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

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Published as: Bloodroot in January 2010

Publisher: Vintage

Birth Name: Amy Greene

Born: 2 October 1975 in Morristown, Tennessee

Canonical Name: Amy Greene

Pseudonyms: None

Bloodroot by Amy Greene was the seventy-third book that I read in 2013. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since June 1, 2013 and it took me four days to read. I sent this book off to another good home on August 14, 2013.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Stephen King - From a Buick 8: A Novel

83. From a Buick 8: A Novel by Stephen King (2002)
Length: 356 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 28 August 2013
Finished: 30 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

The officers of the Troop D state police in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret since 1979. Since then, stowed out behind the police barracks in Shed B, has been a classic car - a Buick Roadmaster. In 1979, Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox answered a call from a gas station just down the road and came back with the abandoned Buick. Curt Wilcox knew old cars, and he knew immediately that this car was...wrong, just wrong. A few hours later, when Trooper Rafferty vanished without a trace, Curt and his fellow troopers knew the old Buick Roadmaster was worse than dangerous - and that it would be better if John Q. Public never found out about it.

With Curt's avid curiosity taking the lead, they investigated Trooper Rafferty's disappearance as best they could, as much as they dared. Over the years, the troop eventually absorbed the mystery as part of the background to their work; the Buick 8 sitting out there like a still life painting that breathes - inhaling a little bit of this world, exhaling a little bit of whatever world it came from. In the fall of 2001, some time after Curt Wilcox is killed in a gruesome auto accident, his 18 year-old son Ned starts coming by the barracks. Ned does various odd jobs around the barracks - mowing the lawn, washing windows, shoveling snow.

Sergeant Commanding, Sandy Dearborn, knows it's just the boy's way of holding onto his father, and Ned is allowed to become a part of the Troop D family. One day, Ned happens to look through the window of Shed B and discovers the family secret. Like his father, Ned wants answers, and the secret begins to stir; not only in the minds and hearts of the veteran troopers who surround him, but in Shed B as well...

I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. It was very exciting and my goodness, what an imagination Stephen King has. I've said before that I'm always a little wary of reading Stephen King's longer novels - the plots of many of his books start off brilliantly, and then they seem to go off the rails slightly, at least in my opinion. Anyway, while I found that some passages in From a Buick 8: A Novel were slightly verbose, overall, the book managed to capture my attention and successfully hold it until the end. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Charles Preston - Exceptional Acrostics to Keep You Sharp

82. Exceptional Acrostics to Keep You Sharp by Charles Preston (2008)
Length: 64 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 25 January 2012
Finished: 29 August 2013
Where did it come from? From Barnes and Noble 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 December 2011
Why do I have it? My friend Pamela knows how much I enjoy crossword puzzles and other types of mind-sharpening games, so she gave this book to me for Christmas of 2011.

I have an immense collection of mind puzzle books - from brain-teasers to sudoku, and everything else in between. From time to time, in between actually reading books as well, I'll pick up one of these mind puzzle books and try my hand at one or two of the puzzles. I have so many puzzle books stashed away, that I have no idea how many I actually have. 

Hence, I can have a particular puzzle book for years and still not finish it until several years after I receive it. So far though, these mind puzzles seem to be working excellently for me - I think...Maybe! :) I give this mind puzzle book an A+! 

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

Anne Rivers Siddons - Sweetwater Creek

81. Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons (2005)
Length: 444 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 25 August 2013
Finished: 27 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

At twelve, Emily Parmenter knows about loneliness only too well. Left mostly to herself after her beautiful young mother disappeared and her beloved older brother died, Emily is keenly aware of yearning and loss. Rather than let the sadness consume her, she has built a life around the faded plantation where her remote father and hunting-obsessed brothers raise the legendary Lowcountry Boykin hunting spaniels. To some, it may seem that she lives within a meager, narrow, masculine world, but to Emily that life holds its own special magic: the storied deep-sea dolphins who regularly come to frolic and play in Sweetwater Creek; her extraordinary bond with the beautiful dogs she trains; her almost mystical communion with her own spaniel, Elvis; the dreaming old Lowcountry itself. Emily hides from the dreaded world here. For her, it is enough.

And then along comes Lulu Foxworth, troubled daughter of a truly grand plantation, who has run away from her hectic debutante season in Charleston to spend a healing summer with the quiet marshes and river, and the life-giving dogs. Where Emily's father sees their guest as an entree into a society he thought forever out of reach, Emily is at once threatened and utterly mystified. Lulu has a powerful enchantment and a charm of her own, and this, along with the dark, crippling secret she brings with her, will inevitably blow Emily's magical water world apart and let the real one in - but at a terrible price.

In my opinion, this book was just alright. I found the story to be a bit too long; with too many descriptive passages for my liking. Ultimately, the book boasted a promising build up to a rather disappointing ending in my opinion. My feelings might just be because of the type of mood I was in while reading, but this book never fully delivered on its promise for me. It was a bit of a disappointment for me, because I've read several other books by this author that I absolutely loved. I had to give Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons a B+! 

B+! - (89-85%)     


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Sidney Sheldon - The Sky is Falling: A Novel

80. The Sky is Falling: A Novel by Sidney Sheldon (2000)
Length: 317 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 22 August 2013
Finished: 24 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

If America were to have a royal family, the Winthrops would wear the crown. The popular, charismatic Winthrops have captured the imagination of the entire nation, as well as the world with their public service, their myriad acts of altruistic charity, and their glamorous lives. But in a single year, all five members of the family were killed in a series of unexplained accidents.

Dana Evans, a beautiful young anchorwoman with a Washington television network, believes there is a more sinister motive behind their deaths. She begins an investigation and starts uncovering compelling evidence that she can hardly believe.

In Dana's determined pursuit of the truth, she never anticipated the cat-and-mouse chase that would ultimately lead her through a half dozen countries on the trail of a remorseless killer. As she closes in on her suspect, the shocking secrets Dana then unearths place both herself and her young son in dire jeopardy. In an unexpected turn of events, Dana soon becomes the hunted. 

Will Dana be able to outwit her pursuers and finally expose the truth that will astound the world? Readers should prepare themselves for skillful twists and turns in the plot of a dynamite thriller that has become Sidney's Sheldon's hallmark.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. According to Shelfari's synopsis of The Sky is Falling: A Novel by Sidney Sheldon, the character of Dana Evans made her first appearance in The Best Laid Plans. However, this book can be read on its own. I give The Sky is Falling: A Novel an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Our Library Visit For August

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Thursday? I'm doing just fine. :) Today is my birthday, and in honor of that we decided to go to our local library and then brought home two bagel sandwiches and a box of donuts for lunch.  We came away with three overflowing bags of books - pretty good, considering the last time we went to the library was only two months ago, in June. :) Surprisingly, both Mareena and I seem to have gone to the library every two months this year! :)

We had a wonderful time together - as we always do! It has become something of a birthday tradition for Mareena - and apparently now for me. We spent about an hour and a half at the library - from about 11:30 A. M. to 1 P. M.

Between us, we bought 12 hardcovers, 27 paperbacks as well as 2 oversized paperbacks. We spent a whopping $30 for a total of 41 books. A pretty good haul, if I do say so, myself. :)

At the moment, I'm reading The Sky is Falling: A Novel by Sidney Sheldon, which I started almost as soon as we came back from the library.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion

79. Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion by Michael Phillip Cash (2013)
Length: 297 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 19 August 2013
Finished: 20 August 2013
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Michael Phillip Cash and to Red Feather Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island by the same author in the past.

The evening news issues its ominous warnings nightly - reports caution that a swarm of cicadas, known as Brood Ten, are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast. The swarm is considered vicious and is expected to invade sometime during the summer. Preparations are strongly advised.

Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara - a teacher - has just found out that they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting her entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder.

During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and begins to wreak havoc with the electric grid. Phone and cell service goes down, wi-fi connection is disrupted, food and water supply are the next casualties. Civilization as they once knew it has disappeared.

Seth and Lara find themselves thrown back to the stone age while living in their own home, with trillions of cicadas trying to deposit their eggs and breed. The plague known as Brood Ten has begun...

This book is actually Michael Phillip Cash's debut novel, although it's the second one that I've read by this author. I was immediately drawn into the story - it took me a day to read. I found that the plot was extremely fast-paced and suspenseful. Sometimes, the plots of books that try to deal with natural terrors can become almost comical in their portrayal of potential threats, at least in my opinion.

However, that was not my experience while reading Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion by Michael Phillip Cash. I found the horror in this book to be entirely realistic and totally believable. I can tell you, I won't ever look at cicadas in quite the same way again. I give this book an A! 

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anne Tyler - A Patchwork Planet: A Novel

78. A Patchwork Planet: A Novel by Anne Tyler (1998)
Length: 288 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 16 August 2013
Finished: 17 August 2013
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 the same author in the past.

Barnaby Gaitlin is a loser - a charming, lovable loser, perhaps - but a loser nonetheless. As a teenager, he had a bad habit of breaking into other people's houses. Although, it was never about stealing like it was for his teenage cohorts; Barnaby just liked to read other people's mail, pore over their family photo albums, and appropriate a few of their precious mementos. He had been in trouble ever since adolescence, but now, at just short of thirty years old, he was attempting to get his life in order.

For eleven years, he's been working steadily for Rent-a-Back, renting his back to old folks and shut-ins who need help moving their furniture or bringing Christmas trees down from the attic. At long last, his life seems to be on an even keel.

Still the Gaitlins, of 'old' Baltimore, cannot forget the price they paid for buying off Barnaby's former victims. And his ex-wife would just as soon prefer that he never showed up to visit their little girl, Opal. Overall, Barnaby is still seen by everyone as the black sheep of a philanthropic family - who, instead of attending an Ivy League college and working for his family's charitable foundation - got sent to a reform school for wealthy boys as a teenager, and now works as a manual laborer. A distinct disappointment for the affluent and well-connected Gaitlin family of Baltimore.

Barnaby has spent the majority of his adult life trying to live up to his family's high ideals, failing miserably to fully atone for his teenage sins in their estimation. Eventually, a woman enters Barnaby's life, a woman he views as his guardian angel. Her name is Sophia, and even though she seems to have designs on him, she still doesn't entirely trust him. However, Sophia will ultimately change Barnaby's life in ways no one, least of all Barnaby himself, could ever imagine.

I truly appreciated reading this book. I will admit, the story was sort of humdrum with not much going on in the plot; but in my opinion, the book was certainly well-written and charming. I was thoroughly entertained and give this book an A! 

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

Carol Pritt - Deviltry Afoot

77. Deviltry Afoot by Carol Pritt (2013)
Length: 202 pages
Genre: Horror 
Started: 12 August 2013
Finished: 14 August 2013
Where did it come from? Mareena had received a copy of this book to read from Carol Pritt, then passed it on to me to read as well.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 8 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Carol Pritt is a new author for me.

I was very interested in this book when my daughter received it to review. After she read it, I asked if I could borrow the book to read next. I agree wholeheartedly with her review.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Mary Willis Walker - The Red Scream: A Novel of Suspense

76. The Red Scream: A Novel of Suspense by Mary Willis Walker (1994)
Molly Cates Series Book 1
Length: 324 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 9 August 2013
Finished: 12 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 July 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Mary Willis Walker is a new author for me. 

Texas-based crime reporter Molly Cates has just published her first book, describing the blood-curdling exploits of serial killer Louie Bronk. Now on death row, Louie's sentence is about to be carried out and Molly will be present as a witness. She wants to write about it - the final coda to Louie's story. 

But suddenly, she's being strongly discouraged by her boss at The Lone Star Monthly and by a multi-millionaire real estate developer to not continue with her writing. Charlie McFarland - the multi-millionaire real estate developer - lost his first wife, Tiny, to Louie's horrendous murder spree. She was Louie's most famous victim and the only one whose murder is a capital offense. 

Then Molly starts to receive dark hints that Louie may not have killed Tiny at all. There is another murder following Louie's M. O. - one that he couldn't have committed. The veracity of Molly's book is questioned and then her very life is threatened. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Molly realizes that by attempting to save Louie she is putting her own life on the line, and discrediting her own work. 

Honestly, I wasn't expecting this book to be as good as it actually was. I found the characters to be extremely likable; the book was well-written and ultimately the mystery was engaging enough to keep me guessing until the very end. I give this book an A+! and I plan to find some other books by Mary Willis Walker to read in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Scott Spencer - A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel

75. A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel by Scott Spencer (2003)
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 6 August 2013
Finished: 9 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2007
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Scott Spencer is a new author for me.

After a shattering incident of violence is perpetrated against him, lawyer Daniel Emerson leaves New York City and returns to the Hudson River town where he grew up. There, along with his partner Kate Ellis and her young daughter, Ruby, Daniel settles into the kind of secure and comfortable family life he always longed for during his emotionally barren childhood. However, he ultimately cannot control his desire for Iris Davenport, an African-American woman whose son is Ruby's best friend.

During a freak October blizzard, Daniel is stranded at Iris' house, and they spend the night together - beginning a sexual liaison that eventually imperils all their relationships, Daniel's profession, their children's well-being, their own race-blindness, and their view of themselves as essentially good people. The emotional stakes are raised even higher when Iris' husband, Hampton, suffers a devastating accidental injury at Daniel's hands.

Scott Spencer is a new author to me and this actually is the first book by this author that I've read. Reading this story was quite complex for me; there were many layers to it that caused me to read this book slowly - savoring it until I had reached the last page. Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel from beginning to end. I give this book a definite A+! and have already put three more books by Scott Spencer on my Wish List.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Robin Cook - Mindbend

74. Mindbend by Robin Cook (1985)
Length: 256 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 3 August 2013
Finished: 6 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 January 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed Godplayer by the same author in the past. 

Adam Schonberg is an aspiring young doctor who is forced to drop out of medical school and take a job with Arelon - a pharmaceutical company - when his wife Jennifer becomes pregnant unexpectedly. Adam's new job with Arelon is extremely lucrative, and the company itself is gigantic with aspirations of ultimately dominating the medical field. He becomes suspicious of the company's practices when some of its physician employees begin to act strangely.

Extremely worried about her pregnancy due to a family history of severe birth defects, Jennifer's gynecologist prescribes a morning sickness medication created by Arelon. The medication proves to be ineffective and potentially dangerous, and Adam demands that Jennifer stop taking it and change doctors. Their already strained relationship becomes hostile as Adam becomes increasingly more determined to discover Arelon's secrets; he begins an investigation into the company which reveals more than Adam could have ever even imagined.      

I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected I would. Generally, I like Robin Cook as an author and have probably read about six or seven of his books in the past. However, occasionally I do have a little trouble getting into some of the plots of Robin Cook's books. I had no such trouble with Mindbend and I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)   


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Amy Greene - Bloodroot

73. Bloodroot by Amy Greene (2010)
Length: 365 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 31 July 2013
Finished: 3 August 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like modern historical fiction and Amy Greene is a new author for me. 

Myra Lamb, a wild young girl with haunting blue eyes and a mysterious, almost fey-like disposition, grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain raised by her grandmother Byrdie. Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power to heal or to poison; Bloodroot Mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range in Tennessee.

Byrdie Lamb is fiercely protective of her granddaughter and passes down to her "the touch" that bewitches people and animals alike. However, she can not protect Myra from living her life and falling in love. This novel centers around an incendiary romance which consumes everyone in its path: from Myra's childhood friend Doug - who is secretly in love with Myra, but is destined never to have her - to the twins Myra is forced to abandon, but who never forget their mother's deep and abiding love for them.

John Odom is the man who captures Myra Lamb's heart. He is the man who tries to tame her; and he is the man who ultimately meets with shocking, violent disaster. Against the backdrop of a beautiful but often unforgiving country, these lives come together - only to be torn apart - as a dark, riveting mystery unfolds. 

I absolutely fell in love with this book! Amy Greene is such a fantastic writer whose characters come vividly alive and capture the reader's heart and mind. I give Bloodroot by Amy Greene a definite A+! I'm eagerly awaiting the chance to read her next book Long Man at some point in the future.

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

Reading Wrap-up For July 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 July with 731 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 716 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from an author, Paperback Swap, and Bookmooch. 

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Trade-Off by Harrison Arnston

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- The Fireman's Wife and Other Stories by Richard Bausch
- Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island by Michael Phillip Cash
- After the Fire by Belva Plain
- Hunter's Blood by Jere Cunningham
- Hauntings: Is Anybody There? by Norah Lofts
- McNally's Puzzle by Lawrence Sanders
- The Magdalena Curse by F. G. Cottam
- Best Friends Forever: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner
- A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein
- Twins by Roxanne Pulitzer 
- A Crime of Honor by Giovanni Arpino
- Bloodprint: A Novel of Psychological Suspense by Kitty Sewell
- Island Murders by Wanda Canada
- The Wheat Field by Steve Thayer

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Candles Burning by Tabitha King and Michael McDowell
- Deadly Evidence by Harrison Arnston
- The Landlord by Ken Merrell
- Light Source by Bari Wood
- The Summer Visitors by Brooke Leimas

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- The Glenna Powers Case by Hillary Waugh
- Blood of the Impaler by Jeffrey Sackett
- The Fireman's Wife and Other Stories by Richard Bausch
- Hauntings: Is Anybody There? by Norah Lofts
- To Dance With Kings by Rosalind Laker
- The Settlers by Vilhelm Moberg
- A Place to Call Home by Deborah Smith
- Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods
- The Big War by Anton Myrer
- The Magdalena Curse by F. G. Cottam
- Deadly Sleep by John Applegate
- 10th Anniversary by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
- Moon Shell Beach: A Novel by Nancy Thayer
- Darkness by John Saul
- Nathaniel by John Saul
- Second Child by John Saul

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

Books Read: 15
Pages Read: 4,497
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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