Paul Theroux - The Black House

24. The Black House by Paul Theroux (1974)
Length: 256 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 13 April 2011
Finished: 17 April 2011
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 horror and Paul Theroux is a new author for me.


When Alfred and Emma Munday return from Africa they buy a house in the Dorset countryside. Their marriage is slowly disintergrating and when ghostly occurances start happening to them they don't tell each other about them. This book had great promise but didn't fulfill in my opinion. The plot was great but had a lot of sections that went nowhere. I give this book a B!


B! - (80-88%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

James Grippando - When Darkness Falls

23. When Darkness Falls by James Grippando (2007)
Jack Swyteck Series Book 6
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 2 April 2011
Finished: 12 April 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 April 2011
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and James Grippando is a new author for me.

Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck defends a homeless man named Falcon who takes hostages at a hotel after being released from jail. Falcon has among his hostages, Theo Knight, a man who Swyteck once pulled off death row and who became his best friend. He also wants to talk to Alicia Mendoza, a police officer who's dating the blind hostage negotiatior and happens to be the mayor's daughter. What Jack doesn't know is that Falcon has a deeper agenda and is panicked enough to do anything to clear his name.

I did enjoy this book. It was written very well but was a little convoluted plot wise. I give it B+!


B+! - (89-94%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Catherine Cookson - The Wingless Bird

22. The Wingless Bird by Catherine Cookson (1990)
Length: 383 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 6 April 2011
Finished: 9 April 2011
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 31 March 2011
Why do I have it? I generally like Catherine Cookson as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.


This is the story of Agnes Conway and her escape from a humdrum life in to a life of unexpected love. I have to say that although Catherine Cookson can be relied upon for good plots, she is somewhat repetitive in her phrasing and language style. I give this story a B+!



B+! - (89-94%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Russell Brooks - Unsavory Delicacies: Three Short Stories of Suspense

21. Unsavory Delicacies: Three Short Stories of Suspense by Russell Brooks (2011)
Length: 23 pages
Genre: Short Story
Started/Finished: 9 April 2011
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Russell for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 9 March 2011
Why do I have it? I enjoy short stories and Russell Brooks is a new author for me.

How far would you go to get revenge on the person who ruined your reputation? In these three short stories by Russell Brooks, a rogue operative, a food critic, and a mob boss each encounter embarrassing and tragic consequences for their actions. I truly enjoyed these stories; they were fast-paced and gripping. I give Unsavory Delicacies an A!


A! - (90-95%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Joanna Trollope - The Best of Friends

20. The Best of Friends by Joanna Trollope (1995)
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 1 April 2011
Finished: 4 April 2011
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 31 March 2011
Why do I have it? I used to like Joanna Trollope as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Gina and Laurence had been childhood friends and were the best of friends as adults. They were never in love with each other, just the best of friends. Now, Gina was married to the worldly Fergus (who had changed his name from Leslie) and Laurence was married to Hilary. Both had children and seemingly idyllic lives.

Then, Fergus told Gina that he wanted a divorce. She was shattered and turned to Laurence for understanding; but what Laurence did for Gina endangered his own happy family. I loved this story. I thought it was very engrossing and I give it an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Mary Kinney Branson and Jack Branson - Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town

19. Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town by Mary Kinney Branson and Jack Branson (2008)
Length: 298 pages
Genre: True Crime
Started: 26 March 2011
Finished: 2 April 2011
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 March 2011
Why do I have it? I like true crime and have never actually heard of the Ann Branson case.

When town native Ann Branson was found murdered in her basement in Madisonville, Kentucky townspeople were shocked. Crimes like murder just didn't happen in Madisonville. It was unheard of. A retired federal agent, Ann's nephew Jack Branson will not let his aunt's case die; and it is unheard of to Jack that all clues in his aunt's murder start to point to a member of his own family.

I have to say that the plot of this true crime book was a little slow for me and even though the crime was horrible, the writing was somewhat fanciful in parts. I give this story a B+!


B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for March 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 March with 657 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 650 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch and Paperback Swap; and a Library Book Sale that we went to on the 11th.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads
- The Little Wax Doll by Norah Lofts

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
- Godplayer by Robin Cook
- Windswept by Mary Ellen Chase
- The People From the Sea by Velda Johnston
- Emergency! by Stephen B. Seager, M. D.
- Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Winter Harvest by Norah Lofts
- The Wingless Bird by Catherine Cookson
- Unsavory Delicacies by Russell Brooks
- The Best of Friends by Joanna Trollope
- Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town by Mary Kinney Branson and Jack Branson
- The Ambush Murders by Ben Bradlee
- The Zani Murders by Kelly Fero
- Hunting Evil: Inside the Ipswich Serial Murders by Paul Harrison

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- The Third Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders
- I'll be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark
- The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
- Be Healed by Marilyn Hickey
- Erica Wilson's Children's World by Janet Wilson
- Kirkland Revels by Victoria Holt

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 7
Pages Read: 2,260
Grade Range: A+! to A!

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