October Reads

Wow! October was an awesome month as far as my reading goes, even with managing to read only one book during the read-a-thon. 10 books in a month is my monthly goal and I wish I could meet it every month. I am certainly happy I did this month. And most of the reads were really, really good which is another plus (and maybe also the reason why I managed to read all ten, lol!).

1. To Serve Them All My Days by R. F. Delderfield - a really, really enjoyable HF about a teacher in England and the country between the wars.

2. Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee - a book club read (my month to lead the discussion and the title was my suggestion) that I guess I am glad I read, it was easy enough to go through but the author annoyed the hell out of me.

3. The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes - another enjoyable HF read, this time about the end of War of Roses and the beginning of Tudor dynasty.

4. Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd & Ann Kidd Taylor - a mother/daughter memoir about life changes and traveling, for some reason made me cry quite a few times

5. Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins & Amberly Collins - another mother/daughter team but this time it's a YA mystery in the Christian fiction stream. I am glad I read it and will be recommending it to my daughter when the time comes.

6. A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick - HF with photography in early 20th century America as one of the main subjects, despite not having a major interest in photography I did enjoy the book.

7. Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart - I liked this one but I wasn't overly impressed with it. Being a 'chunkster junkie', I would appreciate the story to be longer as the whole book seemed rushed.

8. Sliverstein & Me by Merv Gold - a memoir about about one of the most famous children poets that tastefully reveals he was a lot more than just that.

9. A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi - a captivating psychological thriller from a debut writer.

10. No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer - I just love her murder mysteries, if ever a want a good laugh I know where to turn.

11. Dragon House by John Shors (did not finish) - I wanted to look past certain blatant political statements of the writer but I couldn't. I am a reader who when reaches out for a fiction book expects fiction and not political commentary on how bad America is and how many lives we've ruined by fighting wars. I wrote a little more on Goodreads if you click on the link.

Audio Books:

1. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr - I think the worst of the three, I simply could not stand Aislinn who is one of the weakest, most indecisive, afraid to offend even the worst enemy queen I have ever read about.

2. Requiem for a Mezzo by Carola Dunne - I found out about this little gem of a writer on Beth Fish Reads blog and I was right to follow the recommendation. Ms. Dunne is another crime mystery British writer that is earning her way to my favorite authors' list.

3. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - I believe this one came as a recommendation from Teddyree's blog The Eclectic Reader and it's another one I am glad I followed. One of the best YA paranormal stories (part of a series, which I'm very happy about) I have read.