Halloween night here in Australia and the end of yet another month so time to post about the wonderful books I've read. Yes, Halloween has encroached on Australia, which is weird to celebrate when it is spring and not fully dark out until 8pm, but I participate mainly for the little kids. So I spent two hours this afternoon (roughly from 4pm until 6pm) sitting on our front verandah admiring the creative costumes and handing out the treats. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many children thank me and only choose one treat with little or no reminder from their parents or myself. Monkey and I went out earlier in the day for some added fun, but you will have to wait patiently for my weekly review to see all about that. Given the number of photos I took today, along with my regular weekly photos, it could be a few days before I get the post written and published. So, with all that said, time to discuss all things books!
Reading this month felt somewhat difficult and slow, though I did read six books independently which is fantastic. I can't quite figure out why this month felt so different to me, except that I'm perhaps feeling the pressure of the end of the year, and there are a LOT of books I want to read before then. I'll start in the top left corner and work across.
"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt was a wonderful book and I have no idea why I waited so long to read it when numerous people have recommended it to me. It was very nearly a five star read and the story was refreshing. The way the author wove all the characters together over the course of the story will stay with me for a long time.
The next four books were all read for various challenges in my 52 Book Club that I take part in. The main challenge each year comprises of one prompt per week which challenges you to read outside your comfort zone, or just find new books that you might not otherwise try. There are also numerous side challenges which I participate in as well. "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did double duty fulfilling prompts for two challenges. "In the Name of Sharks" by Francois Sarano was a wonderful non-fiction look at sharks and their importance in the health and vitality of the ocean. I chose this book to fulfill the prompt "inspired by the top grossing movie from the year I was born" which, as I was born in 1975, was Jaws! "Along Came a Spider" by James Patterson was chosen for the Mystery Genre challenge. It was the second book of his Alex Cross series that I've read and I'm thoroughly hooked. Thankfully, my main library has copies of the entire series and will automatically purchase the newest book when it is published. "Partners in Crime" by Agatha Christie was another challenge choice - this time an Agatha Christie themed challenge - and was my most disappointing read for the month though I didn't hate it so still awarded it three stars. I don't know quite what I didn't like about it. Maybe her short stories just aren't my cup of tea. I'll have to see what I think once I've read another book of her short stories. Finally, I finished off the month with a buddy read with my mom. Together we read one chapter per day of "Flinders" by Grantlee Kieza and discussed our thoughts via WhatsApp. I thought I knew quite a bit about the man who mapped Australia, but Kieza always delivers with more knowledge about a person. A delightful read and I thoroughly enjoy buddy reading.
It is always fun to finish off my monthly book related post with the fun graphics Storygraph creates for me. It was a fabulous month and I'm excited for all the new books I will read and finish in November.
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