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

Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel by Nancy Thayer

Published as: Between Husbands and Friends in September 1999

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Birth Name: Nancy Patton

Born: 14 December 1943 in Emporia, Kansas

Canonical Name: Nancy Thayer
Pseudonyms: None

Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel by Nancy Thayer was the eighty-eighth book that I read in 2014. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since September 15, 2014 and it took me one day to read. This book is definitely a keeper for me.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Chet Williamson - Dreamthorp

93. Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson (1989)
Length: 357 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 27 September 2014
Finished: 30 September 2014
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 horror and Chet Williamson is a new author for me.

Welcome to Dreamthorp, Pennsylvania - an idyllic little resort town full of picturesque cottages, friendly neighbors and a sleepy, picture postcard-style atmosphere. It is to this quiet little town that two people from the city can finally come to get away from it all. A place where one can escape and start their life over...

Laura Stark is a woman on the run. She has fled to Dreamthorp in order to recover from a brutal attack perpetrated by a crazed rapist - the same attack during which she saw him mutilate her best friend. Dreamthorp seems like the perfect place for Laura Stark to hide - and forget the past... 

Tom Brewer is a recently widowed teacher and sculptor, determinedly trying to put his life back together and helping his grieving fourteen-year-old son, Josh. 

Then one day the peace of Dreamthorp is irrevocably shattered when a couple of local treasure hunters uncover several deeply-buried Native American artifacts. The couple's digging yields some ancient coins, beads, and an unusual-looking amulet. Once the haunted relics are unearthed, a hellacious and centuries-old evil is also unleashed; one that will inevitably exact a horrific vengeance that has no place outside of the gates of Hell. A series of brutal murders occur in the quiet town, rocking Dreamthorp - and its people - to its very core.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was certainly very graphic and gruesome in parts, and the story was somewhat far-fetched in places. However, I found the book to be surprisingly well-written, for horror that was written in the late 1980s and I'm currently looking for more books by this author. I would give Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson an A!

A! - (90-95%)   

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Barbara Delinsky - Suddenly

92. Suddenly by Barbara Delinsky (1993)
Length: 438 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 24 September 2014
Finished: 26 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

In the idyllic little town of Tucker, Vermont, life flows at a slower pace for everyone. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lives of thirty-nine-year-old pediatrician Paige Pfeiffer and her colleagues. However when Mara O'Neill, Paige's medical partner and best friend since college, inexplicably takes her own life, the consequences of that one irrevocable act shatters Paige's peaceful life, and throws the lives of the three other doctors who practiced with her into absolute chaos. 

For Angie Bigelow, grieving Mara's death becomes the final straw in the disintegration of her once well-organized - and ostensibly happy - home and marriage. Peter Grace, whose relationship with Mara was much more complicated than he admits publicly, is left with a sense of desolation at her death. He has difficulty coping with his feelings of grief and feels a growing discontentment with life; a feeling which has its roots in his youth. 

Paige deals with her own feelings of loss and deep sadness by temporarily caring for Mara's newly-adopted baby daughter. As she slowly comes to terms with her grief, Paige clings to the hope that, in due time, she'll understand why Mara chose to end her life. And that her orderly life will eventually return. 

What Paige hadn't counted on were the unexpected pleasures that often come with change. In the wake of such a tragedy, Paige never realized that she would ultimately discover true meaning and purpose in her own life; including the touch of a man who offers Paige things she never thought she wanted. But before she can allow herself to fully embrace a future she never imagined, Paige must let go of the past and learn to trust her new found happiness. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was a relatively quick read for me, and was very well-written. The story featured a wide variety of well-developed characters, and was written with a true understanding of the complexities of human nature and the intricacies of relationships. 

This wasn't necessarily my favorite book by Barbara Delinsky, but it certainly was well worth reading anyway. I give Suddenly an A!  

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Gillian Galbraith - Blood in the Water: An Alice Rice Mystery

91. Blood in the Water: An Alice Rice Mystery by Gillian Galbraith (2007)
The Alice Rice Mysteries Series Book 1
Length: 194 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 22 September 2014
Finished: 24 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Gillian Galbraith is a new author for me.  

At thirty-five years old, Alice Rice is a police detective with the Edinburgh Police Department. She is smart, savvy and eminently capable at her job. When she first entered the police department, Alice was a fresh-faced optimist, convinced that she could make a difference in the world. These days, while she remains optimistic, that feeling has dimmed somewhat in the face of all she has seen, leaving her severely disillusioned and very lonely. 

Amid her own personal and private battle, Alice must solve several grisly murders of professional people in Edinburgh. As the body count begins to rise, she races against time and matches wits with an implacable, faceless killer; someone who is targeting the affluent area of New Town, and who seems determined to make certain members of Edinburgh's professional elite pay dearly for what they've done.

Blood in the Water is Gillian Galbraith's debut novel and what a debut it was! This story was very well-written, and I really liked the character of Alice Rice. The plot was surprisingly refreshing and very Scottish. When I was younger, I often visited Edinburgh and reading this book just brought back such good memories of my travels. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and give Blood in the Water by Gillian Galbraith an A+! I certainly will keep my eyes open for more books to read by this author.

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

Scott Turow - Presumed Innocent

90. Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (1987)
The Kindle County Legal Thrillers Series Book 1
Length: 421 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 19 September 2014
Finished: 22 September 2014
Where did it come from? From my mailman's wife who was getting rid of some books.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 September 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Scott Turow is a new author for me. 

Kindle County's chief deputy prosecutor, Rusty Sabich, has recently been asked to investigate the murder of one of his colleagues, Carolyn Polhemus. The only thing that his boss, the chief prosecuting attorney, Raymond Horgan, doesn't know is that Carolyn and Rusty were having an affair at the time of her death. Since Prosecutor Horgan is in the midst of a vicious re-election campaign, his opponent - Nico Della Guardia would like nothing more than to find proof that Raymond Horgan is somehow unfit to be Kindle County's chief prosecutor.

As he nears forty, both Rusty's marriage and his career seem stalled; almost stagnant. His wife Barbara seems so uncaring and cold - actively avoiding Rusty as much as she can. Subsequently, he focuses all his attention and energies on his son Nathaniel, and his desperate, unhappy love for Carolyn. Rusty's investigation fuels his fantasies of what might have been between Carolyn and himself, although he makes very little progress in finding the killer.

Citing the slowness of the murder investigation, and using the fact that the Prosecutor apparently can't find the murderer of someone who worked in his office, Nico gains more popularity in the polls. Claiming that Kindle County deserves a change in its office, he handily wins the election. He then sets his sights on prosecuting Carolyn Polhemus' murderer - in the case of the People versus Rozat K. Sabich - who is known as the chief deputy prosecutor, Rusty Sabich.

Now, Rusty is put on trial, facing possible conviction for the most terrible of all crimes. This is a stunning portrayal of one man's all-too-human, all-consuming fatal attraction for a passionate woman who is not his wife, and the story of how his obsession ultimately endangers everything he loves and values - eventually putting everything on trial - including his own life.

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow reveals a shocking world of betrayal and murder, as well as the hidden depths of the human heart. It's a story that will alternately hold you spellbound and will haunt you...long after you have turned the final page and reached its shattering conclusion.

I must say that this is actually the first book by Scott Turow that I've ever read, although I do have several more on my bookshelf. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I was absolutely dying to know how the story turned out. Although this was somewhat heavy reading for me in parts - with such a strong focus on politics and a very detailed look at the intricacies of the prosecutor's office - I still enjoyed the story immensely and give the book a definite A+!

I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. Mareena reminded me that I had actually received the book fairly recently, after we noticed that the 1990 movie adaptation starring Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy was on television several days ago.

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

James Ruddick - Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England

89. Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick (2001)
Length: 209 pages
Genre: True Crime  
Started: 16 September 2014
Finished: 18 September 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 September 2014
Why do I have it? I like true crime and James Ruddick is a new author for me.

In December of 1875, the beautiful widow Florence Ricardo married a handsome and influential young attorney named Charles Bravo. The dissolution of Florence's first marriage as well as the revelation of her affair with prominent doctor James Gully, had led to her becoming a social pariah. However, her marriage to Charles Bravo was Florence's way of escaping the scandals of her past; and she fervently hoped that such a marriage would reopen certain doors which had formerly been closed to her.

As the newlyweds settled into the Priory, Florence's posh mansion outside London, the couple seemed destined to live a charmed life together. But the marriage was far from happy, as Charles proved to be a brutal, vindictive and conniving man. He abused and tormented his wife and antagonized her servants, ultimately dismissing her housekeeper and loyal companion, Mrs. Cox, despite her years of service. 

Then one night while preparing for bed, Charles Bravo suddenly collapsed. Although the greatest English physicians of the era - including the royal physician, Sir William Gull - were summoned to his bedside, they ultimately could do nothing to help him, and three days later Charles died an agonizing death. The doctors were unanimous in their diagnosis of the cause of his death: Charles Bravo had been poisoned.

The graphic and sensational details of the case would eventually capture the public imagination of Victorian England as the investigation dominated the press for weeks, and the list of suspects soon grew to include Florence; her former secret lover, the eminent doctor James Gully; her longtime companion and former housekeeper Mrs. Cox; and a recently dismissed stableman named George Griffiths.

Although press coverage of that era relied heavily on speculation surrounding the details of the case, the subsequent murder investigation was never resolved. No actual motive was ever discovered, and ultimately no murderer could be determined. And despite the efforts of numerous historians, criminologists, and many other esteemed writers since (including Agatha Christie), the case has remained unsolved for over a century.

Now James Ruddick retells this gripping story of love, greed, brutality and betrayal among the elite, offering an intimate portrait of Victorian culture and of one woman's struggle to live in this repressive society. Simultaneously a murder mystery, a colorful social history, and a modern-day detective tale, Death at the Priory is a thrilling read and a window into a fascinating time. As Agatha Christie once claimed: "One of the most mysterious poisoning cases ever recorded." 

I really enjoyed reading this book - I found it to be meticulously researched; clearly and precisely written, and I appreciated that James Ruddick's writing was not in any way dry or technical - he had an easy and engaging way of stating the facts of the case. I would be delighted to learn that James Ruddick has written much more, because I thoroughly enjoy his economical writing style. I knew of the Charles Bravo Murder already, as I had read Elizabeth Jenkins' wonderful book, Dr. Gully's Story several years ago.

I give Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick a resounding A+! 

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

Nancy Thayer - Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel

88. Between Husbands and Friends: A Novel by Nancy Thayer (1999)
Length: 241 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 15 September 2014
Finished: 16 September 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 September 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Having married young, Lucy West - wife of Max West, the editor of a small-town Massachusetts newspaper - found herself occasionally troubled by a variety of doubts and questions which flitted through her thoughts. Will marriage fulfill your deepest desires? To whom should you be most loyal, your best friend or your spouse? Is a secret the same as a lie? and Can you marry young and remain faithful all your life? were just some of the unanswerable questions which still went through Lucy's mind from time to time. Lucy loved her family dearly, but she couldn't help feeling that there was so much more to life that she was missing.

Every August for the past decade, the West and Cunningham families have spent summers together sharing a summer house on Nantucket. As both couples are best friends, they are delighted to know that their four children are friends as well. When they first met each other in their early twenties, Lucy West and Kate Cunningham were vivacious young women who found their lives as wives and mothers incredibly limited. Both women shared a certain restlessness; a personality trait that they recognized in each other and which led to some pretty wild times together that their husbands knew nothing about. 

So, Lucy kept Kate's secrets from her husband Chip. And through the years of their friendship, those secrets had steadily accumulated. Lucy even had some secrets of her own to keep.

Then one summer a pivotal event forces Lucy to disclose the secrets she's been hiding. And now everyone must sift through the tangled beds of love and lies to discover where desire has ultimately led them. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I find Nancy Thayer to be a thoughtful and emotional author, writing poignant stories and creating characters that really resonate with me. I give this book a definite A+! and will absolutely be keeping it on my bookshelf to read some time soon again. 

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

Nancy Bush - Hush

87. Hush by Nancy Bush (2011)
Length: 426 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 12 September 2014
Finished: 15 September 2014
Where did it come from? From my mailman's wife who was getting rid of some books.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 September 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Nancy Bush is a new author for me.  

In the summer before their senior year, Coby Rendell and her classmates take a beach trip together. While this group were technically friends, they didn't necessarily consider themselves the best of friends; the teenagers' fathers had all been friends since high school, and were always hopeful that their children would have equally strong friendships with each other. So it was that around a campfire one foggy June night, Coby, Rhiannon, Yvette and the others find themselves sharing their darkest secrets; just before a tragic accident shatters the bond between them...

Twelve years later Coby attends a birthday party reunion that ends in horror when Yvette's sister's lifeless body is found in the hot tub. Soon other tale-tellers from that original group meet with similar fates - unfortunate 'accidents' that are shrinking their number one by one. Someone seems to be taking the saying: "Cross your heart and hope to die," dead seriously...

Increasingly conflicted by her growing feelings for the investigating detective, Danner Lockwood, Coby races to unravel a mystery buried deep in the past. But someone is watching her every move - someone who is prepared to kill again and again to protect a shocking truth...

This was the first book by Nancy Bush that I've ever read. Actually, I'm not quite sure how to grade this book, overall. It was certainly very well-written, I just found that there were so many characters that I had trouble keeping all the names straight. 

I thought that the mystery was incredibly convoluted and I had some difficulty getting into the flow of the story. The book was enjoyable in parts, but I had certain niggling issues about the plot that never completely resolved themselves in my mind. I may read another book by this author in the future, but I give Hush by Nancy Bush a B+! I'd be curious to see how others who have read this book found it - did you enjoy the story, or did it not quite live up to your expectations?

B+! - (89-85%)
             
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Debbie Macomber - Twenty Wishes

86. Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber (2008)
The Blossom Street Series Book 5
Length: 360 pages
Started: 10 September 2014
Finished: 12 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Anne Marie Roche wants to have some joy in her life. At the age of thirty-eight, she is living the sort of life that she never expected nor intended for herself - she's childless, a recent widow, and alone. She owns a successful bookstore on Seattle's Blossom Street, but despite her numerous accomplishments, there's still an inescapable feeling of emptiness...Anne Marie is terribly lonely and desperately unhappy.

On Valentine's Day, she and several other widows get together to celebrate...what exactly? Hope, new possibilities, the future? Maybe...But what would you want most in the world? The ladies each begin to write a list of twenty wishes for themselves, things they always wanted to do but never did.

Anne Marie's list starts with: 'Find one good thing about life'. This includes learning how to knit, doing something good for someone else, falling in love again. So, she begins to act on her wishes. When she volunteers at a local school, an eight-year-old girl named Ellen enters her life. Their relationship becomes far more involved and time-consuming than Anne Marie had originally intended. It also becomes far more important to her than she ever could have imagined. 

As Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of twenty wishes, they both learn that wishes can come true - just not necessarily in the way you might expect.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be a true feel-good story; comforting and emotionally satisfying for me. Kind of like a warm and cozy bubble bath for the senses. I would give Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber an A+! She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

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

Douglas Kennedy - The Big Picture

85. The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy (1997)
Length: 374 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 7 September 2014
Finished: 10 September 2014
Where did it come from? From my mailman's wife who was getting rid of some books.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 September 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Douglas Kennedy is a new author for me.

Ben Bradford is a successful Wall Street lawyer living a comfortable life: living in the affluent suburbs of Connecticut; married to a beautiful woman named Beth, father to two healthy, handsome little boys, with a partnership in a prestigious law firm. His life certainly seems enviable, but scratch the surface of Ben Bradford's ostensibly perfect life, and you'd find a deeply unhappy man - teetering on the precipice of a mid-life crisis. His job is an absolute snore; he'd much rather be at home, in his private darkroom, pursuing his true passion of photography. In fact, Ben is completely worn down by living the corporate daily grind, and Beth seems like she simply doesn't like him anymore.

Heartbroken by the sudden revelation that Beth is having an affair with the next door neighbor, Ben begins to panic. Desperate to keep his crumbling marriage together, he tries everything he can think of to reconcile with his wife. However, all his efforts at reconciliation are rebuffed; Beth wants a divorce. When an unexpected confrontation with his wife's lover suddenly turns ugly, a split second is all it takes to change Ben's life forever, leaving him with only one way out of his predicament. But if he takes it, there will be no turning back...

While this is the first book that I've ever read by Douglas Kennedy, I do have one more of his books sitting on my bookshelf. I absolutely loved The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy - it was well-written, edgy and dramatic - in my opinion, just an overall thrilling story. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)   

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight