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I read a variety of books in October. I read self-help, fiction, parenting and scary books (it is October after all). With the change in the weather, I feel like I read slower and enjoyed not rushing through any books. I’m about caught up on all book review requests, so if you know of any book you would recommend, please send it my way!
Here’s what I read in October:
No Traveller Returns by Louis L’Amour
I was able to read this book before it was published (releases Nov. 20, 2018). The crew of the SS Lichenfield knows there is danger in what they do – going out to see carrying a flammable liquid. Yet, they have each done the journey before, some many times, and have all come back. Each has his own motivations – money, getting away from home, seeing the world, finding long-lost family members. Yet, they all feel the call to the sea and feel anxious if they are on land for too long. In No Traveller Returns, Louis L’Amour’s son makes one of his early manuscripts come to life, along with the reason why it was most likely written, as the reader learns about each man aboard the ship.
The Teen’s Guide to Social Media by Jonathan McKee
Parents today are raising teenagers in an entirely different world than has ever existed. The connections with the Internet, Wifi, smartphones and social media have created new avenues for both good and bad things to happen and have created more pressure for teens and parents to find the best way to balance it all. In The Teen’s Guide to Social Media:21 Tips to Wise Posting in an Insecure World, Jonathan McKee takes both parents and teens through practical ways to approach the world of social media without running away to an island.
At The Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
(October Online Book Club Book)
Maddie has lived a life devoid of love. She is an afterthought to her parents with a father focused on business and a mother centered only on herself. When she does pay some attention to Maddie, it is only to change her or control her appearance. When she finally does break free and go to school as an adult, she finds herself the center of a small group that focuses on fun and having a good time. They come from money. She marries one of the men from the group and slowly discovers the truth of who her husband really is in At The Water’s Edge – a man who is only out for himself.
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
After delving into The Four Tendencies, I then read another of Gretchen’s books, Better than Before, which is about habits. The book covers how to create good habits and break bad habits, but also spends time going over how different people deal with creating and breaking habits. The book is full of tips and stories and could be very helpful for anyone wanting to look at his or her own habits.
The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield
Looking at history through the role beer played reveals how important it was to many countries, including America. Beer was often the safe drink since it was boiled and water was easily contaminated. Beer was brought on ships that came to explore the New World. One of the longest brewed beers – Guinness – holds a very special role in the history of Ireland and the Guinness family impacted the world, not just with their beer, but also with the legacy established through helping others. The Search for God and Guinness explores the Guinness history and impact.
Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Haunted Ohio by Chris Woodyard
Colonial Williamsburg Hauntings
Ghosts Among Us
Just for fun, I read some books with ghost stories. They were all actually very interesting and had documentation with all of the stories, except the Colonial Williamsburg Hauntings as that’s the ghost tour guidebook. The Ghosts Among Us had articles from colonial times to back up its stories. I plan to read more of Chris Woodyard’s books during future Octobers.
Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl
As a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, Viktor Frankl is well-suited to offer any advice on how to deal with suffering in life. As a psychiatrist, he was able to take what he lived through and saw and apply it to his practice, creating a new form of psychiatric therapy – logotherarpy. He wrote about his time in the concentration camp and originally wanted to remain anonymous when Man’s Search for Meaning was published. He wasn’t seeking fame, but to have people understand how having a sense of meaning in a person’s life can make a huge difference. He wrote that they knew when a prisoner had given up because he would start smoking the cigarettes they used for currency. The men who had a purpose to live for, whether people or legacies such as books or research, were more apt to survive no matter what they suffered.
Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
Louisiana Elephante is awoken in the middle of the night by her grandmother, loaded into their car and taken away from the place she has settled into being her home. Used to her grandmother’s eccentricities, Louisiana thinks they will be heading back soon. Her life is turned upside down when she it told they will not be going back, but must forge ahead to break the curse that is on their family in Louisiana’s Way Home. Everything Louisiana knows about the world comes from her grandmother’s perspective – that the county homes and bologna are bad, that her parents were trapeze artists who are dead and that they don’t need a phone. A wonderful tragedy happens on their journey that changes everything for Louisiana.
Share on the blog – I’m always looking for books to add to my to-read bookshelf!
C U R R E N T L Y
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