Bookshelf PLUS Reading Challenge

I have been challenged to see how many books I can read 

for FREE during the month of June using Bookshelf PLUS

We are quickly approaching the end of the month
I read 8 FREE books with PLUS--

I love PLUS and for only $9.99 (which is about the cost of one book) I will continue to download about 8 books a month--can't beat that!

-- Want to join me --

Sign up for Bookshelf PLUS here

It is FREE for 30 days with no obligations, cancel anytime

Did you know that with PLUS you have unlimited access?

BOOK 8 - HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR ROOM... PLAIN OR PADDED?

Started 27 June - Finished 1 July

Click the picture to get the ebook FREE with PLUS

Jo Ann Larsen teams up with veteran cartoonist Artemus Cole to offer a lively prescription for stress and guilt. There's a collection of stress relievers for every kind of '90s woman defined by the author:

* the Caretaker, 

* the Guilt Sponge, 

* the Juggler, 

* the Perfectionist, 

* the Pleaser, 

* and the Depleted Woman. 

Women can gain a better perception of self as they recognize themselves in these nuggets of advice.

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I desperately needed something a little lighter and filled with humor.

This book caught my eye--it also fulfills my need to learn to let go of stress.

And while it was written a little while ago, I feel that it is needed even more today.

I am learning a lot and getting in a little laughter therapy along the way.

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BOOK 7 - SUSPECT by Clair M. Poulson

Started 21 June - Set aside 27 June

Click the picture to get the audiobook FREE with PLUS

Detective Royce Fleming has dealt with the worst of the worst in his small Utah town. But even after years of dealing with criminals, he's shaken when a battered young woman enters his office. The victim of ruthless domestic abuse, Ellerie Pearson finally has the courage to share her painful secret history with the kind officer. For Royce, this information is just another piece in the puzzle he's working to solve—because unbeknownst to Ellerie, her husband's body has just been found. And she's the prime suspect in his murder.

As he delves into the mystery surrounding Darien Pearson's death, Royce is inundated with suspects. Darien's calculated cruelty left him with no shortage of enemies, and Ellerie's involvement seems less likely by the day. But when his own past makes an unwelcome return, Royce finds himself torn between duty and the possibility that he may lose everything.

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I LOVE Clair M. Poulson and I will definitely come back to this one, but for now my brain just cannot handle an audiobook. I am taking online classes, focusing on my family history, and playing with the grandkids. When I read--I need to read, not listen, in order to stay with it. Otherwise my mind wanders too much. It is just where I am right now.

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BOOK 6 - CONVICTION by Robbin J. Peterson

Started 16 June - Set aside 21 June

Click the picture to get the audiobook FREE with PLUS

After a rocky start as a missionary in Ukraine, Elder Neal Christensen is struggling to learn the Russian language and embrace an unfamiliar life away from his small Northern California town. And in an instant, a peculiar encounter with the wrong people changes everything. Dragged from his apartment in the dead of night, Neal is taken to prison and charged with the theft of a priceless museum piece. As days turn into weeks, he is thrown into a world of uncertainty where he must rely on the only person he can trust—the Savior. And as his Russian slowly improves within the prison walls, he begins preaching the gospel in the last place he imagined proselytizing. But when civil unrest erupts in Ukraine, the now-familiar routine of imprisonment is over. Neal is trapped in the chaos, and with his life on the line, his only hope of survival is escape. Yet he learns too late that there is as much danger awaiting him outside the prison walls as within. 

Someone has gone to great lengths to incriminate the young missionary, and they will stop at nothing to silence him forever.

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I am having a hard time getting into this one. It is good-- I was just hoping for something with more suspense and more action. I am only a 1/4 of the way through so maybe it does become more suspenseful and action-packed. However, I am setting it aside for now.

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BOOK 5 - LOVING LIEUTENANT LANCASTER by Sarah M. Eden

Audiobook is FREE with PLUS

Started 10 June - Finished 16 June

Click the picture to get the audiobook FREE with PLUS

Orphaned as a child, Arabella Hampton was the unwanted and unloved charge of a cruel aunt and neglectful uncle. The only light in her young life was the kindness of the Jonquil family, and she clung to the childish dream of someday living with them at Lampton Park. Now, years later, that opportunity is presented to Arabella in a most unexpected way: she is to be the lady’s companion to the dowager countess. As she takes up residence at the estate, the young woman soon finds that life at the Park is far more complicated than she imagined. The lines of her position are blurred, and she is neither family nor servant. So when the countess plans a grand house party, Arabella is content to hide in the shadows. But one gentleman sees her there.

Lieutenant Linus Lancaster has retired from the navy and is not looking for love, especially when he finds himself entangled in his sisters’ scheme to trap him into finding a wife at a house party at Lampton Park. Yet amid the festivities, he’s impossibly drawn to the dowager’s quiet companion, Arabella. Their regard for each other is undeniable, but they are haunted by their pasts. Can the two find a way to bridge their worlds?

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A wonderfully tender book!

I highly recommend anything Sarah M. Eden writes.

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BOOK 4 - MISS WILTON'S WALTZ by Josi S. Kilpack

Audiobook is FREE with PLUS

Started 4 June - Finished 10 June

Click the picture to get the audiobook FREE with PLUS

Lenora Wilton has spent her life hiding behind the keys of her beloved pianoforte and the vibrancy of her younger sister, Cassie. But Lenora is ready for a change and travels to Bath to live with her Aunt Gwen and teach music at an all-girls boarding school. She is different in Bath more comfortable with herself and enjoys the freedom and independence of her new life there. When Lenora meets Aiden Asher, she finds herself attracted to him, but her unexpected feelings become more complicated when she learns that Catherine Lenora s newest and most troublesome student in the school is Mr. Asher's niece. Catherine is a difficult student, and Lenora works hard to make progress with the girl.

When the chemistry between Lenora and Aiden increases, they share a passionate kiss by the River Avon, and Lenora feels it is the beginning of a new forever until she learns that Aiden has withheld an important detail about his life that changes everything.

Lenora closes her heart to him, and Aiden, caught between his obligation and his heart, must do what he can to make amends. And Lenora, after years of hiding from everyone and everything, faces a decision only she can make.

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What a FABULOUS book!

Absolutely loved the story line.

I highly recommend this one!

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BOOK 3 - BE OF GOOD CHEER by Hank Smith

Audiobook is FREE with PLUS

Started 4 June - Finished 4 June

Click the picture to the audiobook FREE with PLUS

In his latest talk, Hank Smith shares a warm message of hope amidst the adversities of life. As always, Hank uses humor, teachings from the scriptures, and tender stories from his own life to make his point. He says that one of the best ways to be of good cheer when nothing seems to go right is to learn to laugh. Quoting from a study on the subject, Brother Smith says: "Laughing lowers your blood pressure, it reduces your stress hormone levels, it raises the level of infection-fighting antibodies, it lowers your blood sugar, it improves your memory, and triggers the release of endorphins. It will extend your life and make the lives of all around you more enjoyable." The good news is, Hank's message will make you laugh as it helps you keep the commandment to "Be of good cheer."

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While this is technically not a book-- I love that with PLUS I get FREE access to many "talks." I so needed to hear this talk today. It was funny, uplifting, and a great reminder to "be of good cheer" no matter what is going on in your life right now. Hank Smith is a FANTASTIC speaker.

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BOOK 2 - UNDERCURRENTS by Traci Hunter Abramson

eBook and/or Audiobook is FREE with PLUS (I am reading the ebook)

Started 2 June - Finished 3 June

Click the picture -  audiobook and/or ebook is FREE on PLUS

Shaye Kendall, an Olympic-bound swimmer, has been in the witness protection program ever since she witnessed her boyfriend's murder. She now has a new name, a new life, and strict orders not to reveal her secret.

But fitting into a community is hard when you can't tell people anything about yourself. When she learns that one of her new friends, Matt Whitmore, is LDS, she can't even tell him that she's a Mormon too. She doesn't dare get involved. The fact that Matt's father is a high-profile senator could give her the kind of exposure she doesn't need. How can you fall in love when you can never reveal who you really are?

But when someone almost takes her life, Shaye recognizes that whoever is after her knows exactly who and where she is. Can she trust Matt to help her? Can she trust his family?

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I have read all of Traci's Saint Squad series, but have never taken the time to read this series-- WOW! I could not put it down! What an amazing story!
Can't wait to "dive" into the others.

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BOOK 1 - CHEERS TO ETERNITY by Al and Ben Carraway
Audiobook is FREE with PLUS and is read by the authors

Started 1 June - Finished 2 June

Click the picture to get the audiobook FREE on PLUS

Author of the bestseller More than the Tattooed Mormon, Al Carraway and her husband, Ben, remind you that marriage isn't supposed to be "serious and hard." A successful marriage is one that you build as a team—emphasizing constant communication, working through hard times together, and (above all) remembering to put God first.

Written for singles, newlyweds, and marriage veterans, Cheers to Eternity will help you bring new insights into your relationships, keep life in perspective, and make the rest of your life here and in eternity exciting, amazing and meaningful.

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I absolutely LOVED this book! Be sure to get the audiobook as it is so fun to hear Al and Ben interact with each other as they tell you their background stories and all the lessons they have learned. I can testify to all the things they teach-- my husband and I have been married for 36 years and we practice all of the things they teach about -- but even so -- this book helped us remember where our focus should be as we plan to be together for eternity.

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You post the books you read from PLUS in the comments

Audiobooks count too - Get suggestions for book titles here

Let the page turning begin :)