Soccer season came to an end and with a few weeks until basketball starts, I had more free evenings to do some more reading. One of my new favorite books was read this month – A Canticle for Leibowitz. I read some really good fiction and some very interesting non-fiction books in October. Here’s what I read:
What They Let Them Choose by Victoria Kimble
What They Let Them Choose is a futuristic novel best read after Kimble’s The Hurricane Trilogy as it happens in a world after that story. Teens living in Seraphis find out their job assignments and their future spouses based on data. They take quizzes, do tasks and get evaluated to get them a life that is suited to them. However, after decades of this system working, signs of corruption are showing and Zeph and Calla are going to have to decide how far they will go to find out the truth and possibly be together.
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
Eddi Jaku is a holocaust survivor. The Happiest Man on Earth is his story on how he has dealt with his past and come to live a full life. The book is fairly short, but very profound. I enjoyed reading his outlook on life. Faith, however, does not seem to be a big factor in his happiness.
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is going to be one of my top books for the year and I will probably go back and re-read it several times in my life. It’s a dystopian book set after worldwide nuclear fallout where the survivors reject any technology afterwards. However, some monks start saving and hiding away any writings and books that they can. Many decades go by before man is ready to start studying technology and science again. New moral issues abound and have to be faced by the remaining church.
Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall
Beth is as happy with her life with Frank as she can be – or so she thinks. The loss of their son several years ago still affects the dynamics of their relationship. However, when her first love returns to his home nearby, recently divorced, along with his own son, her world starts to tilt. She plans to stay away from him, but then his son’s dog comes to attack her farm’s lambs and one action sets in motion things that can never be taken back. Broken Country keeps many secrets to the end and was fun to read, although there’s some descriptive romance scenes.
Mind Your Body by Nichole J. Sachs
I heard about Mind Your Body on a podcast and had to wait quite a while to get it from the library. It’s a book about how chronic pain could possibly be your body processing emotions and trauma. She provides examples, personal testimonies and a way to journal to help a body release and deal with trauma. I think it’s a great book and a great option to pursue for anyone with chronic pain.
As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
Pauline and Thomas decide to move to Philadelphia for a change of pace after their youngest son dies as an infant. They take their three daughters and establish a life where they live above a funeral home as their dad is learning the trade from his uncle. However, just as they’re settled, WWI kicks off and the Spanish Flu starts to spread like wildfire. As Bright As Heaven follows the family through grief and moments of joy and healing.
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
A Passage to India has been in my to-read pile for a very long time. It’s considered a classic and I started it as an audiobook, but I couldn’t focus on the plot. I checked out the book and was able to focus more. The story is set in India and through fiction, shows the caste system and the affect of the British “rule” in India. It’s a bit of a sad story, but it is a good way to learn about that time period.
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton
As I was looking for good books to read, I came across The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by Chesterton. The plot was interesting and reminded me some of It’s a Mad, Mad World where people aren’t who they seem at first. It’s about police trying to uncover an anarchist plot and the ending is a bit mystical.
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
The Lost Bookshop is a generational story where women are connected by a bookshop that disappears over time. A bit hard to explain, but it begins with Opaline. She escapes a brother who is demanding she marry a stranger and finds work at a bookstore. She thinks she is safe and has found love, only to have her brother find her. Her life changes drastically at that moment, but she does find a way back to her books somehow. In the present time, a few generations later, Martha is escaping an abusive marriage and runs into Henry who is trying to find the lost bookshop.
Bad Ground by W. Dale Cramer
Jeremy is lost at 17. His father died when he was young and now his mother has passed away from cancer. His two living relatives give him one option. His grandmother has had a stroke so he goes to live with his Uncle Aiden. Aiden is a recluse to the world except his coworkers doing mining. Jeremy joins the mining business and has to grow up fast to deal with his new job and his uncle.
Share an interesting book you read recently in the comments!
