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 House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts 

  Published as: The House at Old Vine in June 1961

Publisher: Doubleday

Birth Name: Norah Robinson
Born: 27 August 1904 in Shipdham, Norfolk, England
Died: 10 September 1983 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England

Canonical Name: Norah Lofts
Pseudonyms: Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis

The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts was the thirteenth book that I read in 2016. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since April 24, 2009 and it took me ten days to read. This book is definitely a keeper for me.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anthony Izzo - Cruel Winter

15. Cruel Winter by Anthony Izzo (2005)
Length: 349 pages

Genre: Horror

Started: 25 February 2016

Finished: 29 February 2016

Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 February 2016

Why do I have it? I like horror and Anthony Izzo is a new author for me.

Brampton in the early 1980's is a picturesque little town where nothing extraordinary ever happens. When the new kid in town asks Jack Harding and his friends for help, they can hardly refuse the boy. After all, Ronnie Winter is a pleasantly plump kid, quiet, and well...weird. To Jack's way of thinking, Ronnie's strangeness just makes him the prime target for bullying. 

Jack and his friends actually feel rather sorry for Ronnie, so they agree to protect him. Jack is convinced it is the right thing to do, to protect those who can't protect themselves. And when the local bullies do try to beat up Ronnie, Jack and his friends step in to stop them - and make their first mistake...

Their first mistake was to underestimate Ronnie Winter, because he is apparently unlike any other kid they've ever known. He lives with his lovely mother Cassie over at the old Steadman place, in the eerie Gothic-style mansion that used to be a mental hospital. And his ethereally beautiful mother has the uncanny ability to make Jack promise to be Ronnie's best friend...forever.

As Brampton starts to experience the coldest winter in its history, the closer Jack and his friends get to Ronnie. A freakishly cold weather pattern sweeps through the town, bringing with it a series of brutal snowstorms which cause the temperature to plummet even lower. And as if the weather conditions weren't bad enough, someone seems to be using the weather to their advantage: the residents of Brampton are being plagued by a series of nightmarishly gruesome murders.

And as the grisly death toll continues to rise, Jack begins to realize something more disturbing about his odd new friend, Ronnie. Ronnie Winter is already protected; surrounded by something far more powerful than an overprotective mother's love. He is being guarded by something almost supernatural - an unspeakably malevolent force that will torture and destroy everything in its path...

I must say that the first thing I noticed about this book when I received it was the eeriness of the cover - Gothic mansions with giant stone lions guarding the door just scream spooky to me, I suppose. Not that I'm complaining in any way, but I just wasn't sure how scary a plot could get with a cast of primarily teenage boys as characters. As the debut novel of a new author for me, I found that the plot was well-developed and satisfyingly creepy. I give this book a B+!

As it turned out, the book was extremely well written and I'm very happy to have read it. In my opinion, this was an intriguing debut; I will definitely be putting this author's name on my Wish List.

B+! - (85-89%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I Have Not Thought About Jigsaw Puzzles in Quite Some Time!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

I've been doing crossword puzzles on and off for approximately two weeks - or at least since Monday night, February 15th! I have probably done about twelve or thirteen puzzles - mostly from the newspaper. As I have said before, the final season of 'Downton Abbey' on PBS' 'Masterpiece' started on Sunday night, January 3rd and tonight's episode was a recap of the entire sixth season followed by an hour long actor's retrospective show. The season finale is on Sunday night, March 6th!

As for my reading, I've finished two books in the space of four days. The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts actually took a total of ten days for me to read - I finished it on Tuesday afternoon, February 23rd! I immediately chose Dearest by Peter Loughran to read next. Having started reading the book on Tuesday evening, February 23rd, I finished it in two days - on Thursday night, February 25th!

Next up on my TBR pile was Cruel Winter by Anthony Izzo. This was another horror book written by another new author for me. I started reading this book on Thursday night, February 25th! As of this morning - Sunday, February 28th - I'm on page 318 of 349, or approximately 91 percent. So far, the book is really, really good.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Peter Loughran - Dearest

14. Dearest by Peter Loughran (1983)

Length: 282 pages

Genre: Horror 

Started: 23 February 2016

Finished: 25 February 2016

Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 February 2016

Why do I have it? I like horror and Peter Loughran is a new author for me.

He is a man with some fairly definitive ideas about women. The only problem is that the taxi driver's ideas about the perfect woman are entirely too unrealistic. You see, his main trouble is that no woman - no matter how much he might love her - could ever live up to such lofty expectations. 

Deep down, the cab driver understands that some people may claim that he has some unreasonably high standards. And yes, he might possibly even agree with those people - on some level. But he also realizes that he will never lower his expectations just to suit another person's opinion of him. After all, it's only a matter of time until he finds the right woman; he's sure of it.

Then he met Jacqui. She was a truly beautiful woman. Positively drop-dead gorgeous, actually. He could really see himself spending the rest of his life with such a beauty. 

And after she began carrying his unborn child, he gave her a ring in contemplation of their marriage. He knew he had to take such steps to ensure that his love was preserved and that their relationship status became permanent. After all, marriage was meant to be 'until death do us part' and he took such a vow to heart.

I actually thought that this story was told from a rather unique perspective, and I don't believe that I have read anything else quite like it before. The character of the taxi driver wasn't ever meant to be a sympathetic character - or even particularly likeable - so using him as a narrator for this story was something that I found seriously disturbing. This perspective was definitely warped, but was also chillingly effective - at least in my opinion. I give this book an A!

This was the debut novel from a new author for me. While this book was published in the early 1980s - and the horror was definitely dated because of it - I still thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Actually, I have always enjoyed reading older horror novels. As a matter of fact, I generally think of horror novels published before 1960 as 'Classic Horror', and horror novels published after 1990 as 'Modern Horror'.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - The House at Old Vine

13. The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts (1961)

The Suffolk House Trilogy Book 2
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 13 February 2016
Finished: 23 February 2016
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 April 2009
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

In a trilogy that spans five centuries - beginning in the fourteenth century and concluding during the middle of the twentieth century - this is the second volume of the Suffolk House Trilogy. This is the continuing story of a town house and the various people who live there. The trilogy follows the story of Martin Reed and his descendants, men and women who found their place in the fascinating years of England's early history.

Starting in the late fifteenth century, and concluding during the time of the Restoration - The House at Old Vine follows the story of Josiana Greenwood - an illegitimate descendant of Martin Reed. For generations while the Reed family endured, England faced what was perhaps its most turbulent and troubled period. Josiana lived through this period of great upheaval - and it is through her that the family of the House will continue.

In a time when the Tudors fought for the throne and the violence of Oliver Cromwell's war threatened the safety of the nation, Josiana faced a tremendously difficult task. She was young, beautiful and very much in love. Yet the man to whom she had pledged her heart was a man whose fate was sealed. And, although her heart belonged to only one man, she was promised to another...

As with everything that I have previously read by Norah Lofts, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Ms. Lofts is a tremendous writer whose stories are always well-detailed and historically accurate - she really knows her history. I really appreciate her writing style - and even though the story was slightly longer than I was expecting - it still was an intriguing plot. I give this book a definite A+!

I must say that although I have read almost every one of Norah Lofts' books, I'm not quite sure if I've ever read this one in particular. While I certainly remember reading the first book of the trilogy, as well as the third, I can't really remember reading this book. When I initially started reading it, I had thought that it was a reread for me from at least twelve years ago. However, the further I got into the story, the more I realized that I had absolutely no idea how the story would progress.

I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't read this book before, but I just thought that I would have some inkling of the plot or perhaps a vague memory of the characters. However, I really couldn't recall anything about the story, so it was entirely new to me. I'm completely amazed, and will definitely be keeping this book on my bookshelf to read again some time soon.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I'm Still Working Through my Crossword Puzzle Addiction!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

I've been doing crossword puzzles on and off for the past week or so - or at least since Monday night, February 15th! I have probably done about six puzzles - one and a half to two puzzles every three days. As I have said before, the final season of 'Downton Abbey' on PBS' 'Masterpiece' started on Sunday night, January 3rd and tonight's episode will be the penultimate episode.

As for my reading, I've been reading The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts since Saturday morning, February 13th! I'm really loving this book, as I always love Norah Lofts as an author. That being said, as of today - Sunday, February 21st - I'm on page 188 of 384, or approximately 49 percent. I'm so close to being halfway done with this book after eight days of reading.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I'm Back to Doing Crossword Puzzles and Word Jumbles From the Newspaper!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Actually, not too much has happened lately. I have been doing mostly crossword puzzles for the past few days. Yesterday, Mareena and I spent the day catching up on some emails and sending snail mail letters to our friends. We also spent some time planning the program for next Sunday. I suppose Wednesday was an 'office work day' for both of us.

As for my reading, I've been reading The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts since Saturday morning, February 13th! I'm really loving this book, but it certainly isn't as much of a fast-paced plot as I was expecting it to be when I first picked it up. As of today - Thursday, February 18th - I'm on page 90 of 384, or approximately 23 percent.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Number Puzzles Are Very Challenging!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

I haven't done any more jigsaw puzzles lately, or at least since Thursday morning, February 4th! Since then, I have stuck to crossword puzzles, and sudoku and the word jumbles in the newspaper. Occasionally, I'll also do some sum-doku puzzles as well. As a matter of fact, I'm currently about halfway through a second book that has 100 sum-doku puzzles in it.

As regards my reading, I finished reading The Saints and Sinners of Okay County: A Novel by Dayna Dunbar on Friday evening, February 12th! This was a reread for me from almost four years ago, and I enjoyed reading this book the second time as much as I did the first time. Although, I have since posted the book on every one of the book swapping websites that Mareena and I belong to - maybe someone else would like to read it next.

I immediately started reading The House at Old Vine by Norah Lofts on Saturday morning, February 13th! While this is another reread for me, I think it has been at least a dozen years since I last read it. Despite starting the book on Saturday, February 13th, the book is not as quick a read as I expected.

Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying it - after all, the author is Norah Lofts - but as of Monday, February 15th, I've only read 32 pages so far. As there are 384 pages in the book, that means that I have only read 8 percent of the story.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Dayna Dunbar - The Saints and Sinners of Okay County: A Novel

Reread. The Saints and Sinners of Okay County: A Novel by Dayna Dunbar (2003)
The Aletta Honor Series Book 1

Length: 511 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Originally Read: 4 May 2012

Reread Finished: 12 February 2016

Where did it come from? Originally from a Library Book Sale, then from my "keeper" shelf.

So after I finished reading my last book on February 7th, 2016 I had chosen to start reading The Count and the Confession: A True Murder Mystery by John Taylor. Despite the fact that I like to read true accounts of crimes, this book is incredibly detailed. I decided by February 10th, 2016, to set aside the book that I was reading and pick up a book that was a little easier reading for me.

I had acquired this book in a Library Book Sale that Mareena and I went to in April of 2009. The book sat unread on my bookshelf for over three years, until I read it for the first time over two days in May of 2012 - from May 2nd, to May 4th, 2012. My reread took place over two days in February of 2016 - from February 10th, to February 12th, 2016. I think after having this book in my collection for about seven years, I can safely post the book on the swapping websites that we belong to with a clear conscience.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Sum-Doku Puzzles Are the Best!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Well, since I finished doing the 1,000-piece pink elephant puzzle on Thursday morning, February 4th, I've primarily focused on doing several sudoku and sum-doku puzzles. I've actually been receiving packages of sudoku puzzles through the mail for approximately a year, and I received the latest package - or at least opened it - on Christmas Day. So, I just finished one whole book of sum-doku puzzles yesterday evening, February 9th!

As regards my reading, I finished reading Overnight Float: A Mystery by Clare Munnings on Sunday afternoon, February 7th! This was certainly an intriguing mystery, and I appreciated that the story took place in a collegiate setting; but I have to say that I did find the mystery just the slightest bit confusing. I sort of understand why this was; because part of the mystery involved possible embezzlement. I suppose that I just wasn't expecting the mystery to become so detailed when describing the college's finances.

I'm not quite sure what to read next. I actually have two books on my radar: A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve and The Count and the Confession: A True Murder Mystery by John Taylor. I think I'm leaning towards reading the Anita Shreve book again; I don't know!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Clare Munnings - Overnight Float: A Mystery

11. Overnight Float: A Mystery by Clare Munnings (2000)

The Rosemary Stubbs Mysteries Series Book 1

Length: 288 pages

Genre: Contemporary Mystery 

Started: 4 February 2016

Finished: 7 February 2016

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 December 2015

Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Clare Munnings is a new author for me.

Two and a half years after giving up her successful career in the corporate world for a divinity school degree, Rosemary Stubbs arrives on the campus of Sanderson College - a women's college in New England - to take up the post as chaplain. Still devastated by her husband Jim's tragic drowning, Rosemary hopes that she can find some solace in a new vocation, helping the students to resolve their own fears and confront some tough choices. She had absolutely no idea that such a bucolic campus as Sanderson College could possibly hide such intrigue and mystery.

When a member of the faculty dies unexpectedly, soon after Rosemary's arrival, she quickly learns that life in a small liberal arts college is not quite the sanctuary she thought it would be. Indeed, it seems as if Rosemary is caught in the middle of something nefarious; a stunning, seemingly elemental version of good versus evil. As tensions over the faculty member's death continue to mount, secret allegiances and hidden conflicts come to light. 

Rosemary, with the help of a meticulous homicide detective named Raphael Ramirez, finds herself matching wits with a cold-blooded murderer. It will take all of her considerable intelligence and intellect to add up the clues and to avoid getting caught in the clutches of an elusive campus killer. Will she be savvy enough to solve this mystery, before her time runs out?

This is the debut mystery of co-authors Jill Ker Conway and Elizabeth T. Kennan. Both ladies are former college presidents who have written several non-fiction books between them. I must say, that despite the story being so intricately detailed in certain areas, I still enjoyed it very much. I also appreciated that the mystery took place in a collegiate setting. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Sudoku Puzzles Are the Next Ones on my Puzzle to-do List!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Surprisingly, I have been doing fairly good. Despite the fact that I was doing a complex jigsaw puzzle of 1,000 pieces, I finished the herd of pink elephants puzzle on Thursday morning, February 4th! I'm amazed that it only took me a total of two days to finish a 1,000-piece puzzle, since I started doing this one on Tuesday morning, February 2nd!

As regards my reading, I'm almost halfway through Overnight Float: A Mystery by Clare Munnings. Granted, I only started reading this book on Thursday night, February 4th; but two days later, I'm pretty close to halfway through. I think it has taken a little bit of time to get into the story, but I've settled into the flow of the story now.

According to Goodreads, as of today, February 6th, I am on page 131 of 288; or approximately 45 percent. Not too bad, if I do say so myself! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Puzzles Are Just so Much Fun!

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all just fine this morning - I certainly am! :) Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing so far.

Well, for the third time since I got it, I started doing the puzzle with the herd of pink elephants. After I finished reading The Other Family: A Novel by Joanna Trollope on Tuesday morning, February 2nd, I began doing the same puzzle with the herd of pink elephants. It only took me a total of two days to finish it.

As regards my reading, I had finished reading The Other Family: A Novel by Joanna Trollope on Tuesday, February 2nd. It only took me a little time to decide which book I wanted to read next, although I didn't start reading it right away. I finished the puzzle I was working on early this morning - Thursday, February 4th!

I have just started reading Overnight Float: A Mystery by Clare Munnings today - Thursday, February 4th! Clare Munnings is actually a pseudonym for two college professors and authors Jill Ker Conway and Elizabeth Topham Kennan. I'm not that far into the story yet, but I think it's going to be pretty good.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Joanna Trollope - The Other Family: A Novel

10. The Other Family: A Novel by Joanna Trollope (2010)

Length: 329 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Started: 1 February 2016

Finished: 2 February 2016

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 December 2015

Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Richie Rossiter is a famous singer-songwriter and pianist based in England who has millions of loyal fans all over the world. To those fans, Richie is living the type of life they could only dream of; he is an extremely lucky man. What the world at large could never imagine was that Richie Rossiter is actually living a secret life.

In his late forties, Richie abandoned his first wife Margaret and their young son Scott in Newcastle - in northeast England - for a young woman who believed that she could bring him stardom in London. Not only did the young woman, Chrissie, rejuvenate Richie Rossiter's career, they lived together for the next twenty-three years in domestic bliss - and had three lovely daughters: Tamsin, Dilly and Amy. However, the trouble with death is that it comes quicker than anyone might suspect, and leaves so many unanswered questions in its wake.

When Richie dies unexpectedly, Chrissie realizes she must finally tell her daughters the truth: that their parents were never married, and that the girls' father had another family. However, this is only the first of many revelations that come to light with the reading of Richie's will. It seems that he never truly forgot the family he left behind so long ago. Now two grieving families are left to confront their losses - as well as each other - and no one will ever be the same.

I must say that I absolutely loved this book. Ms. Trollope is a remarkable writer, her writing style is so poignant and insightful. Her characters are well-developed and so true to life, that I couldn't help feeling for them all. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)

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 1,055 books lying around the house and ended the month with 1,046 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from authors, Bookmooch and Paperback Swap.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile

Rereads
- Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Vinegar Hill: A Novel by A. Manette Ansay
- Come Walk With Me by Joan Mendlicott
- A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block
- Secret For a Nightingale by Victoria Holt
- The Fever Tree: A Novel by Jennifer McVeigh
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
- A Scaly Tale by Kay Wilkins
- The History Major: A Novella by Michael Phillip Cash

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Tongues by Sam Joyce

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Texas! Sage by Sandra Brown
- Alone Yet Not Alone: Based on the True Story of Barbara and Regina Leininger by Tracy Michele Leininger
- Vinegar Hill: A Novel by A. Manette Ansay
- Christian Clip Art by In Celebration Publishing
- Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
- The Assistant by Bernard Malamud
- A Simple Plan by Scott Smith

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: 2,755
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