Books Read: October 2022

October was unusual around here, dry and very much still summer until it suddenly wasn’t and we got rain and now we’re headed this week into full on winter with snow in the mountains. It was a stressful month for reasons I don’t want to get into here, but that meant I reached for books that were easy and relaxed, comforting: mysteries, YA fantasy, a romance, and of course some thrillers. I’m very much continuing on that trend into November, but I think a nonfiction read could finally sneak in and be what I need.

People We Meet On Vacation

There are times when I want to read a book and get away and forget what’s going on in the world and when that happens I usually pick a romance. They’re light and you know you will have a happy ending and this one didn’t disappoint. Poppy and Alex are best friends and they vacation every summer together. Of course there is a falling out and then we start the story, going back and forth through time to learn about their history and to see where they go from the present.

Briarpatch

A mystery published in 1984 with all that comes along with being of a different time, but the story itself is a timeless one. Benjamin Dill learns on his birthday that his sister has been killed and he goes to his hometown to investigate. From there we are taken on a journey through the corruption of the home town as well as the corruption of Washington, D.C. It’s a twisting story and I wasn’t quite sure how it was all going to come together, which kept me glued to the book to find out.

Siege and Storm

Book two of the Shadow and Bone triology was unexpected in where it went and yet it all fit quite well. As Alina and Mal try and forget about where they’ve been the adventure continues and they get sucked back in to what they were trying to escape. But there were a few twists here that I didn’t see coming and of course the end was a complete cliffhanger. Quite excited to see how this series ends.

The Good Assassin

The second book featuring George Mueller and this time he’s sucked back in to the world he’s worked so hard to leave behind. Vidich uses the backdrop of the revolution in Cuba for this story and Mueller is sent down on a special mission by the director of the CIA. As with any spy thriller, of course there are things he doesn’t know when he leaves and things we may not fully understand either. But as Mueller works to figure out what’s really happening in Cuba, we begin to see it as well. Not a great thriller, but not the worst I’ve read.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Another Tommy and Tuppence mystery from Agatha Christie and I continue to enjoy these as the characters are very well matched and funny. This time Tommy’s aunt dies and Tuppence is convinced something is going on, they’re older and retired, for the most part, and Tuppence takes off to solve the mystery while Tommy is away at a conference. And, to be honest, I didn’t see the ending coming at all, which always makes it that much better. Side note: this book was used for an episode of the Miss Marple series from the early 2000s and that episode is awful. They loosely used the story, but completely changed the characters, especially the relationship between Tommy and Tuppence, which made me very sad.

Ruin and Rising

The final book of the Shadow and Bone triology and Leigh Bardugo ends it so well. I tore through the last half of this book as the action was swift and the story was unexpected in several ways. Alina and Mal continue their fight against the Darkling, but also learn several surprising things about themselves and the way in which Grisha power works.