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

The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins

Published as: The Girl on the Train in January 2015

Publisher: Riverhead Books 

Birth Name: Paula Hawkins

Born: 26 August 1972 in Salisbury, Rhodesia (Harare, Zimbabwe)

Canonical Name: Paula Hawkins

Pseudonyms: Amy Silver

The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins was the twenty-second book that I read in 2017. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since August 24, 2017 and it took me four days to read. This book is a definite keeper for me.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Paula Hawkins - The Girl on the Train: A Novel

22. The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins (2015)

Length: 323 pages

Genre: Contemporary Mystery

Started: 26 August 2017

Finished: 30 August 2017

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 August 2017

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

Rachel Watson follows the same routine every single day without fail. She takes the same commuter train each morning and evening - using the consistency of that routine to numb some of the grief she feels for her recently failed marriage. Each day as she rattles down the tracks to work, she flashes past the cozy stretch of homes in a suburban neighborhood, and stops at the same signal. This routine allows her to slip into a soothing daydream; one that allows her to watch people as they go about their own business during the day.

As she sits in the same seat, gazing out of the window at the landscape before her, what she sees next will ultimately change everything. Rachel enjoys her little episodes of people watching; she actually looks forward to seeing some of the same people every single day. As a matter of fact, each time that she stops at the train signal, Rachel watches the same couple eating breakfast on their deck. Their daily morning routine is one which she truly admires, and she has even begun to feel like she knows them.

Jess and Jason, as she calls them, seem to have an almost picture-perfect life together. Actually, not unlike the life that Rachel herself once had. So the routine continues day after day, until the day that it changes irrevocably. It only takes a minute before the train moves on, but Rachel sees something so shocking that she cannot keep it to herself.

Now that her routine is broken beyond repair, she feels that she must go to the police. But is she as unreliable as they seem to believe? Soon Rachel is deeply entangled; not only in the investigation being conducted by the police but also in the lives of everyone involved. In the long run, has she done more harm than good?

Actually, I absolutely loved this book and am delighted to see that it is this author's debut novel. In my opinion, it was well-written and captured my attention right from the beginning. I must say that I thought that the time sequence was slightly unusual, but I certainly appreciated how the author utilized it. I would give this book an A+! and will definitely be putting Ms. Hawkins' name at the top of my wishlist.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I Guess the Book I’m Looking For Will Turn up at Some Point!

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, the pace of my reading has picked up appreciably. As of Saturday, August 26th - I have finished a total of five books and two sum-doku puzzle books. Granted, I still haven’t found the book that I was looking for originally, but Mareena has managed to locate at least two books that she thinks that I will enjoy reading. One book is actually a reread for me from just over four years ago, and the other has been on my TBR pile for almost six years.

I have the distinct impression that the book that I’ve been looking for will actually take ages for me to find. Mareena told me that she was certain that it was on the bookshelf just outside my bedroom door, but when she looked for it at the same time that she found the other two books, it wasn’t there. Oh well, I’ll keep searching.

I just found out that 'The Exorcist' will be starting its second season on Friday, September 29th at 9:00 P. M. I'm delighted to see that the show was renewed and want to know where it goes from here. As far as I know, the two main characters are now traveling exorcists and will be dealing with a case somewhere in Seattle, Washington.

I'm immersing myself in sum-doku and sudoku puzzles as well: at the beginning of the month - on Wednesday, August 2nd - I'm happy to say that I finished one puzzle book that I have had in my collection for just over a decade. I have also just finished another puzzle book about eight days ago. I immediately started another sum-doku puzzle on Friday, August 18th. As of today - Monday, August 28th - I’ve finished a total of 22 puzzles.

As regards my own reading, the most recent book that I've read was Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat, which I finished on Saturday, August 26th. I immediately started reading The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins on the same day! According to Goodreads - as of Monday, August 28th - I've read 65 pages out of 323 or 20 percent of the story.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Edwidge Danticat - Brother, I'm Dying

21. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat (2007)

Length: 272 pages

Genre: Non-Fiction

Started: 22 August 2017

Finished: 26 August 2017

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 18 December 2016

Why do I have it? I like non-fiction and Edwidge Danticat is a new author for me.

Award-winning writer Edwidge Danticat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1969. By the age of four, her parents had immigrated to America, leaving Edwidge and her younger brother Andre to be raised by their aunt and uncle. As a result, she quickly came to see them as a second set of parents to both herself and her brother. So, Edwidge stayed in Haiti with her beloved Uncle Joseph and Aunt Denise for the next eight years.

Edwidge was twelve years old when her parents sent for their two children to come join the rest of their family in New York City. Although she was elated to be reunited with her family again, she was also deeply saddened to be leaving Haiti behind. As she slowly began to make a life for herself in a new country, Edwidge struggled to adjust to living so far away from those she loved. Although their hearts and thoughts were never far from those whom they loved, Edwidge and her family continued to fear for the safety of those still living in Haiti as they watched the political situation rapidly deteriorate.

In 2004, tensions reached a boiling point and the Haitian people were swept up in events beyond their control. Life changed drastically for Edwidge as well: on the same sweltering July day that she learned that she was pregnant, she also learned that her father was suffering from end-stage pulmonary fibrosis. As she struggled to process such disparate events - tempering her sense of exhilaration with a certain amount of devastation - Edwidge eventually decided that her family's complex story deserved to be told; as much to commemorate her father's close relationship with his brother, as for the benefit of her relatives still living in Haiti.

I have to say that this is an extraordinary book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and found Ms. Danticat's story to be beautifully written and deeply thought-provoking - filled with a poignancy and bravery that I absolutely admire. I would certainly give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Well, Mareena’s Found Another Book of Mine That Has Been on my TBR Pile For a While!

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, the pace of my reading has picked up appreciably. As of my birthday - Tuesday, August 22nd - I have finished a total of four books and two sum-doku puzzle books. Granted, I still haven’t found the book that I was looking for originally, but Mareena has managed to locate at least two books that she thinks that I will enjoy reading. One book is actually a reread for me from just over four years ago, and the other has been on my TBR pile for almost six years.

I have the distinct impression that the book that I’ve been looking for will actually take ages for me to find. Mareena told me that she was certain that it was on the bookshelf just outside my bedroom door, but when she looked for it at the same time that she found the other two books, it wasn’t there. Oh well, I’ll keep searching.

I just found out that 'The Exorcist' will be starting its second season on Friday, September 29th at 9:00 P. M. I'm delighted to see that the show was renewed and want to know where it goes from here. As far as I know, the two main characters are now traveling exorcists and will be dealing with a case somewhere in Seattle, Washington.

I'm immersing myself in sum-doku and sudoku puzzles as well: at the beginning of the month - on Wednesday, August 2nd - I'm happy to say that I finished one puzzle book that I have had in my collection for just over a decade. I have also just finished another puzzle book about eight days ago. I immediately started another sum-doku puzzle on Friday, August 18th. As of yesterday - Wednesday, August 23rd - I’ve finished a total of 12 puzzles.

As regards my own reading, the most recent book that I've read was Shelter Me: A Novel by Juliette Fay, which I finished on Tuesday, August 22nd. I immediately started reading Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat on the same day! According to Goodreads - as of Thursday, August 24th - I've read 152 pages out of 288 or 53 percent of the story.

Since my copy of Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat actually has 272 pages in it, reading 152 pages means that I've read 56 percent of the story. So far, this book is really good!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Juliette Fay - Shelter Me: A Novel

20. Shelter Me: A Novel by Juliette Fay (2009)

Length: 432 pages 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Started: 15 August 2017

Finished: 22 August 2017

Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2015

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

Janie LaMarche has recently lost her husband Rob in a biking accident. In the four months since his death, she has been balanced on the edge of an overwhelmingly emotional crisis - teetering from heartwrenching grief to blazing anger from day to day. However, her mourning is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a contractor with a building order to add a porch onto her house. Bewildered by his sudden arrival, Janie slowly realizes that the porch was actually meant to be a surprise from her husband - now his final gift to her.

As a reluctant Janie allows the construction to begin, she steadfastly clings to the familiarity of her sorrow - mothering her two small children with a fierce protectiveness, avoiding well-meaning friends and family, and stewing in a rage she can't release. Yet Janie's self-imposed isolation is continuously breached by a motley crew of unlikely interventionists, all determined to break through her steely shell of grief. The cast of loving intermediaries includes: Janie's chatty Aunt Jude, for whom a stiff slug of ipecac solves everything; her over-manicured, tremendously nosy neighbor Shelly, whose home visits are so regular Janie can almost set her watch by them; her muffin-bearing cousin Cormac, who considers baked goods to be downright therapeutic; and even Tug, the contractor with a private grief all his own.

So, as the porch begins to take shape, Janie discovers that the unknown terrain of the future is better charted a day at a time. And that any potential potholes she may encounter along the way are best navigated with the help of others - even those who she never expected to call on, much less learn to love.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Everything about it resonated with me: the story was well-written, the characters were entirely believable, and the plot was very well-developed. I'm going to be putting this author's name right at the top of my wishlist and would certainly give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

I’m Still Looking For the Original Book That Was a Reread!

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'm beginning to think that I am taking one step forward and two steps back as regards the pace of my reading. Having said that, I've read one book for the third time; a new book, and one that has been on my TBR pile for over two years. I actually also have at least four other books on my radar at the moment, but I can't seem to decide which one to read next.

Granted two of the books are rereads for me, but I think the oldest one is from about twenty years ago. So, that's almost like reading an entirely new book. I'm just in the process of locating at least one of these two books.

I just found out three days ago that 'The Exorcist' will be starting its second season on Friday, September 29th at 9:00 P. M. I'm delighted to see that the show was renewed and want to know where it goes from here. As far as I know, the two main characters are now traveling exorcists and will be dealing with a case somewhere in Seattle, Washington.

I'm immersing myself in sum-doku and sudoku puzzles as well: at the beginning of the month - on Wednesday, August 2nd - I'm happy to say that I finished one puzzle book that I have had in my collection for just over a decade. I'm delighted to say also that as of Wednesday, August 16th, I finished another one of my sum-doku puzzle books; I immediately started a fresh puzzle book on Friday, August 18th!

As regards my own reading, the most recent book that I've read was All Unquiet Things: A Novel by Anna Jarzab, which I finished on Monday, August 14th. I immediately started reading Shelter Me: A Novel by Juliette Fay on Tuesday, August 15th! This book has also been on my TBR pile for just over two years and I'm a little bit surprised that it’s taken me so long to read it.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight