What I Read: October

I had my fall this month which led to 8 stitches in my knee and limited mobility, so I was thankful I had books to keep me busy! It was especially rough that my fall break didn't align with the kids' and I wasn't supposed to bend my knee or walk much, so I didn't get to do much over fall break. My overall disposition of blah due to not being able to run and being bummed to be inactive may have led to some lower ratings on books this month as well. I'm noticing a common theme of disappointment in books as I look over the books I read in October, haha!

My favorite Halloween decoration!

Books:

• A Life on Fire: Oklahoma's Kate Barnard by Kate Barnard- I was really excited to read about Kate Barnard's life after hearing Lisa Wingate speak about her at the event for her book, Shelterwood. I did enjoy learning more about Barnard, but the book was pretty boring. I had a hard time reading it. 

• Witches by Brenda Lozano- This book was not what I was expecting based on the blurb. I was hoping for more about curanderos and brujas. There was some of that, just not as much as I was hoping for. There were times I struggled to get through the book and others where I couldn't stop reading. I was so confused when I first started reading because the chapters didn't tell whose perspective it was from. Once I got used to that, it was interesting how the sections had a clear voice once you knew the characters. It just never culminated with the voices joining together as I expected.

• The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst- In the acknowledgements the author wrote, "I want to write a book that reads like drinking hot chocolate," and she did exactly that. This book was sweet and heart warming. There were books, talking plants, flying cats, unicorns, magic, mermaids, merhorses, and spirit bears that protect the trees. What more do I need to say?

If you zoom in, you can see Ty in blue way out in the distance, playing disc golf.

• The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris- Elise REALLY wanted me to read this book and we're going to an author event for the 3rd book in the series so it made sense. It started out so cute and I was laughing quite a bit. Then it got strange. Books I think are kind of weird, kids always love so what can I say?!

Milo was interested in this book.

• Five Survive by Holly Jackson- This one started out pretty slowly, but then reeled me in. About halfway I got bored with it, but then the last 150 or so pages I could not stop reading! Oliver's character was so annoying and hard to like that it made the book difficult to read at times, but the rest of the characters were likable and I found myself rooting for them all.

Still made it in the hammock with my knee a mess!

• Wild Is the Witch by Rachel Griffin- I loved how magic functioned in this book and I always love a good book about witches! 

I took the dust jacket off because the book was so pretty underneath!

• The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris- Carter insisted I read the second book and told me it was even better than the first. I would agree, I liked this one a lot more. There were a few sections that made me giggle.

eBooks:

• You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose- I was so bored by this book until the very end. I spent the whole time figuring one or the other was a serial killer, but could barely hang on to find out if they both were or if it was just one of them. I don't know how many more times I could have read about how blue her eyes were. I get that she wanted us to remember that for the end with the appearance change, but lord that got old! I was very disappointed in this book, especially with how much I've loved her other books. I feel bad saying I didn't like it because she's an amazing writer and I love her other books, but this one just wasn't for me.

Audiobooks:

• The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- The Inheritance Games book #3 was just as fun and twisty as the other books in the series.

• Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry- This book was well written and incredibly detailed. I would argue too detailed. By the end, I was so over it and just wanted the book to end, but I powered through. I feel like he could have gotten by without repeating himself quite so much and not going into so much detail on every single thing that happened in the trial.

• Pride Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith- I was expecting this to be a retelling of Pride and Prejudice that had zombies. I was disappointed it was at times word for word Pride and Prejudice with some zombie slayings thrown in. It was entertaining and a fun October read, but I feel like he could have done more with it.