What did you read in ~~ October 2020

[Alias Reader]

Here is the Folder to tell us what your monthly reads for October 2020 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

[Alias Reader]

Here are my October 2020 reads.

by Yuval Noah Harari
Non fiction
Rated: 5/5
Audio and eBook
I loved the last book I read by Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind so I was eager to read another book by him and it didn't disappoint. I listened to the audio and read the eBook at various times. There is so much here to ponder. I highly recommend it. The audio is narrated by Derek Perkins and he did an excellent job.

The Masque of the Red Death--Edgar Allan Poe
Fiction- Short story
Rated: 3
eBook
Solid short story by Poe. Poe always fits well for an October read. I selected this one because it was mentioned that some may find some similarities to the current occupant of the White House.

by Kelly McGonigal
Non Fiction
Rated: 4
Audio
I enjoyed the authors other book The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It so when I saw the audio available from my library for this book I downloaded it. It was the perfect audio book to listen to while doing my daily exercise walk. The author is the narrator and does a very good job. She has a nice clear voice.

How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss by Michael Greger
Non fiction
Rated: 3 minus
I follow Dr. Greger on social media and have read his other book
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
I also try to follow his Daily Dozen.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dr-g...

I thought this book was good. However, it was almost too much research, if that is possible. The book is around 600 pages and soon gets overwhelming. Still, it's a good resource book.

[Simon]

The below books are my October reads (I consider it for the reads of the month ONLY if I complete it in the month, not when I started it):

- The Evening & the Morning by Ken Follett

- Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women’s Olympic Team by Elise Hooper

- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

- Witches: The True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer

[Alias Reader]

Simon wrote: "The below books are my October reads (I consider it for the reads of the month ONLY if I complete it in the month, not when I started it): "

That's what I do, too, Simon.

[Petra]

I do that, too, Simon.

Alias, you've had a good reading month.
A good resource book is a worthwhile find. It's kind of funny that Poe wrote a story that would be so....um....current.

Simon, you've got a couple of good Halloween/October reads tucked in your list. Shirley Jackson writes a good story. Have your read We Have Always Lived in the Castle?

[Petra]

I've been in a reading slump. This month I mostly read short novellas and stories.

Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders 4-star - a good blend of facts without preaching or leading the reader.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Lifted Veil 3-star - I like George Eliot's writing and this story is no exception. I wasn't pulled into the story, which seemed rather lackluster and blah. But good writing.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Sorrows of Young Werther 4-star - I enjoyed this train-wreck of a story. It reminded me of Wuthering Heights, in some ways. Both are said to be "love" stories, yet both are stories of mental health issues (in my opinion).
Goethe's writing is very modern in feel and tone.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Romance of Certain Old Clothes 3-star - a fun, predictable ghost story. Well written.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Turn of the Screw 4-star - ghosts or mental health issues? What really happened here? Only the reader can decide. A perfect October read.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Summer Guest (audio) 4-star - I'm a sucker for a good, warm family saga. This one was right up my alley.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(by the author of The Passage trilogy, which I really enjoyed)

[Simon]

Alias Reader wrote: "Simon wrote: "The below books are my October reads (I consider it for the reads of the month ONLY if I complete it in the month, not when I started it): "

That's what I do, too, Simon."

Keeps us honest this way in my opinion

[Simon]

Petra wrote: "I do that, too, Simon.

Alias, you've had a good reading month.
A good resource book is a worthwhile find. It's kind of funny that Poe wrote a story that would be so....um....current.

Simon, yo..."

No, I haven't. I actually didn't think of reading The Haunting of Hill House until I came across it on my public library's website that it's the book club pick for the month - no holds, always available. Found it to be psychologically thrilling, but will still have to see the Netflix series.

[Meredith]

My October reads
The Ghost Walker by Margaret Coel
Rating 3/5
This is second book in the series of Jesuit Preist who heads a mission on an Indian reservation in Wyoming. Blends mystery with tribal traditions
Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben
Rating 3/5
First book in the Myron Boliter series. These are fun mysteries with the added benefit that they take place in towns near where I live
A Lesson Before DyingbyErnest J. Gaines
Rating 4/5
A Novel about dignity
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Rating 3/5
The story of a young women forger who creates false papers for Jewish children to leave France during WWII. She and a fellow forger record the real names of the children in an old religousl text
The Case of the Silent Partner by Erle Stanley Gardner
Rating 4/5
This is the next in the Perry Mason series. Even though the books were written decades ago the mysteries still hold up
Signed, Picpus by Georges Simenon
Rating 3/5
Another book in the Inspector Maigret series. Again even though this book was written decades ago the mystery still stands up
Murder in Little Italy by Victoria Thompson
Rating 3/5
This is part of the Gaslight mysteries series. The protagonists are a midwife and Irish cop in turn of the century New York
The Whole Town's Talking byFannie Flagg
Rating 3/5
Quirky novel that provides the history of Elmwood Springs MO

[madrano]

Alias, it seems to me 600 pages of research is challenging too. I suppose there are people who want to see it all but i'd be happy with a condensation of some of it.

Thanks for sharing the link to Greger's Daily list. The 5 glasses of water sound more achievable on a daily basis than the 8 which used to be recommended. I drink much water to keep cramps at bay & the body flowing but eight was still overwhelming.

Love the Poe!

[madrano]

Simon, you had a good month, it seems to me. The Ken Follett book was a big one.

Like you, i wait until i finish a book before i list it. Sometimes it takes months because i opt for a slower pace. Short stories is an example. I just need more breaks. Other times i must return the book before i've completed it. Bummer.

The biggest reason is because i keep a list & i like to keep the notes nearby, in chronological order for future reference, which i seem to need often.

[madrano]

Petra, i agree with everything you wrote about the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe novel. I read it a few years ago & was quite surprised at what i read. Frankly, i expected it to be dull and it wasn't. Your thoughts are mine on this one.

I liked that George Eliot story but felt as you did. As entertaining as hearing the thoughts of others would be, it would also be a curse. The apt title still brings a smile.

The title of the Henry James doesn't even sound familiar. The story sounds good, though, so hope to catch it soon.

While i'm not one for family sagas, the call of those wilds appeals. Thanks for sharing the story with us.

[madrano]

Meredith, you had a fruitful month of reading. And no clunkers in the list! Nice.

I've had Margaret Coel's books on my TBR for years. Every time i go to get an e-copy of it, none are available. She's quite popular. I'm still hoping to catch her series set on Wind River.

Fanny Flagg has a fun way with words and ideas. Her career as a comedian has brought me pleasure for decades, but her writing surpasses even that. It's a pleasure to learn others appreciate her, too.

Thanks for sharing the titles with us.

[Petra]

Thanks, Deb, for all the "likes"!!

Meredith, that's a good month of reading. You seem to enjoy a lot of series. I'm a fan of a good character-driven series. I like following the characters through the books and seeing them grow and adapt.

[Alias Reader]

Petra wrote: "I've been in a reading slump. This month I mostly read short novellas and stories.
"

It's a terrific idea to go the short story route when in a reading slump. It's nice to see that you enjoyed them.
I didn't care for The Turn of the Screw as much as you did. I read it awhile ago. However, if I recall correctly, my complaint was some sentences were a page long ! Yikes. LOL

[Alias Reader]

Meredith wrote: "My October reads
A Lesson Before DyingbyErnest J. Gaines ..."

Nice month Meredith !

I read A Lesson Before Dying years ago when it was an Oprah book club pick. Honestly, I don't recall the plot anymore. But that says more about my horrid memory then the novel.

[John]

The ones I'd consider recommending would be...

The Lost Queen: The Life & Tragedy of the Prince Regent's Daughter - had Charlotte lived, Victoria would likely have been a historical footnote. For a subject who died so young, her life is thoroughly covered.

Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch - rarely grew bored with the story, which could have been partly from narrator's enthusiastic tone. So much promise, but in the end often her own worst enemy.

[madrano]

Twists of fate, John. Until your notice about the book, i couldn't even tell you Victoria's mother's name. And so it goes.

[madrano]

Alias, i LOL'd at your comment about sentence length from James. This was the ONLY thing Dan will say about the author. Apparently he had to read The American in high school and that was all he remembered--one sentence 2 1/2 pages long to describe one room, in addition to continuing for another 3 pages about other items in the room.

I thought of that as i read his The Portrait of a Lady when he described the china in one character's room. Honestly, i felt it told readers much about the character but i was also laughing, thinking of Dan reading it. :-)

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: "Alias, i LOL'd at your comment about sentence length from James. This was the ONLY thing Dan will say about the author. Apparently he had to read The American in high school and that w..."

:) Great minds think alike.

[madrano]

I know he'd agree!

[Alias Reader]

:)

[madrano]

I have been very slow in posting my October books because i just seem not to have the energy to write about them. So, instead, since i already wrote about several on my DL thread, i am providing a link. Messages after #47 are about October books. Both #47 and #62 messages are strictly about books which i've asterisked. (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) While i have posted about others, i'm not supplying a link. I believe most were posted in the "What I Got from the Library", etc. thread.

**To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care--Cris Beam.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne--Elsa Hart

Winter Counts--David Heska Wanbli Weiden
(https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) Message 151

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating--Elisabeth Tova Bailey Previous link, #150.

**Penrod--Booth Tarkington

The Carrying: Poems--Ada Limon

**Naked in Death--J.D. Robb

**Threads of Grey and Gold--Myrtle Reed

Ready or not--Mary Stolz This is one from my Determination List, but about which i haven't posted elsewhere. The category is "Author You've Never Heard Of". It turns out this would today be classified a YA. I liked it more than most YAs i've read because it shared inner thoughts from more than just the young people. We get a sense of the father more than any other adult. Set in Manhattan between WWII and the Korean Conflict, the family is on a downward spiral fiscally, since the mother's death a few years before the story begins. I'll share more on the DL thread.

Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef--Aaron Sanchez. I just saw this on the E-book library shelf & gave it a go because i like what i've seen on Food Network programs. He was honest about his ups and downs, as well as sharing great-sounding recipes from his experience primarily with Latinx cooking. Frankly, i hoped he'd share more about his tattoos because he also is invested in a tattoo business and is fairly well covered with same. But he barely mentioned them.

A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing--Lawrence M. Krauss. Another from my DL, "A Non-fiction Science book". I felt Krauss did a tremendous job in explaining some of the latest math/science ideas about the creation of our universe. While he leans toward atheism, he addresses other beliefs, which may or may not be obvious from the title.

[John]

As someone who has lived most of his life in the Northeast and Northwest of the country, I really don't have any sense of the difference between Mexican and so-called Tex-Mex food. I'm not particularly a fan of tattoos, but if you're going to get some, agreed that they might as well be interesting!

[Marie]

I went nutso in October and read 18 books! I had joined some Halloween challenges in another group and then I had set a personal Halloween challenge for myself, so it ended up being "books galore" month! lol :)

The Graveyard Speaks by Hunter Shea - 3 stars. This was a good read - not spooky though but it is tied in with some of the authors other books. I still enjoyed the book though.

The Horror Collection: Pumpkin Edition by Kevin J. Kennedy - 4 stars. These books by this author usually has different stories from other authors. Author Kevin J. Kennedy has different books that are usually horror anthologies. The stories in here were cool and twisted. :)

Until Summer Comes Around by Glenn Rolfe - 5 stars. This is a horror coming of age story that happens to include vampires.

Scalp by Carver Pike - 5 stars. This horror story takes the subject of lice to a whole new twisted level. New author for me and will be exploring more in his horror world. :)

The Darkest Veil by Catherine Cavendish - 5 stars. Very spooky read that deals with ouija boards. I have read this author before and she has quite a few books that are just downright creepy!

The Room Upstairs by Iain Rob Wright - 4 stars. This book was more of a horror/suspense/mystery which had quite a bit of tension. I have read this author before and he always delivers on weird and spooky.

A True Exorcism: A soul Held Hostage: A Soul held Hostage by Wesley Fox - 4 stars. This was a true paranormal book that deals with the author and what he had to go through as a paranormal investigator. Real spooky.

The Essential Sick Stuff by Ronald Kelly - 5 stars. This is some real twisted horror stories contained within - only for hardcore horror fans! lol :)

The Haunted Forest Tour by Jeff Strand - 5 stars. This was not so much spooky as it was more like Jurassic Park but without dinosaurs and loaded with lots of horror.

Inside Perron Manor: Investigating Britain's Most Haunted House by Lee Mountford - 5 stars. This was a haunted ghost story that is a part of a haunting series that the author is in the midst of writing and this book is a prelude short story before the actual series. I have read his books before and he always delivers on spooky books.

Haunted: Perron Manor by Lee Mountford - 5 stars. This book is considered the actual first book in the series and this was a creepy/spooky story that delves more into what took place in the prelude story of Inside Perron Manor.

Mister Glow-Bones and Other Halloween Tales by Ronald Kelly - 4 stars. Another book by this author and this one has lots of Halloween ghost stories inside. Not real spooky, but very enjoyable.

Video Nasties by Duncan Ralston - 4 stars. All I am going to say on this book is there were a bunch of twisted stories in this one! I have read almost all of this authors work in horror. I think I have maybe three or four more of his books to read.

The Haunting of Shadowlands Manor by Tabatha Cross - 3 stars. This book was okay - I wasn't too impressed. The cover is more creepier than the story, but there were parts of the book that were creepy and other parts just didn't live up to the blurb of the book.

The Malan Witch by Catherine Cavendish - 5 stars. I loved this book! It was awesome! It had just the right amount of a scare factor as it has to do with evil witches and I read this book quick. I love this author as she is able to weave tales that will sink deep into your soul giving you the frights! :)

The Night It Got Out by Patrick James Ryan - 5 stars. This is a creature feature horror book that has lots of blood and gore spread out through the story. I have only read one other book by him and loved it as well. He has a knack of going on a horror ripping ride with his books! :)

True Hauntings And Paranormal: Exploring The Worlds Creepiest Haunted Places & Objects by Roger P. Mills - 4 stars. One of my favorite true paranormal authors as he is able to always give quite a bit of information with his books that deal with real hauntings.

Wicked Izzy by Dale J. Young - 3 stars. I really wanted to like this one, but the first part of the book was creepy and then the last part of the book was just plain weird. Too much twilight zone weird for me and what is interesting I have read this author before which I liked the book I had read at the time, so I had got my hopes up with this one only to see them dashed down when it didn't live up to what I expected.

So that is my long list for October. I hope this month will not be as full! lol I am trying to space out some stuff and not have so many all at one time. lol

Happy reading everyone! :)

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: "I have been very slow in posting my October books because i just seem not to have the energy to write about them. So, instead, since i already wrote about several on my DL thread, i am providing a ..."

You had a very nice reading month, deb ! Well done.

[Alias Reader]

Marie wrote: "I went nutso in October and read 18 books! I had joined some Halloween challenges in another group and then I had set a personal Halloween challenge for myself, so it ended up being "books galore" ..."

Wow ! Well done, Marie. I like the October theme.

[Petra]

Deb, great reading month!
I have heard a lot of good about Sound of a Wild Snail Eating. One day, I'll get around to reading it, too.

It's great to discover new authors. Wonderful idea to have an "author I never heard of" challenge with oneself.

[Petra]

Wow, Marie, that's a lot of spooky horror! I love that you embraced October in this way.
I'm going to have a look through your reviews and the books you've listed. I enjoy a good horror story.

[Marie]

Alias Reader wrote: "Marie wrote: "I went nutso in October and read 18 books! I had joined some Halloween challenges in another group and then I had set a personal Halloween challenge for myself, so it ended up being "..."

Thank you so much, Alias! I try to pick out books every year for the Halloween season, but I wasn't expecting to read that many this year. I kind of got carried away! LOL :)

[Marie]

Petra wrote: "Wow, Marie, that's a lot of spooky horror! I love that you embraced October in this way.
I'm going to have a look through your reviews and the books you've listed. I enjoy a good horror story."

Thank you, Petra! I really read quite a bit of horror all year around, but I try to delve into more of the Halloween themed horror for October. :) I hope you find your next horror read by be-bopping through my reviews! :)

[madrano]

John, we lived in the Dakotas when Tex-Mex caught on, so the differences were lost on me, too. Now that we live here, i can see a bit better which is which. If you can get a dish at a fast food outlet, it probably is Tex-Mex. That written, we found a great place in San Antonio which is fast-ish food but authentic. Sadly, it's a limited chain only in the southern parts, mostly mid-sized towns like Laredo. *sigh*

Sanchez used many more fruits and vegetables than we usually associate with Tex-Mex, too. For him, the freshness of the ingredients helps make the difference in defining the two, as well.

[madrano]

Marie, what a great list of books for October. The one about lice had me itching, just reading your post. After reading your review, i need a vinegar bath!

I had no idea there were so many true-life books about buildings and people who have experienced ghosts. In the '60s and '70s when i gobbled up those books there weren't ever enough! It looks as though this is no longer the case. My guess is that people no longer fear name-calling from non-believers.

Thanks for all the reviews & titles, Marie. I hope November is as successful for you.

[Marie]

madrano wrote: "Marie, what a great list of books for October. The one about lice had me itching, just reading your post. After reading your review, i need a vinegar bath!

I had no idea there were so many true-li..."

Thank you, Madrano! That book Scalp will definitely be making people want to just lay in a cortisone itch cream bath! LOL :)

As far as the true paranormal ghost story books - yes - there are more of them now than ever before as I have read quite a few of them through the years. It seems that there has been more of them since the Amityville horror happened back in the 70's. As now there seems to be a market for them - more so when Ed and Lorriane Warren were around. Their books gained a lot of interest along with movies that were made based on their books seemed to renew new interest in the paranormal. Also tv started having more of the paranormal ghost hunting shows which are still ongoing on some stations. :)

[John]

Back in my distant youth, I devoured books by Hans Holzer.

[madrano]

Ditto, John! I recall that his Yankee Ghosts: Spine Tingling Encounters with the Phantoms of New York and New England connected ghosts with US history, which intrigued me. This, despite the fact i wasn't much of a good student in history class.

Marie, you mentioning The Amityville Horror reminds me that it seemed to be a ground breaker for the general population. After that, the proliferation of such books was remarkable. And, as you note, TV has built on that and the audience continues to grow.