What Did You Read in October?

[dorothyinAus]

The year is 5/6 over.  Has it been a good year reading so far?  Any stand out books?

[dorothyinAus]

52. Murder and Mendelssohn -- Greenwood, Kerry
53. Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides -- Dunnett, Kaitlyn
54. Little House in the Big Woods -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
55. Little House on the Prairie -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
56. Farmer Boy -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
57. On the Banks of Plum Creek -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
58. By the Shores of Silver Lake -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
59. The Long Winter -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
60. Little Town on the Prairie -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
61. These Happy Golden Years -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
62. The First Four Years -- Wilder, Laura Ingalls
63. Murder in Grosvenor Square -- Gardner, Ashley
64. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler -- Konigsburg, E.L.

This is the most books I've read in a year since I've kept track.  And it was heavy with Children's books this month, but I'm taking an online Laura Ingalls Wilder class and couldn't stop the series at On the Banks of Plum Creek, not when the later books are my favorites (particularly The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years).

So far this year, things have been fairly boring, I've rated most books 4 stars, so nothing really stands out.  From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes by Robert Clary (Cpl. LeBeau) was really good, but it's a niche kind of biography, as was The Assassination of the Archduke by Greg King and Sue Woolmans.  I would not hesitate to recommend those to the right readers, but not necessarily to everyone.

[rootbeerfloat]

All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr - 4*
Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill - 3*
The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1), Julie Kagawa - 3.5*
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2), Julie Kagawa - 3.5*
.
41/50 for the year.

[Deleted]

Under the Dome
Looking for Alaska
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire

My best month so far in terms of quantity. I am only 16 books in this year. I didn't actually set a goal this year, I was in a reading funk last year too and didn't meet my goal so I figured this year would be free of expectation. I'm hoping now that I am in a groove things will pick up a little more.

[MrsAxilla]

NOS4A2
Pet Sematary

Those were the only two I finished. I'm also reading I, Claudius and The Drums of Autumn. I just picked long books in October, I guess.

This is the first year I've tracked my books and I've read 30 so far. I didn't have a goal, since I didn't know how many I averaged. NOS4A2 was a standout, surprisingly. I also really liked American Gods.

[charlatti]

The Birds of Pandemonium by Michele Raffin 4*
Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn 4*
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 5* (reread)
This Must Be the Place by Kate Racculia 4.5* (reread)
The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go 2*
Florence Gordon by Brian Morton 4*
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood 3*
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer 2*

I've only had three five star books this year that weren't re-reads: Station Eleven, The Long Way Home, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.

[booknerd]

All I've done is finish HP #2 this month. I've been studying for my licensure exam and after Nov. 11 when I take it I'll be back to studying.

I'm at #33/40 for the year. Finishing up grad school slowed me down but I'm hoping to catch up.

[frog]

I read a lot in October, it was a bit much, lol.

The King's Curse **
Burial Rites *****
And the Mountains Echoed **
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? ***
The Valley of Amazement ***
Sin in the Second City ***
Anne's House of Dreams ****
The Miniaturist *****
The Nazi Officer's Wife ****
Paper Towns ***
The Aviator's Wife ****
The Eyre Affair ***

So far I'm at 84/90 books for the year

[dorothyinAus]

Nov 1, 2014 16:14:29 GMT -5 charlatti said:

I've only had three five star books this year that weren't re-reads: Station Eleven, The Long Way Home, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm.

Mrs. Frisby is one of my Dad's favorite books.  On family vacations when I was a kid, I was in charge of reading books on the drives (because I was the only one who could read in the car), and Mrs. Frisby was always on the list of car reading.

I think the animated movie was a pretty good adaptation, but I know so few people who have seen the film AND read the book that I can't discuss it with anyone.

Have you read the sequel, Rasco and the Rats of NIMH?

[charlatti]

Nov 1, 2014 18:05:54 GMT -5 dorothyinAus said:

I think the animated movie was a pretty good adaptation, but I know so few people who have seen the film AND read the book that I can't discuss it with anyone.

Have you read the sequel, Rasco and the Rats of NIMH?

I remember I loved the movie as a kid, but somehow I never read the book until now. I need to track down a copy to watch. I haven't read the sequel yet, but it's on my list!

[christy082]

I only managed 3 this month because the first one was so long.

11/22/63 Stephen King- 4 stars
Flat Out Love Jessica Park- 4 stars
Bring Me Back Taryn Plendl- 3 stars

This puts me at 51 books so far this year.

This has been a good year for me; this is the most I've read in a year before.

Some of the books I've enjoyed most this year are The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Elizabeth Street, Helter Skelter and the Legend trilogy.

[aurora]

I "read" (on paper or audiobook) 6 books in October, which is more than usual for me.

Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks
A Clash of Kings - G.R.R. Martin
Thunder Dog - Michael Hingson
The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

A Clash of Kings and The Handmaid's Tale were both re-reads (which of course means I like them a lot). The others were mostly good. Caleb's Crossing took a while to get into but I really liked it in the end. Thunder Dog, which is about a seeing eye dog and her partner in the World Trade Center collapse, had great promise but got really preachy and I ended up skipping some parts (maybe I shouldn't count it?).

I'm at 43 for the year, which is about average for my past couple of years. I can't seem to vary much from ~1 book per week no matter what I do.

Best of the year so far? Probably I Am Malala, The Cuckoo's Calling, The Lady Elizabeth, and And the Mountains Echoed (of the non re-reads).

[itsme]

Panic - Lauren Oliver
The Auschwitz Escape - Joel C. Rosenberg
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Heart-Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

I've been on a roll this year. I think I have read more this year than any other year. I'm at 57 of 50. I passed my goal a few months ago.

Stand outs are :

Bringing Adam Home: The Abduction That Changed America
Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown

[msmerymac]

47/50 books, 6 books ahead of schedule. Which makes me feel okay about reading some really long novels for the rest of the year.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner - 3 stars
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - 4 stars
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - 4 stars
Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead - 3.5 stars
Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead - 3.5 stars

The Neil Gaiman and Kate Atkinson books I've read this year were really good. I also read the Giver for the first time and loved it. No 5 star books so far, though.

[kiminky]

Average month for me-
Still Life w/ Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen-3 stars
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty-3 stars
The Last Letter from Your Lover by JoJo Moyes-3 stars

[apelila]

For October I read:

- The Maze Runner (James Dashner) 3*
- What We Keep (Elizabeth Berg) 4*
- The Scorch Trials (James Dashner) 2*

My standouts for the year have been
- Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
- Me Before You (Jojo Moyes)
- Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
- The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)

I have read 22/20 for the year, so I'm feeling pretty good!