Stacking the Shelves (44)

There are a lot of new books at my house this week—more than the last several weeks for sure. It's the final week of the Summer 2015 SYNC audiobook program. SYNC gives away 2 FREE audiobook downloads every week each summer, and I've enjoyed picking them up each week. Now I'm all stocked up for the rest of the year! I also had a reserve on a book at the library and it came in, a friend gave me a book he had finished reading, and I spent a credit at Audible for a new audio book. And, at the last minute, I loaded up my eReader with two more books from the library's Freading book service.

Kindle Lending Library:

A Lost Witch by Debora Geary

Once a month, I can pick a book to read from free through the Kindle Lending Library, a benefit offered to Amazon Prime members. I sure wish they were as generous with books as they are with video. Oh well, one a month is better than none a month! To be honest, I was so eager to read it that I opened it up on my flight home on Friday afternoon and I've already finished it.

Blurb:
Hannah Kendrick has spent the last twelve years fighting for her sanity. And the doctor who has stood by her side has run out of options.

A small computer tracking spell will find Hannah—but can Witch Central save her?

This is the seventh and final book in the bestselling A Modern Witch series.

Gift:

Map of Bones by James Rollins

A colleague walked into work on Wednesday morning and handed me a copy of this book with a high recommendation. I have the first book in the Sigma Force series sitting on my Kindle and now receiving the second means I have a strong motivation to read them both. Thanks, Don.

Blurb:
During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruders in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable prize: the bones of the Magi who once paid homage to a newborn savior . . . a treasure that could reshape the world.

With the Vatican in turmoil, Sigma Force under the command of Grayson Pierce leaps into action, pursuing a deadly mystery that weaves through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World and ends at the doorstep of an ancient, mystical, and terrifying secret order. For there are those with dark plans for the stolen sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind . . . when science and religion unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

From the library:

The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini

I'm reading my way through the Elm Creek Quilts novels this year. On Thursday, I received a notice from the library that the book I had requested was available to be picked up. I had put a hold on it a couple of weeks ago, and had just about forgotten that I had requested it. Hubby stopped by and checked it out and brought it to the airport when he picked me up and I started reading it on the way home.

Blurb:
Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson treasures an antique quilt called by three names -- Birds in the Air, after its pattern; the Runaway Quilt, after the woman who sewed it; and the Elm Creek Quilt, after the place to which its maker longed to return. That quilter was Joanna, a fugitive slave who traveled by the Underground Railroad to reach safe haven in 1859 at Elm Creek Farm.

Though Joanna's freedom proved short-lived—she was forcibly returned by slave catchers to Josiah Chester's plantation in Virginia—she left the Bergstrom family a most precious gift, her son. Hans and Anneke Bergstrom, along with maiden aunt Gerda, raised the boy as their own, and the secret of his identity died with their generation. Now it falls to Sylvia—drawing upon Gerda's diary and Joanna's quilt—to connect Joanna's past to present-day Elm Creek Manor.

An Excellent Mystery and The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters

I'll be away at a conference all of next week and then on vacation the week following, so I went ahead and borrowed the next two books in the Brother Cadfael mystery series.

Blurb:
In An Excellent Mystery, two monks seeking refuge bring with them a troubling mystery that will test Brother Cadfael’s beliefs. In the year of our Lord 1141, August comes in golden as a lion, and two monks ride into the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul bringing with them disturbing news of war—and a mystery.

Several months later in The Raven in the Foregate, when a harsh priest is drowned, Brother Cadfael discovers a long list of suspects, including a young man who isn’t who he claims to be. In a mild December in the year of our Lord 1141, a new priest comes to the parishioners of the Foregate outside the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Father Ailnoth brings with him a housekeeper and her nephew—and a disposition that invites murder.

Purchased:

The Novel Habits of Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith

So I received a notice from Audible that I had the maximum number of credits on my account and I needed to spend some of them before the next credit was posted next month. I was browsing around and discovered that there was a new Isabel Dalhousie novel by Alexander McCall Smith, so I quickly purchased it. I'm going to really enjoy listening to this book next week.

Blurb:
The insatiably curious Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth Isabel Dalhousie returns, taking on a case unlike any she’s had before—this one with paranormal implications—in the eagerly anticipated new installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved and best-selling series.

Through a mutual acquaintance, Isabel is introduced to a six-year-old boy who has been experiencing vivid recollections of a past life, which include a perfect description of an island off the coast of Scotland and a house on the island where he claims to have lived. When the boy’s mother asks Isabel to investigate, Isabel naturally feels inclined to help, and so she, her husband, Jamie, and their son, Charlie, set off for the island.

Freebies:

The last two of the free audiobooks from SYNC are all about World War II.

The Old Brown Suitcase by Lillian Boraks-Nemetz

Blurb:
The Old Brown Suitcase is the story of 14-year-old Slava, a "hidden child," who comes to Canada from Poland after the Second World War. While Slava struggles with the English language and a new culture, she is haunted by the horrific memories of her experience as a Jewish child persecuted by the Nazis. Help comes through loving friends, a special boyfriend, several understanding teachers, her own creative talents and a strong will to overcome adversity.

Under a War Torn Sky by L. M. Elliott

Blurb:
When Henry Forester is shot down during a bombing run over France, the World War II pilot finds himself trapped behind enemy lines. In constant danger of discovery by German soldiers, Henry begins a remarkable journey to greedom. Relying on the kind ness of strangers, Henry moves from town to town--traveling by moonlight, never asking questions, or even the names of the people who help him along the way. Through his journey, Henry gains an understanding of the French and their struggle; and of his own place in a war that will change the face of Europe forever.

 

How about you? Any new books? You're invited to tell us all about it by joining the fun at Stacking the Shelves. According to the reviewers at Tynga's Reviews who host the meme:

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!