Reading Wrap-up for August 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 August with 649 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 644 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch, Paperback Swap and a Library Book Sale that we went to on the 1st. Quite a number of my books that I read this month left my house to go to new homes so that's something I guess. :)

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads:
- Blessings by Belva Plain


Changes to the TBR pile 


Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Bride of Moat House by Norah Lofts
- The Midnight Hour by Karen Robards
- Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
- Promises by Belva Plain

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Summer's End by Danielle Steel
- Running From the Law by Lisa Scottoline
- Thinner by Stephen King
- Missing: Missing Without Trace in Ireland by Barry Cummins
- Dead Air by Bob Larson
- Faithless by Karin Slaughter
- Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard
- Whispers by Belva Plain
- Secrecy by Belva Plain
- Amazing World of Spiders by Janet Craig
- The House of Thunder by Dean Koontz
- The Covenant of the Flame by David Morrell
- Country Kitchen Collection: Fruit Basket by House Regency
- How to Know Wild Flowers: A Simple Aid to Flower Recognition by Alfred Stefferud

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Home Free by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
- Down by the Water by Caroline Upcher
- Blessings by Belva Plain
- Blessings by Anna Quindlen
- You Have the Right to Remain Silent by Barbara Paul
- Martha Stewart Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography by Jerry Oppenheimer
- Condor by Graham Masterton
- A Notorious Woman by Malcolm MacDonald
- Nickel Dreams: My Life by Tanya Tucker and Patsy Bale Cox
- That Camden Summer by Lavyrle Spencer
- Rage by Wilbur Smith

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

Books Read: 5
Pages Read: 1,918
Grade Range: A+! to A!

So, there you go! The reading month that was August. 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 August 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 August with 648 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 643 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch, Paperback Swap and a Library Book Sale that we went to on the 1st. Quite a number of my books that I read this month left my house to go to new homes so that's something I guess. :)

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads:
- Blessings by Belva Plain


Changes to the TBR pile 


Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Bride of Moat House by Norah Lofts
- The Midnight Hour by Karen Robards
- Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
- Promises by Belva Plain

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Summer's End by Danielle Steel
- Running From the Law by Lisa Scottoline
- Thinner by Stephen King
- Missing: Missing Without Trace in Ireland by Barry Cummins
- Dead Air by Bob Larson
- Faithless by Karin Slaughter
- Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard
- Whispers by Belva Plain
- Secrecy by Belva Plain
- Amazing World of Spiders by Janet Craig
- The House of Thunder by Dean Koontz
- The Covenant of the Flame by David Morrell
- Country Kitchen Collection: Fruit Basket by House Regency
- How to Know Wild Flowers: A Simple Aid to Flower Recognition by Alfred Stefferud

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Home Free by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
- Down by the Water by Caroline Upcher
- Blessings by Belva Plain
- Blessings by Anna Quindlen
- You Have the Right to Remain Silent by Barbara Paul
- Martha Stewart Just Desserts: The Unauthorized Biography by Jerry Oppenheimer
- Condor by Graham Masterton
- A Notorious Woman by Malcolm MacDonald
- Nickel Dreams: My Life by Tanya Tucker and Patsy Bale Cox
- That Camden Summer by Lavyrle Spencer
- Rage by Wilbur Smith

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

Books Read: 5
Pages Read: 1,918
Grade Range: A+! to A!

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

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: 

  Blessings by Belva Plain

Published as: Blessings in July 1989

Publisher: Dell 

Birth Name: Belva Offenberg

Born: 9 October 1915 in New York City, New York 
Died: 12 October 2010 in Short Hills, New Jersey

Canonical Name: Belva Plain

Pseudonyms: None

Blessings by Belva Plain was the forty-sixth book that I read in 2010. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since March 1, 2009, although I gave away that original copy to Mareena's best friend on  August 1, 2010. Mareena reacquired another copy for me from Bookmooch and the reread took me five days. This book is definite keeper for me! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

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: 

  Blessings by Belva Plain

Published as: Blessings in July 1989

Publisher: Dell 

Birth Name: Belva Offenberg

Born: 9 October 1915 in New York City, New York 
Died: 12 October 2010 in Short Hills, New Jersey

Canonical Name: Belva Plain

Pseudonyms: None

Blessings by Belva Plain was the forty-sixth book that I read in 2010. I have had this book on my TBR shelf since March 1, 2009, although I gave away that original copy to Mareena's best friend on  August 1, 2010. Mareena reacquired another copy for me from Bookmooch and the reread took me five days. This book is definite keeper for me! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Norah Lofts - Bride of Moat House

48. Bride of Moat House by Norah Lofts (1959)
Length: 208 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 21 August 2010
Finished: 23 August 2010
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 4 April 2009
Why do I have it? I love Norah Lofts as an author and have read several books by this author in the past.


Richard Curwen met and fell madly in love with Antonia, and she with him. However, they both were penniless and too selfish to live like ordinary mortals. So, Richard married Antonia's frail, wealthy cousin Eloise who looked so much like Antonia that people couldn't tell them apart. Which was what Richard counted on. I liked this book by one of my favorite authors, however it's not my absolute favorite book by Norah Lofts. I give it an A!

A! - (90-95%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Karen Robards - The Midnight Hour

47. The Midnight Hour by Karen Robards (1999)
Length: 359 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 17 August 2010
Finished: 20 August 2010
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 August 2010
Why do I have it? I love contemporary mysteries and Karen Robards is a new author for me.

For Grace Hart, single mother and Family and Juvenile Court judge, solving other people's problems is easier than solving her own. Her daughter Jessica has just been diagnosed with diabetes, is struggling with maintaining the disease and Jessica begins sneaking out and experimenting with alcohol and drugs as well as running with a fast crowd. When the police are called for a break in at Grace's house that coincides with one of Jessica's sneak-outs, Detective Tony Marino clashes with Grace but eventually moves in to protect them from a still-at-large stalker. I liked this book but thought it was a little bit of an easy ending. I give it an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Karen Robards - The Midnight Hour

47. The Midnight Hour by Karen Robards (1999)
Length: 359 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 17 August 2010
Finished: 20 August 2010
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 August 2010
Why do I have it? I love contemporary mysteries and Karen Robards is a new author for me.


For Grace Hart, single mother and Family and Juvenile Court judge, solving other people's problems is easier than solving her own. Her daughter Jessica has just been diagnosed with diabetes, is struggling with maintaining the disease and Jessica begins sneaking out and experimenting with alcohol and drugs as well as running with a fast crowd. When the police are called for a break in at Grace's house that coincides with one of Jessica's sneak-outs, Detective Tony Marino clashes with Grace but eventually moves in to protect them from a still-at-large stalker. I liked this book but thought it was a little bit of an easy ending. I give it an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight