Stiltsville

Oh, October. You used to be my favorite month, and this year you were such a disappointment. Too many weekends at work, a car accident, and a thoroughly delightful (not) governmental paper chase led to too many sleepless nights, too many full nights and weekends, and too few books. On the flip side, I’m writing this just one day into November and I’ve already started and finished an entire novel, so November is looking up! :)

Here’s what I read in October:

Stiltsville By Susanna Daniel

In June, I reviewed Susanna Daniel’s Sea Creatures glowingly. I loved the language, the plot twists, and the conundrum that the main character faced. I was excited to dive into Stiltsville, Daniel’s previous novel and one also set in the same place, hoping to yet again experience the magic of Sea Creatures. While I could see Daniel’s language and storytelling developing in this first novel, it didn’t have the same spark as her second. The novel was the story of the marriage: no enormous plot twists, no startling discoveries, but I felt it gave an accurate picture of an average, real-life love story, the small ups and downs that make up a thirty-year relationship. It was a good book, but I would not recommend it quite as highly as the one I read first.

And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie

My book club chose this novel for our October read, trying to pick something that fit the season without diving into the true horror genre (none of us are scary-movie people!). After hearing so much about “the queen of mystery,” I was underwhelmed in reading my first Christie novel. There was very little character development, and I found myself rooting for no one throughout the entire book. The best part were the concluding 5 or 6 pages where a mysterious tell-all letter recreates the entire plot and reveals who was responsible for the murders on the island. It only took about two hours to read, but I don’t think I’ll add any more Christie novels to my list anytime soon.

Inked by Eric Smith

If you are a book person and you aren’t following Eric Smith on Twitter, go do that now. He’s hilarious, gives great book recommendations, and has an adorable corgi named Augustus of which many photos are shared.

Eric handed out copies of his YA novel Inked a few weeks ago on Twitter, and I was lucky enough to snag one. I started it on Thursday night and finished it Saturday morning before 10 AM, so it’s safe to say that I’m pumped to read the sequel releasing in May 2016. Full review coming soon. 

So, that is what I read in October. What about you? Did you fall in love with any new words?