June'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. June's Book of the Month is: 

   The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe

Published as: The Book Club in August 1999

Publisher: Mira

Birth Name: Mary Alice Kruesi

Born: 25 May in Evanston, Illinois

Canonical Name: Mary Alice Monroe

Pseudonyms: Mary Alice Kruesi 

The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe was the forty-seventh book that I read in 2012. I had had this book on my TBR bookshelf since April 1, 2009 although I didn't actually read it until June of 2012. It took me two days to read this book and it is a definite keeper for me.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Danielle Steel - Sunset in St. Tropez

53. Sunset in St. Tropez by Danielle Steel (2002)
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 26 June 2012
Finished: 27 June 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 June 2012
Why do I have it? I like Danielle Steel as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

As Diana Morrison laid the table for six at her elegant Central Park apartment that New Year's Eve, she had no idea of what was to come in the coming year. New Year's Eve dinner together was a sacred tradition for Diana, her husband of 32 years, Eric, and their best friends, Pascale and John Donnally and Anne and Robert Smith. The future looked rosy for the six friends as they sipped champagne and discussed their plans to rent a villa together in the south of France for that summer. But life had other plans...

Just two weeks after New Year's, tragedy strikes their close-knit little circle when Robert Smith suffers a sudden and unexpected loss. Without hesitation, Diana and Eric and John and Pascale rally to his side, united in their support, love and grief. In an effort to ease Eric's pain, and as a change of scenery for themselves, they urge Robert to join them on the Riviera in August. The ramshackle old mansion that they rented in St. Tropez - sight unseen - is nothing like the exquisite villa and sun-drenched gardens touted in the brochure. Cobwebs hang from the ceiling, beds collapse beneath them and the would-be housekeeper sashays around the house in a leopard-print bikini, six-inch stilettos, with a trio of yapping poodles at her heels.

What is really surprising though, is the woman who Robert brings along as his guest. A lovely, much-younger film actress with a million-dollar smile and mile-long legs. Diana and Pascale instantly hate her, but Eric and John are dazzled. Amid the crumbling furniture and glorious sunsets, the strained relationships and acts of forgiveness, more surprises are in store for the villa's occupants. With the last days of summer fast approaching, the couples find themselves changing in unexpected ways. Old wounds are healed, new love is discovered and miracles unfold beneath the dazzling sun of St. Tropez.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a light and fun read; not that particularly strong on plot, I suppose, but still very sweet and engaging. I give it an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Joanna Trollope - The Rector's Wife

52. The Rector's Wife by Joanna Trollope (1991)
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 23 June 2012
Finished: 26 June 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 June 2012
Why do I have it? I like Joanna Trollope as an author and I read and enjoyed The Best of Friends by the same author.

Anna Bouverie is the rector's wife. She has organized suppers at the deanery, has made cakes for the Brownies' Easter bake sales, delivers the parish newsletters, and scrimps to get by on a pittance, all the while keeping up appearances for the sake of the parishioners. She rarely complains and rarely rebels and for twenty years it has worked quite well for her. That is until her husband doesn't receive the promotion to the archdeaconship that he wishes and he retreats into isolated bitterness. The breaking point comes when Anna's youngest daughter is bullied at the local primary school; she rebels.

She takes a job at the local supermarket stocking shelves, much to the shock and disapproval of the parish and the icy fury of her husband. As Anna's loneliness and isolation increases, she is observed with passionate interest by three different men who will each play a vital and almost tragic part in Anna's blossoming new life.

I enjoyed this book very much and it is the second Joanna Trollope book that I've read. I give this book an A+! and look forward to the next Joanna Trollope book that I read.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Dick Kliener - Hollywood's Greatest Love Stories

51. Hollywood's Greatest Love Stories by Dick Kliener (1976)
Length: 277 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 16 June 2012
Finished: 23 June 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 November 2009
Why do I have it? I like nonfiction and Dick Kliener is a new author for me.

This is a book of twelve legendary romances that occurred in real life. They lived and loved in the public eye. Their courtships, their scandals, their stormy displays of temper made headlines throughout the world. On screen they may be acting, but in the reality it's true love.

I enjoyed this book very much and I wasn't quite sure that I would as it was about a subject that I usually have less interest in as I don't usually follow too much about the actors and actresses of Hollywood. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bernard F. Conners - The Hampton Sisters

50. The Hampton Sisters by Bernard F. Conners (1987)
Length: 285 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 14 June 2012
Finished: 15 June 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 November 2009
Why do I have it? I like horror and Bernard F. Conners is a new author for me.

An old Hampton address borders the mysterious Sanctuary; but who exactly lives at number 12 Forsythia Lane? Lydia is blonde and beautiful, however she is also secretive and reclusive. The birds that she loves and writes about are drawn to the sylvan delights of the Sanctuary, but is Lydia safe from the dark forces that lurk in its depths? Emily is dark, glamorous and unpredictable. She mingles freely with New York's elite - a member of the most exclusive country club in the Hamptons. She knows all the secrets of the wealthy and powerful...and is about to reveal them to the world. But does she understand the unspeakable truth of the Sanctuary?

Two beautiful sisters; as different as night and day. One loving and giving, the other dazzling and seductive. Does anyone know the truth about the Hampton Sisters?

I did enjoy this book although there wasn't as much horror to the storyline as I had expected. I give this book an A! I was surprised to learn that Bernard F. Conners actually lives in the same town that I do. I don't actually know him personally, but I found it interesting that he lives in Albany, New York! :)

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Caroline Crane - Wife Found Slain

49. Wife Found Slain by Caroline Crane (1981)
Length: 202 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 10 June 2012
Finished: 12 June 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 November 2009
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and I had read and enjoyed Woman Vanishes by the same author two years ago. 

A woman wakes in hospital after a near-fatal accident. With her jaw wired shut, she can't scream when a masked intruder creeps into her room. She doesn't know who he is; she doesn't even know who she is. The masked man flees, but he will be back - this much her shattered mind knows. She's a marked woman.

Gradually her memory returns: she remembers a teenage Lyn Garrity applying for a job and falling for her married boss. Owen's marriage was on the rocks and he returned her love. She remembers the glamorous dates, the night drives under city lights, the secret trysts in an elegant apartment overlooking Central Park. Racked with guilt over their illicit romance, Lyn ended the affair, but she could not forget Owen. Then tragedy rocks Owen's family, bringing horror in its wake, and finally happiness.

Lyn remembers everything now - or does she? Leaving the hospital, she returns to her husband and children. But something is wrong. Things are not what they seem, or what they should be. And the man who tried to kill Lyn is still watching and waiting. He will return; it's just a matter of time.

This was the first time that I read Wife Found Slain, although I had read and enjoyed Woman Vanishes by Caroline Crane about two years ago. I give this book an A+! and certainly do recommend it to others. It was gripping and incredibly fast-paced for me.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Caroline Crane - Wife Found Slain

49. Wife Found Slain by Caroline Crane (1981)
Length: 202 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 10 June 2012
Finished: 12 June 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 November 2009
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and I had read and enjoyed Woman Vanishes by the same author two years ago. 

A woman wakes in hospital after a near-fatal accident. With her jaw wired shut, she can't scream when a masked intruder creeps into her room. She doesn't know who he is; she doesn't even know who she is. The masked man flees, but he will be back - this much her shattered mind knows. She's a marked woman.

Gradually her memory returns: she remembers a teenage Lyn Garrity applying for a job and falling for her married boss. Owen's marriage was on the rocks and he returned her love. She remembers the glamorous dates, the night drives under city lights, the secret trysts in an elegant apartment overlooking Central Park. Racked with guilt over their illicit romance, Lyn ended the affair, but she could not forget Owen. Then tragedy rocks Owen's family, bringing horror in its wake, and finally happiness.

Lyn remembers everything now - or does she? Leaving the hospital, she returns to her husband and children. But something is wrong. Things are not what they seem, or what they should be. And the man who tried to kill Lyn is still watching and waiting. He will return; it's just a matter of time.

This was the first time that I read Wife Found Slain, although I had read and enjoyed Woman Vanishes by Caroline Crane about two years ago. I give this book an A+! and certainly do recommend it to others. It was gripping and incredibly fast-paced for me.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight