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……..of The Serpent’s Bite by Warren Adler

1 Kerrie Mayans Leave a Blog Post Comment

9 Ellie Wright Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

I have some exciting news to share with you!!!  As most of you know, I own Partners In Crime Tours (www.partnersincrimetours.net).  A virtual tour company for mystery, suspense and crime novels.  Over the past year, I have had requests for tours that do not fall under PICT’s specialty, and had to refuse them.  Until now!!

Providence Book Promotions (PBP), a subsidiary of Partners In Crime Tours has been established and is being unveiled today.  I invite you to visit our new site at http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/ or on Facebook.   PBP will coordinate tours for novels of “general fiction/literature”.  If you would be interested in becoming a tour host/reviewer for Providence Book Promotions, please fill out the form below and send to CMash@providencebookpromotions.com.

Hope to hear from you!

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Today’s question:
This week’s musing — courtesy of http://abookandashortlatte.wordpress.com – asks…
Do you take notes while you read?

My answer:
Yes.  I started taking notes when I started reviewing requested reads.   Prior to finding this book blogging community, I never did.  And the notes are always written on a notepad, never in the book, if I’m reading a print.

My notes usually will contain facts about the characters, especially if there are a lot of them, emotions and thoughts that I feel about certain scenarios as I’m reading, will note the page numbers if there is a quote or paragraph that I feel I will need in writing my review, where the book takes place for one of the challenges I signed up for, etc.

I usually write my review as soon as I finish one book and before starting my next book.  I feel that I want all the content to be fresh in my mind plus not getting anything confused between books.  Guess that is why I don’t read multiple books at the same time.

What about you?  Do you take notes?  Anything specific?

September is being hosted by BookNAround

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.
According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”
Click on title for synopsis via IndieBound.

Tuesday: 
*The Prophet by Ethan from The Story Plant
*Leaving the Hall Light On by Madeline Sharples from Dream of Things
Thursday:  EBooks from Authors via  author, Melissa Foster, for Thriller Event
*Last One Chosen by Stephen Woodfin
*A Death on The Wolf by G.M. Frazier
*Omar: A Novel by Craig Thompson 
*Chasing Innocence by John Potter
*After The Fog by Kathleen Shoop
*River in the Sea by Tina Boscia
*Project Moses by Robert B.Lowe
*Pegasus Falling by Wm E. Thompson
*The Fall of Billy Hitchings by Kirkus MacGowan

……..of Growing Up Brave by Donna B. Pincus, PhD

2 Melissa Thayer Leave a Blog Post Comment

25 Lisa Pecora Leave a Blog Post Comment

33 Tony L Smoaks Follow @CherylMash on Twitter

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
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*LEAVE COMMENT: PLEASE STATE WHICH VERSION

YOU PREFER.  IF EITHER ONE, PLEASE NOTE THAT?*

*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*
*NO P.O. BOXES*

**PER PUBLISHER**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
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THANK YOU.

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Our friend Nicole, from Tribute Books, is stopping by to introduce us all to today’s guest.  Please help me welcome Dr. Gerry Steiner to CMash Reads!

DR. GERRY STEINER

Gerry Steiner has enjoyed a life that is varied in location, vocation, and activities. He started in the land of tradition and history, Hampton, Va., the oldest continuous English speaking settlement in the United States. After high school and eighteen years surrounded by history. Gerry was ready to venture away from Virginia. After considering Cornell, he caught a train to California and went to Caltech. He left Caltech after a couple years to work in seismic oil exploration. His Uncle invited Mr. Steiner to visit Asia. Gerry picked the Navy as the best way to get there. This kept him busy for ten years. A year of Navy school as an electronics technician started the process. Fortunate circumstances led him to his wife and “stability?” for the next 40 years. Gerry then finished his BS and an MS in oceanography before sailing for Vietnam, There gunfire support and chasing aircraft carriers kept him in touch with the real world. Receiving fuel and supplies at sea gave him an appreciation for close quarters’ steerage. A pleasant break provided a week in Olongapo followed by a week in Hong Kong. His wife, Marilyn joined him.

After the Navy and back in Seattle he continued his work in sonar research at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory. He started work on a PhD in electrical engineering. He made sonar measurements from an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean north of Barrow, Alaska. Two visits by polar bears approaching to 20 ft. added to the excitement Dr. Steiner moved to Ridgecrest, CA where he held a position at China Lake Naval Weapons Center. Several years in automatic target recognition included radar field measurements from Pt. Loma, San Diego. Next he started the Airborne RF Targeting Branch. Gerry also completed his doctorate in electrical engineering.

From China Lake Dr. Steiner ventured off to Denver, Colorado to join Martin Marietta. The initial year in Denver was focused on space based radar plans. A movie and a president changed his focus. The movie was Star Wars, the president was Reagan, the focus became the Strategic Defense Initiative. He spent the next decade on issues related to SDI. After the space based interceptor there was a space based laser concept. His efforts contained analysis, management, design, and testing. A couple years were spent developing a new rocket to provide a re-useable single stage to orbit vehicle. Only physics stood in the way.

Gerry’s wife was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer and given six months to live. They had great times that were ended. Dr. Steiner moved to Maui five years ago. He has written this book to share his observations on how the world works and how it could work better.
Connect with Dr. Steiner at his website, Facebook and Twitter.

GUEST POST

Have you ever wanted to stand up during a speech, lecture, sermon, advertisement and just yell. You weren’t being directly harmed or attacked.  Nothing was physically being stolen from you.  No one was demanding your mind or your money.  Just the same, you felt violated in a very real sense.  BS steals from us all.  Pretending to accept the false makes it harder to trust the authentic.

It seems very important that we know what is real and what is BS.  It is also important that those that generate BS,  (we all do some) realize that they’re not fooling anyone.  It would really mess things up if all BS were challenged and rejected, but it might be useful if it were identified and acknowledged. As I started to collect my thoughts, I was almost overwhelmed by the examples and challenges that life presents us. Almost every area of our experience is affected.  In the book I have not put much emphasis on politics. As we proceed in this election year I am sure that we will have ample opportunity to find “sterling” examples.  (Sterling BS is sort of an oxymoron!)

As we proceed we’ll need active participation to make this the best experience.  Maybe we can have some awards on the blog for different classes of BS. Your suggestions are encouraged.  As with any blog, it is your participation and our interaction that will provide the richness.

I have spent much of my life being frustrated by the BS and by the frequent pretense that the BS is reality.  Through the book and this blog I want to challenge this.  I believe most of us recognize BS when we stop and think about it.  I’ve often felt that putting up with BS is societies definition of maturity and wisdom.  I don’t think most of us really feel that way.  This is an effort to observe, laugh and possibly change.

Throughout the book you will see a wagging finger beside the text. There was a small group of us at work that would silently use this finger wagging as means to silently, but visibly, point out BS when we see or hear it.  It would be great to establish this as a nationally recognized and accepted symbology,  It might even become an effective way of communicating our knowledge and feelings to those that provide the BS.

Maybe we can also create a list of BS. Postulates.  The first might be: “If you wonder if it’s BS, it almost certainly is!”

Please enjoy.  Laugh at the BS, act but don’t get mad!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Was missile defense started to save the free world or start a new empire? Do religions help us understand God or help keep God a mystery? Do schools prepare us for life or delay our lives? Does Congress help protect us or help exploit us? Has there ever been any BS involved in any of the above? Have we embraced or challenged the BS.? Could we make a difference? Would we want to make a difference?

Whether reading a newspaper, watching TV, or listening to a song, we are probably observing and absorbing a certain amount of BS. Do we recognize it, realize it, reject it or absorb it. This book provides a beginning to considering these questions. It can provide a basis for understanding, a basis for action, a cause of laughter, a foundation for tears, or some combination. This book often states the obvious, but it’s the obvious that often we collectively don’t seem to own up to. Much of the strife of life, the inequities of the world, even the causes of wars and disasters of the economy might be rooted in our collective self-deception.

The adventure starts with a reflection on a fairy tale from our childhood and one from Washington. It then joins a pair – a professor and his young assistant on an American adventure. They look at such topics as social interaction, sports professional and local, and our individual fitness. Business and education provide many examples and insights. Next, religion and science provide contrasts and similarities.

Government, politics, the legal system, and military service complete this brief trip. In each area, the presence and effects of BS are noted. The final section is devoted to the three greatest downfalls of society in the last century. They are identified and their drastic effects on our society are briefly examined.
Read an excerpt here.
Book Details:
Price: $13.99 paperback, $6.99 ebook
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
ISBN: 9781937928919
Pages: 178
Release: August 5, 2012
Purchase Links: Amazon   B&N   IndieBound

ON BEHALF OF AND THANKS TO AUTHOR,
DR. GERRY STEINER AND TRIBUTE BOOKS,
YOU CAN WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK.
ENTER WITH RAFFLECOPTER BELOW.
U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.
GIVEAWAY ENDS SEPTEMBER 30th, 2012

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Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Now that the political conventions are over,  the TV                       ads abundant, the phone and mail pitches are daily,                                       My questions are:                                                                                                              1.  Do any of the above sway your decision?                                                          2. Do you exercise your right to vote in all elections?

My Answer:
I do try to watch a couple of debates to make                                                                                                                                                                                                               up my mind and do vote 99% of the time.