Sunday 31 October 2021

Books read in October

Looking at the books I've read this month there seems to be a surprising diversity of setting. Not sure why 'surprising' exactly as I ring the changes every month, but this month I do seem to have hopped about all over the place... or should I say 'planet'. Anyway, eight books read and these are they:

69. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn 

70. Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang 

71. A Keeper by Graham Norton 

72. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. A reread set around a house and its lodgers in San Francisco in the 1970s. I was underwhelmed when I read it in 2007 and underwhelmed in 2021. Can't win 'em all...

73. Death Around the Bend by T.E. Kinsey. I thought I'd reviewed this but I haven't. It's book three in the author's Lady Hardcastle series wherein her and her faithful sidekick, come maid, come companion, 'Flo', head off to stay with a lord who is into motor racing. Somebody dies doing it, naturally, but was it an accident or was there some dastardly skullduggery? Loved this. The author has got into his stride now and there was some genuinely LOL dialogue and good plotting. Excellent series, recommended by a good friend.

The cover:


74. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths 

75. Deep by James Nestor 

76. A Distance too Grand by Regina Scott. To be reviewed but it was a delightful read: series recommended by Lark and Susan. 

So, two non-fiction and six fiction books read this month. I've walked the South West coastal path here in England,  visited New York in the late 1800s, popped over to Ireland, San Francisco, pottered a bit more around England, dived the depths of oceans all over the world (yeah, right) chatting to whales and dolphins and finished off in the Grand Canyon. What a ride! 

Proof of my excellent reading month is that I can't choose a favourite, because apart from Tales of the City which for me was a bit average (not at all 'terrible'), all the rest were terrific reads. That said, I think I found Deep by James Nestor to be the most interesting book of the month.


This one gripped me from start to finish and taught me a lot. It provided quite a lot of 'wow' moments when reading it, which is always a plus.

So, onwards into November and I've started this:


Into the London Fog edited by Elizabeth Dearnley because it strikes me that November is a good month to read weird London fog yarns. :-)

And I'm thinking of starting this:

Anyone read it? I'm in an American mood at the moment and have a handful of travel books I could read including Not Tonight Josephine by George Mahood, which is on my library pile. I want to re-read Huckleberry Finn too and read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time, believe it or not. But that might be included in 'next' years plans... yes I'm already making plans for what to read in 2022.

Happy Halloween if you celebrate it and happy November reading too.
 

15 comments:

Jeane said...

Sounds like it was a good reading month! Although, if Tales of the City was underwhelming twice in a row, I'd think it's time to weed that one off your shelf. Make space for more books! (unless it was a library borrow?)

Cath said...

Jeane: I think I originally read Tales of the City as a library book but this time it was a cheap ebook purchase. 'Deep' however was a library book that I think I'm going to have to buy. Goodness, it gets complicated. LOL

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

That was a good reading month. I've wondered about reading Graham Norton's books,so it's good to see you enjoyed A Keeper - I'll see if the library has a copy.

Lark said...

I love that you read so widely. I do, too, which is probably why we enjoy so many of the same books. And I love that you've already started to make reading plans for 2022. Bookish minds think alike. :D

Sam said...

Another great reading month...and your GoodReads goal is going to be passed in November, looks like, so congrats on that.

I really like Deep South but I came at it from a different perspective than you will be coming from. I was curious to see what an Englishman like the author would think of America's "deep South" as it exists today...and how his thoughts might change over the course of his time living there. I was not disappointed at all because the man is always full of cultural insights as he travels around the world, and I think that he was very fair in presenting his take on the region. I'm really curious to see what you think of it.

Vallypee said...

Golly, Cath. What an impressive list. The one I've latched onto here is George Mahood's. I keep meaning to read his books, but still haven't got round to them. Thank you for the reminder!

Cath said...

Margaret: To be honest until my daughter loaned me the Graham Norton book I had no interest in reading any of his books. LOL! But he can write, which didn't really surprise me to be honest, and The Keeper really is a good book, so I would recommend it if you fancy something Irish and intense.

Cath said...

Lark: Reading widely is huge fun, although it does mean more money on books because so many of them appeal. I love that we both like so many of the same books and I always take your posts very seriously as I know that what you read is probably going to appeal to me too. I'm so glad you too are thinking about 2022. :-)

Cath said...

Sam: Thank you, yes it does look like my Goodreads goal will be achieved this month. I thought about upping it to 90, which I easily managed last year, but I don't think I will.

I've read two or three of Paul Theroux's books (oddly his son Louis is probably more famous in the UK because of his unusual documentaries) so have an idea what to expect from Deep South. I've only just started it and love it already. I love the term, 'raging politeness', to describe how people in the south treat each other and strangers. And that didn't surprise me, we haven't been to the 'deep' south as such, just NC and TN but we certainly found everyone was very nice and very polite. I think I'll read this one slowly... as it covers a whole year I might even read it over a year. We'll see.

Cath said...

Val: Thank you! It was Sam, whose comment is above yours, who made me reserve Not Tonight Josephine from the library, with his excellent review of it. I'd previously not heard of the author I must admit.

Kay said...

A good reading month for you indeed, Cath. On to November, right? LOL

Susan said...

You've never read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD? You must! It's my favorite book of all time and one of the very few I've read multiple times.

Thanks for your suggestion to read the Kinsey series. It sounds charming. I just picked up the Graham Norton book from the library on your recommendation. I won't be able to read it until January, probably, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad you're liking the American Wonders series. Lark recommended it and I'm so glad she did!

Best of luck with your November reading.

TracyK said...

Sorry I am so late to comment. We had lots of appointments in the last few days related to getting glasses for Glen, and I just spaced out. I haven't done much posting either. I hope to do something about that soon.

You have had a good reading month. I have A Keeper by Graham Norton on my wish list so I won't forget about. It will be wonderful when we actually have a driveway and orders can be delivered. We have not ordered anything online for almost two months. I am interested in reading the Lady Hardcastle series sometime. I like the idea of the maid helping with investigations.

I will be interested in what you think of Deep South by Theroux. I had considered reading it at one time, then decided against it. I did see what you and Sam had to say in the comments.

Cath said...

Kay: Thank you! Yep, on to November and new reading plans.

Susan: No, I don't think I've read To Kill a Mockingbird, though I can't be absolutely certain. I know I've seen the film but they're probably not identical.

I hope you enjoy the Graham Norton book, though perhaps 'enjoy' is not quite the right word. LOL

Thank you.

Cath said...

Tracy: No problem, I'm not here as much as I used to be. Not sure why.

Oddly enough we're trying to get someone to do our drive at the moment. It needs resurfacing but all the drive people seem to be booked up for months.

Deep South is already very good. I'm not going to rush it, I may even go through a year with him so to speak.