I was able to squeeze in a few more books this month, including a few historical fictions, a romance novel and a wild fantasy quite unlike anything I’ve ever read.
(As a reminder: I always track my reading on Goodreads.)
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October in the Earth by Olivia Hawker
Recommend
This depression-era historical fiction tells the story of an Appalachian preacher’s wife who runs away to make a living hoboing on the rails. It was slow but beautifully-written. I loved following along as Del experienced the differences between the Christianity her husband preached versus the Christianity she was shown on the rails, and I enjoyed her character growth throughout the book.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Recommend
Piranesi lives in a three-story labyrinth of a house. Its corridors and courtyards never end. Each corridor is filled with statues. The lower floor belongs to the sea and its rising tides, the upper floor belongs to the clouds and its unpredictable storms, and Piranesi shares this house with birds, fish and a single human called “The Other.” This book was weird, but I enjoyed this vivid crazy world and following along with Piranesi’s train of thought.
Davita’s Harp by Chaim Potok
Recommend
This coming-of-age novel set in New York City during the early ears of World War II follows the life of Ilana Davita: A half-Jewish girl being raised by parents fully devoted to the communist party. As Davita grows, she begins to explore faith: Both the Christianity practiced by her father’s sister, and the Judaism practiced by her mother’s friends. This was a book club read, and while it was a little slow, I definitely learned a lot about Jewish history, practices and customs, and I really loved a lot of the character relationships.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Recommend
(SPOILER ALERT) I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love love it the way most of the internet seems to. This novel centers around the Salt family, living alone on a remote Antarctic island until a strange woman washes up on shore. I absolutely loved the pacing, the setting and (most of) the plot, but I think this book fell short in a lot of ways. The characters felt underdeveloped and the romance felt forced. I felt like there were too many narrators (some first-person and some third-person) and they all had the same voice. Regardless, I couldn’t put this book down so I do recommend it.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Recommend
I found this romance novel to be incredibly cute and endearing. Reeling from the loss of her beloved Aunt Analea, Clementine finds herself suddenly transported seven years into the past as she enters the New York City apartment bequeathed to her by her late aunt. She’s shocked to find an aspiring chef, Iwan, who is renting the apartment from Analea while Analea and Clementine backpack through Europe. The writing is of course formulaic as are all romance novels, but Poston did work in a few fun surprises and (of course) a satisfying and happy ending.
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