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

The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill

Published as: The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story in October 1983

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

Birth Name: Susan Elizabeth Hill

Born: 5 February 1942 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England

Canonical Name: Susan Hill

Pseudonyms: None

The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill was the eleventh book that I read in 2013. Mareena originally picked up a copy of this book for herself from our local library's perpetual book sale that we went to on February 2, 2013. I "persuaded" Mareena to let me read this book first after she told me that she had been looking for a physical copy of this book for about a year and a half, even though she bought an ebook copy about a year ago.

This book was the first book that I read after we returned from the library. It took me one day to read and then I happily passed it on to Mareena to read. It's a definite keeper for both of us! Now we are waiting to receive the DVD of The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe (minus the glasses!) to see how the book was interpreted. It should arrive in a week or so.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper: A Novel

17. My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult (2004)
Length: 500 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 23 February 2013
Finished: 27 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and had read and enjoyed Change of Heart by the same author. 

Anna Fitzgerald is the youngest of three children - conceived to be a bone marrow donor for her older sister, Kate - who from the age of two, has battled a rare form of leukemia. All her life, Anna has never questioned her role in the family as Kate's bone marrow match. By the age of thirteen, Anna has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions and shots so that Kate can somehow fight the leukemia and eventually achieve remission. Like most teenagers, Anna has begun to question who she really is - as her own person and as a valued member of her family. So, Anna makes a decision that for most would prove unthinkable, a decision that will surely tear her family apart and could prove to be potentially fatal for the sister she loves so dearly.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It took me a little while to get in to the plot, but once I did, I found My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult to be incredibly poignant. I think that I may have enjoyed this book just slightly more than Change of Heart, which was also extremely thought-provoking in its own right. I give My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult a definite A+! and am looking forward to reading my next book by this author sometime in the very near future.

A+! - (96-100%)   

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - Nethergate

16. Nethergate by Norah Lofts (1973)
Length: 278 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 16 February 2013
Finished: 21 February 2013
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 like Norah Lofts as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

To Isabella de Sevigny, an aristocratic refugee fleeing the French Reign of Terror, her cousin Rosaleen's magnificent English country estate promised sanctuary. But Nethergate soon became a prison to the high-spirited young woman. For its mistress, the cold-blooded and beautiful Lady Rosaleen, treated Isabella like a servant. When Isabella was seduced by Lady Rosaleen's son and discovered she was to have a child, Rosaleen devised a cunning and vicious plot to get rid of her. In her own way, and in her own time, Isabella eventually took her revenge.

I had actually read this book before many, many years ago - maybe about a decade ago. I had absolutely forgotten the plot of this book, even though I vaguely remembered reading it so long ago. So, it was, in a sense, it was like reading an entirely new book for me. This was perhaps not one of Norah Lofts' best books in my opinion, but I still give Nethergate by Norah Lofts an A+! and found it to be very good!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bill O'Reilly's 'Killing Lincoln' Movie Review

'Killing Lincoln': From left, Geraldine Hughes, Billy Campbell and Jesse Johnson (playing John Wilkes Booth) star in this docudrama on the National Geographic Channel, Sunday night at 8 PM, Eastern and Pacific times; 7 PM, Central Time.

So, back in October of 2012, I read Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard - here is my review of the ebook. Mareena had downloaded this ebook for me as an early Christmas present in 2011, although I didn't get a chance to read the book until October of 2012. While I did enjoy the book, and I picked it to be my Book of the Month for October, if truth be known, the book was incredibly over-hyped in my opinion, and didn't live up entirely to all the incredible press that it received. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard was still very good - I just thought that it was slightly less interesting than all the reviews made it out to be!

Tonight, from 8-10 PM on the National Geographic Channel, 'Killing Lincoln', a docudrama narrated by Tom Hanks, and starring Billy Campbell (as Abraham Lincoln) and Jesse Johnson (as John Wilkes Booth) will be broadcast. The film was produced by Tony Scott prior to his death in August of 2012, and his younger brother Ridley Scott was co-executive producer of the film. 

Who Plays President Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the United States?
 

Apart from being an actor with roles in such television shows as 'Once and Again' and an episode of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' along with many others on his resume, Billy Campbell took 13 months off to circumnavigate the globe on a sailing trawler in early 2005. Billy Campbell is the second cousin of 'Burn Notice' actor Bruce Campbell.

Who Plays John Wilkes Booth -

Famous Stage Actor and Assassin of Abraham Lincoln?

Jesse Johnson is also a television actor with many television and movie roles on his resume. He speaks fluent Spanish and is also a song-writer and a muti-instrumentalist who is currently in the studio recording an album. He is the son of actors Don Johnson and Patti D'arbanville.

My Review of the Movie Adaptation of Bill O'Reilly's 'Killing Lincoln':

I really enjoyed the movie adaptation of 'Killing Lincoln' - both Billy Campbell and Jesse Johnson were well-suited to their respective roles. Billy Campbell has had roles in the 1993 movie Gettysburg and the 2003 prequel Gods and Generals, before playing Abraham Lincoln in 'Killing Lincoln'. Jesse Johnson is the son of an actor, as well as being an actor himself - John Wilkes Booth was a member of the famous 19th-century acting family, the Booth Family.

John Wilkes' father, Junius Brutus Booth, was a Shakespearean actor of some acclaim; his older brother, Edwin, became famous for his portrayal of Hamlet and founded both Booth's Theatre in Manhattan in 1869 and The Players' Club in 1888. On an interesting side note, Edwin Booth saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's eldest son, Robert, when he fell off a train platform in New Jersey. The incident may have taken place sometime in late 1864 or early 1865, shortly before John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Edwin Booth didn't learn the identity of the young man whose life he'd saved until several months after the president's assassination, and the fact that he had saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son is said to have brought Edwin Booth a small measure of comfort following his brother's assassination of the president.

Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. was overshadowed not only by his father, Junius Brutus Booth, Sr. and his brothers Edwin and John Wilkes, but also by his wife Agnes Booth, who was a successful actress in her own right. Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. was an actor and theatre manager of the Boston Theatre, the Walnut Street Theatre, Winter Garden Theatre and Booth's Theatre. He was briefly imprisoned in Washington, D. C. after his brother John Wilkes assassinated the president. At the time of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. was fulfilling an acting engagement in Cincinnati, Ohio. Even so, he was arrested and hurried by train to the Old Capitol Prison. I ultimately give the movie adaption of Bill O'Reilly's 'Killing Lincoln' an A+!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jean Harris - "They Always Call us Ladies": Stories From Prison

15. "They Always Call us Ladies": Stories From Prison by Jean Harris (1988)
Length: 276 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 9 February 2013
Finished 13 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like non-fiction and had not realized that Jean Harris had written any books while she was in prison.

Jean Harris, who gained notoriety after she was convicted of the murder of Dr. Herman Tarnower in 1980 - in a case that became known as the "Scarsdale Diet Case" - had written two other books besides this one. She served eleven years of a fifteen-year-to-life sentence before her sentence was commuted by Governor Cuomo in December of 1992. She wrote "They Always Call us Ladies": Stories From Prison in order to highlight the state of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility For Women in Westchester, New York as well as the state of the United States Prison System in general. Jean Harris passed away at an assisted-living center in New Haven, Connecticut on December 23, 2012 at the age of 89.

"They Always Call us Ladies": Stories From Prison was not quite what I expected when I picked up the book. Although it did eventually improve slightly about halfway through, I found that the majority of it was quite boring - filled with facts, figures and statistics that were written about in a dry and uninteresting way. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-85%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anne Enright - The Gathering

14. The Gathering by Anne Enright (2007)
Length: 261 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 8 February 2013
Finished: 9 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Anne Enright is a new author for me.

Thirty-nine year old Veronica Hegarty is the middle child in a large Irish Catholic family of nine. She travels to London to collect the body of her rebellious elder brother Liam, after he commits suicide. As Veronica escorts Liam's body to Dublin for his wake, she contemplates her family - her overly passive mother, her own unhappy marriage, her dissatisfaction with her husband and children, and the deep, dark secret that drove Liam - her favorite brother - to commit his final desperate act.

Something unspeakable happened to Liam at his grandmother's house in the winter of 1968, something which Veronica has kept secret for all their lives. As Veronica's family assembles for Liam's wake - amid all the reacquainting, squabbling, and various recollections of their shared past - Veronica broods on Liam's death and the single traumatic event that occurred in Liam's childhood that ultimately affected him his entire adult life.  As Veronica recalls her own and Liam's childhood spent together at their grandmother's house, she is unsure if she actually witnessed the trauma that Liam experienced in the winter of 1968, or whether it is something that she has imagined happening.

Anne Enright is an extremely talented writer - her writing is incredibly lyrical and very evocative, in my opinion. I did enjoy parts of this book, however the line between reality and fantasy was rather blurred for me at times. I found it hard to decide what actually happened and what was only in Veronica's imagination. I feel that I should have liked The Gathering more than I did because the writing was so good, however I ultimately had to give The Gathering by Anne Enright an A! 

A! - (90-95%)

  
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Sidney Sheldon - The Naked Face

13. The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon (1970)
Length: 212 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 6 February 2013
Finished: 7 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

John Hanson died quickly - with a knife in his back. Carol Roberts was next to die - she was covered with acid and tortured to death. Dr. Judd Stevens is a psychoanalyst who is facing the most critical case of his life. John and Carol were both closely associated with Dr. Stevens at one time, and if he doesn't penetrate the mind of a murderer he will either find himself arrested for murder or the killer's next victim.

Is one of the doctor's patients responsible? Someone overwhelmed by his problems? A neurotic driven by compulsion? A madman? Before the murderer strikes again, Judd must strip away the mask of innocence the criminal wears, uncover the inner emotions, fears, and desires, to reveal... The Naked Face.

I really enjoyed this book! This was Sidney Sheldon's debut novel and I had never read it before, even though I somehow have acquired a paperback copy of The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon - in addition to this copy - that was hidden on my bookshelf. The book seemed familiar to me, but it just never clicked with me that I already had a copy in my collection. I have to say, that to my knowledge, I have never read an inferior or unsatisfactory book by Sidney Sheldon. He was an outstanding author and I give The Naked Face an A+! 

A+! - (96-100%)  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jodi Picoult - Change of Heart

12. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (2008)
Length: 447 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 3 February 2013
Finished: 6 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Jodi Picoult is a new author for me.

One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to spending many years filled with laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as barren and empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for her wounds to heal, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for an impossible miracle.

For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance at salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child.

Would you give up your desire for vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true even if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish? I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking and I give this book an A+!

Jodi Picoult is a new author for me although I have seen the television adaptation of The Tenth Circle, which is another of Jodi Picoult's books that was made into a movie about two years ago. I have three more of Jodi Picoult's books on my bookshelf - Handle With Care, House Rules and My Sister's Keeper - all four books by Jodi Picoult, I picked up from this most recent Library Book Sale that Mareena and I went to on Saturday.

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

Susan Hill - The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story

11. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill (1983)
Length: 164 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 2 February 2013
Finished: 3 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Susan Hill is a new author for me.

Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to the town of Crythin Gifford - deep in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. He comes to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client, Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Mrs. Drablow's house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and cloaked in mystery, however Arthur is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind Eel Marsh House's sheltered windows.

The routine business trip Arthur anticipated upon his arrival quickly takes a horrifying turn. He glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral and a creeping sense of dread begins to take hold within him. As he sorts through Mrs. Drablow's papers, Arthur is continually haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and apparitions - a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap in trouble, and a child's terrified scream in the fog.

I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. The story was just my style of horror! Mareena was looking through the bookshelves and just had to grab this book before anyone else did. She had bought an ebook of this book for herself about a year ago and had been on the lookout for a physical copy of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill ever since. I give this book an A+! and I have Mrs. Dewinter by the same author already on my bookshelf. I'll also be placing The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill on my Wish List.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Our Library Visit For February

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Saturday? I'm doing just fine. :) So, for the first time this year Mareena and I went to our local library and bought books at the library book sale. :) I suppose we each thought our separate TBR piles needed replenishing! We wound up buying five bags of books and staggered out to our friend's car where she helped us to unload our 'burden'! :)

Neither of us had been to the library since July of 2012 and I must have timed my reading of As Max Saw It by Louis Begley to coincide with our library trip today, I don't know. We arrived at the library at about 11:45 A. M. and spent an hour and a half there. We had a wonderful time together - as we always do!

We bought 25 hardcovers and 23 paperbacks and 14 oversized paperbacks between us and spent a whopping $20 for a total of 62 books. In fact, I bargained with the young librarian's assistant up from $18! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Louis Begley - As Max Saw It

10. As Max Saw It by Louis Begley (1994)
Length: 146 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 31 January 2013
Finished: 1 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2008
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Louis Begley is a new author for me.

The lives of two very different men - former classmates at Harvard - converge during a summer reunion at a villa on the shores of Lake Como. Max, a law professor, is fleeing the collapse of his first marriage and has become the ultimate spectator of life. Charlie, a famous architect, is a high-living man of extremes. Max's meeting with Charlie brings him into contact with Toby, Charlie's startlingly beautiful male companion. Both Charlie's and Toby's relationship will ultimately shape Max's life for years to come.

I have to say that while I found As Max Saw It by Louis Begley to be very well-written, I honestly couldn't follow the plot very well. I did enjoy parts of the story however I ultimately found that this book just didn't grab my attention as much as other books that I've read. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-85%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up For January 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 January with 640 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 631 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Price Chopper, Netgalley, Bookmooch, Paperback Swap and authors.

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 :))
- An Isolated Incident by Susan R. Sloan
- Mount Vernon Love Story: A Novel of George and Martha Washington by Mary Higgins Clark
- Downtown by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Shock Talk: The Exorcist Files by Bob Larson
- Rose by Martin Cruz Smith
- Tell me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon
- The Wicked Wives: A Novel Based on a True Story by Gus Pelagatti
- A Ruling Passion: Volume 1 by Judith Michael
- Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel by Rose Connors

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- The Great Potato Cookbook: 250 Sensational Recipes For the World's Favorite Vegetable by Reader's Digest Editors
- Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
- The Brontes: Wild Genius on the Moors, the Story of Three Sisters by Juliet Barker
- The Burning Air by Erin Kelly
- Act of God by Susan R. Sloan
- The Best of Dear Abby by Abigail Van Buren

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- The House of Thunder by Dean R. Koontz
- Blind Love: The True Story of the Texas Cadet Murders by Peter Meyer
- Cold Kill: The True Story of a Murderous Love by Jack Olsen
- To Die is Not Enough: A True Account of Murder and Retribution by Donald Delano Wright
- Blood Red Roses by Margaret Lawrence
- A Passion For Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor by Donald Spoto
- Two-Minute Mysteries Collection by Donald J. Sobel
- Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Devil's Gate by Elizabeth Ergas
- A Cold Mind by David L. Lindsay
- Demon Summer by Elaine Booth Selig
- The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Change Baby by June Spence
- Convictions: My Journey From the Convent to the Courtroom by Arlene Violet
- Windswept by Mary Ellen Chase
- Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons
- The Wicked Wives: A Novel Based on a True Story by Gus Pelagatti

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

Books Read: 9
Pages Read: 3,158
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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