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

Lisa Gardner - Live to Tell

62. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner (2010)
The Detective D. D. Warren Series Book 4
Length: 385 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 28 July 2012
Finished: 31 July 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Lisa Gardner is a new author for me.

On a warm summer night in a working-class Boston neighborhood, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father - also a possible suspect - lies clinging to life in the Intensive Care Unit. Was it murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of one thing: There's more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is helping the children of a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by the memories of a family tragedy that shattered her life twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when Detective D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: it's begun again.

A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. She will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the treatment of the issue of mental illness and how it affects children and their families. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading Lisa Gardner's next book.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Lisa Gardner - Live to Tell

62. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner (2010)
Detective D. D. Warren Series Book 4
Length: 385 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 28 July 2012
Finished: 31 July 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Lisa Gardner is a new author for me.

On a warm summer night in a working-class Boston neighborhood, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father - also a possible suspect - lies clinging to life in the Intensive Care Unit. Was it murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of one thing: There's more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is helping the children of a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by the memories of a family tragedy that shattered her life twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when Detective D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: it's begun again.

A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. She will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the treatment of the issue of mental illness and how it affects children and their families. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading Lisa Gardner's next book.


A+! - (96-100%)


Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

P. C. Doherty - The Devil's Hunt

61. The Devil's Hunt by P. C. Doherty (1996)
Hugh Corbett Medieval Mysteries Book 10
Length: 249 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Started: 24 July 2012
Finished: 28 July 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like historical mysteries and P. C. Doherty is a new author for me.

In the summer of 1303, murder has made itself known in the King's university city of Oxford. The illustrious Regent of Sparrow Hall, John Copsale, is found dead in his bed. Some claim he died in his sleep, while still others whisper that Regent Copsale was murdered by the mysterious "Bell Man" - who posts treasonous notes on the doors of the churches.

Then the college librarian and archivist, Robert Ascham is discovered inside the college library with a crossbow bolt in his chest. Definitely an act of cold-blooded murder, but who could have done it? After all, the library was sealed, the doors and windows securely locked. And just what was Ascham trying to write on the piece of manuscript found lying beside him?

Are the Regent's death and Ascham's murder the result of a terrible curse of ghosts who still walk the earth, seeking vengeance? Or are the deaths somehow related to the ritualistic murders of beggars, the severed heads of whom are found tied by their hair to the trees in the forest. King Edward hears of the seething unrest in Oxford and arrives unannounced at the Leighton estate of Sir Hugh Corbett - Keeper of the King's Seal and clerk of the King's Bench. The King charges Sir Hugh to travel to Oxford to resolve the murderous mysteries that threaten to plunge the city and university into chaos.

I did enjoy this book, although it was slightly hard to follow. I was definitely interested to discover who the murderer was, though. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Rosamunde Pilcher - The Carousel

60. The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher (1982)
Length: 243 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started/Finished: 24 July 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like Rosamunde Pilcher as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Prue is intelligent, artistic, independent - and bored. Pressurized by her mother to make a conventional and dull marriage, she escapes London and goes to her aunt's house in Cornwall. Surrounded by the peacefulness of nature, Prue begins to de-stress and find herself again.

Walking along the beach one day, she meets a young, attractive artist. She determines not to rest until she discovers what is troubling him. I truly enjoy Rosamunde Pilcher as an author and I did enjoy this book, however, if I had one complaint about The Carousel, it would be that all the ends were tied up a little too neatly for my liking. I ended up giving this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Rosamunde Pilcher - The Carousel

60. The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher (1982)
Length: 243 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started/Finished: 24 July 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like Rosamunde Pilcher as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Prue is intelligent, artistic, independent - and bored. Pressurized by her mother to make a conventional and dull marriage, she escapes London and goes to her aunt's house in Cornwall. Surrounded by the peacefulness of nature, Prue begins to de-stress and find herself again.

Walking along the beach one day, she meets a young, attractive artist. She determines not to rest until she discovers what is troubling him. I truly enjoy Rosamunde Pilcher as an author and I did enjoy this book, however, if I had one complaint about The Carousel, it would be that all the ends were tied up a little too neatly for my liking. I ended up giving this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jill Ireland - Life Wish

59. Life Wish by Jill Ireland (1987)
Length: 294 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 21 July 2012
Finished: 24 July 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 March 2009
Why do I have it? I like autobiographies and I truly admired Jill Ireland. I read Life Lines back in 2010 and this is actually a reread for me after several years.

Three years before this book was written, Jill Ireland had everything going for her - a thrilling movie career, seven adoring children, a lavish house in Bel Air, a rambling horse farm in Vermont and she was happily married to fellow actor Charles Bronson. Then she went to visit her doctor for an annual visit; what should have been a routine checkup revealed that Jill Ireland had breast cancer and cancer of the lymph nodes.

Determined to take responsibility for her own recovery, Jill underwent a radical mastectomy and the months of chemotherapy that her doctors prescribed. She also turned to more unconventional forms of treatment - holistic healing, homeopathic medicine, a trained counselor, a new diet, meditation, even astrology. Jill did everything that she could to get well.

Jill Ireland writes about her childhood growing up in postwar England, her early career on the stage as a dancer, her movie career in Hollywood and her children and family. She enjoyed a lively childhood, surrounded by her horses and much love. Jill Ireland merges her past and present with a vibrancy and wit that could not and would not be extinguished.

I really enjoyed this book and am happy to report that Jill Ireland did in fact, beat this bout with cancer. She was in remission for a while, but unfortunately, the cancer came back and eventually claimed her life. Jill Ireland's fighting personality reminds me so much of a close family member's personality who is currently fighting breast cancer herself. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight