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.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
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
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
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
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
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
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
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
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
My October was filled with cozy mysteries and thrillers, as is bookworm law. I had a lot of fun, but am enjoying the feeling of my brain coming back to life as I re-introduce deeper books this month. I don’t even know where I am with my reading challenges, but at this point I kind of want to just read what’s overflowing on my shelves and start again with the challenges in 2024. I saw a meme the other day that said something like “It’s officially let’s reconnect after the holidays season!” and that’s how I feel about reading challenges at this point.
Here’s the best of the best from what I read in October.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- If you would have told 10th grade me that I would be willingly getting up pre-dawn on a weekend to finish Tess of the D‘Urbervilles I would not have believed you. This book touched me in ways teenage me would never have imagined. This book is wasted on High Schoolers. It hit way differently in my 40’s.
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James -- Once I figured out the characters and the timelines I was really invested in the story of this boarding school for unwanted girls set in the 1950’s and the reporter who wants to learn more in 2014.
Malorie by Josh Malerman -- Bird Box scared the heck out of me so I had been saving this one for a good Halloween scare. I wasn’t expecting to relate so much to the story of a mom just trying to keep her teens alive when they think they are so much smarter and fight you on every damn thing 🤣 The whole blindfold wearing issue was interesting too after the last few years of mask wearing. So, not the scare I was looking for, but a relatable tale of motherhood.
Going Zero by Anthony McCarten -- A fast paced techno thriller. Bigger than life Elon Musk type Cy challenges ten people to evade his surveillance technology for thirty days. If they do they get 3 million dollars. This book moved, and was hard to put down once I started.
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale -- I enjoyed this novel about Harry- a man who had to flee to Canada in the years before WWI just because of who he was. The author’s note at the end revealed Harry was actually a distant relative of his, and he got the idea for this novel after reading a family member’s memoirs.
Hotel California edited by Don Bruns -- I enjoyed making my way through this mystery anthology last month. My favorite was the last story, and the inspiration for the title. In Hotel California the famous song is told through the eyes of a social media influencer. And it was as creepy as it sounds.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.
Thank you all for your well wishes last week. It was a long week of funerals and ceremonies, but I’m glad my friend had such a fitting send off.
This weekend is Confirmation for my son, and then early Thanksgiving since everyone will be together. We’re looking forward to that!
In between I plan on sneaking off to read. I need to re-charge somehow! Here’s what’s on my nightstand this week.
No Exit by Taylor Adams - I’m about halfway through this one, and I love the creepiness factor,
Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan - I’ve enjoyed other books by Corrigan, and am looking forward to this one.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
This week didn’t turn out like I had planned. Very sadly, one of my best friends passed away last week. I am still reading, but soon I will need to stop and regroup. For now, here’s what’s on my nightstand this week.
What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J A Chancy - The #FoodandLit club on Litsy is reading and eating from Haiti this month. I’ll admit I picked this one based on the title and cover alone.
On the Slab Pie by P.D. Workman -- Another cozy mystery for my work book club. I hope after this we’re done with these for a while.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny -- Slowly re-reading this series before the new one comes out in November!
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
I way underestimated the available hours in my schedule last week, so I’m playing catch up this morning (and maybe working a little ahead?)
I was in the office four days, my son has homecoming plus two cross country races, and my daughter had soccer and extra dance classes. I guess we’re all trying to fit what we can in while there’s still some sunshine and daylight to be had!
Here’s what I have on my nightstand this week. A lot of it is leftovers from last week, which I never posted about because I lost track of time then too. That’s October!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder Joanne Fluke - I’m about a chapter in on this one. So far it’s a typical cozy mystery involving baking and death. (This one is free for Amazon Prime members.)
What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J A Chancy - The #FoodandLit club on Litsy is reading and eating from Haiti this month. I’ll admit I picked this one based on the title and cover alone.
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins - I finished Jane Eyre last week, so this was the natural next read. I have a hardcover version of this, but I noticed it’s also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Horseman by Christina Henry - Reading this for a book club, and it’s a little more yuck than I prefer, but it’s not terrible.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
October is here! I am so excited. I pulled all of my decorations and flannel PJs out of the attic last night. I had planned on reading for a good chunk of the time yesterday, but then I fell asleep. Now that I’m caught up on rest I’ll try again today!
A few of the challenges I’m participating in the month are:
#Scarathlon on Litsy
Who ever said reading wasn’t a team sport??
I also have my very own October Bucket List that I’m trying to complete.
Happy reading this week! Here’s what’s on my nightstand:
All the Queen's Men by SJ Bennett - I loved the first book in this series about Queen Elizabeth solving mysteries, and turned to the second after watching so much news coverage of her amazing life last month. You really can believe that she solved mysteries in her spare time.
Cooking The Books by Chelsea Thomas - I’ve read a few from this series featuring murders at an upstate New York apple orchard. They’re good for fun, easy reads.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - The latest chapter a day read with the Pemberlittens on Litsy. This is one of my favorite Austen books, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.
The #Scarathlon2022 challenge on Litsy had us create an October Bucket List. I loved the idea and went a step further to create an October Reading Bucket List!
Read by the fire pit
Read while drinking a pumpkin spice latte in a bakery or cafe
Read while eating pie
Listen to an audiobook while raking
Read on the front porch while drinking something warm
Read a graphic novel
Read a mystery all in one day
Listen to an audiobook while on a left peeping walk
Read while wearing a sweater
Read while eating candy
Listen to an audiobook while doing a craft
Read while drinking a seasonal cocktail
Read while wearing fuzzy socks
I can hardly wait for this weekend and all things October!
I am so excited for reading this October. I have a whole stack of mysteries, horror, and thrillers all set to go. But first I am re-listening to Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. The examination of adult friendships fits my dark nights just turned the heat on for the first time mood.
A blog for all things bookish.
