October Reading List

 Autumn deepens and this month's books read list grows by one - eight this month.

The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper was one of two books I read the first part of October that are set in the same time period and locale - WWII, England. Narrated by Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), wife of King George VI and mother of the current Queen Elizabeth, it is what I think of as a gossipy type of novel and while I may have 'learned' of a couple things I hadn't heard about the Queen Mother before, it wasn't that good. Looking back I see I had the same reaction to the last book of Harper's that I read: "very little plot and real substance - not my kind of book."

The Splendid And The Vile by Erik Larson is 'my kind of book', coincidentally set in the very same time period and locale as the previous read. But whereas Harper attempts to write about England and, mostly, London during WWII, Larson's book focuses on Prime Minister Winston Churchill rather than the Royals and more of England, not just London. Larson's book is also factual, based on archived material from that time, including the diaries of those living through it on both sides, England and Germany. This was my favorite read this month.

the book of two ways is Jodi Picoult's latest novel. There was a time in my life (50+ years ago), when I was extremely interested in Ancient Egypt - the Pyramids, the Pharaohs, the hieroglyphics, the gods and the excavations, but now I only find them mildly interesting so at first I wasn't that into this book. But Picoult has a way of pulling you into her storyline regardless of the setting. Once you begin knowing the characters, you are engrossed and learning so much more than you realized about more topics than the principal one. Picoult is a master writer.

A Question of Betrayal is Anne Perry's second book in her new Elena Standish series. The time period is the pre-war years of WWII and our heroine is a photographer in the secret intelligence service of England's MI6. I'm hooked on Perry's new series and character .

Falling Together and the precious one are the last two Marisa De Los Santos books I hadn't yet read. This author's storylines and settings are vastly different, yet always interesting. Her novels are about friendships, family secrets, second chances and the redemptive power of love. Santos stays on my 'Authors To Read' list. I look forward to any and all new books by her.

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs. After reading The Lost and Found Bookshop last month, I knew I wanted to read more by this author and I didn't have far to look as this book was on the new book shelf when I went to the library. There really is an Oysterville at the tip of a narrow peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay in the Southwest corner of Washington. Whether there is a real sewing circle there or not, I don't know. Wiggs writes good stories about old wounds, new beginnings and the healing power of friendship. I seem to be needing these uplifting types of books right now and the library has plenty of Wiggs' books just waiting to be read.

Dead Wake by Erik Larson is subtitled The Last Crossing of the Lusitania.  Yes I learned about the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat when I was in school and how that disaster played a part in the United States entering WWI, but only the bare facts. In Larson's deft writing, I learned more about the ship, the background of some of the passengers and the politics being played. I love history and I love the way this author writes about it. 

I already have a number of books lined up to read in November - the start of my 'real' reading season. 😁💛