10/1: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (library ebook, 2017) - Perfectly good book about a terrible crime spree. 3.5/5 stars
10/2: Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire (library ebook, 2017) - An excellent entry in this series. The ending is sad, though, so be aware. 4.5/5 stars
10/4: The Black Gryphon (Valdemar: The Mage Wars #1) by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, read by Gary Furlong (library audiobook, 1994) - I was undecided in the first couple of chapters, but was all in by the end. 4.5/5 stars
10/6: The White Gryphon (Valdemar: The Mage Wars #2) by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, read by Gary Furlong (library audiobook, 1995) - I didn't enjoy the "mystery" element of this book, but I still really am enjoying the worldbuilding. 3.5/5 stars
10/6: The Witness for the Dead (The Cemeteries of Amalo #1) by Katherine Addison (library ebook, 2021)- This book tells the story of a side character in The Goblin Emperor, which is a book I adored. I thought this one was boring? I didn't care about the mystery or the character. Eh. Disappointing. 3/5 stars
10/7: The Master (The Game Maker) by Kresley Cole (library ebook, 2015) - Mafia romances so rarely hit the sweet spot for me. Between the endless sex, drinking, and violence, I was not excited about this one. I did appreciate that the driving force in the main character's life seemed to be having enough stability to get a dog. That sounds about right. 2.5/5 stars
10/9: A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik (library, 2020) - An evil magical school with a bad ass heroine. What's not to like? 4.5/5 stars
10/10: The Silver Gryphon (Valdemar: The Mage Wars #3) by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, read by Gary Furlong (library audiobook, 1996) - The first third of this book was pretty interminable, but I definitely enjoyed it. 4/5 stars
10/18: How to Be Both by Ali Smith (library, 2014) - This wasn't exactly the book for me. I admire what it was trying to do in terms of structure, but the themes weren't perfect. 3/5 stars
10/21: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Family by Patrick Radden Keefe (library ebook, 2021) - Important non-fiction, but boring. 3/5 stars
10/23: Desperation in Death (In Death #55) by J.D. Robb (library, 2022) - Goodreads 4.66/5 stars is killing me. That's some serious grade inflation because only true fans are reading #55 in any given series. It's a weird book about child trafficking so beware. It's a perfectly fine addition to the series and I hope one of the characters becomes a reoccurring character, but it's not 4.66 stars. 3/5 stars
10/24: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin (library audiobook read by Harry Lloyd, 2013) - This is a prequel to the events taking place in the Song of Ice and Fire books. Martin's writing is so immersive and I really enjoyed listening to this. 4/5 stars
10/25: Imago (Xenogenesis #3) by Octavia Butler (library, 1989) - Not as good as the other books in the trilogy, but pretty okay. 3/5 stars
10/26: Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: The Last Herald - Mage #1) by Mercedes Lackey (library ebook, 1989) - This starts as a very gay love story and ends up as a meditation on grief. With a telepathic horse. 3.5/5 stars
Total: 14 books, which is a small miracle because Empire of Pain took approximately eight zillion years to finish
Average star rating: 3.5/5 stars (no five star reads this month, so sad news there)
Did Not Finish:
A Stranger in Olondra by Sofia Samatar - This book is absolutely loved by some, but just didn't hit me. The character seemed flat, the language seemed convoluted, and I just wasn't drawn in. DNF at page 57 (19%).
Rocannon's World (Hainish Cycle #1) by Ursula K. LeGuin - I have borrowed this from the library three times and each time I make a tiny bit further into the book before giving up. It's just not the book for me. DNF at page 35.
I'll post my reading tomorrow but I finished 7 books and 5 were great! I gave 4 books 5 stars! I think I have become much more generous w/ start ratings. But I don't use half-stars so my ratings will align with my goodreads ratings. If I gave half stars, some might get docked down to 4.5.
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed when people's ratings are that high. You clearly do your homework better about what you're going to read than I do!
DeleteYet again, never heard of any of your books. Hahaha! I am refraining from saying my usual half comment/ half whine: "Howwww do you read so many books?!!?" Ok didn't refrain, just said it again, as I think I do every month when you post these. lol. Don't mind me, I just have book envy.
ReplyDeleteOh, but I rarely leave the house. I don't have children, my job isn't very demanding right now, and reading is basically my only hobby. You have an actual life and do things beyond reading, so you should be happy with whatever reading fits your life!
DeleteWow 14 books. I think I never managed those many in a month. I am looking forward reading Deadly Education - it sitting on my shelved since Christmas. But I feel November is the right month for diving into that story. All the other books you mention I have not heard about.
ReplyDeleteWow! You read that many books? I am impressed.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't think I'm actually looking for 5 stars when I read JD Robb or the "standard" Nora Roberts books (i.e. not the big trilogies). I'm usually going for the comfort food of books - familiar writing style, plots that I can count on, etc. But that's not 5 stars to me - that's a solid 3.5-4, depending on plot for a specific book, etc. Does that make any sense at all??
ReplyDelete