It’s been a surprisingly busy reading month – helped by school half term holidays and the desire to clear some of my proofs before I embark on NetGalley November (more of that in a bit!)
This month, I’ve read 14 books which puts me on 115/100 on my Goodreads Challenge.
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October Wrap-Up
I started the month with a blog tour read for Orion – ‘We Are All Liars’ by Carys Jones. You can read my review of this fast-paced thriller about survival against the elements – and friends that you can’t trust – here.
Following this was the excellent audiobook ‘Written in Bone’ by Sue Black. This is a fascinating look at what our bones can tell about our lives after death. Sue Black is a leading forensic anthropologist who has worked on some really interesting cases and this book brings together elements of science and memoir. My review is here.
After that brilliant but heavy book, I turned to humour and ‘Drinking Custard’ by Lucy Beaumont. This is a very funny look at pregnancy and early motherhood that I read for a blog tour – my review is here.
A book I won from Readers First followed – ‘A Memory for Murder’ by Anne Holt. This was my first time reading this Norwegian crime writer and won’t be my last – I liked Selma Falck, the investigator at the centre of this political crime thriller, and am pleased there are more books in the series. My review is here.
‘Walking the Invisible’ by Michael Stewart was my next book – and one that I again enjoyed on audio. It’s part memoir, part history, part literary criticism and takes a look at the landscapes and places that inspired the Brontes. My review is here.
Then I read ‘Way Beyond a Lie’ by Harry Fisher, a crime thriller with hints of police procedural about a missing woman and the man she leaves behind. This was a lively and engaging read that introduces DS Mel Cooper (this book acts as a prequel to the series focusing on her). My review will follow shortly on the blog.
Another blog tour read followed – ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ by Emily Bell. I don’t usually read a lot of romance novels but this one was very tempting – a friends to lovers tale set in Dublin at Christmas. This was a gorgeous festive read – my review will be on the blog shortly as part of the tour organised by Penguin Michael Joseph.
Next, I finished the Tsundoku Squad book club read, ‘The Whistling’ by Rebecca Netley. I enjoyed this historical ghost story set on a remote Scottish island – with hints of witchcraft, a haunted house and ghosts that won’t stay buried. My review is here.
‘A Woman Made of Snow’ by Elisabeth Gifford was my next book and one that I thoroughly enjoyed – it was easily one of my BOOKS OF THE MONTH! It’s a dual timeline historical novel that takes the reader from Victorian-era Scotland to the Arctic aboard a whaling ship – and I loved it. My review is here.
Another audiobook was up next, and this was my other contender for BOOK OF THE MONTH – ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes. This was a fascinating look at some of the women from Greek mythology who have perhaps been overlooked or misunderstood. Haynes, a Classicist and comedian, is the perfect guide to the myths and texts. My review will be up on the blog soon.
Another story of ghosts and haunted houses followed – ‘Home Before Dark’ by Riley Sager. This was The Write Reads book group’s choice for October and I found it very hard to put down as the main character battled to find out what was happening in her family’s abandoned house – and why they had to leave it suddenly 25 years earlier.
After this contemporary read, I headed back to medieval England for a ghost story – ‘The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings’ by Dan Jones. This was an interesting (and sometimes scary) story about a tailor making his way home on empty roads on a dark night…when he meets some unusual spirits. My review will be up soon.
All the ghostliness of October’s reads then led me back to a humorous book and ‘New Erotica for Feminists’ by Caitlin Kunkel, Brooke Preston, Fiona Taylor and Carrie Wittmer. This was a very funny series of vignettes about what women REALLY want…and very little of that is about sex! Recommended if you need a giggle!
Finally, I finished the month with ‘The Dublin Railway Murder’ by Thomas Morris. This was an engaging true crime book that looks at the locked room murder of a railway clerk in 1850s Dublin, the subsequent investigation, trial and aftermath. It’s an unusual and very vividly told story – and my review will be on the blog soon.
November TBR
I’ve been clearing proofs so that I can focus on NetGalley books in November – and am joining NetGalley November which is being organised by two lovely members of the Tsundoku Squad on Twitter – do join us all there.
My NetGalley shelf has been a little neglected of late and I do have some excellent books on there, so I’m looking forward to tackling some of them.
I’m starting the challenge on a NetGalley ratio of 73% and with 149 unread books – yes, I know I have my work cut out for me!
Below are some of the books that I’m really looking forward to reading in November and thanks to NetGalley for my copies. First up are some excellent-sounding crime novels (including the new Abir Mukherjee book in the Wyndham and Banerjee series – my most anticipated read).
Then there’s some great historical fiction…
And some lovely non-fiction and poetry!
It’s going to be a month packed with great books – hope you have a brilliant November too!
Header photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on Unsplash.
Pandora’s Jar is on my TBR for November! 🥰
Tale of the Tailir and three dead Kings looks good.
What a wonderful reading month in October. I really liked Home Before Dark. Love the idea of Netgalley November. I can’t focus ALL my reading on Netgalley, but I do want to read some of the older review titles I have ASAP.
I’m doing 100% NetGalley this month but it is proving really hard to ignore all the other books xx