July'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. July's Book of the Month is: 

A Friend of the Family: A Novel by Lauren Grodstein

Published as: A Friend of the Family in November 2009

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Birth Name: Lauren Grodstein

Born: 19 November 1975 in Brooklyn, New York

Canonical Name: Lauren Grodstein

Pseudonyms: Jessie Elliot

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein was the sixty-seventh book that I read in 2013. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since June 1, 2013 and it took me two days to read. It is definitely a keeper for me.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Steve Thayer - The Wheat Field

72. The Wheat Field by Steve Thayer (2002)
Pliny Pennington Series Book 1
Length: 349 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery 
Started: 30 July 2013
Finished: 31 July 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2007
Why do I have it? I like historical mysteries and Steve Thayer is a new author for me.

There are hardly ever any murders in Kickapoo Falls, Wisconsin - bucolic vacation retreat in the Wisconsin Dells, and home of the politically powerful Kickapoo Gunn Club. In 1960 however, the naked bodies of a married couple - Michael and Maggie Butler - are found in a wheat field; viciously shot to death. It falls to Deputy P. A. Pennington, the trusted number-two man in the Kickapoo Falls Sheriff's Department, to find the killer.

Pliny had been in love with Maggie Butler ever since childhood, admiring her from afar for years, and watching as she eventually married another man. However, he has a hard time holding on to his fantasy of her, as he begins to discover what she was mixed up with in reality.

The oddness of the murder scene - both bodies are found within a perfect circle of crushed wheat, with absolutely no footprints or tire tracks to be found at the scene - combined with the fact that the couple's clothes are missing, and Maggie is wearing only her wedding ring but not her class ring as well; strikes Pliny as incredibly strange. The only clues that he has to work with are a Lucky Strike cigarette butt found lying near the bodies and three perfect holes in the flattened wheat.

The motive appears to Pliny to be sexual in nature; a belief which is corroborated when Trooper Russ Hoffmeyer, one of the investigators at the scene, admits to taking part in a menage a trois with Michael and Maggie Butler in the past. Their entire sexual encounter had been filmed and, according to Trooper Hoffmeyer, that film was now missing.

Pliny finds that the closer he gets to the truth, the tighter that the town's ruling elite closes ranks against him. Almost as if following some shadowy master plan, the sheriff, his one-time mentor, begins to turn against him and Pliny becomes the main murder suspect; in danger of being arrested for the double homicide. He is convinced that the answer lies hidden in the wheat field, and in a missing reel of movie film - that will ultimately shut the door on a murder investigation, but immediately open another one onto a deadly election night conspiracy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, the plot was thoroughly intriguing and moved along very quickly. I avidly wanted to learn the murderer's identity, and was enmeshed in the the story until I finally understood their motive. I give this book a definite A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Wanda Canada - Island Murders

71. Island Murders by Wanda Canada (2001)
Carroll Davenport Mysteries Series Book 1
Length: 327 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 28 July 2013
Finished: 30 July 2013
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 4 June 2010
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Wanda Canada is a new author for me.

Figure Eight Island - an island near Wilmington, North Carolina - is the place to live and vacation for a privileged class of Southerners. Definitely not what someone would call a sleepy little hamlet, the island is home to million dollar houses and wealthy opulence. Contractor Carroll Davenport doesn't party with the jet-setters; she builds houses for them. But when an arsonist destroys a house Carroll is building and her job supervisor is found buried under ten feet of topsoil, Carroll is drawn into a world of drug smuggling, corruption and murder. It's enough to ruin her day.

The challenge of keeping Carroll safe becomes increasingly perilous when a rogue cop pegs her as the murderer. Under the ever-watchful eye of Sheriff Stan Council, and with the help of a not-unattractive off-duty FBI agent, Carroll struggles to clear her name - but what she doesn't know could get her, and everyone she loves, killed.

I thought that this book definitely started off strongly, but in my opinion the plot became just the slightest bit implausible towards the end. I also really liked Carroll Davenport as a character in the beginning; however, the constant verbal sparring between her and her handsome off-duty FBI agent-turned-protector tended to get on my nerves - especially if a 'clash of wills' argument suddenly broke out while both of them were being held at gunpoint by someone intent on eliminating them. I give this book an A!

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

Kitty Sewell - Bloodprint: A Novel of Psychological Suspense

70. Bloodprint: A Novel of Psychological Suspense by Kitty Sewell (2009)
Length: 351 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 24 July 2013
Finished: 28 July 2013
Where did it come from? From Christmas Tree Shops
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 December 2011
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Kitty Sewell is a new author for me. Mareena and I went shopping sometime in early December of 2011 with our friends Lisa and Sylvia, and Mareena bought five books for me as Christmas presents.

Madeleine Frank, born and raised in America, is the daughter of a mentally unstable Cuban mother and her father is an internationally prominent English artist. After losing her husband Forrest in a freak accident during a hurricane, Madeleine flees her island home in Key West, Florida and follows her parents to the ancient city of Bath, England to start life anew. Training and practicing as a psychotherapist, Madeleine has finally found a measure of peace through helping others.

Though devastated by her loss, her grief covers another much deeper scar from her past. Madeleine's demons have never truly left her and may, in fact, be closer than ever - in the mad visions of her mother, formerly a priestess of Santeria, the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion. Rachel Locklear appears in Madeleine's office, seeking therapy. A hostile, deeply mistrustful, and severely damaged young woman - Rachel is willing to try anything to break away from her Ukrainian lover, who has subjected her to years of cruelty and brutality and now threatens to kidnap their son.

As Madeleine learns more about her patient's history, she becomes increasingly troubled by the eerie similarities she discovers between Rachel's childhood and her own. Reluctant to act unprofessionally and risk having Rachel walk out of her life forever, Madeleine keeps her suspicions to herself. But she is unaware of the sinister forces gathering strength in her patient's life. Desperate to keep her son safe from his father's ruthless "associates", Rachel eventually has no choice but to involve the only person she can trust in a murderous web of revenge and deception.

From the tropical lushness of Key West to the imposing Georgian streets of Bath, two women with painful pasts collide dangerously with a world of Cuban sorcery, prostitution and cold-blooded murder - culminating in a tale as terrifying as it is compelling.

I have to say that while this book certainly had an exciting plot, I found that it was just a bit too convoluted and slow for my taste. In my opinion, this book was definitely not quick reading, and I had to give it a B+! However, I'm certainly interested in reading Kitty Sewell's debut novel, Ice Trap at some point.

B+! - (89-85%)  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Giovanni Arpino - A Crime of Honor

69. A Crime of Honor by Giovanni Arpino (1963)
Length: 150 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 22 July 2013
Finished: 23 July 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 30 October 2001
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Giovanni Arpino is a new author for me. 

Gaetano Castiglia was a distinguished Italian doctor, the son of a wealthy land owner - the very soul of respectability. In his late thirties, Gaetano chose as his bride a girl of seventeen - Sabina - a beautiful peasant girl. Ever the true gentleman, he refused to give her up simply because public opinion was against the match. Even over his own mother's bitter objections, he planned to train Sabina, make her a lady and then marry her. All was proceeding according to Gaetano's intentions...until he discovered something that shocked him to the very core. 

This was an extremely intriguing book for me to read. Giovanni Arpino is a new author for me, and A Crime of Honor is a translation from the Italian. In my opinion, this book superbly showcased the changing social mores of Italian society during the time between the World Wars. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Roxanne Pulitzer - Twins

68. Twins by Roxanne Pulitzer (1990)
Length: 287 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 20 July 2013
Finished: 22 July 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 July 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Roxanne Pulitzer is a new author for me. 

No woman could resist Dexter Portino, handsome and gorgeous king of the jet set. Beautiful, talented photographer Anne Graham fell under his seductive spell, and when she won his love, she gained entrance into the extravagant, exclusive world of Palm Beach society. The birth of her beautiful twin daughters made her fairy tale marriage complete. 

Then all the glitter and glamour began to tarnish. For behind Dexter's dazzling smile lay the heart of a ruthless man driven by lust, greed, and revenge. A man who would wield power to manipulate both Palm Beach society - and the law - to destroy her.

At the center of the scandal are Carrie and Gracie - twins who have shared everything, even the same man. Born into a world where being 'in' means everything - intoxicating, indulgent, insane, even incestuous - they've grown up fast. Now they're headed on a collision course with fate, when even the incredibly wealthy can't hide all their secrets.

I certainly liked Twins by Roxanne Pulitzer; it was not the sort of book that I typically read, but was surprisingly enjoyable nevertheless. The plot actually turned out to be more interesting than I was expecting. I must say that the writing reminded me slightly of Jackie Collins; "Wealthy, bored socialites living scandalous lives among the jet set." I give this book an A! 

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Lauren Grodstein - A Friend of the Family: A Novel

67. A Friend of the Family: A Novel by Lauren Grodstein (2009)
Length: 302 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 18 July 2013
Finished: 20 July 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Lauren Grodstein is a new author for me.

Peter and Elaine Dizinoff have been friends with Joe and Iris Stern since college. Living the perfect life in a wealthy New Jersey neighborhood, their children have grown up together and they have shared everything. However, sometimes the wrong decisions can be made for the right reasons...

Pete has spent his whole life working towards building an adulthood that would be, by all measures, judged successful. And in nearly every respect, he has accomplished just that: a skilled and intuitive internist with a loyal following of patients, Pete has built a thriving medical practice in Round Hill, New Jersey. He has a loving and devoted wife in Elaine; a network of close friends, a comfortable suburban status, and an impressive house with a good view from the porch.

Pete and Elaine have only one child, and Pete has pinned all his hopes on his son Alec. Pete only wants the best for Alec, and to that end, he and Elaine have done everything within their power to make his life successful. They've afforded him every opportunity, bailed him out of close calls with the law, and, despite Alec's lack of interest, have even managed to get him accepted into a good college.

But Pete never counted on the wild card: Laura, Joe and Iris Stern's daughter. Ten years older than Alec, irresistibly beautiful, with a history so shocking that it's never spoken of, Laura sets her sights on Alec, who falls under her spell. And with that, Pete sees his dreams for his son not only unraveling but completely destroyed. With the belief that he has only the best intentions at heart, he sets out to derail the romance. But Pete could never have foreseen how, in the process, he might shatter his whole life and devastate his entire family.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It was a gripping plot that was absolutely believable to me. Quite a book! I give this book an A+! and have put Lauren Grodstein's other books on my Wish List.

 A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight