Recent Reads
Oof. October was a rough reading month. At the end of September I finished a very long book that I loved (The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith) and was having an issue with my library card. It had to be renewed, in person, and in the meantime the library was not allowing me to place any holds. As I finished The Ink Black Heart I realized I had NOTHING TO READ. It was an emergency! I rushed to the library, renewed my card (phew! life can continue!) and grabbed these two books: I read somewhere that Liane Moriarty’s favorite author is Elizabeth Berg. This kind of surprises me. I mean, if I’m going to say someone’s my favorite author, then I want to be gasping with surprise at plot twists and/or crying because I’m so moved (hello, J.K. Rowling.) Like all Elizabeth Berg books, this one was fun. I got immediately engrossed in the character’s lives and wanted to know what would happen in the end. And, a couple months from now I probably won’t remember anything about it (it’s about a group of people going to their 40th high school reunion.) It was an enjoyable read, but nothing life-changing. Binti. I really wanted to love this one, and there were things I did love. The world-building is incredible and there were fascinating aspects to it. I just… I guess I wanted a more intricate plot. I was reading this during a stressful time and I think I needed a book that was more un-put-downable, if you know what I mean. NGS highly recommends this book, and I trust her recommendations. But she also said the first book in the trilogy was the best, so I ended up only reading that part. At that point, a library hold came in, and I switched over to this: I first saw this book on Modern Mrs. Darcy, and it sounded intriguing. When I looked on Amazon, one of the reviewers said it was the best book he’s ever read in his life. Well! I take Amazon reviews with a grain of salt, but that’s quite a recommendation. Babel is described as “historical fantasy.” It reads so much like real historical fiction, with magical elements that are woven so seamlessly into the story that you have to remind yourself, “No- that part couldn’t really happen.” I can’t say it’s the best book I’ve ever read in my life, but then, I’m not finished yet. The ending could possibly be incredible, and shoot it right up there. I’ll let you know. So, last month was really a reading slump. Between the problem with my library card and everything else going on in my life, I didn’t even get through three books- honestly, I can’t even think of what I was doing other than reading, so I’m not really sure how that happened. But I’m ready to kick things into gear for November! What’s the best book you’ve read lately?