The unabridged list of books read in October

My October reading month in words, pictures, and GIF. (Tackling Mount TBR not included.)

My October reading month in words, pictures, and GIF. (Tackling Mount TBR not included.)October was a fab reading month! I enjoyed diving into contemporary literary fiction, fantasy fiction for young readers, a memoir, a nonfiction book, a classic, and some YA.

Quite an eclectic month!

Books I read:

The following is one of my longest tallies this year. Actually, it might be my longest. Then again, quite a few of the books I read were rather short. Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon also gave me a boost.

On the downside, my quest to read my own books crashed and burned in a fiery conflagration: Only one of 13 reads was culled from my pre-2016 library. That’s far short of the 50-50 split I’d intended. Oh well. There’s always November and December. (Hmmm, I seem to be running out of months…) Continue reading “The unabridged list of books read in October”

WWW Wednesday: October 19

This week's reading wrap up includes a classic, a children's book, some nonfiction. Just your basic Wednesday roundup of eclectic reads. :)

This week's reading wrap up includes a classic, a children's book, some nonfiction. Just your basic Wednesday roundup of eclectic reads. :)Many thanks to Taking on a World of Words for hosting WWW Wednesday! Follow the link to read more about it, and be prepared to discover buckets of new books. Thanks also to Coffee and Cats for introducing me to WWW Wednesday!

What are you currently reading?

After finishing Pancakes in Paris, I returned to Pym by Mat Johnson. Besides being a rollicking adventure, the novel is making me think and rethink. It’s not a book I’ll be able to zoom through. I find myself pausing for long intervals to process the story and how it’s put together and its ideas. It can go from wacky hijinks, to incisive social commentary, to hilarious in a beat.

In an August book sale, I picked up When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning. Nonfiction books tend to hold my attention when I’m frantically busy and have a hard time settling down to read. Ergo, this book from my Nook. The stirring introduction is worth reading even if you never commit to the whole book. Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: October 19”

WWW Wednesday: October 12

A WWW Wednesday that has more books on it than my reading tally for the month of September. Happy WWW Wednesday indeed!

A WWW Wednesday that has more books on it than my reading tally for the month of September. Happy WWW Wednesday indeed!WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Follow the link to read more about it, and be prepared to expand your to-be-read list! A special shout-out to Coffee and Cats for introducing me to WWW Wednesday.

What are you currently reading?

I’m getting over a terrible cold that knocked me flat on my back for the better part of a week. It also side-tracked me from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. She is a brilliant social observer/critic and prose stylist. But her novels are not exactly comfort reading while guzzling hot soup and DayQuil. As I’m on the mend, I picked it up again yesterday and … wow. It’s suspenseful and tense and thought provoking.

What did you recently finish reading?

Since my last WWW Wednesday, I’ve done more reading than I did the entire month of September! What’s missing here is even one asterisk indicating #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks title. This is because I have yet to read one of my own books in October! Good thing we’re only halfway through, eh?

During a stroll through Barnes and Nobel, this title stopped me in my tracks: Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France by Craig Carlson. I have a personal connection to pancakes (which is a story for another time). As for the book, it’s a warm-hearted, immensely readable memoir about opening a diner in Paris. It’s also Carlson’s story of overcoming a difficult childhood and finding family and love in the City of Light. Uplifting and engaging, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for a dreary day.

I also listened to Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal, which I borrowed from my library. When I started it, I didn’t know anything about the story. I’m grateful for that. It’s not a traditional narrative. It tells the story of Eva Thorvald as seen through the eyes of seven different people whose lives intersect with hers. Words I think of in relation to this novel: fresh, inventive, kind. I loved it!  Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: October 12”

3 ways reading Edith Wharton is like a dementor attack

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If you’ve spent time reading Edith Wharton, amiright?

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Full disclosure: I haven’t read Wharton’s most well known novels, The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth. I think I was assigned the former, at some point, and the latter, well, I’m guessing there’s little actual mirth involved.

My experience of Wharton is limited to Ethan Frome, Tales of Men and Ghosts, and the short story “Roman Fever.” Each is so shudder inducing in its own way that I’m a bit wary of tackling one of her longer works. Though her writing is so beautiful. I don’t know. I’m torn. Continue reading “3 ways reading Edith Wharton is like a dementor attack”