Book Giveaway Winner Beginnings

I really must start buying lottery tickets. If my winnings at book giveaways is any indication of my luck of the draw, I might win the lottery too. And then I could buy more books!

Thank you! to Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews for hosting the Guess the Desk giveaway. I am the Winner! I won, not one-but two, books from the desk of author Julie Kramer.

I will be sharing the first sentences of each of Kramer's books with you today, as my addition to the Book Beginnings on Fridays, a book blog hop hosted by Rose City Reader.

I had to wrangle Delivering Death from my housemate's hands as he had taken it from me right out of the delivery package. That title reeled him in! He says he is really enjoying the novel. Here are its beginnings...

"A guard checked a number against the ID bracelet on the man's wrist while marking his name off a clipboard as he stood in line."

And, I have to tell you, the next paragraph really reeled me in, so I will be waiting not-so-patiently for my turn at reading this Kramer novel.

Fortunately, I am just as thrilled with the second book title I received from Julie Kramer: Shunning Sarah, a novel of murder and an Amish community.

I have always been intrigued by Amish stories, in books and movies, as well, so this one grabbed me immediately. Sharing first from the book's Prologue...

"The missing face unnerved me. No eyes, nose, or mouth lent personality to the cloth doll clutched by the little Amish girl."

And the first few sentences from Chapter 1...

     "What do you smell, Bowser?"
     Josh Kueppers, wearing a neon orange stocking hat and carrying a shotgun, chased after his dog.
     "Maybe bear?"


Now, tell me, which of these novels from the desk of author Julie Kramer do you plan to purchase first?

Gracie the Undercover Beagle #BookBeginnings

No doubt about it, kids will fall in love with Gracie The Undercover Beagle and her Sidekick Boston Blackie as they team up to solve the mystery of the egg thief. This children's book is first in a series of four-legged stories for children by author Douglas Quinn.

My full review of Gracie has now been published, but for today I wish to share with you the first sentence or two of the book's beginnings.

"The moment the morning sun peeked over the eastern horizon, Red the Rooster started crowing. The hen house was right outside Gracie's bedroom window, and when Red began his morning ritual, Gracie did what she usually did."

Of course, I will be linking up with Book Beginnings on Fridays, a blog hop for book lovers to share a sentence or two of a book with you.

Have a good book to share? Blog its beginning and link your post up with Rose City Reader!

Now I Lay Me Down To Toss And Turn

Yes. I can expect that I shall lay my pretty head down on that pillow upon the bed to toss and turn throughout the night. I have pretty much suffered insomnia for most of my life.

As a child I slept very little. I never seemed to outgrow the habit formed in my youth of listening for the sounds of the night horrors of abuse with a stepfather coming in drunk when the bars closed.

Now, at night I have peace and quiet that I did not have in my younger years and I have my dog Tidbit to guard me through the darkness. Still I cannot sleep.

 

Night Owl they call it. Fear of the Who and the What, I think it must be.

These days I fear it must be worrying about tomorrows that may never come; worrying about things that I know shall occur. Then, too, there is the worrisome pain in my back, neck, and arm from injured spinal cord and nerve damage that allows me not to sleep.

I seem to be more creative in the late evening and on into the wee hours of the morn. So I read and I write and I create through the worry and the pain that bid me stay awake.

Insomnia Leads the Way to Master Your Sleep

Tonight I am led to share with you a few sentences from the beginning of the book, Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified, by Tracey I. Marks MD.
    

    "To secure your best night's sleep you must achieve success in the three following areas: falling asleep, staying asleep, and having that sleep be as restful as possible. Sleep and rest are not entirely the same, as many of the body's regulating and healing functions require sleep, not just rest. There are plenty of people who have no difficulty with the first two tasks, yet regularly awaken after several hours of sleep feeling as though they slept only a few hours.
     To understand these areas we need to..."

Do you have trouble getting a good night of sleep?

Book Beginnings

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader. We share the first sentence, or a few, of the beginnings of books and link our blog post up with the host post. If you have a worthy read to share, hop along!

Dog-Ma Book Beginnings

I am delighted to be linking up for the first time with Rose City Reader who hosts the Book Beginnings on Fridays blog hop. In this book blog hop we are to share the opening sentence or so of a book we are reading.

I discovered the Friday book blog hop while visiting Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews.

Fortunately, I have a new pair of reading glasses (have finally adjusted my sights) and can begin to get caught up on my reading of books for pleasure and for review, which generally go hand-in-hand.

Today, I wish to share with you the beginning of the book...

Dog-Ma: the Zen of Slobber

by Barbara Boswell Brunner.

"It is everywhere. The stark white walls shimmer with droplets like a Jackson Pollack painting. My hand pulses with pain as I struggle to separate the combatants, one collar in each outstretched hand. Rivulets of red run down my arm and I am unsure if it belongs to me. I cannot, I must not fixate on it. My heart pounds until I am sure it will escape my chest; each beat pronounced and strong. My predicament is clear: let go of one and the other will perish."

And there you have it, the start of life filled with dog-ma: the zen of slobber, according to Brunner.

I can not wait to sink my teeth into the rest of the Brunner family canine story. Be sure to stay tuned for my full book review to be announced here on Ruthi Reads.

Also for your reading pleasure is my rave review of my all-time favorite book: Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

Eat to Live so we can Live to Eat

Actually, it was my newfound friend and boss wanting to lose weight NOW that caused me to purchase the book EAT TO LIVE by author Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I, too, want to lose the weight I have gained the last few years and I want to feel healthier overall.

I have also shared EAT TO LIVE with a friend who recently suffered a stroke and has serious heart health issues. I do this in hopes that his future may be longer and some health issues may be reversed.

Shall we eat to live so we can live to eat?

 

 

When you read the guidelines for WoW Weekly 100 Words book blog hop, you will see that generally it is to share a 100-word excerpt from a book. This week I am doing something a little different. I am sharing 100 words about why I am reading a specific book. I invite you to blog 100 words from or about a book.

Horse in Heat

I am almost finished with the reading of "Horses Who Eat Potatoes: And Other Truer-than-life Stories of "The Other Family Doctor" but thought I would share another excerpt with you before writing my book review. (Which should be posted over the weekend.)

Sharing 100 words from page 154 of the chapter "Beyond the Book":

"...There is an injection in horses that will bring them into "heat" so that they can be bred. It will also cause an early loss of a baby, if given in the first few weeks of a pregnancy.

     A "friend" of mine called and said her stallion had gotten loose with the neighbor's mare and she wanted me to come give this injection. As the story unfolded, I began to get the uneasy feeling that she was going to want me to come out "on the sly", without the mare owner's knowledge, to give the medication.

     I told her I..."

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE VET DID?

• Did the mare receive the injection?
• What would you do in this situation?
• Did you know there was an injection to bring a horse into heat?
• How do you feel about the use of this medication for horses?

Previously shared WoW 100 Words from this same book:
Horses Who Eat Potatoes

Do you have an interesting book to share?

Check out the guidelines for WoW Weekly 100 Words and hop along!

Pearl of Wisdom

Today I wish to share a pearl of wisdom with you, found amid the re-reading of my favorite of the classics. There are ever so many gems penned within the covers of this book!

I share exactly 100 words from page 37 of my faded and worn copy of The Pearl by author John Steinbeck.





"...But now, by saying what his future was going to be like, he had created it. A plan is a real thing, and things projected are experienced. A plan once made and visualized becomes a reality along with other realities—never to be destroyed but easily to be attacked. Thus Kino's future was real, but having set it up, other forces were set up to destroy it, and this he knew, so that he had to prepare to meet the attack. And this Kino knew also—that the gods do not love men's plans, and the gods do not love success unless..."



Published in 1947; still, Steinbeck's words of wisdom ring timeless and true.

What is your favorite book title of the classics?

Take a few minutes and write up your blog post and share 100 words of your favorite classic, or of any book you wish to share. Then, return here and link your post up with the WoW Weekly 100 Words blog hop!

Horses Who Eat Potatoes

Horses who eat what? Yes, I said potatoes! Well, I did not say it per se, Corry Key, D.V.M., said it. Key is the author of Horses Who Eat Potatoes: And Other Truer-than-life Stories of "The Other Family Doctor".

It is with great pleasure that I share with you a few words from this treasure of a book. I will be sharing 100 words from page 22, midway through the book's title story of veterinarian Key's collection of stories...

     "Oh, she don't kick," I heard her owner say.
     (Now, if I had a dollar for all the times I heard that lie over the years, I'd be a rich woman today.)
     I reached for the tail again, slower this time, and both hind feet came up, not in warning, missing my right knee by a fraction of an inch. I managed to see that the mare had a tear in her perineal area (the area just under her tail) from the birth of her foal. Well, I thought, there is no way I can work on this horse in these conditions!

Sounds like the same old "My dog doesn't bite." tale many of us have heard a time or two!

As a registered book reviewer for Reviews4Reviews.com, I received a free copy of Horses Who Eat Potatoes from the author in exchange for my honest review and while the full book review will be forthcoming, I did want to share a bit of my reading of the book with you.

Do you have a great read to share? Check out the guidelines for WoW Weekly 100 Words and hop along!

Books Make Great Tips

Previously a server I often received some great tips; some monetary and some worth more than mere money. A few months ago one of my guests was reading while eating his breakfast. Of course, I inquired about the book he was reading and friendly conversation ensued. When the guest left and I was clearing the table I was delighted to see he had left me the book with a couple of dollars tucked inside like a bookmarker. Books make great tips! (Especially when the bookmarker is cash!)

Sharing 100 words from Another Valley, Another Victory, Another Love by Valetta Steel Crumley, page 151 of chapter 8, "Reasons of the Heart":

"As I share my testimony in churces, homes, and at women's retreats, the question I am most often asked is: "After all you've been through--losing a child to leukemia, a husband to Hodgkin's disease, the sudden death of your two remaining children in an automobile accident--after all that, how can you retain your faith in a loving God? How can you go on smiling, praising the Lord, talking about his goodness? It doesn't make sense."
I answer that nowhere in Scripture are we told that because we are God's children we will be spared the harsh realities of human life."

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What are your thoughts on belief or non-belief of God as pertains specifically to the topic of the suffering of humanity? Do life happenings test your faith in a god?

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Do you think books make great tips? Have you ever given or received a book as a tip for sevice?

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WoW Weekly 100 Words is a blog hop for book lovers; readers and authors. Blog hop along--share 100 words from a good book each week.

Sixty-Six Days with my Uncle the Author

Today it is an honor for me to share a book with you authored by my Uncle Lloyd. First, let me tell you a bit about Uncle Lloyd, the man. We will get to the book a little later.

Uncle Lloyd was married to my mother's sister, Mary, until she died from cancer. He has since remarried to a lovely lady. Lloyd and Mary had two sons, my cousins Johnny and Bobby.

When I was a young girl, I recall my Uncle Lloyd being sick, tuberculosis I think, but do not quote me on that being fact. I do recall when we would visit that my uncle never hugged or touched us and my aunt was a "germ freak."

Thus, my favorite memory of my Uncle Lloyd was one from a family reunion in 1999. This reunion was held on my Aunt Helen's 5-acre piece of land and 76 members of the clan were present, many of us camping out on the property for more than a week. We are pretty much a rowdy bunch of hillbillies, so we were drinking, smoking, really partying it up. I will never forget someone yelling, "Here comes Uncle Lloyd!" It was as though an alarm had been sounded! Everyone dashed to hide their beer cans and cigarettes and put on their shirts, ha! Not me! I may be a "heathen" but you can take me or leave me, just the way that I am!

Back to that special moment ... I walked right up to my Uncle Lloyd and hugged him ... And HE hugged ME right back! I think that is the only time my Uncle Lloyd ever hugged me and I will never forget that he did. And I will never forget that he stayed all day and late into the night out there in the country with his family, right down to the earth with the rest of us!

My Uncle Lloyd is a retired pastor in the Church of the Nazarene here in Ohio. He has authored several books.

Today I share from my signed copy of Sixty-Six Days Sixty-Six Books: A Brief Message From Each Book of the Bible, by author Lloyd D, Grimm, JR.

100 words from The Proof of Our Love, page 89. Background Scripture: St. Mark 5:1-20:

"We are prone to take for granted that most men know the basics of our Christian faith, but it is not so, even here in America. Years ago in one of my pastorates, I contacted a young boy on the street and invited him to our church. After talking awhile, he asked me, "What time does the show start?" But there are many adults groping in darkness, who are just as ignorant of the soul saving message we have to offer.

Again I say the greatest proof of our love for Jesus is to obey Him by heeding His..."



Purchase Sixty-Six Days Sixty-Six Books used via Amazon or direct from the publisher at Schmul Publishing Co.

I trust you have enjoyed this week's segment of WoW Weekly 100 Words. I invite you to blog hop along and share 100 words from a book on your reading list too!

100 Words: Mother, Wife, Myself

Spending a lot of my online time at Squidoo, I often run across authors new to me and new books to add to the collection on one of my many bookshelves. I really get excited when that new author is a writer of poetry.

That said, today I would like to introduce you to author Mimi Koay and her newly published book of poetry and prose "Mother, Wife, Myself: Poems about finding yourself after becoming a mother and wife."

I share with you now from my copy of the softback book, pages 14 and 15:

Time Waits For No Mom

"Why do you give up your career?"
"Don't you feel bored staying at home?"
To those nay Sayers, I can only say....

With kids, time lost can never be regained. Play, read and talk to your children TODAY while they still want you to!

MUMMY PLAY WITH ME

3 years old

Mummy, mummy, play with me

Not now hon, mummy's busy

Mummy, mummy, play with me

Mummy's sleeping, can't you see

Mummy, mummy, play with me!

Not again! Please let me be!

7 years old

Mummy, mummy, read with me

Not now hon, mummy's busy

Mummy's cooking...

Ah! In rhyme play the years stroll along! In a hurry to read the rest of this poem? Download the Kindle version of Mother, Wife, Myself.

You are invited to hop along in this WoW WEEKLY 100 WORDS blog hop. Share 100 words from a book on your bookshelf in a blog post and link up with us below!

Featured Book Tumbleweed Christmas

Tumbleweed Christmas by Beverly Stowe McClure has been featured on my Christmas page at Squidoo.

You can read my thoughts, my review, of this wonderfully written and illustrated book by joining me for a joyous Tumbleweed Christmas Tree seasonal celebration.

EnJOY!

Rudolph, A Child's Love Story is a Magical Gift

Accept it!

Not really knowing much about Rudolph, A Child's Love Story, I let my author friend, Mary Russel, know that I planned to purchase a copy to read and review in time for Christmas (hoping to generate holiday sales).

I really had no idea what a magical gift Rudolph would be to read until I began reading the prologue of the book. I share a portion of that prologue with you now:

    
    "...Brian and I learned to ice skate together. When our dog, Rufus died, we comforted each other. We played store with empty boxes and cans. Brian taught me to read. He outgrew his jeans and tees and they were passed down to me. When I wore them, I pretended I was him, as if in wearing them, I could capture some of the magic that was my big brother. Can we ever be close again?
     I was told I am special because I was chosen. I wonder how that makes Brian feel.
     Even my toys seem to be mocking me..."



My full review of this book will be posted soon! In the meantime, I do hope you will share the book that has currently caught your reader eye!

Blog hop right along with WoW Weekly 100 Words. Share a 100-word excerpt of a book you are currently reading. Just snag the hop badge and link, add it to your post on your blog, then return here to add your blog post to the linky list provided at the end of this post.

Note: I use The Word Count Tool to count my book excerpts.

Service With a Smile a Part of Growing Up In Boom Times

This Baby Boomer blast from the past comes to us from page 88 of Chapter Twelve, "What a Gas" of Growing Up In Boom Times:


     "I worked at the Clark station in Keego Harbor. All we sold was premium gas and oil—and service. My training for the job consisted primarily of how to give good service. Good service meant smiling, being polite, always wiping windshield (front and back), and asking if customers wanted their oil checked. It also meant putting air into tires if asked--or better, if a tire looked low, suggesting it. For all this the customer paid 34.9 cents for a gallon of gas, a price which didn't go up at all until the mid-70's.

     Good service at the Clark station did have..."

Previously shared excerpts of Growing Up In Boom Times:

100 Words from Baby Boomer and Author Chris Brockman
Wild Berries and Grampas

WoW Weekly 100 Words is a book blog hop-a-long. Share a 100-word excerpt of a book you are currently reading. Just snag the hop badge and link, add it to your post on your blog, then return here to add your blog post to the linky list provided at the end of this post.

For your Information: I use The Word Count Tool to count my book excerpts.