november: 40, 41, 42 & 43

in november i read:

the thursday murder club, by richard osman (i had heard good things about this book, about a group of senior citizens who solve a murder.  while there was nothing wrong with this book and it was a relatively easy read, i didn't love it and i'm not rushing out to read the others in the series.  mystery isn't my go-to genre, which might have something to do with it, but i also found it hard to distinguish the characters early in the book (wait, who's this?), which didn't make it the most fun to read.)

the berry pickers, by amanda peters (i really liked this book, the story of a family of seasonal fruit pickers in maine and nova scotia whose daughter goes missing one season.  you flash back and forth between the season it happened and the present day, where one of the siblings is an old man and dying.  i won't say more because i don't want to spoil it, but i really liked this book and was intrigued by the story and the characters and the vivid setting.  i'd definitely recommend!)

the loneliest americans, by jay caspian kang (we read this for our faculty book club at school and i'm glad we did - it is part memoir, part history that explores what it means to be asian-american and what it means to "belong" in america.  definitely thought provoking and we had a good discussion.  i'm not rushing out to buy it for other people because i think it's imperfect but if this topic interests you it's absolutely worth a read.)

on the banks of plum creek, by laura ingalls wilder (book 4 in the series, a fast read while i was home with my parents over thanksgiving break.  i'm continuing to enjoy revisiting this series and learning more about wilder and the time period when her books were set.)

october: 37, 38 & 39

still catching up!  october's reading:

a court of thorns and roses, by sarah j. maas (yes, i got sucked into this series and yes i will absolutely be reading the next book in the series.  fairies.  romance.  what can i say.  i think it's worth giving this a whirl!)

the demon of unrest, by erik larson (i always like erik larson's books - this one is about fort sumter and the start of the civil war.  i listened to this - the audiobook narrator is great - and would recommend it if you're into narrative nonfiction!)

brooklyn, by colm toibin (this author came out with a sequel to this book, which i had never read but had seen and really enjoyed the movie.  so i decided to read the book, and found his writing style different from most books i read but really really lovely and easy to get into.  his narrator, eilis, is matter of fact and makes interesting choices (and has interesting choices thrust upon her).  i really enjoyed reading this and would highly recommend it!)

september: 35 & 36

all the colors of the dark, by chris whitaker (this was a read with jenna book club pick and i read it for that reason...but i found it really weird and hard to figure out what was real and what was happening in a character's mind - which i think was sort of the point but i didn't love that element of the book.  the middle of the book kind of dragged for me and i guess ultimately i wouldn't recommend this one.)

the wedding people, by alison espach (also a read with jenna pick, but one that i liked a lot more.  a few improbable elements but ultimately i was charmed by this book - vivid setting, interesting and likable characters, quick read.  this would be a great book to take on vacation! i should also mention that it just won the goodreads best fiction book of the year, and while i don't *always* agree with goodreads, this is a good choice.)