Laura Esquivel - Like Water For Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies

120. Like Water For Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies by Laura Esquivel (1989)
Length: 246 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 12 December 2014
Finished: 13 December 2014
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Laura Esquivel is a new author for me.

In turn-of-the-century Mexico, fifteen-year-old Josefita de la Garza - nicknamed Tita - lives on the family ranch with her mother Mama Elena, and her two older sisters - Rosaura and Gertrudis. According to family tradition, Tita - as the youngest daughter of an affluent rancher - must never marry but stay home and take care of her mother until she dies. For Tita, this family tradition is restricting and very old-fashioned - but as much as she hates it, Tita is still bound by that tradition. Instead, she turns all her pent-up desire toward cooking - expressing herself through the food that she prepares.

When Tita falls in love with her next door neighbor Pedro - and he with her - Tita's tyrannical mother steps in and invokes family tradition, denying Pedro's request for her youngest daughter's hand in marriage. Instead, Mama Elena offers Pedro the hand of her daughter Rosaura and, in order to stay close to Tita, Pedro accepts her offer. And so the story spans the next twenty-two years, detailing Tita and Pedro's unconsummated passion for each other; as well as their bittersweet and complicated romance.

I must say that I debated with myself whether or not to read this, but in the end I'm so glad that I chose to read it. Mareena had gotten the book for me as a 'just because' gift for July of 2012 - but having watched the 1992 movie with one of her friends a while ago - she wasn't too sure if I would actually want to read it. So, the book languished on my TBR pile for a little over two years.

I actually enjoyed this book very much. I found that the story was whimsical and almost fairytale-like in places. It was really quite captivating to me, and I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Tami Hoag - Deeper Than the Dead

119. Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag (2009)
The Oak Knoll Series Book 1
Length: 542 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 9 December 2014
Finished: 11 December 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 Tami Hoag is a new author for me.

California, 1985 - Four children - running through the woods behind their middle school - literally stumble upon a gruesome discovery. Partially buried in a shallow grave and covered by wet leaves is the body of a young woman, her eyes and mouth glued shut. Close behind the children is their teacher, Anne Navarre, shocked by this discovery and heartbroken for her students as she witnesses the end of their innocence. What she doesn't realize is that this discovery will also effectively mark the end of innocence for the entire community of Oak Knoll, as the ties that bind both friends and families are tested by the secrets uncovered in the wake of an apparent serial killer's escalating activity.

FBI investigator Vince Leone, fresh from a law enforcement course at FBI headquarters, is tasked with interpreting those recently revealed secrets. He's using a new technique known as profiling - to develop a theory of the case; a strategy that pulls him ever deeper into the lives of the four children, and brings him closer to the young teacher whose own interest in recent events becomes as intense as his own.

As each new victim is found and the media scrutiny of the investigation intensifies around them, both Investigator Leone and Ms. Navarre wonder if those who suffer the most are the victims themselves - or the family and friends of the killer, blissfully unaware that someone very close to them is actually a cunning, calculating psychopath; capable of such horrific brutality.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The plot was very exciting and dramatic; jam-packed with action, and filled with enough twists and turns to grab my attention right from the beginning. I was completely engrossed by the story and found that it just wouldn't let me go.

Despite having one or two books by Tami Hoag on my bookshelf already - although I don't think I could tell you where either book actually is at the moment - Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag is the first book that I've read by this author. I would give Deeper Than the Dead a definite A+! and will certainly keep my eyes open for more thrillers by Ms. Hoag 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

Reread. A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel by Scott Spencer (2003)
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Originally Read: 9 August 2013
Reread Finished: 9 December 2014
Where did it come from? Originally from a Library Book Sale, then from my "posted" shelf.

Although I acquired this book from a Library Book Sale that Mareena and I went to in October of 2007, I actually read it for the first time in August of 2013 - from August 6th to August 9th, 2013. I had just finished reading Scott Spencer's Preservation Hall and was just putting the book on my "posted" shelf, thinking that I would reread A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel sometime in the very near future. The next day I went looking for the book, thinking that it would actually take me several days to find it. Boy, was I mistaken! - I laid my hand on it right away; it almost seemed like rereading A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel by Scott Spencer was meant to be.

I reread A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel by Scott Spencer in December of 2014. It only took me three days to read - from December 6th to December 9th, 2014. I've since reposted 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

Scott Spencer - Preservation Hall

117. Preservation Hall by Scott Spencer (1976)
Length: 308 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 3 December 2014
Finished: 5 December 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed A Ship Made of Paper: A Novel by the same author in the past.

Meet Virgil Morgan, a young man in his late twenties who, to the world at large, seems to have all the earmarks of success: a luxurious apartment, a consultant job that pays extremely well and takes surprisingly little energy, and an idyllic marriage to a beautiful and creative woman named Tracy.

Meet Virgil's father Earl Morgan, a one-time high school music teacher who has always dreamed of greatness even as he hurtles towards oblivion. A hapless man who watches his wife pack a suitcase and leave him for good, who refuses to give up his beret and goatee. Yes, Virgil has always had a precarious relationship with his father; seeing Earl as an embarrassment - forever a source of gut-wrenching failure for Virgil, a man who wallows in his myriad personal failings too often and too well.

Virgil has done his best to stay away from Earl, and for most of his life that has worked quite well for him. When he and Tracy purchase their dream house in Maine, a cozy cottage they christen 'Preservation Hall', it looks as if he'll succeed - until a long-awaited romantic interlude is invaded by an unwanted visitor, and a sudden blizzard sets the stage for a terrifying week; forcing Virgil to confront the long-repressed ghosts from his past.

I must say that I absolutely loved this book. This is actually the second book that I've read by Scott Spencer and in my opinion, this story was fast-paced and very exciting. The characters were well-developed and sympathetically drawn, and the ones that were meant to be likable I liked very much. I give this book an A+!

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

Margot Livesey - The House on Fortune Street: A Novel

116. The House on Fortune Street: A Novel by Margot Livesey (2008)
Length: 311 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 1 December 2014
Finished: 3 December 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 contemporary fiction and Margot Livesey is a new author for me.
 
It seems like a stroke of mutual good luck for Abigail Taylor and Dara MacLeod when they meet while studying at St. Andrews University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Despite their differences, the two young women form a firm and fast friendship and a lasting, unshakable bond. Even years later, they remain such an unlikely pair.

Abigail - an actress who confidently uses her talent both on and offstage - charms everyone she meets, but believes herself immune to love. Dara - a counselor at a crisis center - is convinced that everyone is somehow irrevocably marked by their childhood; she throws herself into romantic relationships with frightening intensity.

Yet now it appears that each woman has finally found "true love". Is this another stroke of luck? Proof that each relationship is a once-in-a-lifetime love? Abigail has apparently found love with her academic boyfriend, Sean, and Dara with a tall, dark violinist named Edward; who quite literally falls at her feet. However, soon after Dara moves into Abigail's downstairs apartment, trouble threatens both relationships, as well as their friendship.

For Abigail, the trouble comes in the form of an anonymous letter, addressed to Sean and accusing Abigail of being unfaithful; for Dara, a reconciliation with her estranged father Cameron - who left the family when Dara was ten - reawakens some very complicated feelings. Through four ingeniously interlocking narratives - Sean's, Cameron's, Dara's, and Abigail's - we gradually come to understand how these characters' lives were shaped by both chance and determination. Whatever the source, there is absolutely no mistaking the veil that falls when tragedy strikes the house on Fortune Street.

I absolutely loved this book. In my opinion, it was a poignant and thought-provoking story - very intelligently and thoughtfully written. For me, this was also a compulsively readable story - one that I just could not put down. It was an interesting and engaging plot, and I needed to know what would happen next. I give The House on Fortune Street: A Novel by Margot Livesey an A+! and must say, that while this is the first book by this author that I've read, it most certainly won't be my last.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - The After House

115. The After House by Michael Phillip Cash (2014) 
Length: 194 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 29 November 2014
Finished: 1 December 2014
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 17 October 2014  
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Single mother Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia are just starting over with the monumental task of rebuilding their lives together after the failure of Remy's marriage. Now, almost a year after her divorce, she and her daughter have moved into a three hundred year old cottage in historic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It is in this elegant, ancient whaling captain's house where Remy and Olivia hope to find peace and tranquility for themselves.

Little does this little family realize that there is in fact another occupant who dwells in the haven of their new home. Someone who lurks deep in the shadows of history, someone who strives to remain a relevant part of this reality. In the end, will the After House ultimately turn out to be Remy and Olivia's shelter or their final resting place? 

Let me say right from the beginning that I really enjoy Michael Phillip Cash's writing style - he certainly knows how to create a properly creepy atmosphere. I have read four of Mr. Cash's books in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed each of them for different reasons. This latest novel was certainly a departure for me; it was a quick and easy read, and while I would technically classify this book in the horror genre, the story wasn't necessarily all that scary; at least in my personal opinion.

I found this story to be slightly more playful and light-hearted in tone than Mr. Cash's other work, not overly comedic but definitely lighter in tone. I enjoyed reading The After House by Michael Phillip Cash and give it definite B+! - I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

B+! - (89-85%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up For November 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 November with 1,025 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 1,016 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Penny Dell Puzzles and Paperback Swap.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Small Town Girl by LaVyrle Spencer
- The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
- In Another Country by Susan Kenney
- The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards
- The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough
- Random Hearts by Warren Adler
- What Lies Beneath: The Road to Hidden Harbor/Remember Me/Primal Fear by Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes
- Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman  

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Collector's Series Sum-Doku Puzzles 4-pack (Volumes 1, 5, 6, 7) by Dell Magazines
- Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden
- The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
- The Babel Effect by Daniel Hecht
- Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :)) 
- Crow Hollow by Dorothy Eden
- The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition by Stephen King
- A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
- Gallows Lane by Brian MacGilloway
- Torture Killers II: More True Accounts of the Most Vicious Murderers Ever Caught! by Rose Mandelsberg
- Practical Meat Dishes by P3 Publishing
- Ghost Island by Jan O'Donnell Klaveness
- The Book of Books: An Eclectic Collection of Reading Recommendations, Quirky Lists, and Fun Facts about Books by Les Krantz and Tim Knight
- Practical Healthy Eating by P3 Publishing
- Classic Mysteries: A Collection of Mind-Bending Masterpieces by Molly Cooper
- This Gun For Hire by Graham Greene
- Defending the Truth by Richard Parrish
- Ellery Queen's Memorable Characters: Anthology #50 by Ellery Queen
- Daddy's Girl: The Campbell Murder Case by Clifford Irving
- Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon
- The Moonflower Vine: A Novel by Jetta Carleton
- Early From the Dance by David Payne
- A Crime of Honor by Giovanni Arpino

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: 2,677
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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