I read a few books that took me longer to get through in October, plus it was a month full of soccer games, cross country meets and church events. I think I had a good balance with a very light-hearted book (modern day fairy tale) and a deep historical book about WW2. Here is what I read in October:
I Declare War’s subtitle tells you all about the book – four keys to winning the battle with yourself. The author is very candid with his own struggles in the four areas he talks about – what you think, say, do and what you give power to. I read through the book rather quickly. I think many people would find some good encouragement and help in this book, but it didn’t speak that much to me personally.
We know there is a death at the House at Riverton but we don’t know how or why – just that it changes the future of all who lived in the house. The mystery is only known to a handful of people, one of which is Grace, a household servant. It’s an interesting story of a dysfunctional family, but I was able to guess a lot of what the author thought she was hiding. There are mysteries within mysteries. Grace doesn’t know who her father is and her lack of curiosity about that, knowing her mother got dismissed from the same house she’s working at, left the main character a little less believable to me. The House at Riverton was still a fairly good novel.
Fairest of Heart is the story of Snow White set in the wild west of Texas. The author created an in-depth plot that left me still interested even though I knew how the fairy tale story ended. I am planning to read more of her novels. These are great for high school ages and older.
I’ve read all of Heather Lende’s books as I met her at a bookstore in Alaska one day. She had good advice for writers. I was curious to read about her run for office in Haines. I was a bit disappointed by Of Bears and Ballots as there is a lot of complaining, blaming and references to how bad Trump and Trump supporters are in her opinion. It’s a bit too political – even for a memoir about politics.
Walter Lord’s book on the Titanic was fascinating, so I was interested to read his book about Dunkirk. While I learned a lot of new information about this infamous event, the book tries to put too many details. I got lost a few times regarding where the book was at and who was being talked about. If you enjoy history, you would enjoy The Miracle of Dunkirk, but probably as a slower read to keep the details straight.
The Silmarillion is the back story of Tolkien’s middle earth. As a writer, it was fascinating to see how in-depth Tolkien had gone to setting up the history of his world for Lord of the Rings. As a reader, there was too much description of the setting and history to keep my attention for the most part. A few of the stories were gripping when he would get in-depth on a person’s story. Fans of LOTR will enjoy learning about middle earth’s history, though.
Our Missing Hearts is a fascinating dystopian tale set in modern-day America. A Crisis has taken place and the blame is put on China. Americans become suspicious of anyone who looks Asian and people are encouraged to report on their neighbors. Noah, or “Bird,” is a 12-year-old boy whose mother had to leave their family to keep him safe three years earlier. Now curious after meeting a girl who was removed from her parents for not being “American” enough, he seeks to find out the true story about his mother and how she is involved in the resistance. The book shows how easy it is to go along with a society that is not fair or equal when the threat of removing children is involved.
What have you read recently that you loved? Share in the comments!
