November'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. November's Book of the Month is: 

Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy

Published as: Light a Penny Candle in January 1982

Publisher: Arrow Books

Birth Name: Anne Maeve Binchy

Born: 28 May 1939 in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland

Canonical Name: Maeve Binchy

Pseudonyms: None

Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy was the fifty-third book that I read in 2011. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since May 1, 2009 although I finally read it in November of 2011. It took me three days to read this book, which was actually a reread for me from about a decade ago. This book is definitely a keeper for me!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jean Plaidy - The Spanish Bridegroom

58. The Spanish Bridegroom by Jean Plaidy (1954)
The  Tudor Saga Book 10
Length: 338 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 28 November 2011
Finished: 30 November 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 27 August 2011
Why do I have it? I love Jean Plaidy as an author and have several books by this author on my bookshelf.

To restore the might of Spain and to bring wayward England back into the arms of the Catholic Church, young Phillip II agrees to marry Mary Tudor. Set in the 16th century amidst the brutal Inquisition of Spain and the tortured England of Bloody Mary, this story traces the life of Phillip II and the intertwined lives of the women who came to know this brutal tyrant as a loving husband and father. I truly enjoyed this story. It's an excellent storyline and I give it an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

William Peter Blatty - Legion

57. Legion by William Peter Blatty (1983)
The Exorcist Series Book 2
Length: 269 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 26 November 2011
Finished: 28 November 2011
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 26 November 2011
Why do I have it? I had read The Exorcist years ago by the same author and jumped for joy when Mareena got another book by William Peter Blatty for me.

When a young boy is found brutally murdered in a mock crucifixion, there are four totally unlikely suspects. Was it the elderly woman who witnessed the crime? A neurologist who can no longer bear the pain life inflicts on his patients? A psychiatrist with a macabre sense of humor and a guilty secret, or a mysterious mental patient, locked in silent isolation?

Detective Kinderman follows a bewildering trail in a case that grows more mysterious with each subsequent murder. Why are two murder victims priests? Why does each victim suffer the same dreadful mutilations? Is there some connection with a series of equally gruesome murders which took place a dozen years earlier and supposedly ended with the death of the killer?

I have to say that I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I had seen the sequel to The Exorcist the movie version, which this book is based on. The second movie was absolutely terrible, in my opinion, the third movie was alright for a first time watcher, but was not really able to hold up to a second watching.. That is sort of the same reaction that I had at the end of Legion, I was certainly glad that I read it, but I don't think that I will read it again. I give this book a B!


B! - (80-88%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Annie Greene - Bright River Trilogy

56. Bright River Trilogy by Annie Greene (1985)
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 24 November 2011
Finished: 26 November 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 27 August 2011
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Annie Greene looked like a new author to me.

This story is a love story of a fashion. It is about a young ne'er-do-well man named Darcy and his relationships with the three women in his life who try to love him. Darcy is a drunk and his mother is currently taking care of his son.

Jessie has recently broken up with her latest boyfriend -a shy, quiet poet. Jessie then turns her attention to the charming Darcy in order to start an affair which is bound to bring them both to tears. Ellen also has her eye on Darcy as well.

Mixed in with this plot is a lot of Gothic melodrama: murder, mayhem and mystery; that sort of thing. I liked this story, but this is actually the second time that I read it. I had read it years ago and forgotten most of the plot.. It lost a little of its charm the second time around for me.

However, Bright River Trilogy was still a very good book and it was a fast read for me. I gave it an A!


A! - (90-95%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Maeve Binchy - The Return Journey

55. The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy (1998)
Length: 225 pages
Genre: Short Story
Started/Finished: 23 November 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 27 August 2011
Why do I have it? I love Maeve Binchy as an author and I have read several books by this author in the past.

This is a collection of short stories in which Maeve Binchy introduces us to sons, brothers, fathers, mothers, sisters and lovers. She looks at the relationships and the affect of love on her characters. I have to say that although I usually love Maeve Binchy as an author and am definitely willing to give anything she has written a fighting chance to take me away; I found this particular book lacking in parts.

I had read this book before several years ago and of course had forgotten what it was like. I will definitely still read Maeve Binchy again but, in my opinion, this was a weak book. I give it a C!

C! - (70-75%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anita Shreve - Where or When

54. Where or When by Anita Shreve (1993)
Length: 252 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 21 November 2011
Finished: 22 November 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 27 August 2011
Why do I have it? I like Anita Shreve as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

When Sian receives a love letter from an old flame, she is extremely flattered. However, what starts out as a friendly meeting to reacquaint themselves with each other soon descends into a fiery, volatile affair that rockets into a dark and dangerous obsession. I loved this book and give it an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Maeve Binchy - Light a Penny Candle

53. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy (1982)
Length 522 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 17 November 2011
Finished: 20 November 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 May 2009
Why do I have it? I love Maeve Binchy as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.


As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn home in England to the Irish countryside and the town of Kilgarret. There she met the charming Aisling O'Connor and Aisling's bustling and rather large family. The two girls struck up a firm and fast friendship - one which carried them each through the darkest times of their lives.

Elizabeth had to deal with the breakup of her parents chilly marriage and Elizabeth was there for Aisling all through her marriage to a raging alcoholic. They always believe that they can overcome anything as long as their friendship lasts. They are about to test that theory.

I really enjoyed this book and it is not only a 5 but a 5,000! I give it an A+!


A+! -(96-100%)



Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Belva Plain - Whispers

Re-read. Whispers by Belva Plain (1993)
Length: 475 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Originally Read: 1 September 2010
Re-read Finished: 16 November 2011
Where did it come from? Originally from Bookmooch. It was put on my shelf as a book by one of my favorite authors.

I had already read this book and loved it and when Mareena's computer went down both she and I went through a reading slump. This is the first book that I've reread so far for a new post on the blog. It was a great book.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Maeve Binchy - Aches and Pains

51. Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy (1999)

Length: 96 pages

Genre: Non-Fiction

Started: 6 November 2011

Finished: 8 November 2011

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 October 2011
Why do I have it? I love Maeve Binchy as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

This is a short book which tries too hard to be humorous. The author writes little hints and tricks about what to do when going into hospital. I generally like Maeve Binchy as an an author, however I wouldn't say this is her best book. I give it a C!


C! - (70-75%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bernard Taylor - Sweetheart, Sweetheart

50. Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor (1977)
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 28 October 2011
Finished: 5 November 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 April 2009
Why do I have it? I had read and enjoyed The Godsend by the same author several years ago.

David and Colin are twins. When Colin and his fiancee die at a peaceful cottage in the English countryside, David goes to investigate. As David gets closer to what happened, he is drawn into the madness and murder that claimed Colin's life. When an attempt is made on David's fiancee's life, the essence of betrayal is awakened in the cottage. I enjoyed this book and give it an A! because I enjoy supernatural storylines.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for October at Moonshine and Rosefire

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. Hopefully, much better than I did. I don't know what it was but I think I went through a reading slump this month. 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 the month with 649 books lying around the house and ended the month with 648 books unread. I only was able to read one book as a matter of fact, but that didn't stop the books from coming into the house. They were coming in faster than I could read. I put aside so many books that I had started to read but couldn't at the time for whatever reason. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch; I have bought no new books this month.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads:
- The Claw by Norah Lofts

Changes to the TBR pile: 


Added to my TBR pile: (They're coming! They're coming!)
- Devil's Eye by Al Ruksenas
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home: (Fly, my babies! :))
- The King of Lies by John Hart
- The Fallen by Jefferson Parker
- Sleep Long, my Love by Hillary Waugh
- The Last Cheerleader by Meg O'Brien
- The Fourth Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders
- The Wingless Bird by Catherine Cookson

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, not a great reading month for me. Although, six books sent out of the house is wonderful! Here is a further breakdown:

Books Read: 1
Pages Read: 186
Grade Range: A+!

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