May's Book of the Month

Hello Everyone! I chose the picture posted above because it reminds me of reading to my daughter Mareena when she was little. Every afternoon until she was about eight or nine years old, we would take one of her books that she wanted to read or that she was reading and we would curl up together on my big bed. 

We would spend an hour or so reading a chapter of her book, and then take a nap together. Her absolutely favorite author at that time was an English author named Enid Blyton. Ahh, nice memories...

My picks for 'Books of the Month' will be decidedly more adult these days, but they will be from almost any genre. May's Book of the Month is: 

The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense by Judith Guest

Published as: The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense in June 2004

Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons

Birth Name: Judith Guest

Born: 29 March 1936 in Detroit, Michigan

Canonical Name: Judith Guest

Pseudonyms: None

The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense by Judith Guest was the thirtieth book that I read in 2010. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since December 16, 2009 and it took me four days to read. I sent this book off to another good home on November 18, 2011.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Joe McGinniss - Fatal Vision

34. Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss (1983)
Length: 664 pages
Genre: True Crime
Started: 18 May 2010
Finished: 30 May 2010
Where did it come from? My friend Noeleen is getting married soon and needs to purge some of her books before she moves in with her new husband.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 April 2010
Why do I have it? I like true crime and have always been curious about the Jeffrey MacDonald case.

This book covers the trial of Jeffrey MacDonald, accused of the 1979 murder of his wife and two daughters. This was an incredibly sad case and a sad book. I give the story an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

J. G. Passarella - Wither

33. Wither by J. G. Passarella (1999)
Wendy Ward Series Book 1
Length: 438 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 14 May 2010
Finished: 17 May 2010
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 March 2009
Why do I have it? I like horror and J. G. Passarella is a new author for me.

This novel revolves around the college town of Windale, Massachusetts and the effect that a dark witches' coven has on the town. Now, three people who don't know each other are having the same nightmare of a dark demonic creature intent on breaking into the real world. I really liked this book and give it an A! It's fast-paced and scary.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Rosamunde Pilcher - Under Gemini

32. Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher (1976)
Length: 297 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 8 May 2010
Finished: 13 May 2010
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 8 May 2010
Why do I have it? I like Rosamunde Pilcher as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.


Flora and Rose are identical twins who have never met. Rose has been raised by a frivilous mother to be part of the international jet set and Flora has spent her childhood with her father in a quiet cottage. Then, one day, the twins meet. I loved this book and give it an A!


A! - (90-95%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

It's my First Blogiversary!

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all having a wonderful day for yourselves! :) Yes, today is my First Blogiversary! I can't believe that I have been blogging for exactly one year already! Party hats and noise makers for everyone! :)

I checked on an anniversary website and discovered that the traditional gift to celebrate a first anniversary together is to give your partner Paper. The more modern gifts to give your loved one are Clocks  The first anniversary gemstones can either be gold, pearl or peridot, the anniversary color is gold or yellow and the flowers that you usually give your partner on your first anniversary together are Orange Blossoms or Pansies.
   

The Orange Blossom stands for purity, innocence, eternal love, marriage and fruitfulness, and fertility. It is used in perfume making, has been written about as an aphrodisiac and is the state flower of Florida. Orange Blossoms are traditionally associated with good fortune and have been used in bridal bouquets and head wreaths for weddings.

The Pansy stands for thought or remembrance and actually comes from the French word pensee. The flower is so named because it resembles a human face nodding deep in thought. Pansies have been featured strongly in literature and the visual arts: William Shakespeare mentions the pansy in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet, and poets such as William Wordsworth and and Edmund Spenser have referenced the pansy in many of their works.  

I'm currently reading Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher who, early in her career, wrote under the pseudonym Jane Fraser. Rosamunde Pilcher was born Rosamunde Scott on 22 September 1924 in Lelant, Cornwall. She married Graham Hope Pilcher on December 7, 1946, and they moved to Dundee, Scotland, where she still lives today. She retired from writing in 2000, although her son, Robin Pilcher is also a successful novelist.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Hillary Waugh - Sleep Long, my Love

31. Sleep Long, my Love by Hillary Waugh (1959)
Fred Fellows Series Book 1
Length: 226 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 3 May 2010
Finished: 7 May 2010
Where did it come from? It came as the second Hillary Waugh book in a package that I bought over the Internet from Augustine Funnell Books in Canada.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 March 2010
Why do I have it? I had read and enjoyed The Shadow Guest by the same author in the past.


A deserted house, the pathetic torso of an unknown woman . . . and no suspects. This is the the second Hillary Waugh book that I've read, and while it wasn't like The Shadow Guest, it was still very good. I give it an A!


A! - (90-95%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Judith Guest - The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense

30. The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense by Judith Guest (2004)
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 28 April 2010
Finished: 2 May 2010
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 December 2009
Why do I have it? I like Judith Guest as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Loosely based on the 1968 murder of a family of six where the killer closed the drapes, locked the doors and just walked away, the community of Blessed, Michigan is shattered by the murder of the Norbois family. The questions and secrets swirl around this case and the clues and revelations come thick and fast for the police. I liked this book very much and give it an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for April 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 April with 651 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 645 books unread. All books this month came from Bookmooch and Paperback Swap.

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 :))
- Another View by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Down by the Water by Caroline Upcher
- Voices in Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher
- A Very Private Woman: The Life and Unsolved Murder of Presidential Mistress Mary Meyer by Nina Burleigh
- A Case of Need by Michael Crichton
- Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- The Day of the Storm by Rosamunde Pilcher
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- Hidden Jewel by V. C. Andrews
- Honor Among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer
- Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
- How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan
- Flowers in the Rain and Other Stories by Rosamunde Pilcher
- The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward
- All I Could Get by Scott Lasser
- Never Let Them See You Cry by Edna Buchanan
- The Desert Crop by Catherine Cookson
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- Chocolate For a Woman's Soul: 77 Stories to Feed Your Spirit and Warm Your Heart by Kay Allenbaugh
- Unanswered Cries: A True Story of Friends, Neighbors and Murder in a Small Town by Thomas French
- The Children of Abraham by Marek Halter
- Looking For Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker
- A Very Private Woman: The Life and Unsolved Murder of Presidential Mistress Mary Meyer by Nina Burleigh
- The Times of my Life by Betty Ford
- Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell by Jack Olsen

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

Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 1,934
Grade Range: A+! to B+!


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