October

Trying to make amends for being the last to post last month!

Study has completely taken over my life and, apart from half a dozen different versions of Antigone, several text books and a whole slew of relevant articles and excerpts I've got my shortest list ever this month, consisting of a mere five books! They were:

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons - kind of a poor man's It. Enjoyable but quickly forgotten.

Bullyville by Francine Prose - I'm quite a fan of this lady's writing and After was a big favourite for me a couple of months ago. Bullyville, while not eclipsing that one, holds up well beside it.

A Gentleman of Fortune by Anna Dean was a lot of fun. This looks like being an enduring series about the crime-solving escapades of a Victorian spinster and they are the perfect light read.

Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott has been on Mount TBR for far too long. I know I enjoyed reading it (mostly) but I've pretty much forgotten everything about it now

My fifth book more than made up for that, though. Alone in Berlin (aka Every Man Dies Alone) by Hans Fallada is an extraordinary book set in Germany in the second world war and it isn't for the faint-hearted. At the beginning there was something about the writing or the translation that felt a bit clunky but then suddenly things started happening and I was hooked. Based on a true story, this is about a middle-aged couple whose son's death at the front is the catalyst for their realisation that 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing". Their attempts to do something, however small, make for uncomfortable yet, somehow, ultimately heart-warming reading. Definitely my book of the month and possibly even one for the book of the year shortlist.

Booksloth - good to see your list. Reading various versions of Antigone sounds interesting. I spent part of my month painting my house which slowed the reading a bit (though I always seem to read more than I thought I did!)

Still working on Patrick O'Brian novels. This month I read:
The Surgeon's Mate
The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour

Young Adult Books
Ella Enchanted
Fairest
- I listened to both these fairytale re-tells while painting - I quite enjoyed them.
Maniac Magee - another one off my Newberry challenge list
Prince Caspian - read aloud with my kids
Deadline - listened to while painting - thought provoking.
Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal - I thought I'd exercise my Spanish skills a bit. The funnest part of this translation is that it is Spain Spanish, which is where I lived and learned my Spanish, so it was familiar.

Early Reviewer's books
Finally received Some Like it Cold. About surfing on the Great Lakes. The subject matter was interesting, though the writing was just average.
Dewey's Nine Lives - some heart-warming stories, but the writing was average.
Dewey - I listened to the abridged version before I read my ER book. Maybe it was just the wrong time to be reading/listening to this author, because I just never felt really caught up in the story she was trying to tell. And I love my cat, but I just didn't make a connection with Ms. Myron.

Best book of the month? Hard to pick! I really enjoyed the way Ms. Levine turns traditional fairy tales on their heads. And of course, they are quick reads, written for a younger audience. Of course, Mr. O'Brian makes me want to sail aboard a British warship, so that's pretty magical writing!

Honest to god tjsjohanna, I don't know how you do it. I thought I read a lot (most months) but you've got me beat every time. Another great list as usual.

It's an illness and I'm lucky to have a family who puts up with it!!!