Best Books of October
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from October.
Here One Moment (Liane Moriarty): This author can be a little hit or miss for me, but this book was a hit. I had feelings about the ending and actual explanation for the events, but I loved the ideas presented in the story and wanted to pick it up to follow everyone’s story. I highlighted a lot of wonderful passages. Fantastic pacing for a long book.
Pony Confidential (Christina Lynch): When I first heard about this book, I thought it sounded bonkers. I didn’t know how she would pull off the premise. Then, I won a copy in a Goodreads Giveaway, so I got to find out before the publication date. (It’s out now.) Happy to tell you that it’s a super super super fun book. You will love Pony, laugh, and not care when there are inconsistencies. This was a difficult book to get right, but she managed to not just get it right but knock it out of the park.
What did you read last month?
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I finished 4 books in October, which is not bad for me right now! (Don’t think I will be able to say the same about November…!) All reviewed on my blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph.
* “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I first read this for our Barren Bitches Book Tour here back in (gulp) October 2008 (!). I enjoyed it then, still enjoyed it now — still enjoyed the Eat/Italy part the most but had a somewhat greater appreciation for the other parts this time around. 4 stars.
* Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson, a re-read for my DES fan group. I’ll count this as another re-read when we finish, in mid-December. Written in the early 1930s, this is a charming satire about smalltown life, and what happens when quiet, unassuming Miss Barbara Buncle writes a book that’s a thinly disguised portrait of its citizens. 4 stars.
* “Persuasion” by Jane Austen (book club pick). I’ve read a few Austen novels, but not this one before. Pride & Prejudice is probably still my favourite but I enjoyed this one too — about what happens when 27-year-old Anne Elliot’s ex-fiance comes back into her life. 4 stars. I’m looking forward to the discussion on this one!
* “The Marlow Murder Club” by Robert Thorogood. I wanted to read this one before the TV version started on PBS in late October. 77-year-old Judith Potts discovers her neighbour’s body after hearing a gunshot, and sets out to find the killer, with the help of a local dogwalker and the vicar’s wife. Not as engaging as the similarly named Thursday Murder Club books, but not bad in its own right, and I’m enjoying the TV show. 3 stars.
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