One of my best months yet: October 2019 reads

     I've got to say, October may have been my best month of reading/listening this entire year. Basically all of the books were 4 star reads at least! Most of the time was spent listening to audiobooks as opposed to physically reading, which is fine, when the narrator doesn't take away from the books, and as far as these books are concerned, that didn't seem to be an issue. I definitely recommend a lot of these books!

        

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz
     Released: August 7, 2012
     Read from: 9/18/19-10/6/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

     This was a phenomenal book about a phenomenal person. I knew very little about Julia Child, and now after listening to this book I want more! Definitely recommend to those who like learning about

people that are a part of our country's history. Julia Child has done so much more than just being a famous cook. She's well traveled, she's met so many people and she had a positive influence on our country for so many decades. Find my full review on Goodreads.






Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island by Regina Calcaterra
     Released: November 5, 2013
     Read from: 10/7/2019-10/10/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

     This was another amazing book that everyone should read. The title says the gist of it. Regina is the middle child of the five siblings. They all have different fathers, and Regina doesn't know who hers is. Her older siblings grew up and left the house where Regina was, trying to take care of her
younger brother and sister. They were constantly in and out of the foster system because of their unfit mother and the abuse they constantly endured. They always needed to worry about their safety, and where they might sleep at night and if they'd be able to eat. This is the story of how Regina overcame this adversity and grew up to become an influential and helpful person. It shows her figh/ for herself and for her siblings. It's a story that was unfolding underneath so many peoples noses, not that far away, and not very long ago. You can find my review on Goodreads here.



Sweet Water by Christina Baker Kline
     Released: March 31, 2015
     Read from: 10/11/19-10/16/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

     This was the first doozy of the month. And probably my least favorite one. I didn't enjoy this book at all. It was borderline 1 star. I really didn't like it and the reasons why are outlined in my review on Goodreads. What seemed interesting about the book is that the story is about the main character,

Cassandra, inheriting a house in another type of place than she's used to, and she goes there to meet her family members and uncover what really happened during the accident when he mother died. They also tie in another mystery which, didn't make the book any more interesting to me, but maybe someone else will be able to get passed my issues and enjoy the book. It seems like the author, who I'd never heard of prior, is relatively popular.



The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
     Released: March 13, 2013
     Read from: 10/19/19-10/22/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This is a book for kids, so it was a nice break to have an easy listen, and it was a cute story that was actually based on a true story! Told from the point of views of animals in a zoo, and how they wind up somewhere safer in the end. Great for kids, and great for adults that want a refreshing reading break. Find my Goodreads review here.



What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
     Released: October 8, 2019
     Read from: 10/15/19-10/25/19
     Format: Print (Owned)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     I've been waiting almost a year since I read the first book in this trilogy for the next installment to come out and since I read this one basically right away, now I have to wait an entire year again to find out what ends up happening in the end! Some people felt like this was a filler and that not much happened, and I guess I can see why they thought that? Maybe? I felt like all the characters made strides in going forward with their lives after Russ's death, and we did find out more things about the mystery of what happened. I thought it was a good, and that it was a good amount to have happened in a book in the middle of the trilogy. We still have another book left where things need to happen, and will, hopefully, have the most excitement when we find out everything we've been waiting to learn! I wrote a blurb on Goodreads about this one that you can check out here.



Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa
     Released: February 2, 2010
     Read from: 10/23/19-10/26/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

     This book truly is an extraordinary story. Oscar is a cat that seems to know when dementia are

about to pass on, and insists on being in the room with them so that they have the comfort of an animal, and aren't alone if there isn't a family member there, when they go. Oscar became famous on his floor. The families visiting their loved ones got just as much comfort from a cat hanging around as the patients do. When the patients are no longer aware of what's going on, Oscar will still sit with them and be with them in their time of need, and provide comfort to those who do know he's there. I learned a lot about this horrible disease in this book, and I think this book is good for anyone, whether you know someone with dementia or not, to have a better understanding of what so many people on this earth suffer from, and hopefully, something you will never have to deal with. This book was very positive though, in the sense of Oscar, and now I think all nursing homes, hospitals etc need the therapy of cats!



Enemy in the Fort by Sarah Masters Buckey
     Released: December 3, 2005
     Read from: 10/25/19-10/26/19
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

     This book was wonderful as far as teaching us about the dangers of frontier living since King Phillips's War in the later half of the 1600's. It takes place in New Hampshire within the walls of Fort Number 4. Two orphaned girls are living with an old lady since their parents and younger sibling were taken captive by Indians and their house burned to the ground. They want nothing to be reunited with their family, but issues arise when a captive Indian is brought into the camp and sent to live with them, and one of them may be taken away from the fort entirely to live in Connecticut. I really enjoyed this book even though it's for kids, and wrote a nice review for it on Goodreads.



The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
     Released: 1885
     Read from: 10/26/19-10/28/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     I decided to listen to this audiobook this month in honor of Halloween, but the audiobook fell short. The narrator made it hard for me to pay attention. I did finish it, but I am going to have to revisit it in print format. What's sad is that this is a classic and I still don't exactly know what it's
about. I gave it a moderate rating because I don't feel I could fairly judge it and didn't have any stand out feelings about the story itself, from what I got from this narrator. I wanted to find a picture of the version I listened to, but couldn't find one. This version was released in 2009 by Audio Realms.



Good-bye, Midnight Wanderer by Joanna Campbell
     Released: March 3, 1999  
     Read from: 10/27/19-10/30/19
     Format: Print (Owned)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     The 4th installment of the Thoroughbred Ashleigh series. This deals with a very hard lesson for a child, and a hard thing to go through as any type of pet owner. To not give things away about the series, you can check out my blurb on Goodreads.



The Forbidden Stallion by Joanna Campbell
     Released: June 1, 1999   
     Read from: 10/30/19-11/2/19
     Format: Print (Owned)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     This next installment of the Thoroughbred Ashleigh series is fun because it's a different setting and deals more with racehorses than the usual Edgardale setting. This time, Ashleigh and her family head
to Florida where they get to watch one of Edgardale's former colts race, and Ashleigh is determined to figure out why he isn't running up to his full potential. I liked how this whole story played out, and how we got to its conclusion. Ashleigh has to deal with a tough character around the racing farm, and must try to figure out how to get long and become friends.



The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
     Released: May 29, 2018   
     Read from: 10/28/19-11/3/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

     This was my favorite Ruth Ware book by far. I've actually only got one more book by her to read; the one released this year. I wasn't really enjoying any of her books, except for one, even though they are popular. This one I liked a lot though. You can find my full review on Goodreads, I wrote a good
review for this one. But the simplest synopsis is this is about a girl who gets a letter that she is inheriting something from the will of a woman that she is not related to. She decides to pose as the real recipient of the inheritance, and of course, gets into wayyyy more trouble than she expected. I thought this book was really well done. Definitely worth checking out.