t care about my mess.”
Author Bio:
Tricia Goyer is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including Generation NeXt Parenting and the 
Gold Medallion finalist Life Interrupted. Goyer writes for publications such as Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family, speaks to women’s groups nationwide and has been a presenter at the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) national convention. She and her husband, John, live with their family in Montana.
*Tricia Goyers Give One Get One Promo
Purchase Blue Like Play Dough Here
I received this review book and an extra book to give away compliments of Elizabeth at Random House
This book is a G Rating
I am excited to announce that I have drawn the winner of the Power of A Praying Wife book and our winner is:
Congratulations!!! Please email me your information and I will mail this out to you a.s.a.p.
In recent weeks I have had the pleasure of chatting back and forth with author Rachel Stolzman. Rachel is the author of the book, The Sign for Drowning.
When Anna is eight years old she witnesses the tragic drowning of her younger sister at the beach. While her parents frantically search the waves for their child, Anna watches alone from the shore. Desperate for hope, Anna begins silently communicating with her sister, begging her to resurface.
Anna’s family emotionally breaks down in the years following the drowning. In her grief and lone
liness, Anna develops the belief she can communicate to her dead sister through sign language.
As an adult, Anna makes her living working with hearing impaired children, and she develops a close bond with a deaf foster child she works with, Adrea. As Anna makes the momentous decision to adopt Adrea, she is driven to face her conflicted desire to hear her daughter speak and she is forced to delve into the connections between Adrea and her own, lost sister.
BIO:
I was born in New York and at the age of seven moved to Los Angeles with my family. My sister and I told everyone we were moving to a swimming pool. I began writing poetry in my journal when I was about ten years-old. My first poems were about children, a phony fortune teller, the question of an afterlife, and an anti-war poem called Warheads. I attended the University of California in Santa Cruz. It was during my college years that I began working in the HIV/AIDS field, work which I continue to do to this day. At UCSC, I took numerous poetry workshops, participated in readings, and I had my first poems published. Looking back, these poems were about solitude, escapism, and drunken love. A year after college, living in San Francisco I decided to apply for MFA programs in creative writing. I was surprised to see that the applications required you to choose between poetry and fiction, and I marked ‘poetry’ on each. But while completing my applications, I thought- I don’t know how to write fiction, if I’m going to go back to school it might as well be to learn something I don’t know. I sent for new applications and applied to three programs in New York. I went to Sarah Lawrence College, and received my MFA in creative writing- Fiction. An early draft of The Sign for Drowning was my thesis. In 2008 my first novel, The Sign for Drowning was published by Trumpeter. I am still writing about children, impermanence, loss and the workings of the heart. I currently live in Brooklyn and am working on my second novel.
Book Journey 