October's books

I had ANOTHER fabulous month of reading!  I read a little bit of everything this month-- some thrillers and murder mysteries, a dystopian novel, a middle grade fantasy, and of course some love and romance. 

1. None of This is True by Lisa Newell-- Wow! What a wild story.  Alex is approached by a woman on her 45th birthday and Josie claims they are birthday twins. The two strike up an odd acquaintance/ friendship when Josie tells Alex she had a great idea for her next podcast.  Josie begins to tell Alex her life story and Alex gets quite caught up in the tale.  Pretty soon Josie has moved in and Alex life is starting to feel unrecognizable. I could not put this book down and read it in under 24 hours. 

2. The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell-- Bake Week is usually quite fun for all the amateur bakers that are invited to stay at Grafton (while set in the U.S this reminded me a lot of the Great British Baking show!). As the contestants work through each day's project one person is eliminated but this particular bake week turns deadly when a body is found in the tent.  It was a fun little murder mystery novel told from the points of view of all the bakers and the host with lots of little twists and turns.  

3. Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena--  I knew my when sister sent me a text telling me to GET THIS BOOK I had to pick it up! This fun and suspenseful story kept me flipping pages long past my bedtime.  When 9 year old Avery goes missing after school one day the cops get called in and they interview everyone in the family, on the cul-de-sac where they live, at the school, etc. It seems like Avery vanished without a trace but as time goes on more and more lies are detected until the truth is finally revealed. 

 

4. Class Mom by Laurie Gelman-- Jen Dixon finds herself acting as class mom to her kindergarten son, not the typical mom though since Jen has 2 girls already in college. Hoping to fit in and bring a little fun to the role, Jen writes witty little emails to all the class parents.  But not all the parents appreciate Jen's humor.  I know I am real late reading this series; I didn't think I'd "get it" since we don't have class moms up here and my boys were only in school for a year or two before we turned to homeschooling.   But I really enjoyed this fun and funny book and put a hold on the second book immediately! 

5. See Me by Nicholas Sparks -- I was scrolling through my Libby app looking for available audiobooks when this one by Nicholas Sparks caught my eye; I usually enjoy his books and was surprised to see one I don't remember reading before.  I had a hard time with this one, mostly I think due to the narration and not really the story itself. Colin and Maria are the unlikeliest of pairs having met it a most unusual way.  Colin, working on getting his teaching degree and putting his old self- destructive ways of living in the past is just trying to live clean until his probationary period is over.  He stops to help a woman change her tire in the middle of the pouring rain. Maria is a lawyer working for a prestigious law firm struggling to find happiness in her life's choices.  Somehow the two slowly hit it off when a second chance comes around and find themselves being more honest than ever, falling slowly in love, and hoping they can begin to build a life with one another but troubles from the past come into play. It was a fun byplay between suspense and love story. 

6. Hello, Stranger by Katherine Center--  This book took me a little while to get into but I really enjoyed it.  Poor Sadie nearly died before having to undergo emergency brain surgery.  Complications from the surgery have left her trying to navigate in a world where she can no longer see faces, which would be bad enough if her job wasn't painting portraits.  I was a psychology major in college so I really enjoyed reading more about this disorder (even if it was in a fictional setting the disorder is real and oh so fascinating).  Of course no romance novel is complete without some romance; in this case Sadie meets 2 great men but has trouble deciding between the two since the rest of her life is in utter shambles and she is dealing with a painful family history/ evil step-sister as well.  Every time you think it can't get any worse it does but thankfully Sadie is pretty determined and optimistic to keep on going and giving it her all. 

7. You've Been Volunteered by Laurie Gelman-- I was thrilled the second book in the series was available right away; this book picks up a few years later when Jen's son is in 3rd grade and she's once again been roped into being class mom... and put in charge of the safety monitors at school. Just as funny as the first I enjoyed reading more about this delightful cast of characters.

8. Galloglass by Scarlett Thomas (Worldquake book 3)-- I read the first two books in this series earlier this spring and finally got around to reading the last book in the trilogy.  On a visit to the Otherworld, Effie is accused of being a Galloglass and thrown in prison. Lexi is being threatened by a professor staying with her and her family and Wolf is off on a quest to find and save his sister.  Effie and her friends must try come together to stop the Diberi who are intent on destroying the world during the midwinter festival. 

9. From Notting Hill with Love.. Actually by Ali McNamara-- Scarlett has always been a huge movie fan and is thrilled when the chance to escape her life and house sit in Notting Hill comes along.  She makes friends with the guy next door who offers to help Scarlett look for her mother that had abandoned her.  The two definitely feel a spark but Scarlett is already engaged and doesn't want to see anyone get hurt.  A very cute romcom with so many movie references made for such a fun and light read. 

10. Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman-- the third book in this series picks up with Jen's son Max in 5th grade where she is once again roped into being class mom.  Juggling a new job, the fund raising committee she's been put in charge of,  and her ever growing and busy family it's as entertaining as ever.

11. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood-- I wasn't sure what to make of this dystopian novel at first... set in the near future the main character can remember a time before when women could read and write and had jobs and money of their own.  She can remember living with her own husband and daughter and spending time with her friends.  All that was in the time "before."  But now she is a handmaid and her only job is to serve in the house of the Commander and to try and get pregnant. I didn't love it but I definitely wanted to listen to the very end... not sure if I'll be picking up book 2 or not though.. 

12. Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo (Kate Burkholder #5)-- In this 5th book of the series Kate stumbled upon a hit and run involving an Amish buggy. Three of the four passengers are gone before the ambulance even makes it to the scene and to make matters worse Kate's best friend from childhood is the grieving widow and mother.  Determined to solve this crime Kate is surprised when the investigation begins pointing not at an accident but at murder. 

13. Ready for Marriage by Debbie Macomber -- Two short stories in one, I began reading this book on the plane ride home.  I had finished the two books I brought with me and my mom had finished up this book she brought for herself so we swapped!  In the first story, Mary Jo goes to work for the man she left years ago.  Mary Jo has always loved Evan but left him when his family pressed her to claiming she wasn't the right sort of girl for their boy. Of course Mary Jo assumes she has no chance of getting a second chance with Evan and Evan is still bewildered as to why Mary Jo left him. In the second book, Fiona rents her carriage house to a widowed man named Eduardo.  They had known each other before Eduardo was rendered homeless from a fire one night.  These two single parents quickly strike up a deep friendship but a few meddling matchmakers have other plans. 

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