Bentley Little - The Haunted

99. The Haunted by Bentley Little (2012)
Length: 389 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 10 October 2014
Finished: 13 October 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 October 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

The historic district of Jardine, New Mexico seems like the perfect place to live for the Perry family. Julian and Claire Perry and their two children, Megan and James, have just recently moved into a beautiful Victorian house which is bigger and much, much nicer than their old house. They are ecstatic to be living in the house, but something isn't right...Something is definitely odd.

The neighbors seem reluctant to visit. They seem so strange and somewhat standoffish towards the Perry family, although not actually hostile toward them. Claire just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Teenage Megan receives increasingly menacing and obscene texts, and she inexplicably starts to carry out the titillating commands of an unseen presence. Ten-year-old James has a sudden onslaught of dreadfully bizarre nightmares and unsettling, ghostly visions.

Then there is the strangely sickening odor emanating from a specific corner of the basement. It smelled very strongly of soil, but there was absolutely nothing in the basement that could cause such a peculiar smell - at least nothing visible. It's a pity no one warned the family about the house; someone really should have. Now it's much too late. Because the darkness at the bottom of the basement stairs is rising...and there will be no escape.

I really enjoyed this book. In my opinion, it was a wonderfully creepy mix of an understated, almost mundane life being haunted by an inexplicably horrific supernatural presence. I appreciated that the horror in this story was well-maintained right until the end. 

I find that so often the horror in some of the books that I've read either falls apart towards the end, or becomes entirely unbelievable; at least for me. I do love reading books about haunted houses, though. This is the third book by Bentley Little that I've read, and he is an author that I definitely want to read more from in the future. I give The Haunted by Bentley Little an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jetta Carleton - The Moonflower Vine: A Novel

98. The Moonflower Vine: A Novel by Jetta Carleton (1962)
Length: 318 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 7 October 2014
Finished: 10 October 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 5 November 2000
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Jetta Carleton is a new author for me.

In a novel which seems to be almost a radical departure for the subject that it covers, we meet the Soames family. They are a close-knit family who love and respect each other, and who have loyalty bred into their very bones. They also live in a time that seems to them to be a gift from God - in Missouri during the end of the nineteenth century and into the start of the twentieth century. It is a peaceful time that the Soames' live in, and they live life to its fullest; with a passion and delight which seems truly remarkable.

There are the parents, Matthew and Callie Soames, who had come to a Missouri farm as newlyweds. They leave the farm temporarily, and move to a nearby town where Matthew teaches for a time. The couple soon comes home again to their farm, to raise their family, and to live and love within their marriage. During their life together, Matthew and Callie alternately deceive each other, comfort each other, and even, in the end, come to understand each other.

There are the three daughters - Jessica, Leonie and Mary-Jo - who grow up loving their parents but wanting to escape from them. The women eventually do find their escape, each in her own way. And then there is the fourth daughter, Mathy, whose fate is the central family tragedy and whose life is the secret at the center of the novel. 

The Moonflower Vine is written with an honesty, strength, beauty and grace that is without a trace of false sentimentality. It portrays the struggles inherent to every human being, of coming to terms with one's true nature. But it is also a story of celebration, written about the quiet moments of joy - the moments of laughter, music, breakfast, weather and home - which are as much a part of life as violence and despair. 

This was Jetta Carleton's debut novel and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. In my opinion, this was a very interesting story, which accurately portrayed how hard life was in the nineteenth century and how difficult it was to make a living from the land. I give The Moonflower Vine: A Novel by Jetta Carleton an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)
        
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

James Patterson - Sam's Letters to Jennifer

97. Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson (2004)
Length: 263 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 6 October 2014
Finished: 7 October 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 6 October 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and had read and enjoyed The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King by the same author in the past. 

A desperate phone call sends Jennifer back to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to the resort village where she grew up, to care for her grandmother Samantha. While she was alone in her house, Sam suffered a terrible fall and is currently comatose in the hospital. Returning to the place where she had spent so many happy summers, Jennifer has no idea that she will soon experience not one but two of the most extraordinary love stories she could ever know.

The first is completely unexpected. In a series of letters that Jennifer discovers which are addressed to her, Sam reveals a huge secret that she has kept concealed for decades: Her greatest love is not the man she was married to for all those years. As Jennifer reads about this passionate partnership, she learns more about love's imperatives and secrets than she ever dreamed possible.

And then comes the biggest surprise of all. At a time when she thought she could never - and would never - experience love again, Jennifer lets her guard down. In that one unguarded moment, Jennifer is swept up in the greatest, most amazing, most exhilarating and emotional flight she's ever known. But, just as suddenly, she learns that this new love comes with an almost unbearable cost. Jennifer doesn't think she can survive the pain - but reading her grandmother's letters to her, Jennifer begins to believe that love may help her find a way. 

I haven't read that many books by James Patterson - only two so far - but I really am intrigued that he can write so well in such a variety of genres. I found this book to be absolutely delightful! It was emotionally poignant; a captivating love story - actually two separate love stories - beautifully intertwined. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)
   
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Robert James Waller - Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend: A Novel

96. Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend: A Novel by Robert James Waller (1993)
Length: 197 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 5 October 2014
Finished: 6 October 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Robert James Waller is a new author for me.

Michael Tillman wasn't a foolish young man, rushing off in pursuit of intangible dreams. He was a down-to-earth, middle-aged, maverick economics professor who still rode a motorcycle that he'd had since he was a teenager. He also never believed in love at first sight, or at least he hadn't until he laid eyes on her...the woman of his dreams.

Her name was Jellie Braden and she was the wife of one of Michael's colleagues, someone who he met at a university in Cedar Bend, Iowa. It was actually mutual attraction at first sight between Michael and the introspective, dark-haired wife of his new colleague. It called forth feelings that just wouldn't disappear.

From the very first instant he saw her, Michael had wanted Jellie with every fiber of his being. Something deep inside had whispered, "That's the one." And Jellie Braden, in her fortieth year, had heard that voice, too. 

Their feelings force these two people to come to terms with their lives in ways they hadn't imagined, and it led them both into the magical places only lovers know. But it also brought with it the pain of choices and loss. Jellie wasn't a free woman. She had secrets of her own to keep, and then one day Jellie mysteriously vanishes without an explanation.

So, a year after they met, Michael finds himself heading into the strange, exotic world of south India looking for her. He is a mature man, certain of what he wants; and he's determined to travel the world searching for Jellie to discover the secrets she was hiding and learn what he has to do to make her his...

Although this was Robert James Waller's second novel after the New York Times bestseller The Bridges of Madison County, it is the first book that I've read by this particular author. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The story was absolutely delightful in my opinion; the characters were incredibly well-developed and the story was poignant and heartwarming. I found myself really rooting for these characters, hoping that everything would work out well for them. I give this book an A+! and will certainly be looking for more from this author in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)
             
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Danielle Steel - The House on Hope Street

95. The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel (2000)  
Length: 295 pages  
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 2 October 2014
Finished: 4 October 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

During their eighteen years of marriage, Liz and Jack Sutherland had built a tremendous life together. A close-knit and loving family, a successful law practice, and a warm, happy home somewhere near San Francisco, in a house on Hope Street. The couple truly loved one another and were living the good life - life honestly couldn't be better for the Sutherland family.

However, on a bright, crisp Christmas morning, amid the laughter of children and the joy of the Season, tragedy strikes. In an instant, the peaceful life Liz Sutherland once knew is no more - and for Jack Sutherland a five-minute errand turns tragic. Suddenly Liz is alone, suffering in the wake of an unbearable loss.

She wonders how she can possibly go on living without her husband, her partner, the man she considered her best friend. How can she grieve herself, when she must be strong and console five devastated children, including one with special needs? Liz contemplates such painful questions, and is filled with despair.

As the months pass, Liz is strengthened by the love of her children. She eventually returns to work and slowly begins tending to her family again, becoming both mommy and "daddy" for her children. One by one the holidays come and go, until a devastating accident sends her oldest son to the hospital - and brings Dr. Bill Webster into her life. Bill becomes a friend to Liz as he slowly heals her shattered son.

As the long, lazy days of summer blend into autumn, a blossoming relationship offers new hope. So, with the first anniversary of Jack's death approaching, bringing with it another Christmas to the house on Hope Street - Liz reflects on life's little blessings; blessings that give strength when nothing else is left. However, Liz must face one more crisis before she can look back at a year of mourning and change - and ahead to the beginning of a new life in the house on Hope Street.

The House on Hope Street is about learning to live again after you think life is over. It is about cherishing the small miracles in life, and believing in the big ones. And it is, above all, about hope.

This was a very enjoyable story; and an easy, quick read for me. I found that the story was typically Danielle Steel - cresting from the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows in the space of a single plot line. While I found this story to be very well-written and interesting, it was slightly disconcerting for me to read about such flawless characters. I would give The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel a B+!

B+! - (89-85%)
            
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Debbie Macomber - A Good Yarn

94. A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber (2005)
The Blossom Street Series Book 2
Length: 345 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 30 September 2014
Finished: 2 October 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

When we last left Lydia Hoffman, she had just opened her knitting shop - A Good Yarn - on Blossom Street in downtown Seattle. This was her way of celebrating her cancer remission and she offered various knitting classes to those who wanted to learn such a skill. Well, in the year since A Good Yarn first opened, the little shop has thrived - and so has Lydia. This is due in no small part to Lydia's deep friendships with her first three students - Jacqueline Donovan, Carol Girard and Alix Townsend - and her close relationship with Brad Goetz.  

But when Brad's ex-wife suddenly reappears in his life, Lydia is not really sure what to do. She only knows that she loves Brad's son, Cody, very much and that she's beginning to fall in love with his father as well. Lydia is suddenly terribly afraid and unable to fully trust her new found happiness.

Elise Beaumont, a retired librarian, joins one of Lydia's popular knitting classes. Since losing her life savings, Elise has been living with her daughter, Aurora - the only positive legacy from her brief but tumultuous marriage to professional gambler, Marvin 'Maverick' Beaumont. Now she learns that her onetime husband plans to visit, and that Aurora wants a relationship with her father, regardless of Elise's feelings about him or the present situation.

Bethanne Hamlin, like Elise, is facing the fallout from a divorce. However her husband, Grant, left her for another woman - not a deck of cards - and she's still struggling to rebuild and completely reshape her life. She joins the knitting class at her children's urging; determined that this will be her first step in her effort to recover a sense of dignity and hope. Then Bethanne starts her own small business and also meets a man with whom she has something remarkably surprising in common!  

Courtney Pulanski is a seriously depressed and overweight teenager. Since her mother's death, she has been staying with her grandmother Vera. Vera is doing her best, trying to help Courtney...help that takes the form of dragging her reluctant granddaughter around to swimming sessions at the local Seniors' Center - and to the knitting class at A Good Yarn. Like so many women, these four find companionship and comfort with each other and in the age-old craft of knitting. Who knew that knitting socks could completely change someone's life?   

I must say that I certainly enjoyed reading this book; the story was well-written and very poignant and sentimental. However, while the story was very good, and I'm glad to have read it; I will say that it was just the slightest bit too sugary sweet for my taste. I give A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber an A! I will definitely read more books in the Blossom Street Series - or perhaps another book by Debbie Macomber - at some point in the future, but I think that I will wait for a while.

A! - (90-95%)
      
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up For September 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 September with 987 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 976 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from a friend, Amazon, Bookmooch, Paperback Swap and an author.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Still Talking by Joan Rivers and Richard Meryman

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- The Taker by Alma Katsu
- The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy
- Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber
- Hush by Nancy Bush
- Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel by Nancy Thayer
- Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick
- Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
- Blood in the Water: An Alice Rice Mystery by Gillian Galbraith
- Suddenly by Barbara Delinsky
- Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell
- Born to Die by Lisa Jackson
- Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter
- Cold Dawn by Carla Neggers
- Broken by Karin Slaughter
- Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
- Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper
- The Closers by Michael Connelly
- Double Cross by James Patterson
- Echo Park by Michael Connelly
- Envy by Sandra Brown
- Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag
- Faithless by Karin Slaughter
- Entombed by Linda Fairstein
- Final Scream by Lisa Jackson
- Fractured by Karin Slaughter
- From the Corner of His Eye by Dean R. Koontz
- The Last Juror by John Grisham
- Left to Die by Lisa Jackson
- Marker by Robin Cook
- Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
- No One Left to Tell by Jordan Dane
- More Than Courage by Harold Coyle
- Most Likely to Die by Beverly Barton, Wendy Corsi Staub and Lisa Jackson
- Queen of the Night by J. A. Jance
- Nighttime is my Time by Mary Higgins Clark
- The Short Prose Reader by Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener
- Play Dirty by Sandra Brown
- The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen
- Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
- Snow in April by Pete Hamill
- Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
- Third Degree by Greg Iles
- Quicksand by Iris Johansen
- Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
- Ricochet by Sandra Brown
- Undone by Karin Slaughter
- River's End by Nora Roberts
- Skeleton Canyon by J. A. Jance
- Still Waters by Tami Hoag
- Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner
- True Evil: A Novel by Greg Iles
- Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark
- We'll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark
- Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark
- Hope: A Loss Survived by Richard Meryman
- Kramer Versus Kramer by Avery Corman
- Broken Promises, Mended Dreams by Richard Meryman
- A Scaly Tale by Ripley's Believe it or Not!
- Dark Digital Sky by Carac Allison
- The Knitting Diaries: The Twenty-First Wish/Coming Unraveled/Return to Summer Island by Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery and Christina Skye
- The Empty Robe: The Story of the Disappearance of Judge Crater by Stella Wheeler Crater and Oscar Fraley
- The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
- Knitting: A Novel by Anne Bartlett
- Traditional Knitting by Amy Carroll
- The Monster of Florence: A True Story by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi
- The Legacy: A Novel by Katherine Webb

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :)) 
- The Forbidden Zone by Whitley Strieber
- The End of Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher
- The House of Stairs by Barbara Vine
- Sights Unseen by Kaye Gibbons
- The Heresy of Dr. Dee by Phil Rickman
- When Satan Wore a Cross: The Shocking True Story of a Killer Priest by Fred Rosen
- The Search by Iris Johansen
- I'll be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark
- The Night Crew by John Sandford
- While my Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark
- The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman
- Mitigating Circumstances by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
- Dark Lady by Richard North Patterson
- The Ambush Murders by Ben Bradlee
- Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark
- Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice
- The House of Conflict by Iris Bromige
- Silent Victim by C. E. Lawrence
- Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell
- Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
- Justice Denied by Robert K. Tannenbaum
- Material Witness by Robert K. Tannenbaum
- The Switch by Sandra Brown
- The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman 
- The Chamber by John Grisham  
- At Risk by Patricia Cornwell
- The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker
- Cold as Ice by Anne Stuart
- What Matters Most: A Novel by Luanne Rice
- The Beauty of Friendship by Kahlil Gibran
- Crows' Parliament by Jack Curtis
- Dark Summer by Iris Johansen 
- Hush by Nancy Bush 
- House of Smoke by J. F. Freedman
- Requiem For a Glass Heart by David L. Lindsey
- Pretend You Don't See Her by Mary Higgins Clark
- Move to Strike by Perri O'Shaughnessy
- Motion to Suppress by Perri O'Shaughnessy 
- The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice 

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

Books Read: 11
Pages Read: 3,939
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

So, there you go! The reading month that was September. 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