Sidney Sheldon - The Naked Face

13. The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon (1970)
Length: 212 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 6 February 2013
Finished: 7 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

John Hanson died quickly - with a knife in his back. Carol Roberts was next to die - she was covered with acid and tortured to death. Dr. Judd Stevens is a psychoanalyst who is facing the most critical case of his life. John and Carol were both closely associated with Dr. Stevens at one time, and if he doesn't penetrate the mind of a murderer he will either find himself arrested for murder or the killer's next victim.

Is one of the doctor's patients responsible? Someone overwhelmed by his problems? A neurotic driven by compulsion? A madman? Before the murderer strikes again, Judd must strip away the mask of innocence the criminal wears, uncover the inner emotions, fears, and desires, to reveal... The Naked Face.

I really enjoyed this book! This was Sidney Sheldon's debut novel and I had never read it before, even though I somehow have acquired a paperback copy of The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon - in addition to this copy - that was hidden on my bookshelf. The book seemed familiar to me, but it just never clicked with me that I already had a copy in my collection. I have to say, that to my knowledge, I have never read an inferior or unsatisfactory book by Sidney Sheldon. He was an outstanding author and I give The Naked Face an A+! 

A+! - (96-100%)  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jodi Picoult - Change of Heart

12. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (2008)
Length: 447 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 3 February 2013
Finished: 6 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Jodi Picoult is a new author for me.

One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to spending many years filled with laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as barren and empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for her wounds to heal, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for an impossible miracle.

For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance at salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child.

Would you give up your desire for vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true even if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish? I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking and I give this book an A+!

Jodi Picoult is a new author for me although I have seen the television adaptation of The Tenth Circle, which is another of Jodi Picoult's books that was made into a movie about two years ago. I have three more of Jodi Picoult's books on my bookshelf - Handle With Care, House Rules and My Sister's Keeper - all four books by Jodi Picoult, I picked up from this most recent Library Book Sale that Mareena and I went to on Saturday.

A+! - (96-100%)
   
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Susan Hill - The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story

11. The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill (1983)
Length: 164 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 2 February 2013
Finished: 3 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 February 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Susan Hill is a new author for me.

Arthur Kipps is an up-and-coming London solicitor who is sent to the town of Crythin Gifford - deep in the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. He comes to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of a client, Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. Mrs. Drablow's house stands at the end of the causeway, wreathed in fog and cloaked in mystery, however Arthur is unaware of the tragic secrets that lie hidden behind Eel Marsh House's sheltered windows.

The routine business trip Arthur anticipated upon his arrival quickly takes a horrifying turn. He glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral and a creeping sense of dread begins to take hold within him. As he sorts through Mrs. Drablow's papers, Arthur is continually haunted by a series of mysterious sounds and apparitions - a rocking chair in a deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap in trouble, and a child's terrified scream in the fog.

I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. The story was just my style of horror! Mareena was looking through the bookshelves and just had to grab this book before anyone else did. She had bought an ebook of this book for herself about a year ago and had been on the lookout for a physical copy of The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill ever since. I give this book an A+! and I have Mrs. Dewinter by the same author already on my bookshelf. I'll also be placing The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill on my Wish List.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Our Library Visit For February

Hello Everyone! How are you on this fine Saturday? I'm doing just fine. :) So, for the first time this year Mareena and I went to our local library and bought books at the library book sale. :) I suppose we each thought our separate TBR piles needed replenishing! We wound up buying five bags of books and staggered out to our friend's car where she helped us to unload our 'burden'! :)

Neither of us had been to the library since July of 2012 and I must have timed my reading of As Max Saw It by Louis Begley to coincide with our library trip today, I don't know. We arrived at the library at about 11:45 A. M. and spent an hour and a half there. We had a wonderful time together - as we always do!

We bought 25 hardcovers and 23 paperbacks and 14 oversized paperbacks between us and spent a whopping $20 for a total of 62 books. In fact, I bargained with the young librarian's assistant up from $18! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Louis Begley - As Max Saw It

10. As Max Saw It by Louis Begley (1994)
Length: 146 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 31 January 2013
Finished: 1 February 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2008
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Louis Begley is a new author for me.

The lives of two very different men - former classmates at Harvard - converge during a summer reunion at a villa on the shores of Lake Como. Max, a law professor, is fleeing the collapse of his first marriage and has become the ultimate spectator of life. Charlie, a famous architect, is a high-living man of extremes. Max's meeting with Charlie brings him into contact with Toby, Charlie's startlingly beautiful male companion. Both Charlie's and Toby's relationship will ultimately shape Max's life for years to come.

I have to say that while I found As Max Saw It by Louis Begley to be very well-written, I honestly couldn't follow the plot very well. I did enjoy parts of the story however I ultimately found that this book just didn't grab my attention as much as other books that I've read. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up For January 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 January with 656 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 647 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Price Chopper, Netgalley, Bookmooch, Paperback Swap and authors.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- An Isolated Incident by Susan R. Sloan
- Mount Vernon Love Story: A Novel of George and Martha Washington by Mary Higgins Clark
- Downtown by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Shock Talk: The Exorcist Files by Bob Larson
- Rose by Martin Cruz Smith
- Tell me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon
- The Wicked Wives: A Novel Based on a True Story by Gus Pelagatti
- A Ruling Passion: Volume 1 by Judith Michael
- Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel by Rose Connors

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- The Great Potato Cookbook: 250 Sensational Recipes For the World's Favorite Vegetable by Reader's Digest Editors
- Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
- The Brontes: Wild Genius on the Moors, the Story of Three Sisters by Juliet Barker
- The Burning Air by Erin Kelly
- Act of God by Susan R. Sloan
- The Best of Dear Abby by Abigail Van Buren

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- The House of Thunder by Dean R. Koontz
- Blind Love: The True Story of the Texas Cadet Murders by Peter Meyer
- Cold Kill: The True Story of a Murderous Love by Jack Olsen
- To Die is Not Enough: A True Account of Murder and Retribution by Donald Delano Wright
- Blood Red Roses by Margaret Lawrence
- A Passion For Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor by Donald Spoto
- Two-Minute Mysteries Collection by Donald J. Sobel
- Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Devil's Gate by Elizabeth Ergas
- A Cold Mind by David L. Lindsay
- Demon Summer by Elaine Booth Selig
- The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Change Baby by June Spence
- Convictions: My Journey From the Convent to the Courtroom by Arlene Violet
- Windswept by Mary Ellen Chase
- Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons
- The Wicked Wives: A Novel Based on a True Story by Gus Pelagatti

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

Books Read: 9
Pages Read: 3,158
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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

Reading Wrap-up For January 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 January with 653 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 644 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Price Chopper, Netgalley, Bookmooch, Paperback Swap and authors.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- An Isolated Incident by Susan R. Sloan
- Mount Vernon Love Story: A Novel of George and Martha Washington by Mary Higgins Clark
- Downtown by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Shock Talk: The Exorcist Files by Bob Larson
- Rose by Martin Cruz Smith
- Tell me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon
- The Wicked Wives: A Novel Based on a True Story by Gus Pelagatti
- A Ruling Passion: Volume 1 by Judith Michael
- Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel by Rose Connors

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- The Great Potato Cookbook: 250 Sensational Recipes For the World's Favorite Vegetable by Reader's Digest Editors
- Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
- The Brontes: Wild Genius on the Moors, the Story of Three Sisters by Juliet Barker
- The Burning Air by Erin Kelly
- Act of God by Susan R. Sloan
- The Best of Dear Abby by Abigail Van Buren

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- The House of Thunder by Dean R. Koontz
- Blind Love: The True Story of the Texas Cadet Murders by Peter Meyer
- Cold Kill: The True Story of a Murderous Love by Jack Olsen
- To Die is Not Enough: A True Account of Murder and Retribution by Donald Delano Wright
- Blood Red Roses by Margaret Lawrence
- A Passion For Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor by Donald Spoto
- Two-Minute Mysteries Collection by Donald J. Sobel
- Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Devil's Gate by Elizabeth Ergas
- A Cold Mind by David L. Lindsay
- Demon Summer by Elaine Booth Selig
- The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Change Baby by June Spence
- Convictions: My Journey From the Convent to the Courtroom by Arlene Violet
- Windswept by Mary Ellen Chase
- Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons
- The Wicked Wives: A Novel Based on a True Story by Gus Pelagatti

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

Books Read: 9
Pages Read: 3,158
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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