Danielle Steel - Lightning

62. Lightning by Danielle Steel (1995)
Length: 453 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 6 December 2011
Finished: 8 December 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long was it on my TBR pile? Since 15 July 2011
Why do I have it? I do like some of Danielle Steel's books and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

As a partner in a prestigious New York law firm, a doting mother to a rambunctious and beautiful three-year-old girl and a loving and supportive wife to a man who is a star venture capitalist, Alex Parker believed that she had it all. Sure the work was hard; the hours long - juggling a marriage, career and raising a child was exhausting. for Alex. Her life was difficult but rewarding until a routine mammogram shatters her stable little world.

Now, Alex and her formerly loving husband, Sam are struggling to keep their marriage together in the midst of a bombshell diagnosis of breast cancer and honestly, failing to pull together. Alex and Sam become strangers to each other virtually overnight. When Sam's successful career suddenly explodes in disaster and he is left questioning his very identity, Alex must decide whether her life - as well as their future as a couple - is worth saving.

I have to say that contrary to Mareena's belief that I don't like Danielle Steel at all; I do. I found this book very fast and easy reading with a relatively good plot. I will say that I give my first reading experience of it - a few years ago a definite A+! However, I found that - and I don't mean this in a bad way at all - the plot was rather "smaltzy" towards the end.

Sam and Alex is the quintessential New York power couple - "Ken and Barbie" type fantastic lives together, dream careers and an adorable little girl that they've wanted for years. "Happy, happy, joy, joy, until the world implodes!" :) Then it's a slow, torturous crawl back to greatness for both of them; somewhat like a soap opera plot, I thought.

Not that it was a bad storyline at all, it was just slightly over dramatic in my opinion. :) All in all, I enjoyed my second reading of Lightning very much and I would certainly recommend this and other books by Danielle Steel to other readers, however this is the final time I will be reading this book. I can now pass this book along to another person without any remorse. Overall, I give my second reading of Lightning an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jane Smiley - Ordinary Love and Good Will

61. Ordinary Love and Good Will by Jane Smiley (1989)
Length: 208 pages
Genre: Short Story
Started: 2 December 2011
Finished: 5 December 2011
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 July 2011
Why do I have it? I had read A Thousand Acres by the same author several years ago and really enjoyed it.

This book is actually two novellas based around the difficult choices that people make that change the dynamics of their families forever. In Ordinary Love Ms. Smiley focuses on a woman's infidelity and the lasting, indelible mark that that affair has on her children years after their mother leaves the family.

In Good Will, a father slowly realizes the affect that his choices in lifestyle has on his son. The results of the man's choices end up having heartbreaking consequences. I think that of both stories I preferred Good Will and I give the entire book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Diane Fanning - Mommy's Little Girl: Casey Anthony and Her Daughter Caylee's Tragic Fate

60. Mommy's Little Girl: Casey Anthony and Her Daughter Caylee's Tragic Fate by Diane Fanning (2009)
Length: 337 pages
Genre: True Crime
Started: 1 December 2011
Finished: 2 December 2011
Where did it come from: From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 November 2011
Why do I have it? I have to say that I followed the trial up to the verdict and am curious about the aftermath and its affect on the rest of the family.

I suppose almost everyone in America knows about this case but here is a synopsis anyway: A little girl named Caylee goes missing in June 2008 and her mother inexplicably waits for about a month to report her little daughter missing. This book delves into the dynamic of the Anthony Family - especially George and his interactions with the rest of the family. It explores the beginnings of the case against Casey and although it was written before the 'Not Guilty' verdict, it does some investigation of the pathology of Casey Anthony as well.

I have to say that I truly believe that Casey had something to do with her daughter's murder, whether it was accidentally or out of spite towards her parents, I just can't decide. I suppose that we will never really know the truth of Caylee's death but I certainly will never forget little Caylee or all the other missing children out there. I give the book an A+!


A+! - (96-100%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Monica Dickens - The Great Fire

59. The Great Fire by Monica Dickens (1973)
Length: 64 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started/Finished: 1 December 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 3 December 2009
Why do I have it? I have read and enjoyed One Pair of Feet by the same author and, well, I sort of went on a Monica Dickens reading jag after I read it, getting as many of her books as I possibly could find online.

Orphaned due to the Great Plague of 1665, 12-year-old Peter has somehow built a new life for himself. It is tough, but he is living a relatively good life until the Great Fire of London strikes. Will Peter survive, or will he lose everything to the devastation of the fire?

I have to say that when I first received this book, I didn't realize that it was a children's book. I have nothing against reading children's books, as a matter of fact, I sometimes prefer an author's treatment of history in a children's book rather than an adult history book. It feels too much like work to me to read some historical fiction for adults. Some books are almost too well researched, if that makes sense to you.

Anyway, I found this book rather simple. As it should be, I suppose for a children's book and actually the story was "cute" - strange word to use I know for the time period that the book depicts. I suppose that I mean the plot was too easily wrapped up, in my opinion. I did enjoy parts of the story but at the end, I had to give The Great Fire by Monica Dickens a B+!

B+! - (89-94%).


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for November 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 November with 651 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 642 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch and Paperback Swap; I have bought no new books this month.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads
- Whispers by Belva Plain
- Bright River Trilogy by Annie Greene
- Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy
- The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

Changes to the TBR pile 


Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- The Spanish Bridegroom by Jean Plaidy
- Legion by William Peter Blatty
- Where or When by Anita Shreve
- Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy
- Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Mommy's Little Girl: The True Story of Casey Anthony and Her Daughter Caylee's Tragic Fate by Diane Fanning
- The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon
- The Sweet Taste of Burning: A Tale of the Occult by Paul Andreota
- Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor
- Preacher's Girl: The Life and Crimes of Blanche Taylor Moore by Jim Schutze
- The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense by Judith Guest
- Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy

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: 2,822
Grade Range: A+! to C!

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

Monica Dickens - The Great Fire

59. The Great Fire by Monica Dickens (1973)
Length: 64 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started/Finished: 1 December 2011
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 3 December 2009
Why do I have it? I have read and enjoyed One Pair of Feet by the same author and, well, I sort of went on a Monica Dickens reading jag after I read it, getting as many of her books as I possibly could find online.

Orphaned due to the Great Plague of 1665, 12-year-old Peter has somehow built a new life for himself. It is tough, but he is living a relatively good life until the Great Fire of London strikes. Will Peter survive, or will he lose everything to the devastation of the fire?

I have to say that when I first received this book, I didn't realize that it was a children's book. I have nothing against reading children's books, as a matter of fact, I sometimes prefer an author's treatment of history in a children's book rather than an adult history book. It feels too much like work to me to read some historical fiction for adults. Some books are almost too well researched, if that makes sense to you.

Anyway, I found this book rather simple. As it should be, I suppose for a children's book and actually the story was "cute" - strange word to use I know for the time period that the book depicts. I suppose that I mean the plot was too easily wrapped up, in my opinion. I did enjoy parts of the story but at the end, I had to give The Great Fire by Monica Dickens a B+!

B+! - (89-94%).


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for November 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 November with 651 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 642 books unread. All of the books that I acquired this month came from Bookmooch and Paperback Swap; I have bought no new books this month.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Re-reads
- Whispers by Belva Plain
- Bright River Trilogy by Annie Greene
- Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy
- The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

Changes to the TBR pile 


Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- The Spanish Bridegroom by Jean Plaidy
- Legion by William Peter Blatty
- Where or When by Anita Shreve
- Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy
- Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! :))
- Mommy's Little Girl: The True Story of Casey Anthony and Her Daughter Caylee's Tragic Fate by Diane Fanning
- The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon
- The Sweet Taste of Burning: A Tale of the Occult by Paul Andreota
- Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor
- Preacher's Girl: The Life and Crimes of Blanche Taylor Moore by Jim Schutze
- The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense by Judith Guest
- Aches and Pains by Maeve Binchy

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: 2,822
Grade Range: A+! to C!

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