What I Read: October

I love to read creepy books and thrillers in October. I ended up accidentally getting 3 books in a row where the main character was a woman who witnessed a crime but no one believed her because she was considered a hysterical woman. That storyline was super frustrating for me and I liked the first book but the next two were stinkers for me. I think that storyline was okay but not so many in a row!

Reading on the porch together!

Book:

• Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders, and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners by Trevor MacKenzie and Rebecca Bathurst Hunt- I did a training in the spring where we listened to different speakers through an online website. I loved MacKenzie's presentation so I ordered a couple of his books. I decided to read this one first and use it to plan out my PLF for the year. I got really excited reading it and came up with lots of ideas and ways to incorporate some of the ideas into my classroom.

• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt- This is one of those classic children's books that I had never read. We picked it up at Goodwill and the kids picked it as our bedtime read aloud. I wasn't impressed. I didn't like it very much and neither of the kids were too into it.

• The Winners by Fredrik Backman- This was the last book in the trilogy. I had a hard time getting through it for a while because I knew something bad was going to happen to a character you just have to love and I didn't want to find out what it was going to be. I'm honestly still a little depressed when I think about this book. It was just as incredible as the others but also sad. Matteo's storyline broke my heart and I kept wishing a teacher or someone in his life would reach out to help him. 
  
  
  

• Lore Olympus: Volume Three by Rachel Smythe- I was a little disappointed in Volume 2, but this one was much better! I'd say I liked it about as much as the first one. I've been surprised by how much I enjoy a graphic novel. I didn't think I would.
  

eBook:

• The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn- This was a tough read. I was so annoyed by no one believing the woman because she had a traumatic experience. This was the first book in the string of books where women were "hysterical" and therefore not to be believed that started rubbing me the wrong way. I had a hard time finishing this one and really wasn't into it at all. I saw lots of good reviews so I was disappointed.

Audiobook:

• Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration by Sara Dykman- I saw our local indie bookstore was hosting an author visit about this book. I was intrigued and immediately put this book on hold at the library. I didn't get the book in time to finish it before the author event and decided not to go because I also had a Girl Scout camp out to prepare for. After reading the book, I was wishing I hadn't missed it because the book was so fascinating.
  

• Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney- This was on the librarian's pick shelf whose books I typically love. I was super excited to try it. It wasn't my kind of book. I thought it was a bit odd.

• Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson- This was our book club read for October. It started out a bit strange and I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I ended up really liking it. It was very different than other books and had some interesting and unexpected twists. This is the one I finished on my drive home from the Pumpkin Holler 25k.

• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith- This was such a great concept for a book and it could have been amazing. I wanted more of a vampire book and to me, there was too much historical information like a biography. I already knew all of that and it took away from the storyline for me. I did like the surprise ending! Had the book not ended there and gone on, I would have liked it a lot more.

• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware- I absolutely loved In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ware so I was excited to read another one of her books close to Halloween. This one was disappointing. I hated it until about halfway through and then it picked up at the end.