Norah Lofts - The Lonely Furrow

40. The Lonely Furrow by Norah Lofts (1977)
The Sir Godfrey Tallboys Trilogy Book 3
Length: 308 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 23 July 2011
Finished: 28 July 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 July 2011
Why do I have it? I like Norah Lofts as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

This is the third book of the Godfrey Tallboys trilogy, focusing on Sir Godfrey's and his lady's children - specifically Henry Tallboys, who, as the son of a knight,  has chosen to become a farmer. I did like this book, but this was the end of the trilogy and as such, focused quite a bit on the earlier books. I give it an A!


A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Ira Levin - Rosemary's Baby

39. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (1967)
The Rosemary Series Book 1
Length: 245 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 19 July 2011
Finished: 22 July 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 July 2011
Why do I have it? I like horror and Ira Levin is a new author for me.

Newlyweds Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are absolutely delighted to be starting their new life together. They are so in love with each other, and have such hope for their future. The only issue which could possibly present any problems for such a loving couple is their desire to have a family: Rosemary has always wanted to be a mother, while Guy - a struggling actor - wants to wait until he is more established to have children.

Having recently moved to New York City, Rosemary and Guy are in the process of finding a place to live when an apartment suddenly becomes available in the exclusive building known as 'The Bramford'. Yet, despite hearing disturbing rumors of witchcraft and murder that are a part of the Bramford's turbulent history, the couple is heedless of such dire warnings and eagerly moves into the charming four-room apartment. All the residents of the Bramford are so warm and welcoming to them, that Rosemary is certain she and Guy will be happy living there. And, indeed, they are: Guy is soaring to prominence as a thespian, and Rosemary is ecstatic to learn that she is pregnant...

The couple who have perhaps been the most welcoming to them are Roman and Minnie Castevet: the elderly and eccentric husband and wife living across the hall. Although she secretly finds them both a tad strange and rather meddlesome, Rosemary can tell that Guy likes them...very much. So, she tries not to mind when he begins to spend an inordinate amount of time visiting with the Castevets...alone.

I must say that I absolutely loved reading this book. I found that this story was excellently crafted; the plot was a believable mixture of the realistic and the fantastic, in my opinion. The characters seemed to me to be quite ordinary people, and I think that is exactly what makes the story so frightening to read. I would give this book a definite A+! In this case the book is so much better than the movie.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Stephen B. Seager, M. D. - Breathe, Little Boy, Breathe!: An Emergency Room Doctor's Story

38. Breathe, Little Boy, Breathe!: An Emergency Room Doctor's Story by Stephen B. Seager, M. D. (1981)
Length: 195 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 14 July 2011
Finished: 18 July 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 14 July 2011
Why do I have it? I had read and enjoyed Psychward by the same author.

This is the story of Dr. Seager's time as an emergency room doctor. It has funny and touching moments in it. I enjoyed this book very much, although I can see how others might not. It is very simple writing. I give this book an A! and look forward to his next book.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Belva Plain - Harvest

37. Harvest by Belva Plain (1990)
The Werner Family Saga Book 4
Length: 409 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 6 July 2011
Finished: 11 July 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2011
Why do I have it? I like Belva Plain as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Iris and Theo Stern seem to have it all: a secure marriage, four lovely children and a beautiful house. But one outsider, Paul Werner, knew the secret that lay buried in the heart of the Sterns' happiness - a secret that could destroy everything. I enjoyed this book and give it an A+!


A+! - (96-100%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Philippa Carr - The Miracle at St. Bruno's

36. The Miracle at St. Bruno's by Philippa Carr (1972)
The Daughters of England Series Book 1
Length: 381 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 1 July 2011
Finished: 5 July 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2011
Why do I have it? I love historical fiction and Philippa Carr (or whichever pseudonym she uses) is one of my favorite authors.

"I was born in the September of 1523, nine months after the monks had discovered the child in the crib on that Christmas morning. My birth was, my father used to say, another miracle: He was not young at the time being forty years of age ... My mother, whose great pleasure was tending her gardens, called me Damask, after the rose which Dr. Linacre, the King's physician, had brought into England that year."

So begins the story narrated by Damask Farland, the daughter of an affluent lawyer whose considerable acreage adjoins the property of St. Bruno's Abbey. It is the story of a life inextricably enmeshed with that of Bruno - the mysterious child found in the abbey's creche on Christmas morning of 1522. So it was that Bruno came to be raised by the monks - becoming a man at once handsome and saintly, but also brooding and ominous, plagued by the secrets of his birth - secrets which slowly begin to encroach on the sanctuary of the majestic abbey that Bruno increasingly comes to dominate.

This is also the story of an engaging family, the Farlands, living during the reign of King Henry VIII. This is the story of a father wise enough to understand that his own happiness - as well as the happiness of his family - remained at the King's pleasure; a wife, twenty years his junior, and a daughter whose intelligence is constantly in conflict with the mesmerizing influence Bruno has over her and her destiny.    

While The Miracle at St. Bruno's is very much the story of Damask and Bruno, it is also the story of sixteenth-century England - an era of vicious corruption and deep tenderness, when periods of violent brutality follow a time of deep contentment, presided over by one of England's most fascinating monarchs, Henry VIII.

I must say that I enjoyed reading this book - as I do so many of Philippa Carr's books. I have always been interested in anything to do with Henry VIII, and found that Philippa Carr's writing was historically accurate. While I found the story to be a tad simplistic at times, I still enjoyed it very much. In my opinion, The Miracle at St. Bruno's by Philippa Carr definitely deserves an A!   

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Patrick Blindauer and Frank Longo - Crosswordoku

35. Crosswordoku by Patrick Blindauer and Frank Longo (2008)
Length: 128 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 2 May 2011
Finished: 2 July 2011
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 May 2011
Why do I have it? I am a crossword and sudoku puzzle fanatic and had no idea that my addiction could be combined! :)

In an effort to keep my mind sharp, I am always doing either sudoku puzzles or crossword puzzles. This is actually the first time that I've been able to solve both types of puzzles together all in one book.

I received this book from a used book swapping site and only one puzzle had been solved by the previous owner. I solved the remaining puzzles in about two months. I give this book an A+! and will certainly be looking for more of these types of puzzle books.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for June at Moonshine and Rosefire

 

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Rosefire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog. I originally posted my reviews over at my daughter's blog, Emeraldfire's Bookmark but am now in the process of transferring them all over to my own blog. My daughter makes blogging look like so much fun that I thought that I would try it out for myself! :)

Anyway, I started out June with 652 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 649 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from a library book sale we went to on the 1st to celebrate Mareena's birthday; I have bought books though the library book sale this month (50 cents for paperbacks, $1.00 for hardcovers. The money goes to help our library's upkeep and stocking some latest releases.) We generally try to go to the library once a month if we can.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile 


Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Sanctuary by Nora Roberts
- The Attorney by Steve Martini
- Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Harvest by Belva Plain
- The Miracle at St. Bruno's by Philippa Carr


Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Fiction 100: An Anthology of Short Stories by James H. Pickering
- Resistance by Anita Shreve

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 1,479
Grade Range: A! to B+!

So, there you go! The reading month that was June. I hope that you all had an equally good reading month; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight