June'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. June's Book of the Month is: 

Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman

Published as: Retribution in January 2004

Publisher: Putnam Adult

Birth Name: Jilliane P. Hoffman

Born: in Long Island, New York

Canonical Name: Jilliane Hoffman

Pseudonyms: None

Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman was the thirty-fourth book that I read in 2011. I originally picked up a copy of this book for myself from the local library's perpetual book sale that Mareena and I went to on June 1, 2011. This book took me ten days to read and it is currently on several book swapping sites waiting to go to another good home.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jilliane Hoffman - Retribution

34. Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman (2004)
C. J. Townsend Series Book 1
Length: 420 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 20 June 2011
Finished: 30 June 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 enjoy contemporary mysteries and Jilliane Hoffman is a new author for me.

C. J. Townsend is a brilliant state prosecutor known for keeping her cool even when trying the most horrific cases. The current murderer is as base as they come - a vicious killer who savors cruelty and considers murder an art form. Amid a maelstrom of media coverage, C. J. builds her case until she is struck with a shattering blow from her past. Now, everything rides on her ability to hold herself together long enough to put the criminal behind bars forever.

I enjoyed this story even though it was a little farfetched toward the end. I give it an A!


A! - (90-95%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Steve Martini - The Attorney

33. The Attorney by Steve Martini (1999)
Paul Madriani Series Book 5
Length: 611 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 5 June 2011
Finished: 12 June 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 enjoy contemporary mysteries and Steve Martini is a new author for me.


Attorney Paul Madriani moves to San Diego to be closer to child advocate Susan McKay. He's barely in town, when a man comes to him with a case; find his missing granddaughter. Paul will be dragged into a case that will shake his very foundations. I enjoyed the story, however it did drag in places I thought. I give the book a B+!


B+! - (89-85%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Nora Roberts - Sanctuary

32. Sanctuary by Nora Roberts (1996)
Length: 448 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 1 June 2011
Finished: 4 June 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 do like contemporary mysteries and Nora Roberts is a new author for me.

Jo Ellen is a photographer who sees a photograph of her mother - young, beautiful, naked and unmistakably dead. She suffers a breakdown and goes home to Sanctuary Inn, the bed and breakfast run by her brother and sister. While there, she tries to reconnect with her brother, Brian, and sister, Lexy. Twenty years ago, the siblings' mother went missing, shattering the entire family. When Jo Ellen comes back from the hospital, the picture is missing and while at Sanctuary she meets Nathan who has secrets which might have lured a killer to Sanctuary.

I enjoyed this book - the mystery was engrossing, however I don't really like straight romance all that much. I view Nora Roberts as a romance writer primarily, and this was my first Nora Roberts novel. Overall, I enjoyed the mystery, but I felt the romance was too coincidental. I give this book a B+!


B+! - (89-85%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for May 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 May with 652 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 648 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads
- Firebird by Janice Graham

Changes to the TBR pile 


Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Body Surfing by Anita Shreve
- Resistance by Anita Shreve
- Faithless by Karin Slaughter


Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Ghost Island by Jan O'Donnell Klaveness
- Crosswordoku by Patrick Blindauer
- Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
- Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope by Jenna Bush


Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- The Visitor by Jere Cunningham
- The Magic Cottage by James Herbert
- Billy by Whitley Strieber
- The Forbidden Zone by Whitley Strieber
- Gone to Her Death by Jill McGown
- The Coffin Tree by Gwendoline Butler
- Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town by Mary Kinney Branson and Jack Branson
- Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin
- Heloise's Kitchen Hints by Heloise

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

Books Read: 4
Pages Read: 1,452
Grade Range: A+! to B!

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