It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done one of these. Not because I haven’t been walking, but because it’s dark outside when I do! This is not my favorite time of year, but I keep looking for bits of light and joy the best I can.
I’ve been listening to Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice. The narrator is excellent, and I’m enjoying the book very much.
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My kid and I were running errands this morning and wow, the stores are full on Christmas. I picked up some lights for outside and they were almost gone already! I think if I would have waited for December I would have been too late. I did take a peek at Target’s buy 2 get 1 one free book sale, but didn’t see anything I wanted.
Have a great week everyone.
“Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago. Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. A great black stove is its main feature; but there is also a big round table and a fireplace with two rocking chairs placed in front of it. Just today the fireplace commenced its seasonal roar. A woman with shorn white hair is standing at the kitchen window. She is wearing tennis shoes and a shapeless gray sweater over a summery calico dress. She is small and sprightly, like a bantam hen; but, due to a long youthful illness, her shoulders are pitifully hunched. Her face is remarkable—not unlike Lincoln’s, craggy like that, and tinted by sun and wind; but it is delicate, too, finely boned, and her eyes are sherry-colored and timid. “Oh my,” she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, ‘it’s fruitcake weather!’”
On My Nightstand This Week:
On My Kindle - Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins - I bought this when it was on sale in August and I’m about to start it in November. Not a bad turn around for me!
Paper Book - The Break by Katherena Vermette - I had to put this down during the week because the short chapters from multiple points of view were hard to follow when I didn’t have big blocks of time to read. Now that it’s the weekend again I plan to dive in again because this one’s really good.
Audio Book - The Vanderbilts by Anderson Cooper - I switched from paper to audio for this one on the recommendation of another reader. I’m glad I did since Cooper reads it himself. It does add a lot to the story.
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My October reading was up and down. I hit a slump mid-month and then was on a roll at the end of the month. Here are the best of the best:
Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson - I’ve been eagerly awaiting Stranger Things Season 5 so when I heard about this book I knew I had to read it- supernatural elements, mysterious disappearances, set in Indiana- I was in of course. It didn’t disappoint. Lost Man’s Lane definitely scratched my Stranger Things itch.
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin - Possibly the scariest book I’ve read this month. Whew. This one really packed a punch.
The Witch Elm by Tana French - I liked this one a lot. Messed up families, spoiled guys dealing with their privileges, unreliable narrators, atmospheric old house, buried secrets. It really worked for me.
Dracula by Bram Stoker - I never read this one because I have a deep aversion to Vampires, but I did it for a book club this month. I’m so glad I gave it a chance! An excellent October read.
Carrie by Stephen King - Read this on a train to train to Hoboken, NJ. 13 year old me thought I was so badass sneaking this book from my Dad‘s shelf and reading it. I swear I managed to work my knowledge of telekinesis into every conversation for 6 months because I wanted people to know I read adult books. It’s still good (and appreciated the brevity compared to King’s later books.)
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - I’m glad I finally got around to reading Gilead. The story was different but the writing and the pace reminded me a lot of a favorite of mine- Crossing to Safety.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow - I enjoyed this MG book about a kid living in the quiet zone of Nebraska.
Thanks for reading!
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I had a couple of days off last week so I took a screen break. I did take some time to start figuring out what I want to study through my reading next year though. I identified 52 books I want to read in order to learn more about the environment, AI, social media, and politics. I’m hoping if I stick mostly to audio books one book a week is do-able. And of course there will be plenty of cozy mysteries in between because aren’t predictable endings exactly what we need right now?
Have a great week everyone.
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
On My Nightstand This Week:
On My Kindle - The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker - I have this ARC from Net Galley. It’s a retelling of Little Women that’s no so Jo focused. I love Jo though so not sure how much I’ll like that.
Paper Book - The Break by Katherena Vermette - This book wasn’t what I thought it would be, but I’m liking it more now that I’ve adjusted my expectations.
Audio Book - The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - I started reading her new book, but when the characters from this book started appearing I had to pause and go back and re-read this one.
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October Beginning TBR: 416
October Ending TBR: 417
Happy Halloween! Two months left in 2024! I’m concentrating on finishing up my challenges and reading for a Nonfiction November readathon I’m hosting on Litsy.
Here are 20 books I want to read in November:
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waugbeshig Rice
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waugbeshig Rice
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Break by Katherena Vermette
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene
Thomas Hardy (Biography) by Claire Tomalin
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Love and Death in Kathmandu by Amy Willesse
Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins
The Vanderbilts by Anderson Cooper
Tortise for the Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty
Called Again by Jennifer Pharr Davis
Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (Chapter a Day - 2 month read)
The leaves on the trees definitely are saying it’s October! It’s been a great week for walking.
I’ve been listening to Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam. I started this one in print, but switched to audio when I got busy at work. It’s a great book to walk to this time of year.
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someone we ran into on a walk
Can you believe it’s the last weekend before Halloween? There’s so much fall stuff I wanted to do that I didn’t get to. Excuse me while I enter a corn maze while eating a caramel apple dressed like a Gilmore Girl. I haven’t even watched The Great Pumpkin yet!
Have a great week everyone!
“You can go through life and make new friends every year - every month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel.”
my neighbor’s amazing trees
Kindle- Rocket Boys by Homer Hikam - I’m re-reading this one. It holds up!
Audio- The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - Another re-read. We’re doing Botswana for #FoodAndLit on Litsy this month.
Paper- The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin - I needed a book set in Connecticut for my #ReadingUSA challenge so decided to finally read this short classic.
physical book stack for the rest of the year
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I was everywhere last week. I spent two days at a conference in Hoboken, NJ (across the river from Manhattan), and then came home and was all over town looking at Halloween stuff. This is a great time of year for walking!
This week I’m listening to Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien. It’s making me hungry!
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Looking at the new york city skyline from jersey city, nj
I took the train to New Jersey Thursday for a work event, and then I came home Friday. I was going to drive, but switched to the train at the last minute. It was a little bit more complicated to get where I needed to be, but I loved having all of those hours to read.
Have a great week everyone!
“There are such beings as vampires; some of us have evidence that they exist.”
reading on the train
Kindle- I’m in between a few books on my kindle, but mostly reading my chapter a day of Dracula for a buddy read.
Audio- In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet - An interesting NF account of witch hunts and their legacy today.
Paper- Best American Mystery Stories 2018 ed. by Louis Penny - Just finished Carrie, so I’m going back to this one. I really love short stories this time of year!
cat naps
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I am loving all the October sights on my walks. It’s mostly dark when I’m out now, but every once in a while they let me out during the day.
This week I’m listening to See Something by Carol J Perry for my book club. It’s a cozy mystery that takes place in Salem, MA. Yay for seasonal reads!
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September was another slowish reading month for me, but it included some really good books. I’m really trying to stay off my phone but with the election coming and all of the bad storms I’m finding it really hard.
Here are the good ones from September:
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - This was the perfect read for the start of fall reading season. The less you know going into it the better, but if you want something atmospheric and chilling this is it!
Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford - This book about volunteer missing persons searchers and investigators on the PCT was fascinating. It was sobering, but so descriptive it made me want to head out west and hike.
Micronesian Blues by Bryan Vila - The memoirs of a man working on starting the Micronesian police force in the late 70’s to early 80’s is kind of random but not terrible to read about.
You Like it Darker by Stephen King - Like with any short story collection some were better than others, but overall a really good read. I appreciate that King’s characters seem to be aging right along with him. It‘s nice to read about people 40-60 being haunted.
Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew - A decent read about an immigrant family in Canada. In order to learn the truth about her mother the main character travels to Brunei and Malaysia.
The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen - This started slowly, but picked up in part 2. It was a great ode to creepy gothic novels with the extra spooky setting of a mansion in Block Island, RI during the off season.
Thanks for reading!
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very faint northern lights
I am up late tonight waiting for my son to come back from his homecoming dance. Seems like just yesterday he was a freshman and now he’s a junior. Yikes. I also spent a long time today cleaning my pantry and making making soup and bread for the week. I will sleep good tonight!
Have a great week everyone!
“I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by far, than I learned anything useful from, except, of course, that some very tedious gentlemen have written books.”
Soup
Kindle- See Something by Carol J. Perry - This month’s work book club book. It’s a quick read.
Audio- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - I started this today while I was doing my kitchen work, and it was perfect!
Paper- Best American Mystery Stories 2018 ed. by Louis Penny - Still working on this one!
how i feel waiting for this kid to get home
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sunset
I am behind in everything this week, but figured I was better late than never on this post.
My thoughts are with everyone who was in the path of Hurricane Helene. I worked at the Biltmore Estate the summer I turned 21, and have visited the area most years since then. My heart breaks for the residents of the impacted areas. I understand the immediate needs for shelter and supplies, but I think soon I will be donating to the Friends of Pack Library.
Have a great week everyone!
“We talk and talk and cancel out each other’s ideas until it all comes down to what it was before: that we do not agree.”
yard work is pretty this time of year
Kindle- The Witch Elm by Tana French - This one didn’t get the best reviews, but I’m loving it. It’s a family drama told from the point of view of an unreliable but privileged narrator. The characters are all sorts of messed up.
Audio- Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson - The premise of this book reminded me of Stranger Things When I heard about it. (Mysterious disappearances, supernatural, set in Indiana.) It’s one of my most anticipated books in October.It was a bonus that it was available on Everand!
Paper- Best American Mystery Stories 2018 ed. by Louis Penny - I love these anthologies this time of year when all I want to do is read, but my schedule is also so packed. They’re great to bring along on errands and to tournaments.
neglected gardens=volunteer pumpkins and mushrooms
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cozy cat time
It’s Saturday night and I am attempting to stay up for the premier of the 50th season of Saturday Night Live. The odds aren’t good, but we’ll see.
We’re all feeling better and it’s already time to start figuring out winter sports. But first it’s the best reading month of the year- October! I just love to curl up with spooky stories or atmospheric mysteries this time of year.
Have a great week everyone!
“You know she would make a splendid Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
cat after the sun came out today
Kindle- Vanished by Wil Hylton - I just started this book tonight and so far I’m fascinated. It’s about finding wreckage from WWII in Palau.
Audio- Pacific by Simon Winchester - This one’s interesting too. It’s all about the nations surrounded by the Pacific Ocean.
Paper- Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent - Still working on this one! I should finish before the end of the weekend. I’m enjoying it and am glad there’s a couple more in the series.
reading by the fire
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There are definite signs of fall on my walks now. I love the change of seasons. It makes walks so much more interesting. There are a few Halloween decorations out now, but they should be out in full force starting next weekend.
I’ve been listening to You Like It Darker by Stephen King. Very atmospheric for my dark fall walks!
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reading with a cat
This week passed by in a haze of ginger ale and vicks vap-o-rub. Me and both kids were sick with various maladies. We’re all on the mend now, but this weekend has been busy catching up with what we missed when we slept last week. I knew when the kids went back to school this was bound to happen.
Have a great week everyone!
“With rifles twirling and hands slapping stocks in unison, it was a picture to warm and drill instructor’s heart, if drill instructors had hearts.”
My Nancy drew collection
Kindle- The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen - This has been living on my kindle for a while. I decided to pick it up this week because I need a book set in Rhode Island for my challenges. It’s a great ode to gothic novels from the past, and perfect reading for this time of year.
Audio- You Like It Darker by Stephen King - I am loving these short stories so far.
Paper- Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent - Never got to this last week. I’ll start tomorrow.
full moon
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We’re down and out with back to school ick, but before that I was getting some walks in. I’m feeling a little better today and am hoping to get at least a half mile in. It’s always something!
I am looking forward to getting back to my audio book, Vanished by Joseph Finder. There are a lot of books named Vaisnhed. This is not the one I meant to download, but I am enjoying it just the same!
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a tuxedo cat peers over the top of a nancy drew book- this cat ignored me all day until this moment
I’m waiting for the Solstice on the 22nd to fully declare it full on Spooky Season, but I’m starting to let my Halloween stuff creep into my every day life. Yesterday my daughter and I went thrifting and we bought a few things for the upcoming weeks. Maybe also I am safe to start buying some candy to keep and give out to trick or treaters, but only the things we don’t really like. The good stuff will be bought as late as possible.
My September reading is going well. I’ve been enjoying all of my Reading Around The World books. I am also finally watching through The Gilmore Girls (official last woman on Earth to do so I think.)
Have a great week everyone!
“Why is everything banana colored?”
thrifted glass pumpkin
Kindle- Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - Taking a break from my reading challenges for a bit because the change in weather made me in the mood for some Lehane.
Audio- You Again? by Nick Spalding - I picked this only because I knew it was set in the Maldives, but it’s actually been a lot of fun. It’s kind of romanceish, and full of shenanigans. I found it on Everand, but it’s also included on Kindle Unlimited at the moment.
Paper- Devil-Devil by Graeme Kent - I’m about to start this mystery set in the Solomon Islands tonight, and really looking forward to it.
Cat naps
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August was a slowish reading month for me. I’m not sure why other than getting used to a new school schedule with the kids and working more than normal. Actually now that I say that out loud it totally makes sense. Never mind.
Anyway, here is the best of what I did manage to read.
Walking to Samarkand and Winds of The Steppe by Bernard Ollivier - I really enjoyed the last two books in the trilogy of Olliver’s epic walk of the Silk Road. It made me sad though that this is probably a trip I could never take as a woman. (I read the first book, Out of Istanbul, back in July.) At the time of this writing these were all included in my audible membership although I listened to them on Everand.
Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky - I’ve been reading this series for about 30 years now and it’s still going strong. In this one VI is in Kansas trying to track down a missing soccer player. Chaos ensues.
Pirate Queens by Rebecca Alexandra Simon - The life of a woman pirate was something I never knew I was interested in until I read this book!This was a short book well worth the time.
My Specific Awe And Wonder by Reuben Jackson - I feel so lucky that I got this slim book of poetry from LibraryThing and the publisher. Reuben Jackson’s poems about Vermont were spectacular, and I loved that he gave a section of his book to his friend Kelly Donaldson.
Reuben passed away in February so the last part of the book is drafts and transcribed voicemails. As a non-poet it's fascinating to see his process for creating his art.
Thanks for reading!
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We can usually count on early September to be gorgeous here in the DC area. My fitbit is happy that I’ve been taking advantage and getting outside.
I’m about to start Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones on my next walk. I’ve heard good things!
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