I hit the jackpot in October, and I'm so excited to share a great month of books!
I read 11 books this month and had so many great reads. I was all over the place from memoirs to fantasy, historical fiction to thrillers, so there's likely something on here for everyone.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - Ariel Lawhon learned about the journal of a late 1700s midwife in the new U.S., Martha Ballard, and created this story from those journal entries, how cool is that? I found this story to be fascinating and also the lives of the early Americans! This is definitely a work of fiction {a big piece of the storyline is about a murder that didn't happen}, but it's excellent historical fiction. I was very quickly captivated by Martha and her family and this story - absolutely loved it!
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson [audiobook] - Well, Ketanji is now a hero of mine! This book. THIS WOMAN. Wow.
Endgame by Omid Scobie [audiobook] - I can't explain my fascination with the British royal family because they really stand for a system that is based in white supremacy and colonization...but we contain multitudes, am I right? {grin} This was a fascinating look at where the BRF is now and what the future looks like for them. If you like the BRF, and the drama that has happened over the last few years, you'll enjoy this.
Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas - GAH!!! I am in love with this fantasy series. I read books 3 and 4 this month and have started book 5. It is stellar!
When We Were Brave & Young by Hazel Gaynor - This was an interesting book about Allied civilians living in a school in China which gets occupied by Japan during WW2. It alternated perspectives from a student in the school to a teacher. It was a side of WW2 I didn't know about and found it very interesting. The girls were in the Girl Guides {like Girl Scouts}, so that was an added bit of fun for me as I am all-in on all things Girl Scouts these days!
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice [audiobook] - This was October's Blog Friend Book Club selection, and I loved it! It's a dystopian story set on a First Nation's reservation in Canada when all the power goes out. I really enjoyed the unique perspective of being on a reservation and the way the community responded to this crisis. Erika recommended listening to this book, and I'm so glad I did as hearing the native Anishinaabe language being spoken. My only complaint with this book was that it was too short! I would have liked more of the story! I'm excited that there is a sequel and will be reading it soon.
Gold Rush Girl by Avi - No idea how Drew ended up with this book, but we've been reading this one together for a while. It's about a family who moves from the East Coast to San Francisco during the days of the 1849 gold rush. The protagonist is the family's daughter who doesn't want to behave as expected in the 1800s, and Drew and I both really liked her and the story. It was a great book for us to read together!
Solito by Javier Zamora [audiobook] - We read this in my work book club in October, and I found it very interesting and enlightening. Javier Zamora immigrated to America as an undocumented immigrant when he was 9 years old, and this book is the story of that experience. He wrote it just like he was 9 so you felt the journey from his childish perspective and that made the story so engaging. This story continued to highlight {for me} the risks people take to get to America and that this is a very complicated issue without a real solution.
I Found You by Lisa Jewell [audiobook] - I just love the way Lisa Jewell writes thrillers - it's got the twists and turns you want in a thriller but people you usually want to root for {which is what helps me connect with a book}. This story starts with a man found on the beach with no memory of who he is or why he's there and an alternating story about a woman whose new husband has gone missing. How do their stories connect?! It was a bit mystery, a bit thriller, a bit love story...I loved it! The narrator also did an amazing job with several different accents which really enhanced the story.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry [audiobook] - Y'all. This was just the saddest thing ever. I think had I listened to this before Matthew Perry died I would have felt differently because the book ends hopeful as he is in a good place in his recovery, but reading it after he died from his addiction...just sad, sad, sad. He wrote a captivating story full of humor and humility, and it makes me sad all over again that he couldn't beat his addiction in the end. It was truly a great memoir of a flawed man trying to do better.
My average for the month was a 4.2! I told y'all this was a HUGE month of great reading for me. My average for the year is 3.8. I also had a big month for reading diverse authors, which I am always conscious of and haven't done the best at this year. Very excited to see how the year finishes after such a great month!
