Anita Shreve - Sea Glass

65. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (2002)
The Fortune's Rocks Series Book 2
Length: 376 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 4 August 2012
Finished: 7 August 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 31 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like Anita Shreve as an author and have read and enjoyed several of her books in the past.

It is a house on the beach that Honora doesn't mind renting. Despite its age and all its flaws, the old house is the perfect place to start off a new marriage. She and her husband, Sexton, throw themselves into fixing it up, just as they throw themselves into their new life together. While Honora fixes up the derelict house and searches for sea glass on the beach, Sexton risks everything they have to buy the house they both love.

Along with the entire population of America, Sexton is blindsided by the stock market crash of 1929 and finds himself penniless. The only work that he is able to find is in the local mill, where a labor dispute is erupting into violence. As their financial pressures continue to mount, Honora begins to see how little she actually knows about this man that she has married.

I think this was a wonderful book - I really found myself caring about the characters, and the plot was very believable to me. I give this book an A+! and will keep it for a while to reread at some point.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Clifford L. Linedecker - Unsolved Mysteries...Stranger Than Fiction

64. Unsolved Mysteries...Stranger Than Fiction by Clifford L. Linedecker (1991)
Length: 96 pages
Genre: Horror
Started/Finished: 4 August 2012
Where did it come from? From Walmart
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 January 2009
Why do I have it? Mareena bought this for herself at Walmart, read it about a month later and then passed it on to me for me to read.

The Cornish prayer that's on the back of the book explains it best: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!" This is a book of 29 stories, ranging from unexplained hauntings and unsolved murders to sightings of sea monsters, UFOs and crop circles. I enjoy learning about unexplained events and give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Clifford L. Linedecker - Unsolved Mysteries...Stranger Than Fiction

64. Unsolved Mysteries...Stranger Than Fiction by Clifford L. Linedecker (1991)
Length: 96 pages
Genre: Horror
Started/Finished: 4 August 2012
Where did it come from? From Walmart
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 February 2009
Why do I have it? Mareena bought this for herself at Walmart, read it about a month later and then passed it on to me for me to read.

The Cornish prayer that's on the back of the book explains it best: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!" This is a book of 29 stories, ranging from unexplained hauntings and unsolved murders to sightings of sea monsters, UFOs and crop circles. I enjoy learning about unexplained events and give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Maeve Binchy - Minding Frankie

63. Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy (2010)

Length: 425 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 31 July 2012
Finished: 3 August 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 31 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like Maeve Binchy as an author and have read and enjoyed several of her books in the past.

When Noel learns that a former flame is terminally ill and pregnant with a child that she claims is his, he agrees to take care of the baby girl once she is born. A recovering alcoholic who is barely keeping his inner demons at bay, Noel is perhaps not the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well turn out to be Baby Frankie's best hope.

Luckily, Noel has a very close network of friends and family who are ready to help him raise Frankie. There is love-starved Lisa, who becomes his round-the-clock partner in little Frankie's care, his American cousin and pep-talker, Emily, as well as a host of eager babysitters from all around the close-knit Irish community of Jarlath Crescent, Dublin who are ready to step up and offer their services to Noel.

The unusual arrangement works out well for everyone concerned until a nosy social worker, Moira arrives. She is convinced that the best thing for Frankie is to be raised in a foster home and she has the power to make that happen. However, she has her own secrets to hide. Now the entire community of Jarlath Crescent must come together and prove to Moira that they each have something to offer in the raising of little Frankie.

I really, really enjoyed this book and found it to be extremely heartwarming and a true feel good story. I gave this book an A+! and happily put it away on my bookshelf. I will probably reread it in a couple of years time. I was very surprised to learn from her website that Maeve Binchy passed away on July 30, 2012 after a short illness. As I've probably said before, Maeve Binchy was one of my favorite authors and in my opinion, she will be sorely missed by readers all over the world. God bless you, Maeve. may your soul rest in peace.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for July 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 July with 637 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 628 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Paperback Swap and Bookmooch and a Library Book Sale that we went to on the 20th.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Life Wish by Jill Ireland

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Summer of the Red Wolf  by Morris L. West
- Privileged Information by Stephen White 
- Let the Magic Begin: Opening the Door to a Whole New World of Possibility by Cathy Lee Crosby 
- Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher 
- The Lives of Danielle Steel: The Unauthorized Biography of America's #1 Best-Selling Author by Vickie L. Bane and Lorenzo Benet
- The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher
- The Devil's Hunt by P. C. Doherty
- Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Dancehall by Bernard F. Conners
- After This by Alice McDermott
- The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
- Anne McKevitt's Style Solutions: 365 of the Freshest Looks, Smartest Tips and Best Advice For Your Home by Anne McKevitt
- Bargello Magic: How to Design Your Own by Pauline Fisher and Anabel Lasker
- Betty Crocker's Working Woman's Cookbook by Betty Crocker
- Blood Memories by Barb Hendee
- By the Lake by John McGahern
- Campbell's Quick Easy Recipes by Patricia Teberg
- Christmas Cross-Stitch by Better Homes and Gardens
- City of Bones by Michael Connelly
- The Climb: Tragic Ambition on Everest by G. Weston Dewalt and Antoli Boukreev
- Cold Mountain: A Novel by Charles Frazier
- Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Commitments by Barbara Delinsky
- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
- Deadly Grace by Taylor Smith
- Dream Country by Luanne Rice
- God's Other Son by Don Imus
- A Good Woman by Danielle Steel
- The Hours by Michael Cunningham
- The House on Fortune Street: A Novel by Margot Livesey
- The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel
- Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Jordan's Bend by Carolyn Williford
- McNally's Folly by Vincent Lardo
- Nothing Lasts Forever by Sidney Sheldon
- One Day by David Nicholls
- One Day at a Time by Danielle Steel
- The Orphan Game by Ann Darby
- Past Perfect by Susan Isaacs
- A Patchwork Planet: A Novel by Anne Tyler
- The Peppered Moth by Margaret Drabble
- Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
- The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
- Right Next Door by Debbie Macomber
- Saul and Patsy: A Novel by Charles Baxter
- Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
- The Secret Hour by Luanne Rice
- Shattered by Karen Robards
- The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate
- A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
- Trial by Fire by Terri Blackstock
- Two Women: A Novel of Friendship by Marianne Fredriksson
- The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon R. Green
- The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance by Joan Ryan
- The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
- The Weight of Silence: A Novel by Heather Gudenkauf
- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
- Puppets by Daniel Hecht
- Like Water For Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies by Laura Esquivel
- Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy
- Sea Glass by Anita Shreve

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
- Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
- Privileged Information by Stephen White
- Skull Session by Daniel Hecht
- The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour
- Harvest by Tess Gerritsen

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: 3,112
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

So, there you go! The reading month that was July. 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 July 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 July with 636 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 627 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from Paperback Swap and Bookmooch and a Library Book Sale that we went to on the 20th.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Life Wish by Jill Ireland

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- Summer of the Red Wolf  by Morris L. West
- Privileged Information by Stephen White 
- Let the Magic Begin: Opening the Door to a Whole New World of Possibility by Cathy Lee Crosby 
- Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher 
- The Lives of Danielle Steel: The Unauthorized Biography of America's #1 Best-Selling Author by Vickie L. Bane and Lorenzo Benet
- The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher
- The Devil's Hunt by P. C. Doherty
- Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Dancehall by Bernard F. Conners
- After This by Alice McDermott
- The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
- Anne McKevitt's Style Solutions: 365 of the Freshest Looks, Smartest Tips and Best Advice For Your Home by Anne McKevitt
- Bargello Magic: How to Design Your Own by Pauline Fisher and Anabel Lasker
- Betty Crocker's Working Woman's Cookbook by Betty Crocker
- Blood Memories by Barb Hendee
- By the Lake by John McGahern
- Campbell's Quick Easy Recipes by Patricia Teberg
- Christmas Cross-Stitch by Better Homes and Gardens
- The Climb: Tragic Ambition on Everest by G. Weston Dewalt and Antoli Boukreev
- Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
- Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
- Commitments by Barbara Delinsky
- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
- Deadly Grace by Taylor Smith
- Dream Country by Luanne Rice
- God's Other Son by Don Imus
- A Good Woman by Danielle Steel
- The Hours by Michael Cunningham
- The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
- The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel
- Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons
- Jordan's Bend by Carolyn Williford
- McNally's Folly by Vincent Lardo
- Nothing Lasts Forever by Sidney Sheldon
- One Day by David Nicholls
- One Day at a Time by Danielle Steel
- The Orphan Game by Ann Darby
- Past Perfect by Susan Isaacs
- A Patchwork Planet: A Novel by Anne Tyler
- The Peppered Moth by Margaret Drabble
- Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
- The Reader by Bernhard Schlink and Carol Brown Janeway
- Right Next Door by Debbie Macomber
- Saul and Patsy: A Novel by Charles Baxter
- Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
- The Secret Hour by Luanne Rice
- Shattered by Karen Robards
- The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate
- A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
- Trial by Fire by Terri Blackstock
- Two Women: A Novel of Friendship by Marianne Fredriksson
- The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon R. Green
- The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
- The Weight of Silence: A Novel by Heather Gudenkauf
- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
- Puppets by Daniel Hecht
- Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
- Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy
- Sea Glass by Anita Shreve

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
- Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
- Privileged Information by Stephen White
- Skull Session by Daniel Hecht
- The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour
- Harvest by Tess Gerritsen

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: 3,112
Grade Range: A+! to B+!

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

July'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. July's Book of the Month is: 

   Summer of the Red Wolf by Morris L. West

Published as: Summer of the Red Wolf  in June 1971

Publisher: William Morrow & Co.

Birth Name: Morris Langlo West

Born: 26 April 1916 in St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Died: 9 October 1999 in Clareville, New South Wales, Australia

Canonical Name: Morris L. West

Pseudonyms: Michael East and Julian Morris

Summer of the Red Wolf by Morris L. West was the fifty-fourth 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 July of 2012. It took me four days to read this book and it is currently on several book swapping sites waiting to go to another good home.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight