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:

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink 

  Published as: Der Vorleser in 1995

Publisher: Diogenes

Birth Name: Bernhard Schlink  
Born: 6 July 1944 in Bielefeld, Bethel, Germany  

Canonical Name: Bernhard Schlink  
Pseudonyms: None  

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink was the one hundred and seventh book that I read in 2014. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since July 20, 2012 and it took me four days to read. This book is currently on several book swapping sites waiting to go to another good home.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Lisa Gardner - Live to Tell

Reread. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner (2010)  
The Detective D. D. Warren Series Book 4
Length: 435 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Originally Read: 31 July 2012
Reread Finished: 29 November 2014
Where did it come from? Originally from a Library Book Sale, then I received a paperback copy from my mailman's wife.

So, having bought this book as a hardcover copy from a Library Book Sale that Mareena and I went to in July of 2012, I read it for the first time in July of 2012 - July 28th, to July 31st, 2012. I gave away my hardcover copy of Live to Tell on August 21, 2012. I received the paperback copy of this book on September 7, 2014 from my mailman's wife who was planning on getting rid of between 60 to 70 books.

I reread Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner in November of 2014. It only took me two days to read - from November 27th to November 29th, 2014. I've posted this book on all the swapping sites that we belong to, so perhaps someone else will want to read it.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Giving Thanks For All Our Blessings This Thanksgiving!

Facebook Graphics, Thanksgiving Graphics at WishAFriend.com 

I hope that all my blog readers in the United States have a very happy Thanksgiving! May your Thanksgiving be filled with great food, wonderful friendship and all the family ties that you may wish for. :) So, Mareena and I had turkey and gravy, roast potatoes and mashed potatoes; and I had brussel sprouts while Mareena had canned peaches for dessert. We also had strawberry rhubarb pie and apple pie with custard. After that, we may watch a movie or read books for the entire day! :)

May all of you have a wonderfully safe and blessed Thanksgiving. Be sure to find some quiet time for yourselves and count your blessings today when and if you can. I know that I'm incredibly thankful for my continued health and happiness, my daughter's continued health and happiness, that we are both comfortable and love each other as much as we do, and that our family is as well as they are. We are also incredibly thankful for our three kitties - Ruby, Leila and Lollipop.

I also hope that everyone who is away from their families at this time, will know that they are sorely missed, truly loved and deeply appreciated by all! God bless all of you, may you have a very happy and wonderful Thanksgiving! :)  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Alice Hoffman - Blackbird House

113. Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman (2004)
Length: 225 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 25 November 2014
Finished: 26 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 9 April 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Alice Hoffman is a new author for me.

Welcome to Blackbird House - a small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod, imbued with as much vitality as the people who live there. For the past two centuries, Blackbird House has stood as a testament to time and the passage of history; a place as bewitching and alive as the characters we meet. There is Violet Cross, a brilliant young woman who is in love with books and with a man who is destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut the size of horse, is convinced that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots arrives to change everything; and Maya Cooper, someone who does not understand the true meaning of the love shared between her mother and father until it is almost too late.

From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to present day in our own modern world, for each family that lives within the walls of Blackbird House, their lives are inexorably changed for however long they may stay. Not only by the people they love, but also by themselves and the lives that they lead within Blackbird House. For more than a dozen men and women who have lived inside Blackbird House, they will learn just how much love transforms us and how it is the one lasting element in our lives.

These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as luminous as they are unusual. In a rare and gorgeous departure, Alice Hoffman weaves a web of evocative tales that becomes a glorious travelogue through time and fate, through loss and love and survival. The past both dissipates and remains contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, and, above all else, a spirit of coming home.

I must admit that I was slightly disappointed in my reading of Blackbird House; but that is only because I wanted more from each story. It felt slightly incomplete to me. I suppose that was because I wanted to know more of a back story with each of the characters, and I had a nagging feeling of being left hanging, wondering what would happen next. In my opinion though, reading this book was certainly still very enjoyable. 

In my opinion, each story was beautifully and lyrically written, if somewhat unusual and fantastic in places. I would give Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman a definite A! I have maybe two or three other books by Ms. Hoffman on my bookshelf that I might be interested in reading sometime in the future, but I'll need to search them out. I'm sure they'll turn up at some point.

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

Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes - What Lies Beneath

112. What Lies Beneath by Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes (2002)
Harlequin Feature Anthology: September 2002 - (The Road to Hidden Harbor/Remember Me/Primal Fear)
Length: 378 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 24 November 2014
Finished: 25 November 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 November 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes are new authors for me.

She climbed back in her car, shoving her hair away from her face. "I'm going to find you, Michael O'Flannery," she murmured. "I'm going to find your ghost and everything I can about you. Just watch me."

Twenty years ago, an extremely talented and rising poet disappeared without a trace in the woods of Maine. Over the years rumors about his mysterious disappearance abounded, from the mundane to the fantastic; but nothing was ever proven. Now English professor Molly Ferrell has come to Hidden Harbor, Maine to write his story, and to find out what really happened to Michael O'Flannery.

She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Nathan?" His name came out in a husky whisper.
"I'm here."
She touched her hand to his. "Help me. Please help me."
"Do we know each other, Jill?"
She didn't answer, just closed her eyes and seemed to fade into a semiconscious state.

Dr. Nathan Duncan is curious about the mysterious young woman who just came into his emergency room as a patient. He's inexplicably drawn to her and is sure that he's met her somewhere before, but isn't sure where. Running from her jealous husband, Jill Jacobs is determined to hide her true identity. But can she keep the man she once loved in the dark forever? 

The woman began to run, dropping the bucket of shells she'd been collecting. As she drew closer to the body, she slowed. Her hand went to her mouth to stifle the scream as she saw the terrible damage that had been done by sharp, vicious teeth. For a long moment she stared at the body, and then she turned away and ran, retracing her steps to the beach cottage she owned on Pirate Harbor and the telephone that would bring the sheriff.

A badly mutilated body washes up on the Florida shore. Was this a victim of another shark attack...or something else entirely? Marine biologist Libby Phillips isn't quite sure. What she does know for certain is that modern-day pirate - and suspect - Chad Watson is distracting her from her work in more ways than one.

I must say that I enjoyed this book very much. In my opinion, all the stories contained in this anthology were very well-written, and as examples of the romantic suspense genre, each story was really quite good. The first story - The Road to Hidden Harbor by Anne Stuart - was the story that interested me right away, and was why I asked Mareena if I could read this book first. 

It took me one day to read the first two stories in the anthology - The Road to Hidden Harbor by Anne Stuart and Remember Me by Joanna Wayne. Both stories were great - although in my personal opinion, perhaps more focused on the romantic subplots, rather than the mysteries. Primal Fear by Caroline Burnes was also quite enjoyable. It was a quick read for me, and I appreciated that the romantic subplot was less pronounced in this final story. 

Overall, I would say that What Lies Beneath by Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes deserves an A! This was certainly a great anthology to showcase the work of three of the top romantic suspense authors within the genre: Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Warren Adler - Random Hearts

111. Random Hearts by Warren Adler (1984)
Length: 267 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 20 November 2014
Finished: 23 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 May 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Warren Adler is a new author for me.

In a perfect world, people like Edward Davis and Vivien Simpson would never have met. He's a happily married man; an ambitious aide to an important Congressman who loves his wife. She's a happily married woman; a housewife with a young son and a dog who absolutely adores her lawyer husband. They are each living the good life - or so they believe. 

There is absolutely no earthly reason why they should ever meet...

Until a commercial airliner crashes into the Potomac River with eighty-four souls on board. Two of the victims are linked by a clue that at first stuns and baffles, then draws together their surviving spouses; and sends them on a dizzying exploration of their loved ones private lives. The secrets that they uncover about the people that they loved are totally unexpected. 

The explosive discovery leads Edward and Vivien on a journey that ultimately forces them to confront the mysterious and random nature of love - and the transforming power it wields over the men and women caught up in its relentless maelstrom.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, this was an emotional and very human story. It showed me how the consequences of a single action can ultimately tear apart a person's life - the feelings of hurt and betrayal, anger and confusion that can potentially ruin someone's happiness and contentment with life. 

This was the first book by Warren Adler that I've ever read and I give it an A+! Although Mareena has seen the 1999 movie adaptation of this book - starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas - at least once with a friend of hers; she and I have only ever seen portions of the movie together. Maybe the next time it comes on television, we'll watch the entire movie. However, in my personal opinion, the book is better than the movie; so watching the movie isn't all that imperative to me.

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

Colleen McCullough - The Ladies of Missalonghi

110. The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough (1987)
Length: 187 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 14 November 2014
Finished: 18 November 2014
Where did it come from? My friend Noeleen got married in March of 2011, but before the wedding she needed to purge some of her books in the process of merging two households.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 April 2010
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Colleen McCullough is a new author for me.

Several years into the twentieth century, in the tiny town of Byron nestled somewhere in the Australian Blue Mountains, a shy spinster, her widowed mother and her crippled aunt live in genteel poverty. For thirty-three-year-old Missy Wright, her mother Drusilla and aunt Octavia, life is difficult living as the poor relations of the Hurlingford family - the most prominent family in Byron. Despite the Wrights being allowed to live at Missalonghi - Drusilla's home through marriage - the women are actually victims of the Hurlingford inheritance policy which allows only the male members of the family to inherit all the wealth. In turn, the men heartlessly abuse and dominate the women in their care.

Plain, painfully thin and doomed to dress always in serviceable brown, Missy has limited funds and suffers from periodic bouts of ill health. Her only consolation is her frequent trips to the privately owned lending library in town, where she indulges in her only vice - reading Gothic romance novels. Missy seems resigned to her fate, facing a dreary future until a distant cousin, a divorcée, arrives from Sydney...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a delightful little story, with a totally unexpected ending, at least for me. I do have a copy of Colleen McCullough's epic saga The Thorn Birds hidden somewhere on my bookshelf, but have never read it. That particular admission probably comes as quite a surprise to many people, but it is the truth: "I have not ever read The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough!"

However, reading The Ladies of Missalonghi is my first foray into Ms. McCullough's work, and it was a relatively quick and easy read for me. Engaging and rather quirky, I give The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Karen Robards - The Senator's Wife

109. The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards (1998)
Length: 388 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 11 November 2014
Finished: 14 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 September 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed The Midnight Hour by the same author in the past.

Ronnie Honneker likes the idea of being Senator Lewis Honneker's wife much more than she actually likes being married to him. She may prefer the status of her marriage: the power, the prestige, the wealth, the comforts and beautiful things that such a marriage provides, but for Ronnie it is also an acutely lonely marriage. For she is the second wife. Married to the Honorable Lewis Honneker, a man twice her age who is wealthy, successful, and revered by the voters in his home state of Mississippi.

What the public doesn't know is that this pillar of the community is actually quite fond of engaging in casual indiscretions. Now he is running for re-election and his lovely young wife is expected to stand beside him. Though she is publicly scorned as the woman who broke up the senator's first marriage, Ronnie does her best to promote her husband's re-election campaign. Yet her husband is not the man she thought he was, and although long accustomed to it, Ronnie despises the strain of the campaign trail - especially the constant facade and total lack of privacy.

The glamorous political life can't make up for the emptiness deep in her heart, a dark space which she fears will never be filled. Until political strategist Tom Quinlan enters the picture. Hired to soften Ronnie's public image, Tom prides himself on his work, never mixing business with pleasure. Solid, quietly handsome, the quintessential southern boy-next-door, he is called in to enhance Senator Honneker's campaign and he takes his job very seriously.

To him, Ronnie is a job. Certainly a challenging one; but remaking Mrs. Honneker's public image is nothing more than a routine assignment to Tom Quinlan. Ronnie Honneker is perhaps one of Tom's most challenging assignments - she is difficult to direct, and can definitely test any man's patience. So why does he find himself unable to stop thinking about her? Her flowing auburn hair, her long, perfectly muscled legs, those inviting chocolate-brown eyes? Tom has never allowed himself to surrender to such feelings...until now. 

Ronnie never expected to find love again; and certainly not with a man like Tom Quinlan. However, as much as she may try, she just can't ignore the desire that Tom ignites in her or the newly-awakened passions that he inflames within her - feelings she'd once thought were gone forever. And she knows that the tempers flaring between them are just a cover for their barely contained passions. Together they discover that love and politics make uneasy bedfellows as they must contend with their developing attraction to each other, a swarm of snooping reporters, and a public which is growing increasingly suspicious of their relationship.

Yet when the senator is found murdered and Ronnie is accused of the crime, only Tom believes she is innocent. Now the two must work together to uncover the senator's sordid secrets; as the Honorable Lewis Honneker died while in the midst of a particularly sticky scandal. But as the stakes rise, they learn that they must watch their backs. And follow their hearts.

While I certainly enjoyed the plot of this story; in my personal opinion, there was an overly heavy focus on the romance of the plot. Whereas I perhaps would have appreciated fewer graphic sexually explicit scenes in the story - I prefer for the romantic scenes to be left up to the reader's imagination more often, I suppose - I really enjoyed the mysterious part of the plot. Overall, I would give The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards a B+! 

I think that I have at least two more of Ms. Robards' books on my bookshelf that I'd be interested in searching out and reading sometime in the future, but for right now it's not imperative to me.  

B+! - (89-85%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Susan Kenney - In Another Country

108. In Another Country by Susan Kenney (1984)
The Boyd Family Series Book 1
Length: 215 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 10 November 2014
Finished: 11 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2000
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Susan Kenney is a new author for me.

At the age of twelve, Sara Boyd loses her forty-year-old father. For herself and her younger brother and sister, his death is their first brush with tragedy. This is an event which will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and his loss will ultimately affect all of their future relationships in one way or another.

As an adult, Sara realizes that her father's early death is actually the catalyst for her mother's frequent bouts of madness; and in turn, each of these manic episodes increasingly disturb Sara's own life - unduly straining both her marriage and family. When her husband subsequently becomes seriously ill, Sara draws on her past experiences to find the renewed strength to carry on.

I enjoyed reading this book very much; I found it to be a very poignant, well-told story. This book has been described as six interrelated short stories, but I think it would be far more accurate to describe them as six short vignettes in Sara's life. Each vignette is gut-wrenching in its own way, but doesn't necessarily seem to me to be excessively maudlin. I give this book an A+! and would be very interested to read the sequel, Sailing, if at all possible.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bernhard Schlink - The Reader

107. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (2008)
(Originally Published as: Der Vorleser) (1995)
Length: 218 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 6 November 2014
Finished: 10 November 2014
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 historical fiction and Bernhard Schlink is a new author for me.

Walking home from school one day, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg becomes seriously ill. He is rescued by Hanna Schmitz, a woman twice his age. Hanna, a bus conductor, tends to Michael and then takes him back to his home. Over time, Michael and Hanna form a relationship, and she becomes his lover - then she inexplicably disappears from Michael's life.

When Michael next sees Hanna, he is a young law student, sitting in on a trial in which Hanna is a defendant. She is accused of a hideous crime, but inexplicably refuses to defend herself. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael is at first perplexed by her actions. However, as the trial continues, he gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret which she considers more shameful than murder.

I absolutely loved this book. I was drawn into the plot very quickly; and by about two pages in, I was completely engrossed in the story. This was a translation from the original German, but it was a very well-written, understandable, and easy read for me. In my opinion, the story flowed along easily and I avidly wanted to know what happened next.  

This was an unusual book to begin with - and while I haven't seen the 2008 movie adaption starring Kate Winslett and Ralph Fiennes - I enjoyed the book very much. I give this book an A+!

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

LaVyrle Spencer - Small Town Girl

106. Small Town Girl by LaVyrle Spencer (1997)
Length: 364 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 3 November 2014
Finished: 6 November 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.

Eighteen years ago, a young and hopeful Tess McPhail left her tiny hometown of Wintergreen, Missouri, for the bright lights of Nashville and she never once looked back. Now considered to be one of country music's brightest stars, "Mac" McPhail is a millionairess many times over, whose career is her life. At thirty-five years old, Mac has no time for marriage, children, or kinfolk - until her sisters insist that she finally come home to help care for their widowed mother, Mary.

Assuming that staying in Wintergreen for the next month will be merely dreary, Mac is totally unprepared for what awaits her. After almost two decades spent basking in the public's adoration of her, she is suddenly an inconspicuous, almost inconsequential person - insulted by her jealous older sister, enraged by her intractable mother, and ignored by Kenny Kronek, the next-door neighbor she mercilessly taunted all through high school. Now a handsome divorcé who dotes upon his teenage daughter, Casey, Kenny is widely respected in the community. And he seems downright indifferent towards Mac, refusing to even give her the time of day.

Once she discovers Casey is a promising country music talent, Mac assumes the role of singing mentor for the girl. She gradually becomes an integral part of life in Wintergreen, and the feigned indifference between Mac and Kenny soon turns from playful bickering to sudden passion. By month's end, Mac McPhail is a completely changed woman; she has not only grown to treasure the priceless solidarity of family and community, but also opened up her heart to love.

Yet what was possible in the small town of Wintergreen, appears to be nothing more than a naive fantasy back in Nashville. Under Nashville's bright and harsh stage lights - in the realm of super stardom - is there room for caring and commitment; or is a woman who is worshipped by millions destined to always be alone?

While I certainly enjoyed reading this book, the story was somewhat predictable to me in places. I appreciated that it was an easy read, and it was definitely well-written. However, I must admit that this wasn't my absolute favorite book by LaVyrle Spencer. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-85%)  

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. 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 October with 1,033 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 1,021 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Paperback Swap, Bookmooch and authors.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Now You Know by Kitty Dukakis and Jane Scovell

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber
- The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel
- Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend: A Novel by Robert James Waller
- Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
- The Moonflower Vine: A Novel by Jetta Carleton
- The Haunted by Bentley Little
- The Kennedy Women by Pearl S. Buck
- The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance by Joan Ryan
- At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
- Best Friends by Martha Moody
- Gallows Lane by Brian McGilloway

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Poisonous Animals by Seymour Simon
- Caroline, Caroline, What Are You Thinking? by Ronald L. Leonard
- The World of Caroline by Ronald L. Leonard
- The After House by Michael Phillip Cash

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :)) 
- Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion by Michael Phillip Cash
- Blood in the Water: An Alice Rice Mystery by Gillian Galbraith
- Final Scream by Lisa Jackson
- Diana: Story of a Princess by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig
- Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
- Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell
- Left to Die by Lisa Jackson
- Requiem: Diana, Princess of Wales 1961-1997 - Memories and Tributes by Brian MacArthur
- Cold Dawn by Carla Neggers
- The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor by Trevor Rees-Jones and Moira Johnston
- Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
- River's End by Nora Roberts
- Most Likely to Die by Beverly Barton, Wendy Corsi Staub and Lisa Jackson
- The Wheat Field by Steve Thayer
- Aspen Gold by Janet Dailey
- The Glass Virgin by Catherine Cookson
- The LeBaron Secret by Stephen Birmingham
- Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson
- Never Let Them See You Cry: More From Miami, America's Hottest Beat by Edna Buchanan
- One Ball Knits Purses: 20 Stylish Handbags Made with a Single Ball, Skein, Hank or Spool by Fatema Habibur-Rahman, Khadija Habibur-Rahman and Hajera Habibur-Rahman
- Faithless by Karin Slaughter
- Envy by Sandra Brown
- Double Cross by James Patterson
- From the Corner of His Eye by Dean R. Koontz
- Till we Meet Again by Judith Krantz
- High Noon by Nora Roberts
- Mercy by Julie Garwood
- Post-Mortem by Patricia Cornwell
- Play Dirty by Sandra Brown
- No Witnesses by Ridley Pearson
- The Daughters of Cain by Colin Dexter
- The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth
- Final Appeal by Joanne Fluke
- Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders by John Johnson and Ron Sobel
- Shaman by Noah Gordon
- Quicksand by Iris Johansen
- Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
- Duma Key by Stephen King
- Still Waters by Tami Hoag
- Middle of Nowhere by Ridley Pearson
- No. 9 Belmont Square by Margaret Erskine
- The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate by Robert Graysmith
- Winter Prey by John Sandford
- We'll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark
- Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark
- True Evil: A Novel by Greg Iles
- Who Killed my Daughter? by Lois Duncan
- Triptych by Karin Slaughter
- The Tenth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders 
- The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance by Joan Ryan
- Grand Jury by Philip Friedman

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

Books Read: 12
Pages Read: 3,698
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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