"Book Choice For The Month...."

Here it is December 1st,  and time again to make my choice of the book for the month. Since winter is quickly approaching, I think I need something different to read.  As I gawked at my bookcase of books, I noticed this Victoria Holt book, "The Black Opal" and thought; Hey, that sounds like a fun book to read, and I haven't read one of her books in quite awhile.

I think this was one of the last books she wrote, because the copyright is 1993, and that was the year Ms. Holt died. She died on January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt. She was 86 years old, being born on September 1, 1906.

"Her real name was Eleanor Hibbert, but she wrote under various pen names. Her best known were Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, and Philippa Carr. By the time of her death she had sold over 100 million books." ~ Wikipedia ~

The story line centers around a young girl, Carmel, who may have been left by a band of passing gypsies. When a tragedy at Commonwood sweeps Carmel off to a life more wonderful than her ten-year-old heart could have dared to imagine, Carmel voyages through exotic ports, halfway around the world to Sydney's majestic harbor. In Australia she settles into a happy, adventurous life...... so it sounds like I will be have an exciting time this month in Australia, and never leaving  "My Reading Corner."

Tuesday, December 15, 2009


I just finished reading my book choice for December and I enjoyed it. I hadn't read a Victoria Holt book in a few years, so it was a refreshing choice. I had forgotten how much I loved reading her books.  It had tragedy, adventure, mystery and a bit of romance, but nothing like the novels people write now a days.  I guess that is why I like her novels, they are storytelling at it's finest. No jumping from one bed to another, no blood, guts and beer,  but it actually tells a story, and a  fascinating one at that. On a scale of 1-10 I will give this one 9.