Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer - Giveaway!

Battlefield of the Mind (Commemorative Edition)

by Joyce Meyer

A war is raging.
Your mind is the battlefield.

Worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger, and feelings of condemnation . . . all these are attacks on the mind. If you suffer from negative thoughts, take heart! Joyce Meyer has helped millions win these all-important battles -- and she can help you, too. In her most popular bestseller ever, now newly updated, the beloved author and teacher shows you how to change your life by changing your mind. She teaches you how to deal with thousands of thoughts you have every day and focus your mind to think the way God thinks. And she shares the trials, tragedies, and ultimate victories from her own marriage, family, and ministry that led her to wondrous, life-transforming truth -- and reveals her thoughts and feelings every step of the way. Now it's your turn to:

• Gain control over your mind and find freedom and peace
• Recognize damaging thoughts and stop them from influencing your life
• Be patient with yourself even when you make mistakes
• Arm yourself with the Word of God, praise, prayer, and other powerful spiritual weapons
• Overcome your mental "wilderness" -- the bad attitudes and excuses people use that keep them from God -- and find undreamed of happiness and fulfillment.

Don't surrender to misery another day. Find out today how to guarantee your victory in your Battlefield of the Mind!

To celebrate the publication of 3 million copies of BATTLEFIELD OF THE MIND, FaithWords is publishing a special commemorative edition of BATTLEFIELD OF THE MIND, complete with an additional introduction and updated material. Additionally, this is the first time the book will be offered in Hardcover, and the commemorative edition will feature an update of the cover (see to the right) and a ribbon marker inside. It’s beautiful packaging for a remarkable and inspiring book.

I have two copies of Battlefield of the Mind to giveaway to two of my readers. This giveaway is open to US/Canada only - no PO boxes.  It will end at midnight CST, May 6, 2011.

Mandatory Entry:  Just leave a comment with your email address.

Additional Entries: Follow my blog - just tell me how you do it - (up to 2 ways, good for 2 entries)
Twitter - leave me the link
Blog post - leave me the link

A total of five entries are available - please leave each entry in a separate comment.

Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the title in the mail.


Winners of all giveaways on Books and Needlepoint are chosen using Random.org.

Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind
Publisher/Publication Date: Faithwords, April 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-0892968947
304 pages

So Close the Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison (Book Review)

Title: So Close the Hand of Death
Author: J.T. Ellison
Publisher: Mira Books

Across America, murders are being committed with all the twisted hallmarks of the Boston Strangler, the Zodiac Killer and Son of Sam. The media frenzy explodes and Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson knows instantly that The Pretender is back...and he's got helpers.


As The Pretender's disciples perpetrate their sick tributes – stretching police and FBI dangerously thin – Taylor tries desperately to prepare for their inevitable showdown. And she must do it alone. To be close to her is to be in mortal danger, and she won't risk losing anyone she loves. But the isolation, the self-doubt and the rising body count are taking their toll: she's tripwire-tense and ready to snap.


The brilliant psychopath who both adores and despises her is drawing close. Close enough to touch...


With her beau, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, So Close the Hand of Death follows a revenge-filled Homicide Lieutenant, Taylor Jackson, in her battle to stay strong and remain sane while fighting with the one person she’s out to get.

My thoughts:  I found out upon reading this book, that it is part of a series of books with Taylor Jackson as the central character. She is a very strong woman and is a homicide lieutenant in Nashville.  She lives with her FBI boyfriend John Baldwin.  This book read okay as a stand alone, but it did give lots of references to the past, which made me wish that I had read the five books that came before.

The conflict in the story is centered around serial killer who is dubbed the Pretender.  (He is also from a previous book).  The Pretender has taken on apprentices and for awhile I was a little confused, because no one was going by real names, as to who was in what area of the country doing what!   This resolved itself as I got more and more immersed in the storyline.  I thought it was pretty amazing how everything that you learned as you read the story had some bearing on the final outcome - down to very small details!  It almost makes me want to go back and read it again to see if I can pick up on other things the second time around.  Instead though, I think I will look up one of the previous novels and see if I can't get caught up before the next book comes out in September! 

I love this - the author has soundtracks for each of her books and it made me think back and realize there were a few songs mentioned throughout.  I am going to have to keep my eyes open with the next one that I read.

Here are her Taylor Jackson books in order:
1. All The Pretty Girls (Taylor Jackson)
2. 14
3. Judas Kiss
4. The Cold Room (Taylor Jackson Novels)
(just nominated for a Thriller award in the Best Paperback Original category)
5. The Immortals (Taylor Jackson)
6. So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson)
7. Where All the Dead Lie (Sept 2011)

You can connect with J.T. Ellison on her blog The Tao of JT.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Planned TV Arts in exchange for my review.~

So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson)
Publisher/Publication Date: Mira, Feb 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2943-5
416 pages

Winner!

The winner of The Truth About Vampires by Theresa Meyers is:

Sweet Vernal Zephyr

Congrats SVZ and if you haven't checked out her blog - you really should!

New giveaways going up Thursday!

The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh (Book Review)

Title: The Deepest Waters
Author: Dan Walsh
Publisher: Revell


“I’ve written you a note, inside the pouch,” John yelled. “Don’t read it…unless you hear word that I - that I did not…” Tears poured down his cheeks. He looked away. “John!” she screamed. “I must go back…”


Award-wining author Dan Walsh brings a powerful love story reminiscent of the Titanic to readers. The Deepest Waters (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1980-7, April 2011, $14.99) is a masterpiece of historical fiction set in 1857 when newlyweds John and Laura Foster set sail on the SS Vandervere for their honeymoon. Soon, their fairytale becomes a nightmare when a hurricane causes the ship to sink into the depths of the Atlantic. John and Laura are separated not knowing if they will ever see each other again.


Walsh was inspired to write The Deepest Waters by the true story of the sinking of a paddle-wheel steamship laden with gold from San Francisco, California. The SS Central America, bound for New York City ran into a hurricane which sealed her fate around September 11, 1857.


Walsh takes readers on a journey through troubled waters as they discover the treasure hidden in The Deepest Waters, a story full of action and suspense. Through the Fosters, Walsh creates an amazing love story about what happens when miracles do come true.

My thoughts:  If you like a good love story, then you must read this book.  I can't tell you how many times I cried throughout this story.  It progresses as it rotates between Laura, John, and John's family in New York.  But it isn't just a love story.

Through Micah and his dog Crabby we learn to have joy in the present and not worry about things that haven't happened yet.  Through Laura we learn about faith and strength to face the unknown.  Through John we learn about hope and the strength of love and through his family we learn about forgiveness and acceptance. There is a strong thread running throughout the book about God and things happening according to His time and His plan.

This is my first book by Dan Walsh.  He also wrote The Unfinished Gift and The Homecoming.  He is definitely going on my list of authors to watch for!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Donna at Revell in exchange for my review during this Revell Blog Tour.~

Here are what some other authors had to say:


"The Deepest Waters is a story that's been waiting to be told for 150 years. What a blessing Dan Walsh is the one to tell it. It is inspirational, spiritual, and miraculous--a hopeful message when the world needs it most."--Jason F. Wright, New York Times bestselling author of The Wednesday Letters


“A delightful story that took me back to an era when men were gallant and women were virtuous. Dan Walsh fully immersed me in a fascinating world from 1857 and left me longing for the movie.” –James L. Rubart, Bestselling author of Rooms and Book of Days

Available April 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Deepest Waters, The: A Novel
Publisher/Publication Date: Revell Books, April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8007-1980-7
300 pages

It's Monday! What are you reading? (April 11, 2011)

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! 


Currently Reading:  
So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson)by J.T. Ellison

Next Up:
Legacy by Jeanette Baker
The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy
The Silenced: A Novel by Brett Battles


E-Book:
Sudden Moves: A Young Adult Mystery by Kelli Sue Landon

Next E-Books up:
The Witches Lottery (Enchanted Island Series) by Krystal McLaughlin
Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford
Deadly Errors by Allen Wyler


Bathroom Book:
Surrender the Dark by L.A. Banks


Audio Book
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1) by Janet Evanovich

Reviewed Last Week:

Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip

Waiting for Reviews:
Deepest Waters, The: A Novel by Dan Walsh
Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy)by Lauren DeStefano
Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

Children's Books waiting for Review:
Little Star by Anthony DeStefano
Pearl's Wisdom by Auntie LuLu
Bug Meets His Friend (Bug's Adventure Series) by K.M. Groshek
Good Night, Little Sea Otter by Janet Halfmann

GIVEAWAYS:
In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard - ends April 28
Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip - ends April 27

Upcoming giveaways:
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman
Redeemer by Jeffrey S. Williams
Daddy's Little Squirrel by Kayla Shurley Davidson
Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

READY - SET - READ!

Please Welcome Jodi Thomas! (author of Texas Blue)

I hope all my fans will step into Texas history and enjoy the adventure. From the day I was walking in the Hill Country near Fredericksburg, Texas, the story of the McMurray family has been playing in my head. I am very excited about TEXAS BLUE, the first book in the new generation of the Whispering Mountain Series.


I opened in 1875, with two friends parting ways one stormy night in Austin. Duncan, a Texas Ranger, is off to fight at the border and Lewt, a gambler, plans to find a wife among one of Duncan’s three rich cousins while his friend is away.


Duncan, called Duck when he was a boy, is wild and fearless. He leaves his law practice to join a raid at the border. Lewt has never done anything brave and never plans to. He just wants a respectable wife.


Lewt joins a group of men Duncan hand selected to travel to Whispering Mountain and meet his three female cousins. Though Lewt knows his friend would never introduce a gambler to his rich relatives, he wants a chance for more than just a life in saloons.


I loved blending two stories together. Both men have a great deal to learn about who they are and about what is worth risking your life to keep. Since this is the fifth in my series about Whispering Mountain, it was fun to see the children, Duck and the girls, grow up to be strong independent adults. If you’ve never read any in this series, TEXAS BLUE would be a great place to start. For those of you who love series, you might want to go back to the beginning and start with TEXAS RAIN. I promise you’ll fall in love with the men of Whispering Mountain.


Thanks for inviting me for a visit. I wish you all many hours of pleasure in reading. Isaac Asimov was once asked what he would do if he knew the world would end in fifteen minutes. He said, “Write faster.” As I’m working on my 34th book I’m afraid I’d have to say the same.


Blessings to you all,
Jodi Thomas
http://www.jodithomas.com/
www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

About Jodi
Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today best-selling author of 31 novels and 8 short story collec-tions. As of July 2006, she was the 11th woman to be inducted in to RWA Hall of Fame. She is also cur-rently serving as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.


Starred review from Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Thomas's fifth Whispering Mountain American historical (after 2009's The Lone Texan) is another winner. When Texas Ranger Duncan McMurray tells gambler Lewton Paterson that he's sending three men from good families to court his three cousins, Lewton, wishing for a respectable life and family, decides to take the place of one of the men. He meets the three ladies, but spends his time with Em, the ranch overseer--who is really one of the ladies and never intends to marry. When news reaches the ranch of Duncan's capture in Mexico, Lewt and Em set out to save him. Tension rides high, mixed with humor and kisses more passionate than most full-on love scenes. Fans will be delighted by this series continuation.


Texas Blue
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley, April 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-425-24047-2
336 pages

Mailbox Monday (April 11, 2011)

 Mailbox Monday's host for April is Amy at Passages to the Past. In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! 

I won this first book from the author:

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street

by Joanne Rocklin

An orange tree. An orange cone.  A dog digging in the dirt.  A rock shaped like a heart.  What do these things have in common?  At first glance, not much.  But they all appear on Orange Street on one amazing day.

When a mysterious man arrives on the block, the children who live there try to find out who he is and why he's there.  Little do they know that his story -- and the story of a very old orange tree -- connect to each of their personal worries in surprising ways.

Taking place over the course of a day and a half, Joanne Rocklin's masterful novel deftly builds a story about family, childhood anxieties, and the importance of connection.  In the end the fate of the tree (and the kids who care for it)  reminds us of the magic of the everyday and of the rich history all around us.

For my birthday:

Under the Dome

by Stephen King

Just down Route 119 in Chester's Mill, Maine, all hell is about to break loose. . .

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day, a small town is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.  Planes crash into it and rain down flaming wreckage.  A gardener's hand is severed as the dome descends.  Cars explode on impact.  Families are separated and panic mounts.  No one can fathom what the barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.  Now a few intrepid citizens, led by an Iraq vet turned short-order cook, face down a ruthless politician dead set on seizing the reins of power under the dome.  But their main adversary is the dome itself.  Because time isn't just running short.  It's running out.

For Review:

The Last Letter

by Kathleen Shoop

Katherine wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't found the last letter. . .

Katherine Arthur's dying mother arrives on her doorstep, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget.  When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown.  Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she would do her best to make a go of it.  For Jeanie's husband Frank it had been a world of opportunity.  Dreaming, lazy Frank.  But, it was a society of uncertainty -- a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death.

Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine's world apart.  Now, seventeen years later, Katherine has found the truth -- she has discovered the last letter.  After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all?  Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it's too late?

Battlefield of the Mind

by Joyce Meyer

A war is raging.

Your mind is the battlefield.

Worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger, and feelings of condemnation . . . all these are attacks on the mind.  If you suffer from negative thoughts, take heart!  Joyce Meyer has helped millions win these all-important battles -- and she can help you, too.  In her most popular bestseller ever, now newly updated, the beloved author and teacher shows you how to change your life by changing your mind.  She teaches you how to deal with thousands of thoughts you have every day and focus your mind to think the way God thinks.  And she shares the trials, tragedies, and ultimate victories from her own marriage, family, and ministry that led her to wondrous, life-transforming truth -- and reveals her thoughts and feelings every step of the way.  Now it's your turn to:

• Gain control over your mind and find freedom and peace
• Recognize damaging thoughts and stop them from influencing your life
• Be patient with yourself even when you make mistakes
• Arm yourself with the Word of God, praise, prayer, and other powerful spiritual weapons
• Overcome your mental "wilderness" -- the bad attitudes and excuses people use that keep them from God -- and find undreamed of happiness and fulfillment.

Don't surrender to misery another day.  Find out today how to guarantee your victory in your Battlefield of the Mind!

The Paperbark Shoe

by Goldie Goldbloom

From 1941 to 1947, 18,000 Italian prisoners of war were sent to Australia.  Many of these exiles were sent to work on isolated farms, unguarded.

The Paperbark Shoe is the unforgettable story of Gin Boyle.  An albino, a classically trained pianist, and a woman with a painful past.  Disavowed by her wealthy step-father, her unlikely savior is the farmer Mr. Toad -- a little man, with a taste for ladies corsets.  Together with their two children they weather the hardship of rural life, and the mockery of their neighbors.  But with the arrival of two Italian prisoners of war, their lives are turned upside down.  Thousands of miles from home, Antonio and John find themselves on Mr. and Mrs. Toad's farm, exiles in the company of exiles.  The Paperbark Shoe is a remarkable novel about the far-reaching repercussions of war, the subtle violence of displacement, and what it means to live as a captive -- in enemy country, and in one's own skin.

The next 3 are ebooks for review:

Liquid Fear

by Scott Nicholson

When Roland Doyle wakes up with a dead woman in his motel room, the only clue is a mysterious vial of pills bearing the label “Take one every 4 hrs or else.”


Ten years before, six people were involved in a secret pharmaceutical trial that left one of them dead and five unable to remember what happened. Now the experiment is continuing, as Dr. Sebastian Briggs concludes his research into fear response and post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s backed by a major drug company and an ambitious U.S. Senator, but he also has a personal stake in the outcome.


Only by taking the mysterious pills can the survivors stave off the creeping phobias, sexual impulses, and inflicted madness that threaten to consume them. But the pills have an unexpected side effect—the survivors start remembering the terrible acts they perpetrated a decade ago. They are lured back to the Monkey House, the remote facility where the original trials took place, and Briggs has prepared it for their return.


Now they are trapped, they each have only one pill left, and cracks are forming in their civilized veneer.


After the pills are gone, there’s only one option. “Or else.”

Ladies and Gentlemen. . . The Redeemers

by Michael Scott Miller

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers tells the story of Bert Ingram, once a successful rep in the music industry, who has lost his way. Desperate for redemption, the perpetual dreamer decides to put together a band, recruiting musicians who have only one thing in common: the need to overcome a significant obstacle in their lives. The volatile mix of the musicians' personalities and backgrounds threatens to derail the band at every opportunity, but in time, the Redeemers begin to realize they have more to gain from one another than they ever could have imagined.

The War is Language: 101 Short Works

by Nath Jones

The War is Language: 101 Short Works is a compilation in three sections and culminates with absurdest letters to a fake advice columnist. These ultra short pieces exist at story's amorphous limit of spoken word and deconstruction.

As a whole, this high-impact triptych of prose poetry and flash fiction probes identity in experience. The first and second sections of the book explore memory and dichotomy respectively by focusing on the impressions of a woman and a soldier as 21st-century Americans. The book’s third section, letters to a fake advice columnist, is a sarcastic interaction with an absurd existential authority figure. The book calls into question our post-post-modern establishment of anti-authority conformists.

The War is Language: 101 Short Works is the first in an e-book series, On Impulse, which explores the spectrum of narrative. 

What books came home to you last week?

Readathon Wrap-up

Ok - I must admit that I fell asleep reading around 1am this morning.  That would have been about hour 18 where I am.  When I woke back up at 4, it was all I could do to go up to bed. But I did keep much better statistics than in previous readathons!

I read for a total of 9.5 hours - reading 705 pages, which means I read about 1.25 pages a minute.  I spent 6.75 hours doing mini challenges and visiting other blogs and took 2 big breaks - one for our birthday celebrations and one for dinner which was the last 1.5 hours - totalling 17.75 hours that I was awake during this readathon.

I finished 2 books - Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas and Wither by Lauren DeStefano.  I am almost done with book 3 - The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh.  You can watch for my reviews early next week.

If you get a chance - take a guess at my Reading Puzzle post.  I didn't have any one guess what books the pictures were describing.  I will post the answers at the end of this one - so go ahead - go over there now and then come back and see if you were right.

Here is the final mini-challenge that was posted in hour 24

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Ummm - the hour I fell asleep... Hour 18


2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Not really - my interests change depending on my mood.  I really enjoyed Wither by Lauren DeStefano this year though.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I thought the hosts did a great job this year.  The only thing I could think of, is maybe make a list of what challenges are going to be held during which hours, and how long they will be open - because I missed one that was only open one hour that I would have liked to participate in.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Love the idea of a huge list of books read.

5. How many books did you read?
2.5

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
1/2 of The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Wither by Lauren DeStefano

8. Which did you enjoy least?
N/A - they were all enjoyable!

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
N/A

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I am very likely to participate next year - probably still as only a reader though.

Readathon - Mini Challenge

For this challenge, you are to use books you have and make a sentence out of the titles. I couldn't physically take a picture of mine as the one of two cameras I can find is dead - and one of these is a pdf file sent to me by the author! But here is my sentence!

Warm bodies, cut in half, turned the hangman's daughter Texas blue.