Maeve Binchy - Light a Penny Candle

53. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy (1982)
Length 522 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 17 November 2011
Finished: 20 November 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 May 2009
Why do I have it? I love Maeve Binchy as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.


As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn home in England to the Irish countryside and the town of Kilgarret. There she met the charming Aisling O'Connor and Aisling's bustling and rather large family. The two girls struck up a firm and fast friendship - one which carried them each through the darkest times of their lives.

Elizabeth had to deal with the breakup of her parents chilly marriage and Elizabeth was there for Aisling all through her marriage to a raging alcoholic. They always believe that they can overcome anything as long as their friendship lasts. They are about to test that theory.

I really enjoyed this book and it is not only a 5 but a 5,000! I give it an A+!


A+! -(96-100%)



Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Belva Plain - Whispers

Re-read. Whispers by Belva Plain (1993)
Length: 475 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Originally Read: 1 September 2010
Re-read Finished: 16 November 2011
Where did it come from? Originally from Bookmooch. It was put on my shelf as a book by one of my favorite authors.

I had already read this book and loved it and when Mareena's computer went down both she and I went through a reading slump. This is the first book that I've reread so far for a new post on the blog. It was a great book.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Belva Plain - Whispers

Re-read. Whispers by Belva Plain (1993)
Length: 475 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Originally Read: 1 September 2010
Re-read Finished: 16 November 2011
Where did it come from? Originally from Bookmooch. It was put on my shelf as a book by one of my favorite authors.

I had already read this book and loved it and when Mareena's computer went down both she and I went through a reading slump. This is the first book that I've reread so far for a new post on the blog. It was a great book.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Maeve Binchy - Aches and Pains

51. Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy (1999)

Length: 96 pages

Genre: Non-Fiction

Started: 6 November 2011

Finished: 8 November 2011

Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 October 2011
Why do I have it? I love Maeve Binchy as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

This is a short book which tries too hard to be humorous. The author writes little hints and tricks about what to do when going into hospital. I generally like Maeve Binchy as an an author, however I wouldn't say this is her best book. I give it a C!


C! - (70-75%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bernard Taylor - Sweetheart, Sweetheart

50. Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor (1977)
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 28 October 2011
Finished: 5 November 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 April 2009
Why do I have it? I had read and enjoyed The Godsend by the same author several years ago.

David and Colin are twins. When Colin and his fiancee die at a peaceful cottage in the English countryside, David goes to investigate. As David gets closer to what happened, he is drawn into the madness and murder that claimed Colin's life. When an attempt is made on David's fiancee's life, the essence of betrayal is awakened in the cottage. I enjoyed this book and give it an A! because I enjoy supernatural storylines.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for October at Moonshine and Rosefire

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. Hopefully, much better than I did. I don't know what it was but I think I went through a reading slump this month. 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 the month with 649 books lying around the house and ended the month with 648 books unread. I only was able to read one book as a matter of fact, but that didn't stop the books from coming into the house. They were coming in faster than I could read. I put aside so many books that I had started to read but couldn't at the time for whatever reason. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch; I have bought no new books this month.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads:
- The Claw by Norah Lofts

Changes to the TBR pile: 


Added to my TBR pile: (They're coming! They're coming!)
- Devil's Eye by Al Ruksenas
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home: (Fly, my babies! :))
- The King of Lies by John Hart
- The Fallen by Jefferson Parker
- Sleep Long, my Love by Hillary Waugh
- The Last Cheerleader by Meg O'Brien
- The Fourth Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders
- The Wingless Bird by Catherine Cookson

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, not a great reading month for me. Although, six books sent out of the house is wonderful! Here is a further breakdown:

Books Read: 1
Pages Read: 186 pages
Grade Range: A+!

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

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

   The Claw by Norah Lofts

Published as: The Claw in 1981

Publisher: Doubleday

Birth Name: Norah Robinson

Born: 27 August 1904 in Shipdham, Norfolk, England

Died: 10 September 1983 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England

Canonical Name: Norah Lofts

Pseudonyms: Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis

The Claw by Norah Lofts was the forty-ninth book that I read in 2011. I have had this book on my TBR bookshelf since October 20, 2011 and it took me six days to read this book. This book was a reread for me from about 15 to 20 years ago and is a definite keeper!

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight