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

The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand   

  Published as: The Castaways in July 2009

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Birth Name: Elin Hilderbrand
Born: in Collegeville, Pennsylvania

Canonical Name: Elin Hilderbrand
Pseudonyms: None

The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand was the thirty-second book that I read in 2016. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since June 7, 2016 and it took me six days to read. I sent this book off to another good home on July 7, 2016.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I'm Debating Over What I Should Read Next!

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 actually started doing sum-doku puzzles back on Monday night, June 20th! I've not done that many puzzles out of the 100 that are contained within each book - but I must say that as of Monday, June 27th - I've done approximately twelve puzzles. Probably not too bad for a week's worth of figuring out number puzzles, I suppose!

As regards my reading, the last book that I read was The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand. Since it only took me a total of six days to read, I was looking for something else to read by Thursday afternoon, June 23rd! I finally settled on reading The Race: A Novel by Richard North Patterson, which I started on Friday afternoon, June 24th! Although the book seemed fairly interesting to me at first, I have noticed that as of yesterday morning - Sunday, June 26th - I wasn't that far along in the story.

According to Goodreads - as of Sunday, June 26th - I'm currently on page 98 of 511; or approximately 19 percent into the story. I have since decided that I will put this book aside for a while and start reading another book: Charming Billy: A Novel by Alice McDermott. This was a book that I brought up from my garage almost a week ago in the box of approximately sixteen books that I had wanted to cull!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I'm Dabbling in my Big Pile of Puzzle Books Again!

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.

So, I just recently completed the last jigsaw puzzle out of the box of twelve that I had bought for myself on Thursday afternoon, May 19th! On Saturday afternoon, June 18th, I packed up the entire box and put it back in my collection of jigsaw puzzles. Apparently, it took me just under a month to do a total of twelve puzzles. Not too bad, if I do say so myself!

Since then, I've moved on to doing sum-doku puzzles again. Starting on Monday night, June 20th, I started on another fresh puzzle book out of the package of six that I received on Friday afternoon, March 4th! As I have said before, each puzzle book contains perhaps 100 puzzles. Since I generally do one or two puzzles a night - as of Saturday, June 25th - I've done approximately nine or ten sum-doku puzzles.

As regards my reading, so far I have read a total of four books in June. The book that I finished most recently was The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand. I started reading this book on June 17th, and six days later - on June 23rd - I finished it. Then I began reading The Race: A Novel by Richard North Patterson on June 24th!

According to Goodreads - as of Saturday, June 25th - I'm currently on page 92 of 511; or approximately 18 percent into the story. So far, the story is pretty good - if a little slow - for me to get into. I'm not quite sure how this is going to turn out.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Elin Hilderbrand - The Castaways: A Novel

32. The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand (2009)

Length: 359 pages 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction 

Started: 17 June 2016

Finished: 23 June 2016

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 June 2016

Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Elin Hilderbrand is a new author for me.

On the picturesque island of Nantucket - just off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts - rumors always tend to flow fast and furious. In such a close-knit, yet isolated community, everybody soon gets to know everyone else's business. For eight best friends - the Kapenashes, the MacAvoys, the Drakes, and the Wheelers - four prominent couples within their tiny community; secrets usually don't stay secret for very long. And even the most innocuous of meetings can raise suspicions.

When the charming and talented music teacher, Greg MacAvoy, spends a rainy Sunday night with a beautiful high school senior named April Peck - the curiosity and rumors begin. Although Greg loves his wife Tess deeply, and has been happily married to her for over a decade; he just can't seem to shake the speculative whispers of: 'What happened between Greg MacAvoy and April Peck?' The community rumor mill begins churning, and speculation is sent swarming around the island like tourists on Memorial Day.

With all the rumors floating around, the stress is beginning to show in the MacAvoy marriage. The troubled couple has begun experiencing an incredible amount of strain within their relationship - and all that strain has subsequently taken an enormous toll on Tess - who is dealing with her own issues. She is torn between her love for her husband and keeping a secret of her own.

With their twelfth wedding anniversary fast approaching, the MacAvoys decide to celebrate by spending some quality time on their sailboat. So the couple sets out on their anniversary trip to Martha's Vineyard, hoping to rekindle the romance in their marriage - confident that the roughest waters are behind them. Yet, all of the MacAvoys' dreams of a brighter future are soon dimmed by an inexplicable tragedy.

When the heartbreaking news eventually reaches the shores of Nantucket, the entire community is rocked to its very foundations. Greg and Tess have mysteriously drowned in a boating accident, leaving behind their two small children. Their closest friends - the Kapenashes, the Drakes, and the Wheelers - are absolutely devastated by the sudden loss of the MacAvoys.

For as long as anyone can remember, the four couples have done everything together. They have vacationed and celebrated together; confided in and depended on each other. However, tragedy tends to reveal both the best traits and the worst traits in people. Losing Greg and Tess so unexpectedly has reawakened long-simmering conflicts and brings deeply-buried emotions bubbling to the surface. The six friends, still reeling from their feelings of grief and denial, set out to answer the ultimate question: 'What happened to Greg and Tess MacAvoy?'

A page-turning story of passion and suspense, The Castaways: A Novel is a poignant exploration of the boundaries of friendship and forgiveness. This is an extraordinary portrayal of love, loss and acceptance - playing out against the evocative backdrop of the summertime perfection of life spent on Nantucket. A masterful story which highlights so much of what makes Elin Hilderbrand a hallmark best-selling author.

I must say that I absolutely loved this book. In my opinion, this was such a well-written story; it was filled with a certain amount of suspense and mystery, as well as believable characters and a thoughtful, well-developed plot. This was just the type of story that I usually enjoy reading, and I will definitely be putting Ms. Hilderbrand's name at the top of my wish list. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (95-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I'm Definitely Going to Cull Some Books Today!

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.

So, back on Wednesday afternoon, June 15th - just before we met with Lisa and went for Lake George for the day - Mareena and I looked through a small box of books that we had stashed down in the garage. We finally picked up the box on Sunday afternoon, June 19th, after we came back from the radio station. As of this morning - Tuesday, June 21st - both of us went through the box one more time and posted six books that we wanted to give away on the various book swapping websites to which we belong. I've since placed another nine or ten books on my TBR pile to read later.

Anyway, with regards to my reading, I have finished three books so far in the month of June. I started reading The Last Time They Met: A Novel by Anita Shreve on Monday night, May 30th! Four days later - on Thursday night, June 2nd - I finished reading the book.

My next book that I read was Dark Debts by Karen Hall, a book that I had previously read for the first time about ten to fifteen years ago. I actually started my reread of this book on Thursday night, June 2nd, and finished it five days later - on Tuesday night, June 7th! I immediately started reading My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier on Tuesday night, June 7th and ten days later - on Friday morning, June 17th - I finished the book.

Up next on my TBR pile was The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand. I actually started reading this book on Friday night, June 17th! According to Goodreads, as of today - Tuesday, June 21st - I'm currently on page 194 of 359; or approximately 54 percent into the story. This was actually one of the books that I acquired when Mareena and I went to our perpetual library book sale on Tuesday, June 7th!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

The 'Summer of Rereads' Takes a Short Hiatus!

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, on Friday evening - Friday, June 17th - I started doing the last jigsaw puzzle from the box of twelve that I bought myself on Thursday afternoon, May 19th! Since each jigsaw puzzle is between 250-500 pieces, they are all relatively easy-to-do - at least, in my opinion. I finished the final puzzle on Saturday afternoon, June 18th.

So on Wednesday morning, June 15th, Mareena let me know that the book swapping website that we use most often was running much slower than usual. We went up to Lake George on Wednesday afternoon, June 15th, so Mareena didn't get a chance to investigate the situation any further. She checked the website again the next day - Thursday morning, June 16th - and discovered that the website was completely down. By Friday morning, June 17th, apparently the website was still down and stayed that way until Mareena checked it again on Friday afternoon, June 17th!

Anyway, with regards to my reading, I have finished three books so far in the month of June. I started reading The Last Time They Met: A Novel by Anita Shreve on Monday night, May 30th! Four days later - on Thursday night, June 2nd - I finished reading the book.

My next book that I read was Dark Debts by Karen Hall, a book that I had previously read for the first time about ten to fifteen years ago. I actually started my reread of this book on Thursday night, June 2nd, and finished it five days later - on Tuesday night, June 7th! I immediately started reading My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier on Tuesday night, June 7th and ten days later - on Friday morning, June 17th - I finished the book.

Up next on my TBR pile was The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand. I actually started reading this book on Friday night, June 17th! According to Goodreads, as of today - Sunday, June 19th - I'm on page 89 of 359; or approximately 24 percent into the story. This was actually one of the books that I acquired when Mareena and I went to our perpetual library book sale on Tuesday, June 7th!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Daphne du Maurier - My Cousin Rachel

Reread. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (1951)

Length: 288 pages 

Genre: Historical Mystery 

Originally Read: 12 September 2009

Reread Finished: 17 June 2016

Where did it come from? Originally from Paperback Swap, then from my "keeper" shelf. I seem to have misplaced my original copy, so Mareena has since reacquired another copy for me.

The 'Summer of Rereads' continues for me with My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. I actually received my first copy of this book in August of 2009, although I read it for the first time over two days in September of 2009 - from September 10th, to September 12th, 2009. I had put it on my "keeper" shelf after that first reading, then picked it up again to read for a second time over two days in March of 2014 - from March 1st, to March 3rd, 2014. I know that I replaced it on my "keeper" shelf after that reread, because I was planning to read the book again some time in the future.

I started looking for my copy of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier back in April of 2016, but couldn't for the life of me find my original copy of the book. Despite looking on the same bookshelf where I can distinctly remember putting the book, I must say that I was slightly surprised not to find it there. After looking for it on and off for about a month, Mareena requested another copy for me in May of 2016.

The second copy of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier arrived in the afternoon mail on June 7th, 2016! Since I was just about to finish reading Dark Debts by Karen Hall, I realized immediately which book would be next up on my TBR pile! I actually started reading the book on the evening of June 7th, 2016 and ten days later - on June 17th, 2016 - I finished the book.

I have since put the book back on another of my "keeper" shelves - just not in the same place where I had kept my original copy. I will be keeping the book to perhaps read one more time. If my original copy eventually turns up again, I'll definitely post it on the various book swapping websites to which Mareena and I belong. It sometimes happens to me that books that I want to read will go missing for a time, then turn up when I least expect them to - usually when I'm not actually searching for them!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight