Show Us Your Books October 2025

Fall means reading while i wait for field hockey games and cross country meets to start

I just wrote 2015 instead of 2025 and it took me a while to catch my mistake. Where have the years gone? And why is my TBR so long :)

September was a decent reading month although I had major concentration issues some days. I’m sure I’m not alone.

Here my 4 and 5 star reads from September:

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly - Three middle school siblings are each struggling in a different way.

I really loved this middle grade novel although I object to historical fiction taking place in the 80’s.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - I loved the offbeat characters in this book. Half a star off for the ending which was not what I wanted.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - Another book club read with great characters, although in a different way from Brideshead. This one had a great sense of time and place as well.

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue - What would you do if a technical mistake allowed you to read all of the messages flying through your office?

This was a fun but deep book. Good on audio.

With A Star In My Hand by Margarita Engle - I enjoyed this biography in verse about the Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario.

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick - A very interesting book about international adoption mainly US families adopting from China. The author researched a lot of the book in late 2019 and her trips to China at that time made it all the more interesting.

Beach Music by Pat Conroy - Another sweeping masterpiece by Pat Conroy. After his wife’s suicide Jack leaves the US with his daughter to heal in Italy. South Carolina finds him though and carries him back. This almost 1,000 page book covered everything from WWII to the Vietnam War and beyond.

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry - One of the better cozies I’ve read this year. A mom and daughter escape their messy life to a rural cabin in Washington state. Mom needs to write her next book and daughter needs to heal from the trauma of being abandoned by her Dad. Unfortunately there is murder. And Bigfoot.

Katrina: After The Flood by Gary Rivlin - A sad book on a sad day. I’m glad I read it though. Like any other big, sad, emotional event I didn’t really have my facts straight. Rivlin is a good writer and I’ll read more of his books in the future.

Happy Reading!

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Show Us Your Books September 2024

August was a slowish reading month for me. I’m not sure why other than getting used to a new school schedule with the kids and working more than normal. Actually now that I say that out loud it totally makes sense. Never mind.

Anyway, here is the best of what I did manage to read.

Four Star Books:

Walking to Samarkand and Winds of The Steppe by Bernard Ollivier - I really enjoyed the last two books in the trilogy of Olliver’s epic walk of the Silk Road. It made me sad though that this is probably a trip I could never take as a woman. (I read the first book, Out of Istanbul, back in July.) At the time of this writing these were all included in my audible membership although I listened to them on Everand.

Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky - I’ve been reading this series for about 30 years now and it’s still going strong. In this one VI is in Kansas trying to track down a missing soccer player. Chaos ensues.

Pirate Queens by Rebecca Alexandra Simon - The life of a woman pirate was something I never knew I was interested in until I read this book!This was a short book well worth the time.

My Specific Awe And Wonder by Reuben Jackson - I feel so lucky that I got this slim book of poetry from LibraryThing and the publisher. Reuben Jackson’s poems about Vermont were spectacular, and I loved that he gave a section of his book to his friend Kelly Donaldson.

Reuben passed away in February so the last part of the book is drafts and transcribed voicemails. As a non-poet it's fascinating to see his process for creating his art.

Thanks for reading!

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Show Us Your Books December 2021

In November most of my reading focused on the Nonfiction November challenge, but I did manage to read some fiction too. Here are the highlights.

Five Stars

11/22/63 by Stephen King - This is the third or fourth time I‘ve read this chunkster and I really just am amazed every time. I prefer the print to the audiobook, but audio works when my hands are busy.

Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver - Mary Oliver‘s poetry soothes my heart, and I was so glad to curl up with this last month. She was just so good.

Four Stars

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - This book was WILD and I loved every minute it.

November Road by Lou Berney - Great historical fiction set around the time of the Kennedy Assassination. I loved the characters in this one.

Three Stars

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Now that I‘m done reading this I kind of feel like I need to start again so that I understand what‘s going on. Overall a pick, but I need a closer read.

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer - This was dumb and silly in all the best ways. I really enjoyed it.

This post is linked to Show Us Your Books and Quick Lit.

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Food And Lit: Guatemala

September was Guatemala month for Food And Lit. If you’re looking to read a book about recent Guatemalan history you must read Caminar. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, it’s a middle grade novel told in verse. I read it and then began a campaign to get my son to read it.

Guatemala is known for its coffee and chocolate so of course I had to treat myself. I also made Kak’ik for dinner one night. Really good!

Next month we’re in Zambia!

Five Books That Are Perfect For Tent Reading

I learned at a scout meeting last night that camp grounds everywhere are filling up at unprecedented rates. I love that so many people are sleeping under the stars! And with sleeping under the stars comes reading under the stars. Tent reading is one of my favorite types of reading. If you’re new to sleeping on the ground here are five books that are perfect for reading while camping:

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware- A sinister tale of a bachelorette party gone wrong. A closed door spooky thriller perfect for reading in isolation.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a really good book if you’re willing to go with it. If you think too much about it you’ll think it’s dumb. Put yourself in a tent in the woods, and you’ll have one of the best, creepiest reading experiences you’ve ever had.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the start of a masterful trilogy. It’s the type of book you’ll want to read all at once in solitude, and when you finally figure out what’s going on, hang on!

Devotions by Mary Oliver is a gorgeous book of poetry that celebrates the little things that happen outside. Read it by the fire or in the hammock.

The River by Peter Heller is a charged and atmospheric wilderness survival story perfect for reading outside. Just don’t start too late at night because you’ll burn out the batteries in your head lamp reading all night.

Happy camping!

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